Katana vs OpenBoxes

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.

OpenBoxes is an open-source supply chain management system for tracking supplies and medications across healthcare facilities and disaster relief efforts. It records stock across facilities, bins, lots or serial numbers, and expiration dates, with an audit history of stock movements. Procurement workflows cover purchase orders, suppliers, invoices, requisitions, receiving, and shipments. Expiry alerts and first-expiry-first-out picking help manage time-sensitive stock, while built-in reports cover consumption, stockouts, expiration, transactions, stock analytics, and quantities on hand. Its mobile-optimized interface supports warehouse picking, putaway, barcode scanning, inventory lookups, receiving, and shipping. Integrations include a REST API, webhooks, n8n, OpenFn, Boomi, Crowdin, and DHIS2. The Community Edition is 0.00 USD and supports self-hosting, with community support. Paid options include Self-Hosted at $24 a month, Shared Lift from $75 a month, and Dedicated Lift from $899 a month with a 12-month minimum term. Cloud deployment requires consistent internet connectivity; on-premise deployment requires supporting hardware and people.