Brightpearl vs NetSuite (vs Unleashed)

Brightpearl and NetSuite are both cloud-based business management software solutions, but they cater to different types of businesses with different features and customisation capabilities.

Brightpearl is more suited for small to medium-sized retailers and wholesalers, focusing specifically on managing operations related to inventory, order processing, and customer interactions. Its key strength is in helping businesses with multichannel retail.

Whereas NetSuite accommodates a broader range of industries, including manufacturing, services, and larger enterprises. It offers a more comprehensive suite of enterprise resource planning (ERP) tools, making it suitable for complex organisations that need to manage everything from financials to supply chain logistics.

Designed around retail-specific processes, Brightpearl is more focused on the core tasks of managing inventory across multiple sales channels, fulfilling orders, and handling customer service. While NetSuite provides a full ERP system, not just inventory and order management, but also financial accounting, human resources, CRM, and analytics.

Brightpearl is known for being user-friendly, especially for retailers who need to get their operations online quickly. Its interface is simpler and more focused on retail workflows.

NetSuite, while offering greater functionality, is more complex to implement and difficult to use, requiring more training and technical expertise.

A third alternative: Introducing Unleashed

Unleashed is a cloud-based inventory management software system designed to help businesses track and manage their stock across multiple locations and sales channels.

It’s similar to Brightpearl and NetSuite in terms of offering cloud-based inventory and order management tools, but it differs in its specialisation – Unleashed is primarily used by manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers to optimise stock levels, streamline operations, and improve supply chain visibility. It’s also relatively straightforward and easier to implement for businesses that need to focus on inventory control.

Providing real-time tracking of stock levels, sales, and purchases, Unleashed brings considerable efficiencies and cost controls, and helps companies make data-driven decisions. It also supports multichannel selling by integrating with eCommerce platforms, allowing businesses to manage inventory and orders from multiple sales channels in one place.

When reviewing Brightpearl vs. NetSuite ratings, you’ll find that Brightpearl will come out as the preferred software. However, they have significantly fewer reviews than NetSuite, which suggests they have fewer users, and may their average rating may be skewed by limited data. 

While it seems users love the wide range of functions and capabilities NetSuite provides, many say its pricing is too high, particularly for the level of customer support, that is often found lacking. A lot of reviews also mention how ‘clunky’ NetSuite can be to get started, meaning its integration into companies can take time.

Most reviews came from retailers and ecommerce merchants, who said they really like all of the automation capabilities as well as the accurate, real-time stock views. Negative reviews said that the price of Brightpearl is quite high, compared to the level of functionalities, and that most integrations and add-ons required costly custom development.

When it comes to reviews and ratings for Unleashed, many people mention the great customer support and service as well as the software being user-friendly, with great reporting and analytical functions. Inventory accuracy is also a key benefit, with users saying it is exceptional.

Both NetSuite and Brightpearl share several core features, primarily centred around managing business operations efficiently. These common features and the benefits they offer include:

1. Inventory management

Both systems provide tools to track inventory levels across multiple locations and sales channels. This helps businesses maintain optimal stock levels, prevent overstocking or stockouts, and streamlines replenishment processes.

Benefit: Improved stock visibility and management lead to fewer errors in fulfilment, better customer satisfaction, and reduced operational costs.

2. Order management

They both offer capabilities for processing, tracking, and fulfilling orders from various channels, whether online, in-store, or through wholesale.

Benefit: Efficient order processing and real-time order tracking enhance customer experience by reducing delays and improving fulfilment accuracy.

3. Multichannel sales support

Both platforms support integration with various sales channels (eCommerce, retail, marketplaces), allowing businesses to manage sales and inventory from one system.

Benefit: Centralised management of sales from multiple channels allows for better control and consistency in customer service and inventory availability.

4. Financial management

While NetSuite offers more robust ERP capabilities, both systems provide financial tools like accounting, invoicing, and sales reporting. Brightpearl’s financial tools are more retail-focused, whereas NetSuite has broader ERP features.

