Getting Started

Up and running
in minutes.

Follow these steps to get StringsTheory set up and working the way your shop does.

1

Download & Install

StringsTheory is a native Mac, iPad, and iPhone app. Get the Mac app with the Download for Mac button on the INV page (it's on the home page too); the iPad and iPhone app comes from the App Store once it's approved. The app supports macOS 12 or later and iPadOS 16 or later.

Once downloaded, open the app and you'll land on the Dashboard. New to StringsTheory? Start the 14-day free trial on the Monthly plan from the pricing page — nothing is charged until day 15.

Tip

On macOS, grant StringsTheory Full Disk Access in System Settings → Privacy & Security if you plan to use local backup or CSV import/export to custom locations.

2

Subscribe & Sign In

StringsTheory runs on a subscription: Monthly at $34.99/mo with a 14-day free trial, or Annual at $349.99/yr billed upfront ($29.17/mo effective — saves $70 a year). Pick a plan on the pricing page — checkout runs through Dodo Payments, your account uses the email you check out with, and you can manage or cancel anytime from the customer portal.

  • Subscribe on the pricing page — start the Monthly trial or go straight to Annual
  • Open the app and navigate to Settings using the sidebar
  • Select the Account tab and sign in with your account email
  • Your plan's features unlock immediately — no license key needed
Note

Cloud sync, multi-user teams, the web app at app.stringstheoryinv.com, and unlimited customer emails are Annual-plan features. Monthly covers the full bench toolset — inventory, work orders, customers, BOM, production, COGS, integrations, label printing, and 20 customer emails a month. The one exception to account sign-in: Privacy Edition is a separate one-time purchase that activates offline with a license key.

3

Set Up Your Inventory

Inventory is the heart of StringsTheory. Start by adding your categories in Settings → Categories, then head to the Inventory section to start adding items.

  • Go to Settings → Categories and create your top-level categories (e.g. Pickups, Hardware, Strings, Tools)
  • In Inventory, click the + button or press ⌘N to create a new item
  • Fill in the name, category, unit cost, and sale price — the SKU generates automatically
  • Add a photo using the image picker if you'd like visual identification
  • Set a low stock threshold so you get alerted before you run out

If you have an existing inventory in a spreadsheet, use Import CSV from the Inventory toolbar. Map your columns and approve the taxonomy — StringsTheory handles the rest.

Tip

Use the barcode scanner (camera icon in the toolbar) to scan a product barcode to instantly find an item or create a new one pre-filled from your scan.

4

Create Your First Work Order

Work Orders track every repair from drop-off to pick-up. Open the Work Orders section and click + New Work Order.

  • Select or create a customer to link to the order
  • Describe the item being repaired and the work requested
  • Use the signature capture to have the customer sign at drop-off
  • Set an initial status (Pending is the default)
  • Save — the order appears on your Kanban board or list view

Drag cards across the Kanban board to update status, or use the status dropdown in the list view. When a repair is done, generate a PDF directly from the work order and email it to the customer or print a repair label.

Tip

Set up Work Order Templates in Settings for your most common job types (string replacement, fret level, amp recap) to pre-fill fields and save time at drop-off.

5

Add Your Customers

Customers can be added manually or imported from a CSV. Head to the Customers section and click + New Customer, or use the Import CSV button to bring in an existing list.

  • Enter name, email, phone, and company as needed
  • Customer profiles automatically show all associated work orders
  • Use the search bar to find customers by any field instantly
6

Connect Integrations

StringsTheory connects to Google Sheets, Square POS, and Shopify — integrations are included on every plan. Go to Settings → Integrations to set these up.

  • Google Sheets: Click Connect and authorize your Google account. Select the spreadsheet to sync. StringsTheory uses your Internal SKU as the primary key across 16 columns.
  • Square POS: Click Connect and approve access in the browser. Select which catalog items to link — two-way sync keeps quantities aligned.
  • Shopify: Click Connect, enter your shop domain, and approve access in the browser — no keys to copy. Map your Shopify locations to StringsTheory and enable auto-sync.

Once connected, use the integration sidebar controls to push or pull data on demand, or enable Auto-Sync for a configured interval.

7

Set Up Backups

Protect your data with regular backups. Go to Settings → Backup & Restore and choose your preferred backup location: local storage or a cloud-synced folder like iCloud Drive.

  • Choose what to include: inventory, work orders, customers, BOM, and/or production data
  • Run a manual backup now to get a starting snapshot
  • Enable automatic backups on a schedule
  • To restore, use the Restore tab and select a backup file
✓

You're all set!

You now have the foundation in place. From here, explore the more advanced features at your own pace:

  • Set up Bill of Materials for items you assemble from components
  • Use Production Tracking to log serialized units and import from Google Sheets
  • Run COGS Reports to see revenue, cost, and margin by item or category
  • Configure label templates and start printing Dymo labels for your inventory
  • Customize your SKU format in Settings to match your existing numbering

If you run into anything, the documentation has more detail on every section, or contact us and we'll help you out.