Alternatives, compared
Honest comparisons, with every claim about somebody else taken off their own public site and dated. Where they are better, we say so.
The whole category, at a glance
| Tool | What it is | What it costs | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| LayerFlow3D | Orders, costing, filament stock, live telemetry and a storefront, for a print shop. | Free for 2 printers; paid from $8 a month. | Today - it is ours |
| 3D PrintForce | A marketplace seller's back office, with real machine costing. | Free calculator; from $12.50 a month. | September 24, 2026 |
| Calcura3D | Costing and branded quotes, in beta. | Free tier, no login; Pro "$39". | September 24, 2026 |
| Craftybase | Inventory and COGS for small-batch makers. Not a 3D printing tool. | From $24 a month, or $20 billed annually, for one user and up to 25 order lines; no free plan. | September 24, 2026 |
| Inventora | Inventory for makers, with a 3D printing page. Costs material, not machine time. | From $23 a month; 7-day trial. | September 24, 2026 |
| Layers.app | Instant quoting from an uploaded model, plus CRM and ERP. | Free for 5 orders; from $49 a month. | September 24, 2026 |
| Printago | Fleet control and cloud slicing for a print farm. | From free; $4 per production slot a month. | September 15, 2026 |
| SimplyPrint | Printer fleet management, queueing and filament tracking. | Free for 2 printers; from $5.99 a month. | September 15, 2026 |
| a spreadsheet | The thing every shop already has. | Free, until an evening of yours is not. | September 15, 2026 |
Prices are the ones on their own public pages on the date beside them, in the currency each one publishes. They move; tell us when one is wrong.
The comparisons in full
3D PrintForce
3D PrintForce is a marketplace seller's back office, with real machine costing. We read the printers ourselves and give the shop its own storefront. Every claim sourced.
Read it →Calcura3D
Calcura3D quotes; we run the shop. Their costing model is close to ours and their quote flow is better. Where each one is stronger, with every claim sourced.
Read it →Craftybase
Craftybase is now Stocksmith: inventory and COGS for maker businesses. It has never been a 3D printing tool. Where each one is stronger, with every claim sourced.
Read it →Inventora
Inventora is inventory for makers, with a 3D printing page. It costs the material; we cost the job. Where each one is stronger, with every claim sourced.
Read it →Layers.app
Layers quotes an uploaded model instantly and does it better than we do. We cost the job from the machine. Where each one is stronger, with every claim sourced.
Read it →Printago
Printago routes jobs across a print farm. LayerFlow3D costs them. Where each one is stronger, with every claim taken off their own site.
Read it →SimplyPrint
SimplyPrint runs the printers. LayerFlow3D runs the business around them. Every claim taken off their own site and dated.
Read it →a spreadsheet
Where a spreadsheet stops working for a 3D print shop, and what actually breaks first.
Read it →