Katana
katanamrp.com
What it is
Katana is web-based inventory and order management software with barcode scanning, purchase orders, sales orders and stock alerts. Its permanent Free tier costs nothing, requires no credit card and has no expiry date. Free includes 30 SKUs, unlimited users, unlimited integrations and unlimited inventory locations. Core starts at $299 a month, scales with usage and add-ons, and includes unlimited SKUs, users and integrations with one inventory location. Advantage has no listed price and offers custom integrations, custom dashboards and reports, custom automations and workflows, a dedicated Solutions Engineer, SLA-backed maintenance and regular CSM check-ins. Katana is available on the web, with no mobile apps listed. The company was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Tallinn, Estonia. The tiers create a clear capacity trade-off: Free allows unlimited inventory locations but limits SKUs to 30, while Core removes the SKU limit and provides one location.
Spec sheet
- What it does
- Katana is cloud manufacturing resource-planning and inventory software aimed at small and midsize manufacturers.Read 21 Oct 2026 · katanamrp.com
- Free plan
- YesRead 21 Sep 2026 · katanamrp.com
- Paid from
- 299Read 21 Sep 2026 · katanamrp.com
- Integrations
- Native, partner and community integrations include Xero, Shopify, ShipStation, WooCommerce and ChatGPT, with additional tools available through the ecosystem.Read 21 Oct 2026 · katanamrp.com
- Mobile apps
- NoRead 21 Sep 2026 · katanamrp.com
- Compliance
- Katana states that it complies with GDPR and has completed an independent SOC 2 Type II audit.Read 21 Oct 2026 · katanamrp.com
- Headquarters
- Tallinn, EstoniaRead 28 Sep 2026 · katanamrp.com
- Founded
- 2017Read 28 Sep 2026 · katanamrp.com
- AI extensibility
- Katana MCP lets users query and modify stock, orders, suppliers and manufacturing records from Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini.Read 21 Oct 2026 · katanamrp.com
- API access requirement
- The developer guide says API use requires a Professional or Professional Plus account, while the current Free pricing page advertises API access.Read 21 Oct 2026 · developer.katanamrp.com
- API documentation depth
- The API is described by an OpenAPI 3.0 specification and endpoint examples are available in cURL, Node.js, Go, Ruby and Python.Read 21 Oct 2026 · developer.katanamrp.com
- Barcode scanning
- YesRead 21 Sep 2026 · katanamrp.com
- Community SDKs
- A third-party GitHub project provides generated Python and TypeScript clients plus an MCP server using Katana’s OpenAPI surface under the MIT licence.Read 21 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Company facts
- LinkedIn lists Katana Cloud Inventory as privately held, founded in 2017, headquartered in Tallinn and employing 51–200 people.Read 21 Oct 2026 · linkedin.com
- Deployment model
- Katana describes its system as an integrated cloud-computing service and provides no self-hosted edition on its pricing or developer pages.Read 21 Oct 2026 · katanamrp.com
- Documentation and support
- The knowledge base contains hundreds of articles covering items, sales, manufacturing, stock, integrations, apps, printing, FAQs and updates.Read 21 Oct 2026 · support.katanamrp.com
- Forecasting
- Planning tools include demand forecasting, replenishment planning and inventory control.Read 21 Oct 2026 · katanamrp.com
- Funding
- Nordic9 reports a €14 million Series B extension announced on 2 September 2025 and total investment of about $66.98 million.Read 21 Oct 2026 · nordic9.com
- Inventory management
- The platform keeps real-time product and material quantities, values and average costs across locations.Read 21 Oct 2026 · support.katanamrp.com
- Legal entity
- The service terms identify the maker as Katana Technologies OÜ, an Estonian private limited company registered in Tallinn.Read 21 Oct 2026 · katanamrp.com
- Licence
- Katana is delivered as proprietary hosted software; its official terms grant service access rather than publishing source code under an open-source licence.Read 21 Oct 2026 · katanamrp.com
- Limit: bugs and reliability
- Independent review summaries mention bugs, occasional slowness and reliability problems as recurring drawbacks.Read 21 Oct 2026 · getapp.com
- Limit: pricing changes
- Capterra and Software Advice reviews describe price increases, order-based pricing, add-on charges and cancellation concerns.Read 21 Oct 2026 · capterra.com
