PartsBox
by PartsBox
Electronics inventory, BOM pricing, purchasing and builds with genuine lot control. It records exactly which batches of components went into which unit, which is the part most parts databases skip.
Why it is classified this way
We call this a BOM & inventory product. Tracks product structure, parts, costs, and purchasing without a complete plan-and-execute production loop.
It is not labeled Full MRP because we have not verified that it accepts dated demand, sales orders, a forecast, or a master production schedule; explodes requirements through at least one level of the bill of materials; uses lead times or required dates; and produces dated buy, make, transfer, release, or reschedule recommendations. That is a statement about the evidence we found, not a claim that the product is weak, see the capability table and the sources below.
The six Full MRP tests, and how PartsBox does on each (2 of 6)
- YesIt represents a bill of materials, recipe, or formula.Evidence: partsbox.com(opens in a new tab)
- PartialIt accepts dated demand, sales orders, a forecast, or a master production schedule.Not established. Only partly shown: the evidence covers some of this but not all of it, so the test is not established.
- YesIt nets that demand against stock on hand and orders already incoming.Evidence: partsbox.com › Features(opens in a new tab); partsbox.com(opens in a new tab); partsbox.com › Track purchasing and receiving(opens in a new tab); Vendor video, 2020, at 1:32(opens in a new tab)
- UnknownIt explodes requirements through at least one level of the bill of materials.Not established. No evidence found yet.
- UnknownIt uses lead times or required dates.Not established. No evidence found yet.
- UnknownIt produces dated buy, make, transfer, release, or reschedule recommendations.Not established. No evidence found yet.
These rules are applied identically to every product and enforced at build time, a record cannot be published as Full MRP unless all six pass with a source attached. Read the methodology.
Best for
- Regulated hardware teams that must trace a component lot into a shipped device
- Shops buying against distributor pricing who want BOM costing before committing
- Labs handling non-standard units, wire by length, paste by weight
Not a fit when
- Anyone needing time-phased planning; the purchasing logic is demand-and-stock, not demand-and-dates
- Batch and recipe manufacturers. This is entirely electronics-shaped
Pricing facts
What it costs to do manufacturing in this product.
Free plan
Maker is free for a single user and cannot add more. It includes search, BOM import, label printing, barcode scanning and KiCad integration, but no purchasing and no sub-assemblies.
Free plan
€0/month
Advertised from
€49/month
Useful entry price
€49/month
Billing basis
Mixed
What moves the real bill
- Annual billing assumed. The advertised rate requires paying for a year up front. Monthly billing costs more.
Plans
| Plan | Price | Add-ons and setup |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Free | — |
| One user and no more. No purchasing and no sub-assemblies. | ||
| EssentialsBilled yearly, shown per month | €49/mo · 2 users included, then €12 each | — |
| Shown as billed annually. Monthly billing is also offered; its price is not recorded here. | ||
| ProductionBilled yearly, shown per month | €99/mo · 3 users included, then €12 each | — |
| Shown as billed annually. Monthly billing is also offered; its price is not recorded here. | ||
| ControlBilled yearly, shown per month | €239/mo · 5 users included, then €12 each | — |
| Shown as billed annually. Monthly billing is also offered; its price is not recorded here. | ||
| ComplianceBilled yearly, shown per month | €499/mo · 8 users included, then €12 each | — |
| Shown as billed annually. Monthly billing is also offered; its price is not recorded here. | ||
Cheapest paid plan that manufactures, by paid users
- 1 user: Essentials, €49 a month (billed yearly, shown per month); first year €588.
- 5 users: Essentials, €85 a month (billed yearly, shown per month); first year €1,020.
- 10 users: Essentials, €145 a month (billed yearly, shown per month); first year €1,740.
Pricing detail
Five tiers, priced in euros and quoted billed annually, each with a base seat count and 12EUR/user/month beyond it: Maker free (1 user), Essentials 49EUR (2), Production 99EUR (3), Control 239EUR (5) and Compliance 499EUR (8). Manufacturing starts early, sub-assemblies, purchasing and build history are in Essentials, and multi-stage builds and kitting in Production. The trap is traceability: lot control and serial numbers do not appear until Control at 239EUR/mo, roughly five times the entry price. An electronics shop that needs to trace a lot through a build is buying the 239EUR tier, not the 49EUR one.
Price history
- Lab/Workshop EUR 49, Production EUR 99, Company EUR 239 and Medical/Pharma EUR 499 a month billed annually. Archived page, February 24, 2024(opens in a new tab)
- Same prices, with additional users now listed at EUR 12 per user per month. Archived page, May 6, 2026(opens in a new tab)
- Tiers renamed Essentials (EUR 49), Production (EUR 99), Control (EUR 239) and Compliance (EUR 499) a month billed annually; additional users EUR 12 per user per month. Archived page, August 5, 2026(opens in a new tab)
From copies of the vendor's pricing page kept by the Internet Archive.
