Does Craftybase Work with QuickBooks?

Craftybase and QuickBooks are two of the most common tools that handmade business owners ask about before signing up. The question is almost always the same: “do I need both, or does one replace the other?”

The short answer is that they do different things, and yes, they can work together. The longer answer requires knowing what each tool is actually built for.

What does Craftybase do?

Craftybase handles the manufacturing and inventory side of your handmade business: all the work that happens before the sale.

Specifically: you enter the materials you buy, build recipes (bill of materials) for each product, and when you manufacture a batch, Craftybase deducts materials from your stock and calculates your exact cost of goods. It tracks what raw materials you have on hand, what finished products are ready to sell, and what every unit cost you to make.

It also connects to your sales channels (Etsy, Shopify, Amazon, WooCommerce) and pulls in orders so your inventory updates automatically as you sell.

What Craftybase does not do is handle the accounting side: profit and loss reporting, payroll, GST/VAT lodgements, or tax filing. For that, you need accounting software.

What does QuickBooks do?

QuickBooks is accounting software. It handles the financial reporting side of your business: income and expenses, invoicing, bank reconciliation, payroll, P&L statements, and preparing for tax time.

QuickBooks Online has some basic inventory tracking features, but they are not designed for makers who manufacture their own products. QuickBooks tracks quantity on hand for finished goods, but it has no concept of a recipe, no bill-of-materials costing, and no way to automatically calculate your true cost of goods as you produce batches.

That’s the gap Craftybase fills.

How do Craftybase and QuickBooks work together?

Craftybase connects to QuickBooks via a one-way integration: Craftybase pushes data into QuickBooks. QuickBooks does not push data back.

What specifically gets pushed depends on which integration you set up. There are two options:

Purchase Order Export: When you record a material purchase in Craftybase, you can export it as a Purchase Order to QuickBooks. This keeps your accounts payable accurate without double entry.

Inventory Sync: Craftybase can push your inventory valuations and COGS adjustments into QuickBooks as journal entries, so your accounting records reflect what’s actually happening on the manufacturing floor.

The direction matters: Craftybase is the system of record for your inventory and manufacturing data. QuickBooks is the system of record for your financial reporting. Data flows from one to the other, not back and forth.

What does not sync between them?

A few things worth knowing before you set up the integration:

Orders from Etsy or Shopify flow into Craftybase for inventory purposes, but they do not automatically appear in QuickBooks via this integration. If you use QuickBooks for invoicing or income tracking, you’ll need to record those sales separately: either manually, or through a separate connector like Zapier or A2X.

Expenses you record in QuickBooks do not flow back into Craftybase. If you enter a material purchase directly in QuickBooks instead of Craftybase, your inventory in Craftybase won’t update.

The integration is designed to reduce double entry on the manufacturing side, not to be a full two-way sync.

Do you need both Craftybase and QuickBooks?

That depends on the stage of your business.

If you’re in early stages, you may not need QuickBooks yet. Craftybase gives you COGS tracking, expense recording, and reports that many makers use to complete their Schedule C. Some makers run Craftybase alone for years before adding accounting software.

If you have an accountant, they will almost certainly want you in QuickBooks (or Xero). Accountants work from financial statements, and Craftybase isn’t designed to produce those. The right setup in that case is Craftybase for your manufacturing and inventory data, and QuickBooks for the books your accountant files.

If you do wholesale or need detailed P&L reporting, QuickBooks earns its keep quickly. The combination of Craftybase handling your true COGS and QuickBooks handling the P&L gives you visibility that neither tool provides alone.

If you’re evaluating QuickBooks Self-Employed specifically, it’s worth knowing that QBO Self-Employed doesn’t support inventory at all. For makers, QuickBooks Online (the subscription version) is the relevant product.

What about QuickBooks Self-Employed vs QuickBooks Online?

QuickBooks Self-Employed is designed for freelancers and service businesses. It handles mileage, basic income/expense tracking, and Schedule C preparation. It has no inventory module whatsoever.

QuickBooks Online (Essentials, Plus, or Advanced) is the version that has inventory features and connects with Craftybase. If an accountant or article recommends “QuickBooks” for your handmade business, they mean QuickBooks Online.

The integration between Craftybase and QuickBooks requires QuickBooks Online.

How do you set up the integration?

You connect QuickBooks from inside your Craftybase account. Go to the Shops section, find the QuickBooks integration, and follow the authorisation flow. It uses OAuth, so you’ll log in to your QuickBooks account and approve the connection.

Once connected, you choose which sync to enable: PO export, inventory sync, or both. Craftybase walks you through the configuration in the setup wizard.

If you run into questions about the integration setup, the Craftybase help centre has detailed step-by-step guides for both sync types.

Frequently Asked Questions