Katana
Cloud inventory management software for multi-channel product businesses
By Katana Technologies · 4.5/5 verified-buyer score
Positioning guardrails
Best for
- Multi-channel product brands selling on Shopify, Amazon, WooCommerce, wholesale and retail
- Small and mid-size manufacturers running in-house and outsourced production
- Teams outgrowing spreadsheets for stock, orders and production tracking
- Businesses needing lot, batch and serial traceability and audit-ready records
- Warehouse operations wanting barcode-driven receive, pick and pack workflows
Ideal size: 10–200 people · Growing product business selling across multiple channels
Not for
- Companies seeking a full ERP with native finance, HR and payroll
- Pure service businesses with no physical inventory or production
- Enterprises needing deep multi-entity consolidation and validated regulated systems
- Retailers that only need a point of sale and no inventory or production
- Operations needing freight rating, customs clearance or a full TMS
Value metrics scorecard
Time-to-Value
1 day self-serve; ~6 weeks with onboarding
~42 days to first production value
Total Cost of Ownership
$9,000/yr
Starts at $3,588 · Usage-based: free plan, Core from $299/month (unlimited users, SKUs and integrations) plus per-sales-order and per-location usage and paid add-ons; custom Advantage plan.
Implementation Friction
2/5
Engineering + admin effort required
Buyer Score
out of 5 · verified buyers
Full cost breakdown
Mandatory implementation fee
None
Seat tiers
Unlimited users on all plans; no per-seat fees
Add-on costs
- Manufacturing Management add-on: $199/month (about $2,388/year)
- Traceability add-on (batch and serial tracking): $249/month (about $2,988/year)
- Warehouse Management add-on: $149/month (about $1,788/year)
- Optional guided onboarding on Core: $2,000 (included with the Advantage plan)
- Usage-based charges for sales orders and for inventory locations beyond the one included in Core
Company & support
Who is behind Katana, and how your team gets help once it is live.
Company
- Founded
- Not recorded
- Headquarters
- Not recorded
How you get support
- PhoneNot listed
- EmailNot listed
- Live chatPaid plans
- Support portal / ticketsNot listed
- Community forumNot listed
- Help centre / docsAll plans
- Dedicated account managerEnterprise only
- In person / on-siteNot listed
- Hours
- 24/7
- Response time
- Average response under 30 minutes
Free plan includes AI assistant and knowledge base; Core (from $299/month) adds live support available 24/7; the Advantage plan adds a dedicated Solutions Engineer and regular CSM check-ins.
“Not listed” means the vendor’s public pages don’t mention that channel, not that it is unavailable. Ask about it during evaluation.
Market position
Where Katana sits relative to every other solution in the database. Toggle axes to compare on cost, speed, friction, or buyer score.
Quadrant view
Typical annual cost × Time-to-value
Stack fit signal
Compatibility with standard B2B ecosystems.
Ships an official MCP server. Connects to Claude Code, Claude Desktop, ChatGPT connectors and Cursor out of the box.
AI & MCP readiness
What Katana ships in AI, and what it asks of your ecosystem.
AI features shipped
AI Replenishment recommends purchase orders from demand history plus plain-language context. Via Katana MCP, AI chats can read stock, orders and suppliers and create or update records, adjust stock and add orders. An AI assistant and Knowledge Base are listed as support options on all plans.
In your ecosystem
- AI connection
- Official MCP server
- Model key
- Not recorded
- AI usage audit
- Not recorded
Industry verdicts
How Katana speaks to each vertical it serves — same data, sector lens.
ManufacturingShip on time, quote faster, cut scrap.
Best for in Manufacturing
- Small and mid-size manufacturers planning production in one system
- Made-to-order and co-manufactured production runs
- Teams tracking materials, work orders and finished goods against live stock
- Operations adding routings, shop-floor reporting and manufacturing insights
Not for
- Heavy process manufacturing needing advanced MRP or APS engines
- Plants requiring validated, audit-certified quality systems
- Enterprises with complex multi-plant consolidation and native finance
Katana is positioned squarely at product businesses that make what they sell. Materials are assigned to work orders and finished goods return to stock when production completes, with optional Manufacturing Management and Shop Floor add-ons covering routings, operator tasks and planned-versus-used materials. It suits small and mid-size manufacturers and hybrid in-house/outsourced setups rather than heavy process industries that need deep MRP, quality management or validated systems.
