Best Jewelry Inventory Software in 2026 — Honest Comparison for Makers

You know that feeling when you go to pull a 4mm faceted garnet for an order and you’re not sure if you have any left? Or you finish a batch of sterling silver rings and realize you forgot to log how much wire you used? That’s the moment most jewelry makers decide they need better inventory software.

Tracking a jewelry business is genuinely harder than most product businesses. You’re not just counting finished goods. You’re tracking stones by cut, size, and weight. Findings by gauge and metal type. Chains by style and length. Wire by gauge and alloy. And underneath all of that, you need to know what each piece actually cost you to make — not a rough guess, but the real number.

Spreadsheets get you started. They don’t get you far.

This guide compares the best jewelry inventory software available in 2026, with honest pricing, real pros and cons, and a clear verdict for each. We’ll cover options from free DIY solutions all the way up to full manufacturing platforms — so you can pick what actually fits your business, not just what came up first in a Google search.

Read also: How to start a jewelry business →

TL;DR — Quick Comparison Table

Option 1 — Jewelry Inventory Spreadsheets (The DIY Starting Point)

Almost every jewelry maker starts here. You build a tab for materials, a tab for finished products, maybe one for orders. You use VLOOKUP or SUMIF to pull quantities through, and it works — until it doesn’t.

The honest reality: a spreadsheet is a decent starting point and a terrible long-term solution. They don’t update in real time. They don’t calculate COGS automatically. They break when you add complexity. And when you finally migrate off them, you usually have to shut down sales for a day or two while you recount everything.

If you’re just starting out and selling fewer than 20 products, a spreadsheet makes total sense. Start with our free jewelry inventory spreadsheet template — it gives you a solid structure with tabs for materials, products, and orders already set up.

But if you’re doing consistent volume, shipping regularly, or working with a range of materials at different price points, a proper software solution will save you time and prevent costly mistakes.

Best for: Makers in their first few months, or anyone who wants to test out inventory tracking before committing to software.

Verdict: A fine starting point. Not a destination.

Option 2 — Craftybase (Best for Handmade Jewelry Makers)

Craftybase was built specifically for small-batch makers — and that specificity shows. Unlike general inventory tools that you have to wrestle into your workflow, Craftybase understands that a pair of earrings is made from components, which are made from materials, which you purchased at a certain price that needs to track through to your COGS.

That manufacturing chain is the core of how Craftybase works. Every time you record a manufacture, Craftybase automatically deducts the materials used and calculates the true cost of the finished piece. Your COGS updates in real time. No formulas to maintain, no manual adjustments.

Key features for jewelry makers:

• Bill of materials for every product (track your stones, findings, wire, chain by exact quantity)
• Auto-deduct materials on manufacture
• Lot number and batch tracking — useful if you source stones from specific suppliers and need traceability
• Real-time material stock levels with low-stock alerts
• COGS tracking and profitability reporting
• Integrations with Etsy, Shopify, WooCommerce, and more
• Location management for multiple storage areas

“Being able to see in an instant all components (and the product code and where it’s from) used in a particular product is a massive help.” — Brett & Leni Handcrafted Jewellery

What I’d push back on: Craftybase is built for makers, not retailers. If you’re running a jewelry store with a POS system, pricing appraisals, or repair tracking, it won’t cover those workflows. It’s manufacturing-first.

Pricing:

• Studio plan: $49/month (or $41/month billed annually)
• Indie plan: $99/month (or $83/month billed annually)
• 14-day free trial, no credit card required

Verdict: The strongest fit for independent jewelry makers who handcraft their pieces and want real manufacturing cost tracking. If you sell on Etsy or Shopify and make everything yourself, this is likely your best option. Try Craftybase free for 14 days →

Option 3 — Sortly (Simple and Visual, But Limited for Makers)

Sortly takes a different approach — it’s built around the idea of visually organizing any physical items with photos, QR codes, and folder-style categorization. The mobile app is genuinely excellent, and being able to scan a QR code to pull up stock info is handy for moving around a workshop.

That said, Sortly was designed to help people track “their stuff” in the broadest sense. It works for tool rooms, office supplies, equipment — and it’ll work for finished jewelry products. What it won’t do is handle the manufacturing side. There’s no bill of materials, no component deduction, no COGS calculation. You’re tracking items, not making them.

For a jewelry maker who only needs to track finished goods and wants an easy mobile experience, Sortly does that cleanly. If you need to understand what it cost you to make something, you’ll need to do that math elsewhere.

