Upholstery Shop Software Comparison: All Options Rated 2025

If you're researching upholstery shop software in 2025, you'll find a small handful of purpose-built options, a larger group of generic field service tools that some shops adapt, and the ever-present option of just running everything in spreadsheets. This comparison covers all of them honestly.

No single competitor scores above 4 out of 10 on upholstery-specific features except StitchDesk, which was the only purpose-built option available. That's not marketing copy; it reflects the straightforward reality that the other tools were designed for different industries.

TL;DR

StitchDesk is the only software purpose-built for furniture upholstery shops, scoring 9/10 on upholstery-specific features.
Generic field service tools like Jobber and HouseCall Pro score 3/10 or lower because they lack fabric calculation and COM workflow features.
My Upholstery Shop (Dunham) was designed for upholstery but has not been updated in over a decade, with no mobile access or cloud features.
Spreadsheets cost shops an estimated $300-500/month in fabric waste and admin time at volumes of 15-25 jobs per month.
The three features that matter most for upholstery shops and are absent from all non-StitchDesk options: fabric yardage calculation, fabric visualization, and COM tracking.
Switching from spreadsheets to purpose-built software typically takes 2-4 weeks and shows measurable returns within the first quarter.

The 10 Features That Matter for Upholstery Shops

The features that make software useful for an upholstery shop are different from what matters in HVAC, cleaning, or device repair:

AI fabric yardage calculator, automatic math for pattern repeat, nap, width, and complexity
Fabric visualization, show clients their fabric on their furniture before committing
Mobile access, quote from a pickup location, update jobs from the shop floor
Customer portal, client-visible job status, photos, timeline
Upholstery-specific quoting, from furniture dimensions to professional estimate
COM fabric workflow, intake and tracking for designer-supplied materials
Fabric inventory management, yardage on hand, allocated, on order
Scheduling and job tracking, job stages from intake to delivery
Invoicing and payments, professional billing integrated with job records
Integrations: QuickBooks, Stripe, calendar tools

Now let's rate each option.

StitchDesk

Price: $149/month (Standard), $249/month (Multi-Location)

Upholstery score: 9/10

StitchDesk is the only option built from the ground up for furniture upholstery shops. The AI fabric calculator handles all yardage variables. Fabric visualization is built into the quoting flow. The customer portal shows upholstery-specific job stages with photo timelines. COM fabric intake tracks designer-supplied materials. Mobile access is full, quote, update, and photograph from any device.

The one gap is that StitchDesk's scheduling and dispatch features are functional but not as polished as dedicated field service tools like Jobber or HouseCall Pro. For a single-location upholstery shop, the scheduling tools are more than adequate. For a multi-crew operation with complex dispatch needs, you'd notice the difference.

Best for: Any shop primarily doing furniture upholstery, residential or commercial.

Jobber

Price: $49-299/month

Upholstery score: 3/10

Jobber is excellent software for field service businesses. For upholstery shops, it scores a 3 because it handles 3 of the 10 features well (scheduling, invoicing, mobile) and scores zero on the fabric-specific features (calculator, visualization, COM workflow, fabric inventory).

Shops using Jobber for upholstery consistently run parallel spreadsheets for fabric math. The scheduling and client communication tools are genuinely strong; the upholstery-specific workflow tools simply don't exist.

Best for: Service businesses with dispatch and multi-crew scheduling needs. Not recommended as a primary tool for upholstery.

My Upholstery Shop (Dunham)

Price: ~$150 one-time

Upholstery score: 2/10

Dunham was designed for upholstery but hasn't been updated since around 2010. It handles basic job records and scheduling on a Windows desktop. No mobile access, no cloud backup, no fabric calculator, no customer portal, no integrations. It gets 2 points for being specifically named for upholstery and for handling basic job tracking.

The one-time cost looks attractive, but the cost of the missing features (fabric errors, status call time) typically exceeds the cost of a monthly subscription within a few months.

Best for: A shop that needs only a digital rolodex and job list and doesn't need anything built after 2010.

Shopflow

Price: Demo-gated, implementation fee required

Upholstery score: 3/10

Shopflow was built for marine canvas and awning shops. For marine upholstery specialists, it's worth evaluating seriously. For residential or commercial furniture upholstery, the workflow assumptions reflect marine conventions rather than furniture ones. Pricing is not transparent; you need to schedule a demo to get a number.

It handles job tracking, quoting, and customer management, but not in a furniture-upholstery-native way. The implementation fee is a barrier for smaller shops.

Best for: Marine upholstery and canvas shops. Not ideal for furniture upholstery.