Benefit: Accurate financial reporting and real-time financial visibility support better decision-making and financial health tracking.

5. CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

Both NetSuite and Brightpearl offer CRM features to track customer interactions, manage relationships, and improve customer service.

Benefit: Strengthened customer relationships through better tracking of sales and service interactions, resulting in enhanced customer loyalty and retention.

6. Reporting and analytics

Both systems come with reporting tools that provide insights into sales, inventory, customer behaviour, and financial performance.

Benefit: Data-driven insights help businesses make informed decisions, optimise operations, and identify growth opportunities.

The main features of NetSuite include:

• Financial management
• Inventory and supply chain management
• Order management
• CRM
• eCommerce integration (Suitecommerce is often available as a paid add-on, depending on the package)
• Human resource management (advanced HR features, such as payroll services or talent management, are paid upgrades)
• Project management (some advanced project management tools, like project accounting or resource allocation, may require additional fees)
• Business intelligence and reporting (advanced analytics tools or third-party integration for enhanced reporting may require an extra investment)
• Global business management (OneWorld is a specific NetSuite offering and may come as a premium add on for businesses with global operations)
• Compliance and security (Some advanced compliance features, depending on regional or industry-specific needs, may require additional modules)

The main features of Brightpearl include:

• Order management
• CRM
• Financial management
• Inventory management (features like demand forecasting or advanced inventory analytics may require additional modules)
• eCommerce and POS integration (some integrations may come at an extra cost, depending on the platform)
• Warehouse and fulfilment management (warehouse features such as barcode scanning or automated logistics integrations, may be available as paid add-ons)
• Reporting and analytics (basic reporting is included, but advanced reporting tools may require a paid upgrade)
• Automations (more advanced automation features or integrations may be part of premium packages)

With a deep focus on stock management and manufacturing, Unleashed is particularly beneficial for businesses with complex inventory needs or in industries where precise tracking and production control are essential.

• Advanced inventory control

Unleashed offers detailed inventory management features that go beyond basic stock tracking. It allows businesses to manage stock levels, categorise products, and track goods across multiple locations in real-time, providing deep visibility into stock movement and availability.

Unlike NetSuite and Brightpearl, Unleashed excels in real-time control of manufacturing and assembly planning, allowing businesses to track raw materials, manage bills of materials (BOMs), and oversee production stages.

Benefit: This level of control helps optimise stock levels, avoid overstocking or stockouts, and improve order fulfilment accuracy.

Read more about inventory control in Unleashed

• Batch and serial number tracking

Unleashed offers batch and serial number tracking, a feature critical for businesses in industries where traceability is important, such as food, pharmaceuticals, or electronics. This allows companies to track products from production through delivery, ensuring compliance with industry regulations, reducing expired stock, and improving quality control.

Benefit: Businesses selling perishable or regulated goods can better manage expiry dates, recalls, and quality assurance, which is crucial in maintaining product integrity and meeting legal requirements. While NetSuite has some batch tracking features, Unleashed provides more specialised tools for this purpose, and Brightpearl lacks advanced tracking capabilities.

Read more about batch tracking and serial number tracking in Unleashed

• Purchase order recosting

Unleashed allows businesses to streamline their purchasing process by purchasing in goods and receipting them into stock on hand immediately, while the purchase order remains open so freight invoices – usually the last to arrive – can be added later.

Benefit: This means retailers and ecommerce companies can carry on trading then apply accurate costs to their purchases. Margins will be adjusted to reflect the true costs of doing business even after the goods have been receipted in and sold.

Read more about purchase order recosting in Unleashed

• Advanced manufacturing features

Unleashed has a robust set of manufacturing features that allow businesses to manage production runs, track raw material usage, and monitor work-in-progress inventory. These features enable businesses to optimise their manufacturing processes by keeping detailed records of material costs and production times.

Benefit: This offers precise control over the production planning process, helping reduce waste, optimise raw material usage, and improve overall efficiency. Neither NetSuite nor Brightpearl offer the same level of built-in manufacturing management capabilities.

