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Software · head to head

DEAR Inventory vs Saleor

DEAR Inventory logo

DEAR Inventory

Software

Complete inventory and order management system

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Saleor logo

Saleor

Software

Open-source, headless e-commerce platform with a GraphQL API

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Saleor has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: DEAR Inventory dEAR Inventory is now sold as Cin7 Core with four named tiers (Standard, Pro, Advanced, Omni) but no dollar figures are published, only an ROI calculator; Saleor saleor requires development resources to build a storefront, since it ships as an API-only backend without a front-end store out of the box.
  • They diverge on capability: DEAR Inventory covers Inventory management, Saleor covers GraphQL API.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which DEAR Inventory and Saleor actually diverge.

Attributes where DEAR Inventory and Saleor differ
AttributeDEAR InventorySaleor
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Mobile app, Cloud-basedweb, api
Founded20132019

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in DEAR Inventory

  • Inventory management
  • Manufacturing
  • Purchase orders
  • Sales orders
  • Accounting
  • Xero
  • QuickBooks
  • Shopify

Only in Saleor

  • GraphQL API
  • Admin dashboard
  • Webhooks and apps
  • Omnichannel order processing
  • Configurator CLI
  • OpenTelemetry tracing
  • OpenID Connect support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

DEAR Inventory

  • Manufacturing managementnot Saleor
  • Order processingnot Saleor
  • Stock controlnot Saleor
  • Financial integrationnot Saleor

Saleor

  • Custom headless storefrontsnot DEAR Inventory
  • Composable commerce architecturesnot DEAR Inventory
  • Omnichannel retail and B2B commercenot DEAR Inventory
  • Developer-built e-commerce requiring deep API accessnot DEAR Inventory

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

DEAR Inventory

  • DEAR Inventory is now sold as Cin7 Core with four named tiers (Standard, Pro, Advanced, Omni) but no dollar figures are published, only an ROI calculator

Saleor

  • Saleor requires development resources to build a storefront, since it ships as an API-only backend without a front-end store out of the box.
  • Self-hosting requires managing infrastructure, scaling, and updates, which adds operational overhead compared to fully managed platforms.
  • Saleor Cloud's paid tiers start at $1,599/month, making the managed offering costly for small merchants compared to typical SaaS store builders.
  • The GraphQL-first, code-driven approach has a steeper learning curve for non-technical users than drag-and-drop e-commerce builders.

Pricing, plan by plan

DEAR Inventory

On request
  • Standard$249/month
    • Core features
    • 5 users
    • Standard support
  • Professional$449/month
    • Advanced manufacturing
    • 10 users
    • Priority support
  • Enterprise$849/month
    • Full features
    • Unlimited users
    • Dedicated support

Saleor

Free
  • Sandboxes (Cloud)Free
    • Free forever tier for prototyping and development
  • Select (Cloud)$1599/month
    • Up to $200,000 GMV monthly
    • 0.8% fee on orders exceeding GMV limit
    • Dedicated Slack channel
  • Volume (Cloud)$3999/month
    • Up to $1,000,000 GMV monthly
    • 0.4% fee on orders exceeding GMV limit
    • Dedicated Slack channel
  • Enterprise (Cloud)$undefined/mo
    • Custom GMV limits
    • Fees negotiable as low as 0.2%
    • Project delivery lead

Which should you pick?

Choose DEAR Inventory if

  • You need inventory management.
  • You work on Web, Mobile app, Cloud-based.
  • You also want manufacturing.
DEAR Inventory review

Choose Saleor if

  • You need graphql api.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want admin dashboard.
Saleor review

Questions people ask

Is DEAR Inventory or Saleor better?
Neither clearly leads. DEAR Inventory starts at On request and Saleor at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, DEAR Inventory or Saleor?
Saleor has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for DEAR Inventory and Free for Saleor.
Does DEAR Inventory or Saleor run on more platforms?
DEAR Inventory runs on Web, Mobile app, Cloud-based. Saleor runs on web, api.
Can I use Saleor for free?
Yes. Saleor has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. DEAR Inventory starts at On request.
What is DEAR Inventory best used for?
DEAR Inventory is most often used for manufacturing management, order processing, stock control, financial integration. Of those, manufacturing management and order processing are not what Saleor is typically brought in for.
What can DEAR Inventory do that Saleor cannot?
DEAR Inventory covers Inventory management, Manufacturing, Purchase orders, Sales orders. Saleor covers GraphQL API, Admin dashboard, Webhooks and apps, Omnichannel order processing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Saleor: Is Saleor free to use?

Yes. Saleor is open source under the BSD-3-Clause license and can be self-hosted for free. Saleor Cloud also offers a free Sandboxes tier for prototyping and development.

Source
Saleor: How much does Saleor Cloud cost?

Saleor Cloud paid plans start at $1,599/month for the Select plan (up to $200,000 monthly GMV), with Volume at $3,999/month and custom Enterprise pricing for larger merchants.

Source
Saleor: Does Saleor provide a storefront out of the box?

No. Saleor is an API-only, headless commerce backend built on GraphQL; storefronts must be built separately using the API and are not bundled with the platform.

Source
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