Checked on October 9, 2026. Source: partsbox.com(opens in a new tab). Prices change. Check before you buy.
Manufacturing capability
16 of 25 fields resolved. "Unknown" means we have not found first-party evidence. It is not a No.
Planning
Working out what to buy or make, and when.
| Capability | Finding | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| Accepts dated demandYou can tell it what is due and when, sales orders with dates, a forecast, or a production schedule. | Partial | "PartsBox builds a purchase list from the projects you plan to build, combining their BOMs by build quantity, removing duplicates, and subtracting what you already have." Demand is the build quantity you plan, with no due date. No lead times or order-by dates are documented, and orders carry only an expected delivery date you enter yourself.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: partsbox.com › Purchasing and receiving(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Nets against stock on handIt subtracts what you already have before telling you to buy more. | Yes | The purchase list is built from "BOMs and shortages": the features page says "Build a purchase list from BOMs and shortages." and "Group purchases by vendor, place orders, and upload a cart to a distributor." Netting demand against what you already hold, across multiple projects at once. (The earlier wording, "combines BOMs, removes duplicates, subtracts existing stock, groups by vendor", left the home page in 2026.)Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: partsbox.com › Features(opens in a new tab); partsbox.com(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Counts incoming ordersIt knows about purchase orders and production orders already placed, so it does not tell you to order twice. | Yes | The vendor states: "Parts on order are visible as incoming stock, so nobody re-orders what is already on the way." A vendor what's-new video (2020 video) adds the expected date: "if you mark an order as ordered partsbox will know that you expect parts to arrive on a certain date this information will be shown when you look at available stock for your parts". We have not seen incoming stock feed a purchasing suggestion.Source: partsbox.com › Track purchasing and receiving(opens in a new tab); Vendor video, 2020, at 1:32(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Uses lead timesIt works backwards from when you need something to when you must order or start it, using supplier and production lead times. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: documentation showing lead time fields that shift a suggested order or start date.Know the answer? |
| Produces dated buy/make suggestionsThe output is an actionable list with dates, order this much by this date, start this batch on this date. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: documentation or a screenshot of replenishment or planning suggestions carrying dates.Know the answer? |
| Capacity planningChecks whether your people and machines can do the work in the time available. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: documentation of work-center or resource capacity being compared against load.Know the answer? |
Production
Recipes, bills of materials, and running the work.
| Capability | Finding | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| Bill of materialsA list of the parts and quantities needed to make one of something. | Yes | BOMs import from KiCad, Altium, EAGLE or CSV, match to inventory, and gather typically twenty to forty distributor offers per line.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: partsbox.com(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Multi-level BOMSub-assemblies inside assemblies, a part that is itself made from other parts, nested as deep as you need. | Yes | Sub-assemblies are modeled as projects: "Projects can represent sub-assemblies that will be incorporated into larger devices or systems", and once built "the manufactured items become available as stock that can be used as components in other projects".Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: partsbox.com › Users guide(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Recipes & formulasBatch-style production by weight, volume, or percentage, including scaling a batch up or down. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: documentation of recipe or formula records, ideally with batch scaling.Know the answer? |
| Work / manufacturing ordersA record authorising and tracking the making of a specific quantity. | Yes | "Single-stage and multi-stage builds with attrition and pick lists", recording exact stock and lots consumed.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: partsbox.com(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Routings & operationsThe ordered steps a product goes through, and which machine or station does each one. | Partial | Multi-stage builds imply a sequence of steps, but there is no routing or work-center model described.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: partsbox.com(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Shop-floor trackingOperators report progress, time, and completions as the work happens. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: documentation of a shop-floor, operator, or terminal interface for reporting production.Know the answer? |
| Quality controlsChecks, tests, holds, and non-conformance records tied to production or receiving. | Partial | Lots can be marked quarantined or expired, which supports a hold workflow without being a full quality module.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: partsbox.com(opens in a new tab)Question this |
Inventory & traceability
Knowing what you hold and being able to trace it.
| Capability | Finding | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| Batch & lot traceabilityWhich incoming material lots went into which finished batch, and where those finished goods went. | Yes | Distinct batches are tracked with their own quantity, location, purchase price and source, traceable forward to the devices they went into.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: partsbox.com(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Expiry & shelf lifeBest-before dates on materials and finished goods, with warnings before they lapse. | Yes | Lots can be marked for expiration, relevant for solder paste and moisture-sensitive components.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: partsbox.com(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Serial numbersUnique identifiers on individual units, for warranty or field service. | Yes | Serial number tracking is available on builds.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: partsbox.com(opens in a new tab)Question this |
Commerce & accounting
Costs, purchasing, storefronts, and the books.
