Katana Review 2026: Inventory and MRP Pricing, Pros and Cons

Katana used to sell self-serve paid tiers that a small maker could start on alone, then connect Shopify, load bills of materials and plan production. In autumn 2026 it changed what it sells. The self-serve paid tiers are off the pricing page, and the only way to pay Katana now is a scoped annual contract, while a free plan stays for catalogs of 30 SKUs or fewer.

Retailpresso data: Wayback Machine copies of Katana's pricing page on October 3, 2026 list a Core plan starting at $299 a month with manufacturing management at $199 a month; the November 3, 2026 copy lists only Free and Advantage. Toolradar, the software directory Dupple runs, shows Katana listed as an alternative to 24 other tools, the 6th most-listed alternative among 184 inventory management tools, as of November 2026.

Current plan details come from Katana's pricing page, read on November 4, 2026. We run no test lab, so the verdicts rest on what each vendor publishes and the cost scenarios we computed from it.

Katana is cloud inventory and manufacturing (MRP) software for product businesses that make what they sell. It tracks raw materials and finished goods across locations, runs production from bills of materials and routings, and plans purchasing from demand. The pricing page lists batch and serial traceability, warehouse management with bin locations, barcode scanning, kits and bundles, multicurrency, landed costs and a shop floor app.

Integrations are the reason many DTC brands look at it: Katana lists Shopify, Amazon, QuickBooks Online and HubSpot among its connectors, plus an MCP server that lets Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini query and create records. There is also an API on both plans and AI purchase order suggestions based on demand history.

The Free plan is a real working tier, not a trial. It includes every Katana feature, unlimited users, integrations and inventory locations, and API access, within a 30 SKU limit. For the first 15 days you can load unlimited SKUs; after that you cut the catalog to 30 or talk to sales. For e-commerce, only Shopify connects on Free, and support is the AI assistant and knowledge base.

Advantage replaces the old price ladder with one negotiated number. Katana's FAQ describes the process: its team maps your tech stack and workflows, quotes one price for the agreed scope under an annual contract, then sets it up with an implementation manager and keeps it running with a customer success manager, 24/7 live support and regular inventory consultations. The FAQ says the quote covers unlimited users, manufacturing, traceability, warehouse management, integrations and implementation, with nothing added later.

Existing customers on Standard, Professional, Professional Plus or Core are told Katana will contact them about changes to their plan. If you are on one of those plans, ask your success manager in writing what your renewal will cost before it arrives, because no public price exists to compare it with.

Katana's pricing page, verified on November 4, 2026, lists Free at $0 with no card and Advantage at custom pricing on an annual contract. Katana publishes no list price for Advantage, so any comparison needs a quote. Its October 3 page showed a Core plan from $299 a month and a $199 monthly manufacturing module, which put the self-serve floor for a maker at $498 a month by our arithmetic; treat that as history, not a current price.

We priced a small maker instead: 3 users, about 400 SKUs, and production from bills of materials. MRPeasy Starter costs $49 per user a month, $147 for three, and annual billing gives one month free. Stocksmith Indie, the plan for multi-user makers, costs $99 a month or $990 a year with unlimited users and 1,000 order lines a month. inFlow Lite costs $129 a month or $1,188 a year, with extra team members at $29 a month each. Cin7 Core Standard costs $349 a month for 5 users and 6,000 sale orders a year, and material requirements planning starts on Pro.

Over a year, by our arithmetic, Stocksmith Indie on annual billing is the lowest bill, MRPeasy Starter for three users $1,617 with the free month, and Cin7 Standard $4,188. Katana Free costs nothing if the catalog fits in 30 SKUs; beyond that, Katana's number is whatever Advantage quotes.

Katana fits two kinds of buyer now. The first is a maker with a small catalog, a candle or skincare brand with 30 SKUs or fewer, who gets full MRP with Shopify sync for nothing. The second is a growing brand that wants the vendor to build its setup: many integrations, custom reports and automations, and a team on call, priced as one annual contract. Our inventory management ranking covers the wider field.

It is a weaker fit for the middle: a brand with a few hundred SKUs that wants to sign up, pay a published monthly fee and set things up itself. That buyer used to be Katana's core customer and now has no self-serve path. MRPeasy and Stocksmith both print a price and include production planning, and our inFlow review and Cin7 review cover the stock-first options.

Wholesale-heavy brands with no production step may not need an MRP at all; Zoho Inventory and Sortly are lighter places to start.