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Software · head to head

FastSpring vs Inventory Lab

FastSpring logo

FastSpring

Software

Merchant-of-record commerce platform for global payments, subscriptions, and tax compliance

From
On request
Rated
-
Inventory Lab logo

Inventory Lab

Software

FBA inventory management made simple

From
$29/month
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: FastSpring pricing is not published and requires contacting sales for a quote, making cost comparison difficult upfront.; Inventory Lab inventoryLab is no longer sold standalone and is now bundled into Three Colts' Seller 365 plans starting at $69 per month for a single user, rising to $199 per month for the Pro tier
  • They diverge on capability: FastSpring covers Global online payments, Inventory Lab covers FBA inventory tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which FastSpring and Inventory Lab actually diverge.

Attributes where FastSpring and Inventory Lab differ
AttributeFastSpringInventory Lab
Starting priceOn request$29/month
Pricing modeltransactionsubscription
Platformsweb, apiWeb
Founded20062011

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 FastSpring

  • Global online payments
  • Subscription billing
  • Branded checkout
  • Tax compliance
  • Fraud prevention
  • Digital invoicing and quotes

Only in Inventory Lab

  • FBA inventory tracking
  • Repricing automation
  • Price monitoring
  • Sales analytics
  • Profit calculations
  • Supplier management
  • Alerts and notifications
  • Forecasting tools

What people use each for

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

FastSpring

  • Selling software or SaaS internationally without a local tax entitynot Inventory Lab
  • B2B invoicing and custom quotes for enterprise SaaS dealsnot Inventory Lab
  • Recurring subscription billing for digital productsnot Inventory Lab
  • Reducing fraud and chargebacks on digital purchasesnot Inventory Lab

Inventory Lab

  • Amazon and Walmart reseller inventory, listing and profit tracking as part of Seller 365not FastSpring

Where each one falls short

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

FastSpring

  • Pricing is not published and requires contacting sales for a quote, making cost comparison difficult upfront.
  • As a merchant-of-record, FastSpring takes on more control of the checkout and payment relationship than a pure payment gateway like Stripe.
  • Revenue share pricing can become more expensive than flat per-transaction gateway fees at very high volumes.
  • Primarily targeted at software/digital goods sellers, so it is less suited to physical product e-commerce.

Inventory Lab

  • InventoryLab is no longer sold standalone and is now bundled into Three Colts' Seller 365 plans starting at $69 per month for a single user, rising to $199 per month for the Pro tier
  • Multichannel listing requires the separate UniCon add-on, priced from $49 to $449 per month depending on tier

Pricing, plan by plan

FastSpring

On request
  • Custom$undefined/mo
    • All-in-one transaction-based pricing based on sales volume
    • No subscription fees or per-feature charges
    • Discounted rates for ACH and wire transfers

Inventory Lab

$29/month
  • Essentials$29/month
    • Inventory management
    • Price monitoring
    • Email alerts
  • Pro$99/month
    • All Essentials features
    • Automated repricing
    • Advanced analytics

Which should you pick?

Choose FastSpring if

  • You need global online payments.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want subscription billing.

Choose Inventory Lab if

  • You need fba inventory tracking.
  • You also want repricing automation.

Questions people ask

Is FastSpring or Inventory Lab better?
Neither clearly leads. FastSpring starts at On request and Inventory Lab at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, FastSpring or Inventory Lab?
FastSpring starts at On request and Inventory Lab at $29/month.
Does FastSpring or Inventory Lab run on more platforms?
FastSpring runs on web, api. Inventory Lab runs on Web.
What is FastSpring best used for?
FastSpring is most often used for selling software or saas internationally without a local tax entity, b2b invoicing and custom quotes for enterprise saas deals, recurring subscription billing for digital products, reducing fraud and chargebacks on digital purchases. Of those, selling software or saas internationally without a local tax entity and b2b invoicing and custom quotes for enterprise saas deals are not what Inventory Lab is typically brought in for.
What can FastSpring do that Inventory Lab cannot?
FastSpring covers Global online payments, Subscription billing, Branded checkout, Tax compliance. Inventory Lab covers FBA inventory tracking, Repricing automation, Price monitoring, Sales analytics.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

FastSpring: What does FastSpring cost?

FastSpring uses flat-rate, all-in-one pricing based on transaction volume, with fees withheld from payouts. There is no minimum volume or subscription fee, and pricing is typically quoted based on expected sales volume after contacting their sales team.

Source
FastSpring: Is there a free plan?

FastSpring does not offer a free plan; instead pricing is transaction-based with no upfront subscription cost, and merchants only pay a commission on completed sales.

Source
FastSpring: What does FastSpring integrate with or include compared to a payment gateway like Stripe?

FastSpring bundles international payments, subscription management, tax compliance, fraud prevention, reporting, and B2B invoicing into one price, whereas gateways like Stripe charge separately for many of these features.

Source
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