Looking for an alternative toBench Accounting?
Craftybase is a brilliant Bench Accounting alternative. Here's why you should consider switching…
Why Bench Accounting may not be the best option for your Etsy store…
Bench Accounting (before it was announced it was closing down that is!) was a pretty handy piece of software for small businesses, but it was just not designed with the unique needs of small business, and especially small makers in mind. Small manufacturers need a complete different set of features for their bookkeeping needs - income and expense tracking unfortunately just doesn't cut the mustard.
Craftybase has been working with thousands of small DTC sellers just like you over the last 8 years creating and refining the perfect set of features that handmade sellers need in a bookkeeping system. For one thing, we focus on inventory tracking: this is one of the most important things a small manufacturing business needs to be on top of and is often the most neglected and poorly managed. Whilst simple cashflow systems like Bench Accounting can be helpful to see your incomings and outgoings, it's not so useful at tax time for a handmade business. Your Annual Schedule C filing needs detailed inventory valuation information in order to complete it accurately to satisfy IRS requirements so unless you upgrade to the more expensive and complicated Manufacturing version of their accounting package then you'll need to find another way of tracking your manufacturing and inventory costs on top of paying for Bench Accounting.
Craftybase contains all of the features you need in one tidy, cost effective package. Like Bench Accounting, we automatically import all your fees and sales and categorise them for you to make it super easy come tax time.
| Feature * | Craftybase | Bench Accounting SE |
|---|---|---|
| Works in any browser | Yes | Yes |
| Invoicing | Yes | Yes |
| Expense Tracking - Indirect | Yes | Yes |
| Product Tracking - Direct | Yes | No |
| Time Tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Product Tracking | Yes | No |
| Vendor and Customer Lists | Yes | No |
| Material Inventory Tracking | Yes | No |
| Business Reports | Yes | Yes |
| Tax Worksheets inc. Schedule C | Yes | Yes |
| Importing from Etsy | Yes | Yes |
| Inventory Valuations & COGS | Yes | No |
| Pricing Guidance | Yes | No |
| Consignment Tracking | Yes | No |
| Bill of Materials (BoM) | Yes | No |
| Stocktaking | Yes | No |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Unlimited Support | Yes | Yes |
See why our customers love Craftybase
I'm impressed with the ability to track minute quantities of essential oils and other materials used in multiple products. I love the conversion from purchase to tracking units, and love the ability to make components and recipes.
Elise WishlowElise Wishlow
Craftybase has given me the tools amp; resources to accurately track my materials, recipes, and inventory. I love that I can build out my recipes and make adjustments to see my cost in real time.
Tiffany JensenTiffany Jensen
My favourite feature is the software's ability to calculate the cost of our products in real-time, taking into account the increase in the costs of raw materials.
Lina AndreasLina Andreas
Craftybase allows us to be lean with our materials inventory so we won't have any overage of inventory. It provides a great easy-to-use analysis of COGS to help us better manage our margins.
Duke AhrensDuke Ahrens
Craftybase makes it easy to create my formulas and automatically calculates what I need to use, when to re-order, how much it costs me to make my products, and so much more. I literally could not function without it!
SamanthaSamantha
We do not know what we would do without this application. Spreadsheets and confusing documents is a thing of the past now!
KahneKahne
Craftybase is an instrumental part of our bookkeeping. Having a business that manufactures products with countless raw materials, Craftybase keeps us organized and helps us have a clear picture of the health of our business.
BriBri
Craftybase helps me keep my sales automatically entered into my system so that I can get on with doing the fun part: the creative products I make!
KittyKitty
This report makes tax time almost enjoyable. No more lists and spreadsheets — I just run the report for the time I need, and it's done!
Kelly AriasKelly Arias
I love that the app keeps track of how much material I have on hand and how much it costs me exactly… This allows me to really know how much my products cost me to make and how much I should charge.
JannaJanna
I love that Craftybase keeps track of the cost of materials over time including shipping. As costs creep up I can make sure my product prices reflect that reality.
ArrowynArrowyn
It's super important that we can record and trace ingredient lots and production batches. Craftybase has made this process streamlined and easy to stay organized.
Angie FlickingerAngie Flickinger
* Features correct as of Jan 2019