Katana vs PartsBox
Katana
katanamrp.comPartsBox
partsbox.comSide by side
| Figure | Katana | PartsBox |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $299/mo | €49/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 5 | 5 |
| Spec score · Bill of Materials Software | 8.7 (#5) | 7.7 (#24) |
| Compliance | Katana states that it complies with GDPR and has completed an independent SOC 2 Type II audit. | The maker lists FDA Title 21 CFR Part 11 compliance and NIST SP 800-63B AAL1 authentication rules as features of its Compliance plan. |
| Integrations | Native, partner and community integrations include Xero, Shopify, ShipStation, WooCommerce and ChatGPT, with additional tools available through the ecosystem. | The maker lists KiCad, Altium, a public API, and Zapier integrations. |
| Traceability | Batch and serial tracking records material and product movement and supports expiration dates, recalls and warranty histories. | Lot control tracks quantities, locations, costs, and production usability, with forward and backward traceability and an audit trail. |
Plans
Katana
- FreeFree
- Core$299 a month
- AdvantagePrice not published
- Core (Capterra listing)$299 a month
- AdvantagePriced on request
PartsBox
- MakerFree
- Essentials€49 a month
- Production€99 a month
- Control€239 a month
- Compliance€499 a month
In their own words
Katana
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.
PartsBox
PartsBox manages electronic parts inventory, BOM pricing, purchasing, production builds, and lot traceability for companies that build electronics. It tracks stock, storage locations, prices, and history, with quantities expressed in units such as pieces, length, weight, and area. BOM imports from KiCad, Altium, EAGLE, or CSV can be priced using distributor offers, price breaks, minimum order quantities, order multiples, and currency conversion. Production builds can be recorded in one pass or stages, including consumed stock and lots; additional tools include attrition, kitting, pick lists, and device serial numbers. Lot control tracks quantities, locations, costs, and production usability, with forward and backward traceability and an audit trail. Teams share an organization database with role-based access and can export entered data as one JSON file. Integrations include KiCad, Altium, a public API, and Zapier. PartsBox is cloud deployed and available through web and API. A free Maker plan is listed for personal projects; paid plans start at €49/mo when billed annually, and a 14-day trial is available.