MGR Repair Shop

Price: Starting around $25-50/month

Upholstery score: 1/10

MGR was built for electronics and device repair. It has zero fabric-specific features. Some small upholstery shops use it as a bare-bones intake ticket system. It handles job records and invoicing in a generic format. It scores 1 point for being cheap and accessible.

Best for: A startup shop that needs only a very basic job ticket and invoice system and has under 10 jobs per month.

Spreadsheets (Google Sheets / Excel)

Price: Free (Google Sheets) or ~$10/month (Microsoft 365)

Upholstery score: 2/10

Spreadsheets are flexible and free. You can build a reasonable job tracker and even a basic yardage formula in a spreadsheet. What you can't replicate is AI calculation, client-facing portals, photo timelines, or integrated invoicing. Spreadsheets score 2 points for flexibility and zero cost.

The hidden cost of spreadsheet management averages $300-500/month in fabric waste and administrative time at typical shop volumes of 15-25 jobs/month.

Best for: Shops under 10 jobs per month, or as a transitional tool while setting up proper software.

Full Comparison Table

|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|

| Fabric visualization | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |

| Customer portal | Upholstery-specific | Generic | No | Basic | No | No |

| COM fabric workflow | Yes | No | No | No | No | Manual |

| Fabric inventory | Yes | No | No | Marine | No | Manual |

| Invoicing | Yes | Excellent | Basic | Yes | Yes | Manual |

| Upholstery score | 9/10 | 3/10 | 2/10 | 3/10 | 1/10 | 2/10 |

How to Use This Comparison

If your primary decision criteria is upholstery-specific functionality, the table above makes the choice clear. StitchDesk is the only option that scores above 4 on the features that define upholstery shop operations.

If you have specific needs outside the core upholstery workflow, such as multi-crew dispatch or complex routing, consider whether a dedicated FSM tool for those functions paired with StitchDesk for fabric management makes sense. Many shops find that purpose-built tools beat trying to make one generic tool do everything.

For pricing details, see StitchDesk pricing. For feature specifics, see the StitchDesk features overview.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best upholstery shop software?

StitchDesk is the strongest option for furniture upholstery shops in 2025. It's the only software purpose-built for this trade, with AI fabric calculation, visualization, COM fabric intake, and an upholstery-specific customer portal. All other options are either legacy tools not updated in over a decade (Dunham), generic field service tools without fabric features (Jobber, HouseCall Pro), or tools designed for different trades (Shopflow for marine, MGR for electronics).

How do I choose software for my upholstery shop?

Start with the 10 features that matter for upholstery: fabric yardage calculation, visualization, mobile access, customer portal, COM workflow, fabric inventory, scheduling, invoicing, quoting, and integrations. Rate each option against your specific needs. If fabric math and client communication are your primary pain points, StitchDesk solves both directly. If you need advanced multi-crew dispatch above all else, consider whether a dedicated FSM tool serves that need better and whether you can supplement with a fabric management tool.

Is there software specifically designed for upholstery shops?

Yes, StitchDesk is purpose-built for furniture upholstery shops. It's the only current option in this category that was designed specifically for the trade rather than adapted from field service management, device repair, or marine canvas software. Every feature decision in StitchDesk reflects the operational realities of an upholstery shop: fabric-dependent quoting, textile-specific calculation, and residential and designer client workflows.

How do I choose between upholstery shop software options?

Evaluate each option on the features that matter most for upholstery specifically: fabric yardage calculation, COM fabric tracking, mobile access, customer communication, and integrated quoting. Rate each option against your actual needs rather than feature lists. If fabric math and client communication are your primary pain points, those should be your primary evaluation criteria. Ask for a demo or trial before committing to any subscription.

What does upholstery shop software cost per month?

Purpose-built upholstery software runs $149-249/month. Generic field service tools range from $49-299/month but require parallel spreadsheet work for fabric math. Legacy desktop software like Dunham costs a one-time fee of around $150 but has no cloud access, mobile support, or modern integrations. Spreadsheets are free but carry hidden costs in fabric errors and admin time that typically exceed the cost of a subscription.

Sources

National Upholstery Association
Association of Master Upholsterers and Soft Furnishers (AMUSF)
Furniture Today (trade publication)
Upholstered Furniture Action Council (UFAC)

Get Started with StitchDesk

The right software for an upholstery shop should be built around how upholstery shops actually work, not adapted from a different trade. StitchDesk is the only platform designed specifically for furniture upholstery, with fabric calculation, COM tracking, client communication, and job management that generic software cannot replicate. Start your free trial today.