Helium Systems vs Cin7
An honest, feature-by-feature comparison covering both Cin7 Core (formerly DEAR Systems) and Cin7 Omni so you can choose with confidence.
Cin7 is a well-known name in inventory management, offering two distinct products: Cin7 Core (formerly DEAR Systems), aimed at growing product businesses, and Cin7 Omni, their enterprise-grade platform with deeper integrations and customisation. Both products provide solid multi-channel inventory management and have built a loyal following, particularly among e-commerce brands in Australia and the US. Cin7 Core is valued for its straightforward inventory and order management, while Omni targets larger operations needing EDI, 3PL, and advanced warehouse workflows. Helium Systems takes a different approach. Rather than splitting features across multiple products and tiers, Helium delivers every module on every plan: native accounting, compliance, AI-powered operations, manufacturing, CRM, and 40+ other modules. There are no feature gates, no per-integration fees, and no annual price surprises. This comparison looks at both Cin7 products side-by-side with Helium so you can see exactly where each platform shines and where the trade-offs lie.
Helium vs Cin7: Pricing
A transparent look at what each platform costs.
Helium Systems
Every feature included on every plan
Cin7
Multi-channel inventory management (Core + Omni)
The most striking difference is how the two platforms package their value. Helium includes all 40+ modules on every plan with no integration limits. Cin7 Core splits features across three tiers and caps integrations at 2, 4, or 6 connections depending on your plan, with additional integrations available for purchase. At the $349/mo Core Standard tier, you get 5 users and only 6,000 orders per year (roughly 500/month). Helium's Growth plan at £249/mo includes 15 users and 5,000 orders per month, which is ten times the monthly throughput at a lower price point. Cin7 Omni starts at approximately $999/mo with custom pricing, and unlocks features like EDI, 3PL management, and 700+ integrations that are unavailable on Core. Helium includes all of these capabilities on every plan without requiring an upgrade to a separate product. Users have also reported 13-15% annual price increases on Cin7 plans since the DEAR Systems acquisition, with no corresponding feature improvements. Helium publishes fixed pricing with no surprise increases.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
How Helium and Cin7 stack up across every module.
Cin7 has built a strong reputation for multi-channel inventory management, and their batch and serial tracking is mature and well-regarded. Their WMS mobile app provides reliable barcode scanning and warehouse workflows. For businesses that primarily need inventory sync across sales channels, Cin7 Core is a capable solution. Where the gap emerges is in everything around inventory management. Cin7 has no native accounting, no compliance engine, no AI assistant, no CRM, no marketing tools, and no customer service module. These all require separate subscriptions to third-party tools like Xero, HubSpot, Zendesk, and Mailchimp, adding both cost and integration complexity. Helium covers all of these natively within a single platform. The feature table below shows that Cin7 excels in its core inventory domain, but Helium provides a significantly broader platform that reduces the need for a patchwork of integrations. It is worth noting that several Cin7 features are product-specific: ForesightAI (demand forecasting), EDI, webhooks, and advanced 3PL features are only available on Cin7 Omni, which requires custom enterprise pricing. On Helium, every feature is available on every plan.
Order & Inventory Management
Warehouse Management
Multichannel Commerce
Shipping & Fulfilment
Product Information (PIM)
Accounting & Finance
Manufacturing & MRP
Analytics & Reporting
AI & Automation
Platform & Integration
Strengths at a Glance
Where Helium Excels
- 40+ modules included on every plan with no feature gates or per-integration fees
- Native double-entry accounting eliminates the need for separate Xero/QBO subscriptions
- Nucleus AI assistant provides natural-language operations across every module
- Full compliance documentation engine (SDS, CE/UKCA, DGN, CPSR, food safety)
- Process manufacturing support with recipe/formula management and full traceability
- Integrated CRM with 55-action sales pipeline, AI lead scoring, and deal health
- Marketing intelligence with email campaigns, automation flows, and social publishing
- Competitive price intelligence and SEO tracking built into the platform
- Transparent fixed pricing with no annual price increases or hidden tier limitations
- Modern dark-mode UI designed in 2024-25 with role-based dashboards for 12 profiles
- Customer service with AI conversations, journey timelines, and knowledge base
- Significantly higher order limits: 5K-unlimited/mo vs Cin7 Core's 500-10K/mo
Where Cin7 Excels
- Mature inventory management with proven multi-channel sync across 450-700+ integrations
- Strong batch, serial, and lot tracking with established FIFO/FEFO enforcement
- Dedicated native WMS mobile app for iOS and Android with offline mode
- ForesightAI provides capable demand forecasting with 24-month horizon (Omni only)
- Larger existing marketplace of pre-built integrations for niche e-commerce platforms
- Established B2B portal with proven track record across diverse industries
- Longer track record in the market with a large user community (since 2012)
- Shop floor management app for manufacturing operations (Core)
Switching from Cin7?
Here's why teams are making the move to Helium.
Switching from Cin7 to Helium is straightforward because both platforms use the same underlying data model for inventory, orders, and products. Helium's smart import system handles barcode matching, supplier source auto-creation, and data merge, so your catalogue migrates cleanly. The biggest immediate gain most teams report is eliminating their accounting subscription. Cin7 requires Xero or QuickBooks for any financial functionality; Helium includes native double-entry accounting with AR, AP, banking, VAT, and full financial reporting. That alone can save hundreds per month. Teams also notice the operational consolidation: replacing separate subscriptions for CRM (HubSpot/Salesforce), customer service (Zendesk/Freshdesk), marketing (Mailchimp/Klaviyo), and compliance tools with a single Helium subscription. The reduction in context-switching and data reconciliation across platforms is significant. Cin7 users who have experienced the 13-15% annual price increases appreciate Helium's transparent, fixed pricing model. And if you are currently on Cin7 Core but need features locked to Omni (like EDI, webhooks, or demand forecasting), Helium includes all of these on the base plan rather than requiring an upgrade to a separate product at enterprise pricing. Our onboarding team provides dedicated migration support, including data mapping, parallel running, and training. Most teams complete the transition within 2-4 weeks.
The Bottom Line
Cin7 is a solid choice if your primary need is multi-channel inventory synchronisation and you are comfortable assembling a stack of third-party tools for accounting, CRM, marketing, compliance, and customer service. Their batch tracking is mature, their integration marketplace is extensive, and their WMS app is well-established. However, the split between Core and Omni means that features like demand forecasting, EDI, webhooks, and advanced 3PL management require either upgrading to enterprise pricing or accepting the limitation. Integration limits on Core tiers (2/4/6 per plan) add friction as your channel mix grows. Helium Systems is the stronger choice for businesses that want a unified operations platform. Native accounting eliminates a subscription. Nucleus AI provides intelligence across every module. The compliance engine handles regulatory documentation that Cin7 simply does not offer. And every feature is available on every plan, from Growth to Enterprise. If you are a pure-play e-commerce brand that only needs inventory and order management, Cin7 Core remains competitive. But if your business spans manufacturing, wholesale, compliance, finance, and customer operations, Helium delivers meaningfully more value at every price point, without the integration tax or annual price surprises.
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