- Limit: reporting
- Reviewers report that custom reporting and dashboards are limited or require exports and third-party tools.Read 21 Oct 2026 · g2.com
- Limit: workflow gaps
- Reviews cite missing or awkward capabilities such as custom BOM handling, cutting-program support, contact syncing and some integration edge cases.Read 21 Oct 2026 · trustradius.com
- Manufacturing control
- Manufacturing Management adds manufacturing orders, production scheduling, the Make screen and task management; without it Katana operates as inventory and sales software.Read 21 Oct 2026 · support.katanamrp.com
- Notable news
- Katana announced Ben Hussey as co-CEO on 30 September 2024 to lead growth and North American expansion alongside co-founder Kristjan Vilosius.Read 21 Oct 2026 · katanamrp.com
- Praise: ease of use
- Independent reviewers repeatedly describe the interface as intuitive, quick to learn and easy to implement.Read 21 Oct 2026 · getapp.com
- Praise: integrations and support
- Reviewers frequently mention useful Shopify, QuickBooks and Xero connections plus responsive onboarding or customer support.Read 21 Oct 2026 · g2.com
- Praise: inventory visibility
- Reviewers commonly praise live stock visibility, production tracking and reduced spreadsheet work.Read 21 Oct 2026 · getapp.com
- Production planning
- Manufacturing orders can be prioritized by drag and drop, with materials and deadlines recalculated around the schedule.Read 21 Oct 2026 · katanamrp.com
- Public API
- Katana provides a public API for custom dashboards, automation scripts, internal reporting and integrations.Read 21 Oct 2026 · developer.katanamrp.com
- Purchase orders
- YesRead 21 Sep 2026 · katanamrp.com
- Rating on Capterra
- 4.6 out of 5 from 171 reviewsRead 21 Oct 2026 · capterra.com
- Rating on G2
- 4.4 out of 5 from 123 reviewsRead 21 Oct 2026 · g2.com
- Rating on Gartner Peer Insights
- 5.0 out of 5 from 1 reviewRead 21 Oct 2026 · gartner.com
- Rating on GetApp
- 4.6 out of 5 from 171 reviewsRead 21 Oct 2026 · getapp.com
- Rating on Trustpilot
- 2.0 out of 5 from 13 reviewsRead 21 Oct 2026 · trustpilot.com
- Rating on TrustRadius
- 4.2 out of 10 from 5 ratingsRead 21 Oct 2026 · trustradius.com
- Sales channels
- Katana centralizes sales from Shopify, Amazon, wholesale and retail against shared inventory quantities.Read 21 Oct 2026 · katanamrp.com
- Sales orders
- YesRead 21 Sep 2026 · katanamrp.com
- Security controls
- Katana states that data is TLS-protected in transit, encrypted at rest, access-controlled with RBAC and hosted primarily on AWS with backups and disaster-recovery procedures.Read 21 Oct 2026 · katanamrp.com
- Stock alerts
- YesRead 21 Sep 2026 · katanamrp.com
- System requirements
- The Shop Floor application is browser-based rather than a native mobile app and supports current Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge browsers; camera access is needed for QR and barcode scanning.Read 21 Oct 2026 · support.katanamrp.com
- Traceability
- Batch and serial tracking records material and product movement and supports expiration dates, recalls and warranty histories.Read 21 Oct 2026 · katanamrp.com
- Warehouse limit
- 1Read 21 Sep 2026 · katanamrp.com
- Warehouse operations
- The warehouse add-on supports bin locations, mobile receiving, picking, packing and barcode scanning.Read 21 Oct 2026 · katanamrp.com
Plans and prices
Strong points and limits
Strong points
- Permanent free tier
- No credit card required
- Barcode scanning
- Unlimited users and integrations on Free
- Purchase and sales orders
Limits
- Free tier limited to 30 SKUs
- Core starts at $299 a month
- Core includes one inventory location
- No mobile apps listed
Who it suits
Katana suits businesses managing inventory and orders in a browser. The Free tier fits small SKU counts, while Core is aimed at operations needing unlimited SKUs.
Verdict
Katana provides a free entry tier and a higher-capacity Core plan for web-based inventory operations. Buyers should weigh the Free SKU limit against Core's one-location allowance and starting price.
Where Specifiction places it
- Inventory Management Software#3 of 759.0
- Production Planning Software#2 of 308.9
- Bill of Materials Software#5 of 478.7
- Cost Accounting Software#5 of 468.8
- Material Requirements Planning Software#4 of 318.8
- Manufacturing Software#3 of 228.8
- MRP Software#4 of 248.7
- Inventory Control Software#4 of 228.7
- Manufacturing Inventory Management#5 of 198.7