Cin7

Inventory Management That Grew Up

Cin7 started in 2012 in Auckland, New Zealand, with a simple mission: fix inventory management for product businesses. Fourteen years later, it's evolved into something much bigger. With the acquisitions of DEAR Systems (now Cin7 Core) and Orderhive, Cin7 now offers two distinct products covering different market segments.

Cin7 Core (formerly DEAR Inventory) targets small businesses with 1-50 users. Cin7 Omni targets larger operations needing advanced warehouse management and B2B portals. Together, they serve over 8,000 customers in 100+ countries.

The Integration Advantage

Here's what Cin7 gets right that many competitors miss: integrations. Over 700 of them. Shopify, Amazon, eBay, WooCommerce, Xero, QuickBooks, ShipStation, Australia Post, Royal Mail -- the list keeps going. For multi-channel sellers, this connectivity eliminates the need for middleware tools like Celigo or custom API work.

Inventory tracking goes beyond basic stock counts. You get serial and batch tracking, expiry date management, multiple warehouse locations, and bin-level accuracy. The stock forecasting uses historical sales data to suggest reorder points -- not groundbreaking, but functional enough to prevent most stockout situations.

Two Products, Two Experiences

Cin7 Core is the simpler option. It covers inventory, purchasing, sales, manufacturing (light), and connects to your accounting software. Pricing starts at $349/month. The interface is clean, setup takes 2-4 weeks, and most small teams can self-implement with help from documentation.

Cin7 Omni is the enterprise-grade product. It adds advanced warehouse management with pick/pack/ship workflows, B2B ecommerce portals for wholesale customers, EDI connections for big-box retail, and 3PL integrations. Pricing jumps to $799+/month and implementation requires Cin7's professional services team.

Honest Limitations

Speed is an ongoing complaint. Users with large product catalogs (10,000+ SKUs) report slowdowns, particularly during peak order processing. Cin7 has been investing in infrastructure improvements, but it's still a pain point.

The manufacturing module is surface-level. Bill of materials and simple assembly? Fine. Multi-level BOMs, shop floor scheduling, or quality management? You'll need something else. Don't buy Cin7 thinking it replaces a proper manufacturing ERP.

Customer support quality varies wildly depending on which team you reach. Some users report excellent help; others describe long wait times and generic responses. The knowledge base is decent, but complex issues sometimes take weeks to resolve.

Who Wins With Cin7

Product brands selling through multiple channels -- Amazon, Shopify, wholesale, and retail -- get the most value. If your main challenge is keeping inventory accurate across 5+ sales channels while managing purchase orders and warehouse operations, Cin7 does that well at a reasonable price.