Read more about manufacturing features in Unleashed

• Real-time business intelligence and reporting

Unleashed offers real-time business intelligence and reporting tools that provide deeper insights into inventory turnover, sales performance, and supply chain efficiency. Its reporting capabilities allow for detailed tracking of margins, sales trends, and stock movements in real time.

Benefit: Having instant access to accurate data means faster, more informed decisions, improved stock management, and the ability to capitalise on sales trends. While both NetSuite and Brightpearl offer analytics, Unleashed places a stronger emphasis on real time inventory-specific insights, making it particularly valuable for stock-heavy businesses.

Read more about intelligence and reporting in Unleashed

• Sales order management with backordering

Unleashed allows users to manage sales orders with detailed features such as backordering, partial order fulfilment, and pre-orders.

Benefit: This flexibility is useful for companies that deal with high-demand products or fluctuating inventory levels, ensuring they can still capture sales even when stock is temporarily unavailable.

Read more about sales order management in Unleashed

• Supplier management and purchase orders

Unleashed offers robust supplier management tools, allowing businesses to manage their relationships with suppliers, track purchase orders, and monitor stock levels from different suppliers. This includes features for managing multiple currencies and suppliers across different countries, giving businesses a more global reach.

Benefit: For businesses dealing with international suppliers, this feature ensures that they can manage pricing, lead times, and stock levels efficiently.

Read more about supplier management and purchase orders in Unleashed

• Comprehensive integration capabilities

Unleashed integrates with a variety of third-party platforms, including eCommerce (Shopify, Amazon, WooCommerce), accounting software (Xero, QuickBooks), and CRM systems.

Benefit: Seamless integration with other platforms ensures all systems are connected and automated, reducing the need for manual data entry and improving efficiency. NetSuite and Brightpearl also offer integration options, but Unleashed is often praised for its focus on making these integrations easy to set up and manage, particularly for smaller businesses.

See all Unleashed Integrations

Brightpearl does not provide any indication of pricing, and doesn’t offer a free trial or free version.

Unleashed provides transparent pricing on their website, as well as offering a free 14-day trial.

• Their NZ$420 per month Medium Plan includes 3 users (additional users at NZ$109), inventory management, purchasing, sales and production.
• Their NZ$720 per month Large Plan includes 8 users (additional users at NZ$99), inventory management, purchasing, sales and production.
• Their NZ$1,098 per month Large Plus Plan includes 20 users (additional users at NZ$79), inventory management, purchasing, sales and production.

See Unleashed pricing plans 

As Brightpearl lacks in reviews (compared to NetSuite), it is difficult to get an accurate gauge on its customer support. The customer feedback doesn’t seem to focus on this as an issue for the software company.

However it is noticeably different when looking at reviews for NetSuite, with many saying that customer service is almost non-existent, or you have to pay extra for the different levels of support when needed (and the pricing varies greatly).

Unleashed has earned the title of having the best customer support in the industry, with a 4.9/5 average rating from more than 800 customer reviews on Trustpilot.

Every new account gets immediately connected to a personal onboarder – a dedicated Unleashed expert who’ll work with you before, during and after your go-live. This covers things like getting you and your staff comfortable with the software, mapping processes, configuring your account and integrating Unleashed with your other tools.

There are also three different onboarding ‘FlightPaths’ available that cater to the time and training you and your team need. This ensures you get the best start to Unleashed with the right services and support.

Unleashed's focus on advanced inventory control, ease-of-use, batch tracking, manufacturing features, and customer support sets it apart from NetSuite and Brightpearl. 

While both of the latter systems offer broader ERP and retail-focused features, Unleashed’s deep focus on stock management and manufacturing is particularly beneficial for businesses with complex inventory needs or in industries where precise tracking and production control are essential. 

Whether you're a retailer, wholesaler, or manufacturer, you can benefit from all of these features by gaining greater control over your stock, reducing waste, improving order fulfilment, and boosting profitability.