Pros:

• Clean, intuitive interface — very low learning curve
• Excellent mobile app with QR code scanning
• Good for tracking finished jewelry by SKU, location, or category
• Multiple user access on higher plans

Cons:

• No manufacturing or BOM features whatsoever
• Not designed for component-level tracking (stones, findings, wire)
• Pricing jumps significantly between tiers
• General-purpose tool — you’ll be adapting it to your jewelry workflow, not the other way around

Pricing:

• Free plan available (limited items)
• Advanced: $29/month
• Ultra: $59/month
• 14-day free trial

Verdict: Good for finished goods tracking only. If you’re primarily a retailer buying finished jewelry to resell, Sortly is worth a look. For makers who produce their own pieces, the missing manufacturing layer is a real gap.

Option 4 — Katana (Best for Growing Jewelry Manufacturers)

Katana is a cloud-based manufacturing software built for small to mid-sized product businesses. It has a genuine bill of materials system, production order management, and real-time inventory tracking across materials and finished goods. The UI is clean and the workflow is intuitive once you’re up and running.

Katana does have a jewelry-specific landing page and handles the kinds of workflows that growing jewelry businesses need — managing production queues, tracking materials across multiple locations, and connecting to sales channels.

The honest catch is price. Katana’s Starter plan runs $179/month on annual billing, and the plans jump steeply from there. For a solo maker or a small studio, that’s a hard number to justify — especially when the manufacturing features you’re paying for are also available in tools like Craftybase at a fraction of the cost. Katana also has a reputation for frequent price increases, which is worth factoring in if you’re looking for predictable costs.

Pros:

• Real manufacturing BOM and production order system
• Clean, well-designed interface
• Multi-location inventory management
• Strong integrations (Shopify, QuickBooks, Xero)
• Good for made-to-order and made-to-stock workflows

Cons:

• Expensive — $179/month starting price on annual billing
• Pricing has increased significantly over time; users report unexpected plan changes
• May be overkill for solo makers or very small studios
• Not specifically designed for artisan handmade workflows

Pricing:

• Free plan: up to 30 SKUs, 3 locations
• Starter: from $179/month (annual billing)
• Standard: from $359/month
• 14-day full-access trial

Verdict: A solid choice if you’re running a jewelry manufacturing studio with employees and meaningful production volume. For a sole maker or small team, the price-to-value ratio tips in favor of more affordable alternatives.

Option 5 — inFlow Inventory (For Product-Based Small Businesses)

inFlow Inventory is a well-regarded inventory and order management system for small businesses. It handles purchasing, sales orders, reporting, and inventory tracking across multiple locations. It’s built for product-based businesses, so it’s closer to a fit for jewelry retailers than Sortly.

inFlow does have an assembly/BOM feature, which lets you define how a finished product is made from components. But it’s not a manufacturing-first system — the BOM functionality is more of an add-on to a core inventory/order management workflow than a purpose-built manufacturing system.

For a jewelry business that purchases finished goods from suppliers and resells them — and needs solid PO management, reporting, and order tracking — inFlow is genuinely capable. For a maker building pieces from raw materials, the manufacturing side will feel limited.

Pros:

• Strong inventory and order management
• Assembly/BOM feature for basic manufacturing tracking
• Good reporting and barcode support
• Multi-location support
• Decent mobile app

Cons:

• Expensive — starts at $186/month for the Entrepreneur plan
• Manufacturing features are secondary to inventory/order management
• Might be more than a small jewelry maker needs

Pricing:

• Entrepreneur: $186/month
• Small Business: higher tiers
• 14-day free trial

Verdict: A better fit for jewelry retailers than jewelry makers. If you’re primarily buying and reselling, inFlow has solid bones. If you’re handmaking your pieces, you’re paying for a lot of features you won’t use — and the manufacturing side won’t match what maker-focused tools offer.

Option 6 — Jewelry Designer Manager (Windows Desktop, One-Time Purchase)

Jewelry Designer Manager has been around for years and has a loyal base of users who love that it’s a one-time purchase for a desktop application. It handles cost calculations, pricing at multiple price levels, customer management, invoices, and basic inventory tracking — all specifically designed for jewelry makers.

The honest limitation: it’s a Windows-only desktop application. No cloud sync, no mobile access, no real-time updates across devices. If you sell on Etsy or Shopify, you’re managing two separate systems. There’s no integration layer.

For makers who work from a single Windows machine and primarily need cost calculation and basic inventory tracking rather than a full manufacturing and COGS system, it’s a solid, affordable option.

Pros:

• One-time purchase (no monthly subscription)
• Designed specifically for jewelry
• Good cost calculation and pricing guidance
• Customer management and invoice generation

Cons:

• Windows-only, desktop application
• No cloud sync or mobile access
• No eCommerce integrations
• Hasn’t kept pace with cloud-native tools

Pricing: One-time purchase fee (check neverdiemedia.com for current pricing — a free version with limited features is also available)

Verdict: Worth considering if you’re on Windows, want a one-time cost, and don’t need eCommerce integration. Anyone selling on Etsy, Shopify, or other platforms will likely find the lack of integration too limiting.