| Capability | Finding | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| Product costing & COGSWhat it costs you to make one, and the cost of the goods you sold. | Partial | Batches carry their purchase price and BOMs are priced against distributor offers. We have not verified a rolled-up build cost.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: partsbox.com(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| PurchasingRaising and tracking purchase orders to suppliers from inside the system. | Yes | Purchasing consolidates BOM requirements by vendor, with barcode scanning on receiving.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: partsbox.com(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Accounting connectionSends financial data to bookkeeping software, or includes its own general ledger. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: documentation of a named accounting integration or a built-in ledger.Know the answer? |
| Ecommerce connectionPulls orders and pushes stock levels to a storefront or marketplace. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: documentation of a named storefront or marketplace integration.Know the answer? |
Openness & your data
Getting data in, out, and away if you leave.
| Capability | Finding | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| APIA documented programming interface so other software can read and write your data. | Yes | The API writes as well as reads, with operations such as "stock/add Add stock for a part." alongside part/create, stock/update and lot/update. "The API and Zapier are on the Essentials plan and up." The free Maker plan has no API.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: partsbox.com › Automate with the api(opens in a new tab); partsbox.com › Api(opens in a new tab); partsbox.com(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| WebhooksThe system can notify other software the moment something changes. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: documentation of outbound webhooks or event subscriptions.Know the answer? |
| MCP supportA Model Context Protocol server, letting an AI assistant read or act on this data. Useful, but it has nothing to do with whether the product plans materials. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: a first-party mcp server, or documentation of one.Know the answer? |
| CSV exportYou can get your lists out as spreadsheet files. | Yes | Tables can be "exported as PDF or CSV using the Export button in the table footer". BOMs import from CAD/eCAD packages in CSV or TSV.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: partsbox.com › Users guide(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Full data exportYou can take everything, including history and relationships, not just a few screens' worth of rows. | Yes | "Export everything you ever entered as a single JSON file, anytime." An unusually clean exit path, and worth noting because most of this catalog has nothing comparable.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: partsbox.com(opens in a new tab)Question this |
Deployment, licensing and your data
- Deployment
- Cloud (hosted for you)
- Licensing
- Proprietary SaaS
- Team sizes
- Just me, 2–5 people, 6–20 people, 21–50 people
- Manufacturing styles
- Countable assembled products, Kits & bundles
Integrations
- KiCad
- Altium
- EAGLE
- Octopart
- DigiKey
- Mouser
Jobs this product qualifies for
Derived from the capability table above, not hand-assigned.
Editorial notes and cautions
Things we would want a friend to know before buying.
- PartsBox's purchasing calculation subtracts existing stock across combined BOMs, which is closer to a requirements calculation than most inventory tools get. It still is not MRP, because nothing here is time-phased.
Alternatives to PartsBox
An alternative is always an alternative for a reason. There is no universal replacement.
InvenTree covers similar ground for free if you self-host, but has no distributor price aggregation and we could not verify its lot handling.
- BOMISTLower cost
BOMIST publishes prices from $15 a month and runs as an offline-first desktop app, which suits teams that would rather not depend on a hosted service.
Compared on Aligni's page, where we wrote: "Both serve electronics teams. PartsBox documents lot traceability forward into built devices, where Aligni records lot codes on inventory units and what each build consumed. Aligni publishes hierarchical BOM cost roll-up that PartsBox does not."
Evidence and verification
The pricing page loaded this time. It lives at /pricing.html, which is why an earlier check recorded it as blank. The tier ladder is now sourced, and the story is traceability: lot control and serial numbers start at Control, 239EUR/mo, two tiers above the 49EUR entry plan. Prices are in euros, unlike most of this catalog, so compare with the exchange rate in mind. Planning is a purchase list built from the projects you plan to build, netted against stock, with no demand dates or lead times; the build page only reports how many complete units you can build now. The integrations page says "KiCad and data export are on every plan. Multiple users and Zapier start on Essentials, Altium on Production, and role-based access control on Control." and names no accounting or storefront integration.
Sources we checked (9)
partsbox.com
What we still want to confirm
We publish our gaps rather than hiding them. If you can point us at a first-party page for any of these, we will update the record and credit the correction.
- Ask whether webhooks exist. The API and integrations pages mention none, and no-code automation goes through Zapier.
- Ask whether any accounting or ecommerce integration exists beyond Zapier and the API. The integrations page names only KiCad, Altium (via PartsBox Outpost), the API and Zapier.
Still unknown: uses lead times, produces dated buy/make suggestions, capacity planning, recipes & formulas, shop-floor tracking, accounting connection, ecommerce connection, webhooks, mcp support.