If you're weighing Craftybase, Inventora or SoapMaker 3 against Alchemis for soap, cosmetic, candle or cleaner production, here's what each one actually does, what it costs, and who it's genuinely built for. We compiled this from each vendor's own public site, and we're the newest, smallest name on the list, so read the caveats.
This page is for soap, cosmetic, candle and cleaner makers, mostly in the EU and the Nordics, comparing tools that track recipes, batches, inventory and sales. If you're US-based and selling heavily across Etsy, Shopify and Amazon, some of these tools may fit you better than Alchemis does today. We'll say so.
Compiled from each vendor's public website in August 2026. Prices are the vendor's own listed monthly starting price; Craftybase and Inventora list prices in USD, converted here only for rough orientation, not as an exact rate.
| Alchemis | Craftybase (now Stocksmith) | Inventora | SoapMaker 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price from | €0, paid plans from €12/mo | $20/mo (Pro plan) | $19/mo billed yearly (Starter) | $49 one-time (Lite) |
| Free tier | Yes, free forever for hobbyists (5 recipes, 3 batches/mo) | No — 14-day free trial only | No — 7-day free trial only | Yes, a feature-limited FREE edition |
| EU compliance features | IFRA fragrance checks (advisory), EU cosmetic & soap-bath rules, EU-ordered INCI labels with allergen flagging (Reg. 2023/1545), a cosmetics PIF (Part A) compiler, CLP-format ingredient sheets for cleaners | None advertised — general COGS/inventory tool, no EU regulatory features | None advertised — inventory & production tracking, no EU regulatory features | INCI list generation only; no EU-specific regulatory checks advertised |
| Platform | Web app, works on a phone browser (no dedicated native app yet) | Web app | Web app | Windows desktop only, no Mac or web version |
| Batch traceability | Yes, lot-level tracking + traceability reports (Pro) | Yes, batch/lot tracking and production history | Yes, advertised as "Full Batch Traceability" | Yes, ingredient lot tracking |
Craftybase rebranded to Stocksmith in 2026 — same team, same product, new name. It's an established tool (the vendor states over 10,000 businesses use it) with genuinely deep multi-channel selling support: automatic stock sync across Shopify, Amazon and Faire, hourly imports on higher tiers, and QuickBooks integration at the top. If you sell heavily across US marketplaces and want that sync automated rather than manual, it's a strong pick. It doesn't advertise EU-specific compliance tooling, there's no free tier, and its five paid plans run from $20 to $349 a month depending on order volume.
Inventora is built for makers across candles, soap, skincare, jewelry, textiles, laser engraving and 3D printing, with lower entry pricing than Craftybase/Stocksmith and integrations across Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce, Square, Wix and Squarespace, plus AI-assisted invoice import for purchasing. It's a solid, focused inventory-and-production tool. It doesn't advertise EU compliance features (no IFRA, CLP or INCI-label tooling that we could find), and like Craftybase there's no free tier, only a 7-day trial.
SoapMaker 3 has been around for a long time and is well known in the soap-making community. It's a one-time purchase, not a subscription ($49 Lite, $99 Professional, with a genuine free edition), so if you'd rather own your software outright and work offline, it's worth a look. The trade-off: it's Windows desktop only, no Mac, no web access, no phone. If you make more than soap and cosmetics, or want to work from more than one machine, that will get in the way. Its INCI list generation helps with labeling, but it doesn't advertise EU-specific regulatory checks (IFRA, CLP, allergen rules).
Alchemis is the newest and smallest product on this page — we only just launched. What we're betting on: an EU/Nordic maker selling soap, cosmetics, candles or cleaners shouldn't need a separate spreadsheet and a separate regulations binder next to their inventory tool. Alchemis checks your fragrance against IFRA (from your supplier's certificate or its constituents, advisory, not a guarantee), applies EU cosmetic and soap-bath limits, lays out EU-ordered INCI labels with allergens flagged, compiles the first half of a cosmetics PIF, and traces every batch by lot, alongside recipes, inventory and direct sales. It's free forever for a hobbyist (5 recipes, 3 batches a month), and paid plans start at €12. If you make something other than cosmetics, soap or a scented candle/cleaner, some of our rule sets (candle burn standards, cleaner CLP/REACH beyond the ingredient sheet, food and herbalism regimes) are still on the roadmap — we'd rather say that plainly than let you find out after signing up.
Compared as of August 2026, from public information on each vendor's website. Pricing, features, plan names and free-trial terms change without notice — check craftybase.com / stocksmith.io, inventora.com and soapmaker.ca directly before deciding. This page is written by Alchemis; we've tried to be accurate and fair, but we're not a neutral third party.