This page explains how Craft Pricing Lab tests and scores the tools makers use to price, sell and run a handmade shop. We publish the full method so you can see why a tool got its score, repeat our tests with your own numbers, and tell us if we got something wrong.
- We use the tool ourselves. No hands-on test means no score.
- Same tests for every tool. Four example products with known answers check the math.
- Eight criteria, weighted by tool type, each scored from 1 to 10 with written rules.
- Hard limits stop a pretty tool from scoring well when it hides prices, gets money wrong or locks in your data.
- Money never changes a score. Scores are set before we look at any affiliate commission.
What we promise
- Every price, fee and limit we quote links to the vendor or platform page it came from, with the date we checked it. Prices are rechecked at least every three months.
- We label what we measured ourselves, what a vendor says about itself, and what is our opinion.
- We never invent users, quotes, ratings or sales numbers. Screenshots show the tool, not people.
- When a review includes our own calculator, we say so clearly and do not rank it above other tools.
- Some links on this site are affiliate links. They pay us a commission at no cost to you and never affect a score. Read our affiliate disclosure.
How do we test the math?
Pricing tools are only useful if the money is right. We run the same four example products through every pricing tool we review. The inputs are the presets in our Craft Pricing Calculator, and every formula is shown on How We Calculate, so you can check each answer with a phone calculator.
| Example product | Cost per item | Price at 50% margin | Etsy fees at that price | Etsy break-even |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 oz soy candle | $11.41 | $22.99 | $2.63 | $13.10 |
| Cold process soap bar | $6.87 | $13.99 | $1.78 | $8.09 |
| Crochet amigurumi toy | $71.54 | $143.99 | $14.13 | $79.55 |
| Beaded bracelet | $9.44 | $18.99 | $2.25 | $10.92 |
A tool passes the math test when its answer is within 1% of ours on the same inputs. When a tool has no field for a cost, such as packaging or overhead, we note that the tool leaves it out and test what it does include. Leaving out packaging and overhead alone makes the candle look 20% cheaper to make than it really is.
What do we score?
| Criterion | What we check | Default weight |
|---|---|---|
| Value and fit | Does it solve a clear maker job, and are its main claims true in our test? | 15 |
| Quality and correctness | Golden test results, missing features, bugs found in an hour of use | 20 |
| Ease of use | Minutes to the first useful result, common usability checks, phone screen at 390 px | 15 |
| Speed and reliability | Lighthouse and Core Web Vitals on mobile, errors during the test, status page | 10 |
| Price for what you get | Monthly cost at three shop sizes, free plan limits, price history | 15 |
| Support and help docs | Response time to a real question, help pages for the main task | 8 |
| Security and privacy | HTTPS and security headers, two-factor login, data export and deletion, privacy policy | 10 |
| Updates | Releases in the last 6 and 12 months, reaction to fee or platform changes | 7 |
Why do weights change by tool type?
A shipping label tool should not be judged like a cost calculator. We keep the same eight criteria for every tool, then shift the weights to what matters most for that type, the way large testing labs build use-case ratings.
| Tool type | Weights the most | Extra rule |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing and cost tools | Correctness 25 | Missing labor or overhead inputs caps correctness at 6 |
| Etsy keyword and listing tools | Correctness 20, price 17 | Search volumes not labeled as estimates caps correctness at 5 |
| Selling platforms | Fees and price 25 | Fees only from the platform’s own pages, with a date |
| Bookkeeping tools | Correctness 25 | Always marked as not tax advice |
| Shipping label tools | Price 23, correctness 20 | Rates quoted for three sample parcels, with a date |
What are the hard limits?
- No hands-on access: no score, only a short note marked not scored.
- Hidden pricing: price for what you get is capped at 5 out of 10.
- No data export: security and privacy is capped at 4 out of 10.
- A money error above 1% in any test product: correctness is capped at 3 out of 10, and we report the error.
How is the final score built?
Each criterion gets a score from 1 to 10 using written rules. For example, ease of use scores 10 when a first useful result takes under five minutes and the tool works well on a phone, and 4 when it takes over 30 minutes or breaks on a small screen. The final score is the weighted average, rounded to one decimal. We only publish a final score when all eight criteria were tested.
| Final score | What it means |
|---|---|
| 9.0 to 10 | Excellent for the makers it fits |
| 7.0 to 8.9 | Good, with small gaps |
| 5.0 to 6.9 | Fine for some shops, with clear limits |
| 3.0 to 4.9 | Weak, look at alternatives first |
| Below 3.0 | Avoid |
What we do not do
- We do not test physical machines yet, because that needs buying units.
- We do not certify a tool as secure. We report what we checked and quote the vendor’s own policy.
- We do not give tax or legal advice. Bookkeeping reviews show what a tool does, not what your tax return needs.
Think a score or a fact is wrong? Contact us with the tool name, what you saw and a link to the source. We check it, fix it and log the change below.
Change log
- October 12, 2026: Review standard version 1 published: eight criteria, four hard limits, five tool types and four test products.