Updated October 2026. Every price below was checked on the tool's own website on 4 October 2026. We refresh this guide every quarter.
We make Stockria, one of the tools on this list. We have tried to be fair. Each tool has a section on who it fits and who it does not, and we say where others do things Stockria does not.
What a candle maker needs
- Cost per candle. Wax, fragrance at your load, wick, vessel, lid, label and your time.
- Units that match how you buy. Wax by the case, fragrance by the pound, poured by the ounce or the gram.
- Cure time. Candles that need a week or two before they throw scent well.
- One stock count for every shop. Etsy, Shopify, markets, wholesale.
The short list
| Tool | Price (monthly billing) | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Stockria | Free for 250 items, then $19, $39 or $89 | Every feature and every channel on a small budget |
| Inventora | $23, $48 or $120 | Candle makers on Squarespace |
| Stocksmith (formerly Craftybase) | $20 to $349 | Makers who know Craftybase and its reports |
| Makers Manager | $9, $19, $39 or $89 | Solo makers who sell mostly at markets |
| Katana | From $299 | Larger brands with a planning team |
| A spreadsheet | Free | A few scents and one shop |
Our number: what a two-person studio pays in a year
We priced one common setup: two people, selling on Etsy and Shopify, on the cheapest plan of each tool that allows it, billed monthly, on 4 October 2026.
| Tool | Plan | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Stockria | Pro, $19/mo, 2 users, every channel | $228 |
| Inventora | Starter, $23/mo, 2 team members, 2 integrations | $276 |
| Stocksmith | Studio, $49/mo, multi-user, more than one channel | $588 |
| Katana | Core, from $299/mo plus a fee per sales order | $3,588 or more |
Makers Manager is left out because its pricing page lists no store integrations. So the same studio pays from $228 to $3,588 or more a year.
1. Stockria
Price: Free for 250 items, 1 user. Pro $19/mo with unlimited items and 2 users. Business $39/mo with 8 users. Growth $89/mo with 25 users.
Good for candle makers because: a recipe costs each candle from what you paid for wax, fragrance, wicks and jars. Buy by the case, pour by the ounce. A pour can wait on the In Production board while it cures, then go into stock. Each pour gets a lot number. Stock syncs with Shopify, Etsy, Amazon, Square, Wix and WooCommerce, and it works offline at a market. We set up your account for you, free.
Not for you if: you sell on Squarespace, or want supplier invoices read for you. Stockria does neither yet.
Try the free candle cost calculator to see your cost per candle.
2. Inventora
Price: Starter $23/mo, Business $48, Growth $120. About 18% off yearly. 7-day trial.
Good for candle makers because: it was started by a candle maker for her own business. Batch traceability is on every plan, and it reads supplier invoices from a PDF or a photo. It connects to Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce, Square, Wix and Squarespace.
Not for you if: you sell on more than two channels on Starter, or have more than 500 materials or product variants. Both move you to Business at $48. See Inventora vs Stockria.
3. Stocksmith (formerly Craftybase)
Price: Pro from $20/mo, Studio $49, Indie $99, Business $199, Growth $349. About 17% off yearly. 14-day trial.
Good for candle makers because: it has served makers for years and its cost of goods reports are deep. Its pricing page says every plan from Studio up connects unlimited sales channels.
Not for you if: you want lots or stock sync on a small budget. Batch and lot tracking start at $99 a month and automatic stock sync at $199. The price also rises with order lines in busy months like the holidays. See Stockria vs Stocksmith.
4. Makers Manager
Price: Maker $9/mo (100 materials, 100 products), Studio $19, Business $39, Growth $89.
Good for candle makers because: it has a Candle Lab for testing, a recipe builder and a market tracker, at a low price.
Not for you if: you sell online and want stock to sync. No store integrations are listed on its pricing page.
5. Katana
Price: Free for 30 SKUs. Core from $299/mo plus a fee per sales order delivered. Batch and serial tracking is a $249/mo add-on.
Good for candle makers because: it scales to a large brand, with unlimited users, forecasting and many integrations.
Not for you if: you are a studio of one to five people. See our Katana comparison.
6. A spreadsheet
Price: free.
Good for candle makers because: you already know it, and for a few scents in one shop it works.
Not for you if: you sell in more than one place. Each holiday rush, the counts drift. Each wax price rise means fixing every formula by hand.
How to choose
- Selling mostly at markets, one person: Makers Manager, a spreadsheet, or Stockria Free.
- Etsy plus another channel: Stockria or Inventora.
- On Squarespace: Inventora.
- Years of Craftybase history: Stocksmith.
- A brand with a planning team: Katana.
If you want to see your own candles in Stockria without the setup work, send us one recipe and we build it for you. Soap too? See the soap makers guide.
Sources, all read on 4 October 2026: inventora.com/pricing-plans, stocksmith.io/pricing, makersmanager.com/pricing, katanamrp.com/pricing. Names are the trademarks of their owners. Stockria is not connected to any of these companies.