Kōbō PLM vs Techpacker
Choosing between Kōbō PLM and Techpacker for your fashion brand? Both platforms help designers create tech packs, but they serve very different needs. One focuses on tech packs; the other replaces your entire spreadsheet stack.
The short answer: Techpacker excels at tech pack creation with an intuitive card-based system. Kōbō is a complete design-to-delivery platform that covers tech packs plus supplier collaboration, production tracking, inventory, and wholesale sales.
The real question isn't "which makes better tech packs?" — it's "do I need just tech packs, or do I need to stop being the human middleware between design and production?"
At a Glance: Kōbō PLM vs Techpacker
| Feature | Kōbō PLM | Techpacker |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Complete design-to-delivery platform | Tech pack creation |
| Tech Pack Creation | Full featured with auto-generation | Core strength (card-based) |
| BOM Management | Automated & linked to costing | Reusable component cards |
| Supplier Collaboration | Built-in portal with approval workflows | Comment-based sharing |
| Sample Tracking | Full lifecycle with photo documentation | Basic status tracking |
| Production Management | PO generation, tracking & deliveries | Not included |
| Inventory Management | Multi-location (components & finished) | Not included |
| B2B Wholesale & Sales | Orders, linesheets, buyer portal | Not included |
| Materials Library | Centralized with supplier data | Reusable card library |
| Costing & Pricing | Auto-calculated from BOM | Manual entry |
| AI Features | Image generation, AI copilot | Not included |
| Mobile App | iOS app for factories & fittings | Web only |
| Integrations | Shopify, Xero, Adobe AI, Zapier | Adobe AI, Dropbox, Slack |
| Starting Price | $140/user/month | $35/user/month (annual) |
What is Techpacker?
Techpacker is a cloud-based tech pack software used by over 15,000 fashion brands. It pioneered the card-based system for creating tech packs — a modular approach where specs, measurements, and components are reusable cards you can drag into any tech pack.
The platform is designed for one thing: making tech pack creation fast and consistent. Most users can master the interface in about an hour, and the card system means you're not recreating fabric specs or measurement tables from scratch every season.
Techpacker Strengths
- Intuitive card-based tech pack creation
- Reusable component libraries for consistency
- Real-time collaboration with version tracking
- Quick learning curve (master in ~1 hour)
- Lower entry price point
- Adobe Illustrator integration
Techpacker Limitations
- No supplier collaboration portal
- No production or PO management
- No inventory tracking
- No B2B wholesale tools
- Web-only (no mobile app)
What is Kōbō?
Kōbō is a complete product lifecycle management platform built specifically for fashion brands. It doesn't just create tech packs — it connects your entire workflow from initial design through production, inventory, and wholesale delivery.
Built by a fashion founder who spent 10 years managing product development across email, WhatsApp, and 10+ spreadsheets, Kōbō is designed to end the "v2_FINAL_actualfinal.pdf" chaos and replace fragmented tools with one system of record.
Kōbō Strengths
- Complete design-to-delivery platform in one system
- Supplier collaboration portal (no more email chaos)
- Production tracking, POs & inventory management
- B2B wholesale: linesheets, buyer portal, invoicing
- AI-powered image generation & workflow copilot
- Mobile app for factories, fittings & trade shows
- Built by a fashion founder who lived the chaos
Considerations
- Higher price point ($140 vs $35/month)
- More features = longer initial setup
- May be more than you need if you only want tech packs
The Core Difference
Specialized Tool
Techpacker does one thing extremely well: tech pack creation. If your workflow is "create tech pack, email it to supplier, track everything else in spreadsheets" — Techpacker fits perfectly into that process.
Operating System
Kōbō replaces the entire spreadsheet stack. Tech packs, supplier communication, sample tracking, production orders, inventory, wholesale — all in one place. You stop being the "human middleware" relaying information between systems.
The Bottom Line
Choose Kōbō if you want to...
- Replace 10 spreadsheets with one dashboard
- Give suppliers portal access (no more email ping-pong)
- Track production, inventory, and orders in one place
- Use AI for image generation and workflow automation
- Access everything from your phone at factories and fittings
- Run B2B wholesale with linesheets and buyer portal
Consider Techpacker if you...
