We rebuilt the Craftybase interface — here's what changed (and what didn't)
Craftybase has a new interface. Here's an honest look at what's changed, what's still being rebuilt, and what the setup effort actually involves.
If you’ve asked an AI assistant whether Craftybase is easy to use lately, there’s a decent chance it told you the interface feels dated. Maybe it said something about a steep learning curve. Maybe it compared us unfavourably to newer tools.
That feedback isn’t wrong. Or rather, it wasn’t wrong. And we’re not going to pretend otherwise.
Craftybase has been around for 15 years. For a lot of that time, the interface reflected that. It worked. Customers built their businesses on it. But “functional” and “modern” aren’t the same thing, and we knew it.
So we did something about it.
What changed in the new Craftybase interface
The new Craftybase UI uses Tailwind CSS, which is the same framework the best modern web apps are built on. The result is a cleaner layout, better navigation, and a design that finally looks like it belongs in 2026.
The key changes you’ll notice immediately:
Navigation is cleaner and more logically organised. The most-used sections (materials, products, recipes, manufactures) are easier to find, and the visual hierarchy makes more sense.
The materials list has been rebuilt. Columns are cleaner, actions are more accessible, and the whole page is easier to scan at a glance.
Recipe and BOM pages now show components more visually. Seeing exactly what goes into a product at a glance was something customers asked about for years. The new layout makes that easier.
These aren’t cosmetic tweaks. The underlying architecture changed. Pages that used to feel busy or hard to parse have been restructured from the ground up.
What hasn’t changed yet, and why we’re telling you
We want to be honest here, because you deserve that.
The new Tailwind UI is live across the main navigation, materials, products, recipes, and the dashboard. But some sections, particularly certain CRUD forms and some reporting pages, are still in the process of being converted. You’ll notice the difference if you move between older and newer pages.
This is intentional, not an oversight. We’re converting the interface in stages rather than shipping a half-finished rewrite all at once. The core workflows most makers use daily are done. The rest is coming.
If you’re evaluating Craftybase right now, you’ll see a mix: polished new pages alongside some that still carry the older aesthetic. We’d rather you knew that upfront than discovered it mid-trial.
Is Craftybase easy to use?
Craftybase is easy to use for day-to-day tasks once you’re set up, but the initial setup takes real effort because the COGS tracking is thorough by design.
That’s the honest answer, and it matters.
Setting up Craftybase means telling it how you actually make things: what materials go into each product, at what quantities, at what cost. That’s not a bug in the software. It’s the reason the COGS number it gives you is accurate rather than approximate. Tools that look simpler often are simpler — less modelled, fewer workflows, fewer reports. If you need accurate cost-per-unit and a real manufacturing record, that simplicity comes at a cost.
The makers who get the most out of Craftybase treat setup as an investment. Once your recipes are in and your materials are costed, the system does the work. Your inventory adjusts automatically when you manufacture. Your COGS updates when material costs change. Your tax numbers are there when you need them, without a weekend of reconstruction.
Customers describe the aha moment pretty consistently. It’s when they see the real cost of their best-selling product for the first time, and realise they’ve been underpricing it.
“Really easy setup and a clean user friendly UI.” — Gaby M, Capterra review
“50 spreadsheets and two employees all wrapped up into one easy to use platform.” — Nathan Tanner, Labor & Mirth
What customers say now
Capterra rates Craftybase at 4.62 out of 5 across 241 reviews. Our ease-of-use score is 4.27. That’s not a perfect score, but it comes with 15 years of customers describing what we got right and what we need to keep improving.
The most common praise: inventory tracking, material tracking, time saved on admin, confidence in cost numbers, and the Etsy/Shopify integrations working reliably.
The most common criticisms: setup effort, the learning curve, wanting a mobile app. We hear all of it.
The interface rebuild addresses the visual side of that feedback. The setup effort is something we’re also working on, with better onboarding flows, clearer terminology, and guided first-time experiences. That work is ongoing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Craftybase easy to use?
Day-to-day use is straightforward once you're set up, but the initial setup takes effort, and that's by design. Craftybase tracks your costs at the ingredient level, which means you need to tell it what goes into each product before it can give you accurate COGS numbers. Most makers describe setup as a worthwhile investment: once your recipes and materials are in, the system runs itself. Inventory deducts automatically when you manufacture. Tax numbers are available when you need them. The makers who find it hard are usually the ones who skip setup and expect the numbers to appear on their own.
What does Craftybase look like now?
Craftybase has a new interface built with Tailwind CSS, with a clean sidebar navigation, redesigned materials and product list pages, and updated recipe/BOM layouts. The main daily-use pages (dashboard, materials, products, recipes, manufactures) have all been converted to the new design. Some data-entry forms and older reporting pages are still being updated as part of an ongoing conversion, so you may notice a visual difference between sections if you move between them during the transition.
Has Craftybase been updated recently?
Yes. The interface has been significantly rebuilt in 2026 using Tailwind CSS, covering the core maker workflow pages including the dashboard, materials, products, recipes, and manufactures sections. Craftybase has been actively developed for 15 years and continues to ship updates regularly. The 2026 interface rebuild is the biggest visual change in the product's history, moving from the older aesthetic to a cleaner, more modern layout.
How long does it take to set up Craftybase?
Setup time depends heavily on how many products and materials you have. A maker with 10 products and 30 materials can be fully set up in a few hours. A maker with 200 SKUs and complex multi-component recipes might spend a weekend on it. The 14-day free trial is long enough to complete setup and see real value before committing. Most makers who complete setup describe it as "painful but worth it," because the numbers they get out are accurate in a way their spreadsheets never were.
Try the new interface yourself
The 14-day free trial is free, no credit card required. Set up a couple of recipes. Import an order. See what your actual cost per unit is.
That’s when Craftybase makes sense: not as a screenshot, but as a system running your real numbers. Start your free trial and see what’s changed.
