I surveyed 20+ freelance fashion designers and they all agree:
Spreadsheets + Adobe Illustrator is your best software combo when making tech packs.
| Tool | Best For | Pros | Cons |
| MS Excel / Google Sheets | Freelancers & startups | Easy to use and collaborate, affordable, highly customizable | Manual formatting (use my free template!) |
| Adobe Illustrator | Technical sketches, colorways, and quick spec sheets | Industry standard for vector sketches | Not ideal for specs/math |
| Other Tech Pack Software | Larger brands managing multiple products | Asset libraries save time on repeats Centralized data and task tracking | Monthly fees per user Not freelance-friendly (clients need access too) |
Why Spreadsheets & Adobe Illustrator Are Your Best Bet
Spreadsheets for Tech Packs
Free spreadsheet software (like Google Sheets) or paid software you may already have (like MS Excel) is a great way to create professional tech packs.
It’s what I’ve been using for over 15+ years in the fashion industry and what I always advise freelance fashion designers (or technical designers) to use when making tech packs.
They’re great if you’re working as a freelancer with a lot of different brands (that may only be doing a couple styles), or if you’re starting your own clothing line because you don’t need to invest tons of money or learn a new software, and everyone uses spreadsheets.
See how Afroditi Michailidi (LinkedIn) is making a full-time wage working just part time as a freelancer by making only tech packs (in MS Excel and Google Sheets)!
Adobe Illustrator for Tech Packs
I personally do not use Adobe Illustrator for my tech pack templates but Illustrator is a great tool for drawing fashion flats.
Some fashion designers and TD’s use Adobe Illustrator when they only need to create “Design Packs” or “Spec Sheets.” Design packs only include tech sketches, colorways, and design details of a garment – all of which are more convenient to make directly in AI.
A full professional tech pack includes a lot of text and math (for things like graded specs). Illustrator is not meant for text and math. AI also has a steep learning curve, and not everyone has the software. That means it’s hard for other team members or clients to edit or update it.
How To Use Spreadsheets + Adobe Illustrator Together
Spreadsheets are great for numbers and automation while Adobe Illustrator is great for illustration. This is why using them together is the best combo.
A lot of the designers I interviewed have their template on either AI or spreadsheets and then just copy+paste what they worked on from the other software. In my case, I have my template in Excel, but use Adobe Illustrator for my technical sketches and color ways – then just paste the finished output into Excel.
Whether you’re working in Excel or Adobe Illustrator, the best option is to start with a template. From there, you can fill in the details for your designs. You can follow my free step-by-step guide and get my free tech pack template here.
So, Do You STILL Need Tech Pack Software?
In most cases: NO
Unless you’re running a growing team or juggling 50+ styles, paid software is often overkill. For freelancers or small businesses, spreadsheets + Illustrator will cover all your needs.
Tech Pack Software might NOT be great for…
- Freelance fashion designers / technical designers who work with multiple clients.
- Start-up fashion brands who are not yet producing large collections on an on-going basis.
- Cost: Subscriptions add up, and clients may not want to pay for access
- Compatibility: Not all clients use the same tools – or want to
- Time investment: Building asset libraries takes time that may not pay off for one-off projects
- Learning curve adds extra stress on top of learning how to build a tech pack
- Access issues: If you cancel your subscription, your tech packs are stuck
Tech Pack Software is great when…
- You have an in-house team managing lots of styles and need visibility across multiple users
- You’re reusing design components like fabrics, trims, and POMs across different products
- You want to automate repetitive tasks like copying tech pack layouts, tracking updates, or version control
Ben Muis (LinkedIn), who consults on PLM systems for fashion brands, puts it perfectly:
“Both Excel and Illustrator have some benefits for smaller setups. Even in bigger businesses the teams still like to use it, but once your team goes above about 5 or 6 members, it becomes a burden.
That is when PLM systems start showing their worth. Centralizing your grading and sizing templates, working in an environment that is built for access and visibility across the team, automatically sharing the resulting product information with other company departments, never wondering if you are in the latest version of a file, sharing workload with your suppliers and other team members, direct connection to your critical path with automated updating of to-do’s, monitored statuses of approvals of fabrics, trims, and samples.”
Other Tech Pack Software Comparison
| TechPacker | Backbone | Supply Compass | Centric Software | |
| Description | A powerful tool for fashion brands and manufacturers to collaborate through every step in product development. | A product development platform that empowers brands to make products smarter, faster, and at scale. | Software that does all the hard work, so you can focus on the big ideas, sharpen accuracy and drop innovative collections—quicker and more sustainably. | Everyone from sales to designers to product teams, planners, suppliers and buyers are always on the same page, regardless of location, time zone, language or role. |
| Features | Transfer data from Excel. Add callouts to technical sketches. Develop comprehensive tech packs including Measurement Specs, Grading Sheets, Bill of Materials, Costing Sheets, Fit Sheets, etc. Build reusable component libraries. Communicate in real time. Track product development stages and get status updates. Disclaimer: Even though TechPacker is the most affordable option in this table, we’ve heard comments that it needs a lot of front end set-up and is glitchy. | Dynamic reusable libraries. Manage colorways, including custom palettes and Pantone. Add callouts and dynamically populate your Bill of Materials (BOM) and record Points of Measure (POMs). Build flexible tech packs including images and files. Use reporting tools for line sheets. | Create component libraries. Develop digital tech packs and share with manufacturers. Collaborate directly with manufacturers throughout sample-making. Manage orders and range plans. Create and design mood boards. Track product development stages and set milestones. Manage purchase orders. | Merchandise and range planning. Technical documentation for multiple styles. Easy to manage materials library. Supply chain visibility. Calendars to manage deadlines. Set quality levels and evaluation points for suppliers. |
| Pricing | Starts at $35/month/user | Starts at $199/month/user | Starts at $350/month/user | Contact for pricing |
| Best for | Brands on a budget who don’t need fancy features | Brands that are scaling with growing needs | Brands who need multi-channel communication | Brands with large range plans |
What’s the Best Tech Pack Software?
In my opinion, after 15+ years in the fashion industry, and from the majority of insights I got from surveying other professionals, a combination of Adobe Illustrator for sketches and MS Excel for BOMs, POMs, and merging everything together is the best tech pack software option.
Check the LinkedIn post below if you want more insights and raw comments from the fashion design professionals I surveyed while writing this article!
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