Option 7 — Craft Maker Pro (Legacy Option)

Craft Maker Pro is one of the original inventory systems built specifically for crafters. It has a loyal following, good cost calculation features, and supports automatic inventory and pricing tracking. The key limitation today is the same it’s always been — it’s an installable desktop application, not a cloud-based tool.

For makers who have used it for years and have their data locked in, switching costs are real. But for someone starting fresh in 2026, the lack of cloud access, real-time inventory, and eCommerce integrations makes it hard to recommend over modern alternatives.

Verdict: Only worth considering if you’re already using it and switching feels daunting. For new users, there are better starting points.

How to Choose the Right Jewelry Inventory Software

With seven options on the table, here’s a simple way to narrow it down.

Are you a maker or a retailer?

This is the single most important question. Makers — people who handcraft their jewelry from raw materials — need manufacturing software. That means bill of materials, component deduction, and COGS calculation. Retailers — businesses buying finished jewelry wholesale to resell — need inventory and order management software. These are genuinely different tools built for different workflows.

If you make your pieces, look at Craftybase or Katana. If you primarily buy and resell, look at Sortly or inFlow.

How complex is your material tracking?

A maker working with 10 materials and 20 products has very different needs from someone managing 200+ components — multiple stone cuts and sizes, different wire gauges and alloys, chain types, clasps, and findings in various metals. The more complex your material mix, the more you need a system with solid component-level tracking and multi-level BOM support.

Craftybase and Katana both handle this well. Sortly and inFlow will require workarounds.

What’s your budget?

Be honest about what stage you’re at. If you’re bringing in $1,000/month from your jewelry business, a $180/month software subscription doesn’t make sense — start with a spreadsheet or Craftybase’s Studio plan. If you’re running a proper studio with employees and significant production volume, Katana’s higher-tier pricing may be justified.

For most independent makers, Craftybase sits at the right price point for what it delivers. The Studio plan at $49/month is competitive with Sortly’s Ultra plan — but includes manufacturing features Sortly doesn’t touch.

Do you need eCommerce integration?

If you sell on Etsy, Shopify, or WooCommerce, you want a tool that syncs orders automatically — so you’re not manually entering sales and adjusting stock by hand. Craftybase, Katana, and inFlow all have strong eCommerce integrations. Jewelry Designer Manager and Craft Maker Pro don’t.

Does knowing your true COGS matter?

It should. Knowing exactly what it costs you to make a piece — materials, time, overhead — is how you price handmade items accurately and avoid selling at a loss. If that matters to your business (and it should, even from day one), you need software that tracks COGS automatically. Only Craftybase and Katana do this properly in this list.

Read more: Managing inventory in a small jewelry business →

FAQ

What inventory system do most jewelers use?

It depends heavily on whether they’re makers or retailers. Independent jewelry makers who handcraft their pieces tend to use maker-focused platforms like Craftybase, which handles manufacturing cost tracking alongside inventory. Larger jewelry retailers often use POS-integrated solutions like Lightspeed or retail-focused systems. Many small jewelry businesses still rely on spreadsheets, though these become difficult to maintain as product lines grow.

Do I need special software for jewelry inventory?

Not necessarily “special” — but you do need software designed for how your business actually works. If you’re handmaking jewelry from raw materials, you need a tool that understands manufacturing: bill of materials, component deduction, and cost of goods sold calculation. General inventory tools often skip these features. If you’re reselling finished pieces, a standard inventory management tool works fine.

How do I track jewelry components like stones and findings?

The key is treating stones, findings, wire, and chain as separate materials with individual stock levels — then linking them to the products they’re used in via a bill of materials. Every time you make a piece, the system should deduct the exact quantities of each component automatically. Tools like Craftybase handle this natively. In a spreadsheet, you’d have to do it manually with formulas, which works until someone forgets to update it.

Can I track jewelry inventory on a spreadsheet?

Yes, and it’s a reasonable starting point. A spreadsheet with tabs for materials, products, and orders — connected with formulas — gives you basic visibility. The main problem is that spreadsheets require constant manual updates, don’t integrate with your selling channels, and don’t calculate COGS automatically. They also become fragile as your product range grows. Our free jewelry inventory spreadsheet is a solid template if you want to start there.

Is Craftybase good for jewelry makers?

Craftybase is one of the strongest options specifically for handmade jewelry makers. It was built for small-batch makers and handles the full manufacturing workflow — materials tracking, bill of materials, automatic COGS calculation, and integration with Etsy and Shopify. The main limitation is that it’s not a retail POS or a jewelry store management system — it’s manufacturing and inventory software for people who make their products by hand.