- Only need tech pack creation (nothing else)
- Want the lowest possible entry price
- Have a small team and simple workflow
- Are comfortable managing production in spreadsheets
- Prefer a tool you can master in under an hour
Kōbō PLM vs Techpacker
Choosing between Kōbō PLM and Techpacker for your fashion brand? Both platforms help designers create tech packs, but they serve very different needs. One focuses on tech packs; the other replaces your entire spreadsheet stack.
The short answer: Techpacker excels at tech pack creation with an intuitive card-based system. Kōbō is a complete design-to-delivery platform that covers tech packs plus supplier collaboration, production tracking, inventory, and wholesale sales.
The real question isn't "which makes better tech packs?" — it's "do I need just tech packs, or do I need to stop being the human middleware between design and production?"
At a Glance: Kōbō PLM vs Techpacker
| Feature | Kōbō PLM | Techpacker |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Complete design-to-delivery platform | Tech pack creation |
| Tech Pack Creation | Full featured with auto-generation | Core strength (card-based) |
| BOM Management | Automated & linked to costing | Reusable component cards |
| Supplier Collaboration | Built-in portal with approval workflows | Comment-based sharing |
| Sample Tracking | Full lifecycle with photo documentation | Basic status tracking |
| Production Management | PO generation, tracking & deliveries | Not included |
| Inventory Management | Multi-location (components & finished) | Not included |
| B2B Wholesale & Sales | Orders, linesheets, buyer portal | Not included |
| Materials Library | Centralized with supplier data | Reusable card library |
| Costing & Pricing | Auto-calculated from BOM | Manual entry |
| AI Features | Image generation, AI copilot | Not included |
| Mobile App | iOS app for factories & fittings | Web only |
| Integrations | Shopify, Xero, Adobe AI, Zapier | Adobe AI, Dropbox, Slack |
| Starting Price | $140/user/month | $35/user/month (annual) |
What is Techpacker?
Techpacker is a cloud-based tech pack software used by over 15,000 fashion brands. It pioneered the card-based system for creating tech packs — a modular approach where specs, measurements, and components are reusable cards you can drag into any tech pack.
The platform is designed for one thing: making tech pack creation fast and consistent. Most users can master the interface in about an hour, and the card system means you're not recreating fabric specs or measurement tables from scratch every season.
Techpacker Strengths
- Intuitive card-based tech pack creation
- Reusable component libraries for consistency
- Real-time collaboration with version tracking
- Quick learning curve (master in ~1 hour)
- Lower entry price point
- Adobe Illustrator integration
Techpacker Limitations
- No supplier collaboration portal
- No production or PO management
- No inventory tracking
- No B2B wholesale tools
- Web-only (no mobile app)
What is Kōbō?
Kōbō is a complete product lifecycle management platform built specifically for fashion brands. It doesn't just create tech packs — it connects your entire workflow from initial design through production, inventory, and wholesale delivery.
Built by a fashion founder who spent 10 years managing product development across email, WhatsApp, and 10+ spreadsheets, Kōbō is designed to end the "v2_FINAL_actualfinal.pdf" chaos and replace fragmented tools with one system of record.
Kōbō Strengths
- Complete design-to-delivery platform in one system
- Supplier collaboration portal (no more email chaos)
- Production tracking, POs & inventory management
- B2B wholesale: linesheets, buyer portal, invoicing
- AI-powered image generation & workflow copilot
- Mobile app for factories, fittings & trade shows
- Built by a fashion founder who lived the chaos
Considerations
- Higher price point ($140 vs $35/month)
- More features = longer initial setup
- May be more than you need if you only want tech packs
The Core Difference
Specialized Tool
Techpacker does one thing extremely well: tech pack creation. If your workflow is "create tech pack, email it to supplier, track everything else in spreadsheets" — Techpacker fits perfectly into that process.
Operating System
Kōbō replaces the entire spreadsheet stack. Tech packs, supplier communication, sample tracking, production orders, inventory, wholesale — all in one place. You stop being the "human middleware" relaying information between systems.
The Bottom Line
Choose Kōbō if you want to...
- Replace 10 spreadsheets with one dashboard
- Give suppliers portal access (no more email ping-pong)
- Track production, inventory, and orders in one place
- Use AI for image generation and workflow automation
- Access everything from your phone at factories and fittings
- Run B2B wholesale with linesheets and buyer portal
Consider Techpacker if you...
- Only need tech pack creation (nothing else)
- Want the lowest possible entry price
- Have a small team and simple workflow
- Are comfortable managing production in spreadsheets
- Prefer a tool you can master in under an hour