How does Accredo compare to Unleashed?
Accredo and Unleashed take different approaches. Unleashed is a cloud-based inventory and order management platform covering inventory, purchasing, sales orders and production. It does not include a full general ledger, so businesses that need full financial accounting normally connect it to separate accounting software such as Xero or QuickBooks Online. Accredo combines financial accounting, inventory, purchasing, sales orders, job costing and other operational modules within one integrated system and database.
Many Accredo customers started with accounting software plus an inventory platform, and moved to a single system once running and reconciling two products became more work than the convenience was worth.
Who is each product built for?
if you are happy running a connected software stack, Unleashed is a capable option. If you want your accounting and your operations in one system, with no integration between them, that is what Accredo is built for.
Accredo
- NZ distribution, manufacturing, trades & engineering
- Businesses that want financials, inventory, purchasing, job costing and sales orders in one system
- Single-location (Mercury) and multi-location (Saturn) operations
- Companies that have outgrown an accounting-plus-add-ons stack
Unleashed
- Small-to-medium product businesses
- Manufacturing, wholesale and distribution, food and beverage, retail and e-commerce
- Businesses that want a cloud inventory and operations platform from day one
- Businesses already using, or happy to use, separate accounting software such as Xero or QuickBooks Online
Two different architectures
Unleashed has genuine strengths: a browser-based platform from the outset, strong inventory control with multi-warehouse and batch and serial tracking, a capable purchasing module with split receipting and landed costs, production and bill of materials functionality, and native Xero and QuickBooks Online integrations.
The key difference is where your accounting lives. With Unleashed, inventory, purchasing and sales orders sit in one product and your general ledger, payables, receivables and bank reconciliation sit in another, with data passing between them through an integration. In Accredo, financials, inventory, purchasing, sales orders and job costing share a single database, so a goods receipt, a supplier invoice and the ledger entry behind them live in the same system.
Pricing works differently too. Unleashed publishes Core and Pro subscriptions with user and order allowances and optional modules. Accredo is configured and priced by your local Accredited Partner according to the modules, extensions and users your business needs. Both are modular, so the right comparison is your own requirements priced side by side, not a headline monthly figure.
Which solution is right for you?
| Your Situation | Accredo | Unleashed |
|---|---|---|
| Want accounting and operations in one system and one database | Best fit ✓ | Connects to separate accounting software for full financials |
| Happy with your current accounting software and want a strong inventory and operations layer on top | Would replace your accounting software as well | Great fit ✓ |
| Need job costing (labour, materials and margin by job) | Best fit ✓ | No dedicated job costing module |
| Want purchase orders, goods receipting and supplier invoices handled in one system | Best fit ✓ | Strong purchase order and receipting functionality; supplier invoice and payment processing sits in the connected accounting platform |
| Manufacturer needing bills of materials and production costing | Works well (Manufacturing extension) | Works well (Production & Manufacturing) |
| Need multi-warehouse stock with batch or serial tracking | Works well (multi-location with Saturn) | Works well |
| Want a browser-based platform from day one | Browser apps for Order Entry, Invoicing and Accounts Receivable now, with the wider suite being extended | Great fit ✓ |
| Prefer a local partner to implement and support your system | Best fit ✓ | Vendor-led onboarding and support, with paid support plans |
Full comparison table
A detailed look at how Accredo and Unleashed compare across the areas that matter most for product-based NZ businesses.
| Factor | Accredo | Unleashed |
|---|---|---|
| Origins and ownership | Developed and supported in New Zealand; part of Vela Software Group since 2022 | Founded in Auckland; part of the UK-based Access Group since 2020 |
| Overall approach | Integrated accounting and operational modules in one system and database | Cloud inventory and order management platform, connected to separate accounting software when full financials are needed |
| General ledger and financial accounting | Full Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Cashbook and general ledger with NZ GST in the same system as inventory | No full general ledger; typically integrated with Xero or QuickBooks Online |
| Inventory management | Inventory Control module with real-time stock and serial and batch tracking; Saturn adds multi-location stock across branches and warehouses | Strong inventory control with multi-warehouse, batch and serial tracking; Warehouse Management (multi-bin) included in Pro or optional with Core |
| Sales orders | Order Entry module: quotes, backorders, freight, pick and pack | Sales order management with quotes and a B2B e-commerce store option |
| Purchasing | Purchase Orders, Inventory and Accounts Payable in one system, matching receipts and supplier invoices | Strong purchase order functionality: split receipting, landed costs, recosting and supplier returns; invoice matching and payment processing handled in the connected accounting platform |
| Job costing | Built-in Job Costing module: labour, materials and margin per job | No dedicated job costing module |
| Manufacturing | Manufacturing (MF) extension: bills of materials, multi-level assemblies and production costing | Production & Manufacturing: bills of materials, assembly and disassembly and production planning; included in Pro or optional with Core |
| Customer and supplier pricing | Special Pricing (SP) and Purchase Pricing (PP) modules for customer-specific and supplier pricing | Customer-specific pricing and up to 10 price tiers |
| Cloud and hosting | Windows desktop plus browser apps for Order Entry, Invoicing and Accounts Receivable; optional hosting on NZ-based cloud servers | Cloud-based, accessed through the browser |
| Pricing model | Configured and priced by your Accredited Partner by module, extension and user | Published packages: Core from NZ$449 per month and Pro from NZ$819 per month, with user, order-volume and optional module charges |
| Implementation and support | NZ-wide network of local Accredo Partners, each with a Qualified Support Person for implementation, training and ongoing support | Vendor-led onboarding and customer support, with paid support plans |
Who each product is built for
Choose Accredo if you…
- Want accounting and operations in one system with no integration between them
- Need job costing alongside inventory, purchasing and sales orders
- Want receipts, supplier invoices and the ledger handled together
- Prefer a local partner who implements and supports your whole system
- Want to choose between Mercury and Saturn depending on how many locations you run
Unleashed may be the better fit if you…
- Are happy with your current Xero or QuickBooks Online setup and want to add strong inventory and operations on top
- Want a cloud, browser-based platform from day one
- Value published, packaged subscription pricing
- Don't need dedicated job costing
- Are comfortable running two connected products
Where Accredo takes a different approach
One system, one database
Because financials and operations share one database, there is no integration boundary to maintain between your stock and your ledger, and no second subscription or login for your accounting.
Purchasing and payables together
Purchase orders, goods receipts, stock and Accounts Payable work together inside Accredo, so receipts and supplier invoices are matched in the same system.
Job costing
If your business bills by job, including trades, construction and engineering, Accredo's Job Costing module tracks labour, materials and margin at job level.
A local partner model
Accredo is implemented and supported through a nationwide network of independent Accredo Partners, each with a Qualified Support Person who knows your setup.
Mercury and Saturn for different levels of complexity
Accredo is built around a modular architecture, so you configure a solution that fits your business rather than patching together separate tools.
Accredo Mercury is designed for small-to-medium businesses operating from a single location. Accredo Saturn is built for businesses operating across multiple locations, branches or departments. As your business grows, you can move between them.
