Side by side

Carbon vs SQLWorks

Both stand on bill of materials software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

Carbon

Free plan APILinuxSelf-hosted+1

Carbon covers planning, shop-floor execution, and quality management, with several deployment options. Starter is listed at $40 a month per user, billed monthly; note that self-hosted API and MCP access require a commercial license.

Visit Carbon

SQLWorks

Paid MacWindows

SQLWorks brings production planning, finance, CRM, and inventory into one desktop platform. Its HMRC connection, permissions, backup, and customization options should be weighed against the paid per-user model.

Visit SQLWorks

The facts

	Carbon	SQLWorks
Free plan	Yes	No
Open source	Not published	Not published
Runs on	API, Linux, Self-hosted, Web	Mac, Windows
Lowest paid plan	Starter: $40 a month	Build your SQLWorks: £37 a month
Plans published	3	1
Maker	Not published	Not published
Website	carbon.ms	sqlworks.co.uk
On bill of materials software	#4 of 52	#46 of 52

Carbon: what it does well

Generates BOMs, routings, and quoted prices from rules.
Includes revision control and effectivity dates.
Shop-floor tools include QR and barcode tracking.
Quality records can link to production records and genealogy.
Community edition includes core functions under AGPL-3.0.

What to know first

Starter has a five-user minimum only for Business?
Air-gapped deployment is an Enterprise feature.
Self-hosted API keys and MCP require a commercial license.
Enterprise pricing is not listed.

SQLWorks: what it does well

Combines manufacturing and accounting
MRP forecasts component requirements
HMRC API supports VAT submissions
Group permissions override individual settings
Cloud backup and audit trail

What to know first

No free plan is available
Costs £37 per user per month
Desktop deployment on macOS and Windows
Integration work goes through the development team

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