Retail & CommerceSell everywhere, stock nothing twice.
Best for in Retail & Commerce
- Brands selling across Shopify, Amazon, WooCommerce, wholesale and retail
- Retailers managing kits, bundles and customer price lists
- Merchants replacing manual spreadsheet stock tracking
Not for
- Storefronts that only need a point of sale
- Large chains needing enterprise merchandising and assortment planning suites
- Retailers with no purchasing or production responsibilities
Katana unifies orders from every channel into one inventory number, which is the core problem for multi-channel retail and DTC brands. Sales orders flow in from ecommerce platforms and stock updates as sales happen, with kits and bundles, price lists and multicurrency support. It is built for growing brands and hybrid wholesale/retail sellers rather than pure POS storefronts or large chains that need enterprise merchandising and planning suites.
Logistics & Field ServicesMove more, dispatch faster, idle less.
Best for in Logistics & Field Services
- Product businesses running their own warehouse and fulfilment tasks
- Teams syncing orders with 3PLs and shipping tools such as ShipStation
- Operations wanting bin locations, barcode receiving and mobile picking
Not for
- Freight forwarders and pure-play third-party logistics providers
- Firms needing freight rating, customs brokerage or a TMS
- Organisations with no own inventory or production to track
Katana covers warehouse-side execution rather than transport logistics: optional Warehouse Management adds bin locations, barcode scanning, receiving and pick-and-pack through a mobile app, and there are native and partner connections for 3PLs and shipping tools such as ShipStation, Shippo and 2Ship. It fits product businesses that store and move their own goods, not freight forwarders or 3PL providers selling logistics services, which need rating, customs and TMS capability.
Compliance attestations
* IAPP AIGP certifies individuals, not products. It means named staff hold the credential — not that the platform does.
Bottom line
Katana is cloud inventory management software for product businesses that sell across multiple channels and locations. It unifies real-time stock, order management, manufacturing, forecasting and warehouse workflows in one system, with ecommerce and accounting integrations, an open API and Katana MCP for AI chats in Claude or ChatGPT. Plans start free (30 SKUs) and Core from $299/month with unlimited users; guided onboarding typically reaches full inventory visibility in about six weeks.
Frequently asked questions
What does Katana do, and which teams is it built for?
Katana is inventory management software for product businesses. Teams use it to track stock, manage sales and purchase orders and run production in one shared system while selling across multiple locations and channels. It is aimed at product brands, manufacturers and hybrid businesses that have outgrown spreadsheets but do not want a legacy ERP, and it reports 1,500+ product businesses using the platform.
How is Katana priced?
Pricing is usage-based. A free plan covers up to 30 SKUs with unlimited users, integrations and locations. The Core plan starts at $299 per month with unlimited users, SKUs and integrations and one inventory location, then charges scale with sales orders delivered, additional locations and optional add-ons. The Advantage plan is custom-priced, with Katana building and maintaining custom integrations, dashboards and automations.
How long does implementation take?
Many teams begin using Katana in about one day through self-serve setup. Businesses that choose guided onboarding typically reach full inventory visibility in about six weeks, supported by a dedicated onboarding manager, workflow mapping, data migration and integration configuration. The guided onboarding program costs $2,000 on Core and is included with the Advantage plan.
Does Katana replace our accounting system or ERP?
No. Katana is inventory, order and production software rather than a full ERP or accounting suite. It connects to accounting, ecommerce, CRM, 3PL and shipping tools through native integrations, verified partner and community apps, and an open API, so invoices, bills and stock movements stay in sync with the systems you already run.
Can Katana handle traceability and audit requirements?
Yes, with the Traceability add-on Katana tracks batch and serial numbers across inventory and production, including expiry dates on batches, so teams can trace products from raw materials to finished goods and respond quickly to recalls or compliance requests. Katana states it complies with GDPR and secures data in transit with TLS and at rest with industry-standard encryption.
What AI capabilities does Katana offer?
AI Replenishment generates purchase-order recommendations from demand history plus plain-language context you control, and Katana MCP lets teams query and act on stock, orders and suppliers from Claude or ChatGPT after a roughly one-minute setup, including creating or updating records. An AI assistant and knowledge base are listed as support options on all plans.