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Software · head to head

ABC Inventory vs Katana

A

ABC Inventory

Software

Free inventory software for Windows

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Katana logo

Katana

Software

Smart manufacturing ERP for scaling businesses

From
$99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only ABC Inventory has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: ABC Inventory the free ABC Inventory edition is single user only; multi-user access requires the paid commercial Almyta Control System upgrade, per the vendor's own page as captured by the Internet Archive on 20 November 2024; Katana limited BOM explosion and lead-time offset planning requiring manual work that should be automated
  • They diverge on capability: ABC Inventory covers Inventory tracking, Katana covers Production planning.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ABC Inventory and Katana actually diverge.

Attributes where ABC Inventory and Katana differ
AttributeABC InventoryKatana
Starting priceFree$99/month
Pricing modelfreemiumUnknown
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWindows DesktopWeb
Founded19952015

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in ABC Inventory

  • Inventory tracking
  • Purchase orders
  • Sales orders
  • Multi-location
  • Excel export
  • Barcode printing
  • Label printing
  • Windows Desktop support

Only in Katana

  • Production planning
  • Real-time inventory
  • BOM management
  • Shop floor control
  • Shopify
  • WooCommerce
  • QuickBooks
  • Xero

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

ABC Inventory

  • Desktop inventorynot Katana
  • Order managementnot Katana
  • Purchasingnot Katana
  • Stock controlnot Katana

Katana

  • Production schedulingnot ABC Inventory
  • Material planningnot ABC Inventory
  • Work order managementnot ABC Inventory
  • Inventory optimizationnot ABC Inventory

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

ABC Inventory

  • The free ABC Inventory edition is single user only; multi-user access requires the paid commercial Almyta Control System upgrade, per the vendor's own page as captured by the Internet Archive on 20 November 2024
  • The free licence excludes phone, email and online support, per the same capture of 20 November 2024

Katana

  • Limited BOM explosion and lead-time offset planning requiring manual work that should be automated
  • No native invoicing capability, making it standalone without accounting system integration
  • Limited native integrations, with heavy reliance on Zapier for non-core tools
  • Slow performance with large datasets and high SKU counts

Pricing, plan by plan

ABC Inventory

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Full features
    • Single user
    • Basic support
  • Network$199/month
    • Multi-user
    • Network access
    • Priority support

Katana

$99/month
  • Essential$99/month
    • Core inventory management
    • Production scheduling
    • Stock tracking
  • Pro$299/month
    • Shop floor control
    • API access
    • Advanced reporting

Which should you pick?

Choose ABC Inventory if

  • You need inventory tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows Desktop.
  • You also want purchase orders.
ABC Inventory review

Choose Katana if

  • You need production planning.
  • You also want real-time inventory.
Katana review

Questions people ask

Is ABC Inventory or Katana better?
Neither clearly leads. ABC Inventory starts at Free and Katana at $99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ABC Inventory or Katana?
ABC Inventory has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for ABC Inventory and $99/month for Katana.
Does ABC Inventory or Katana run on more platforms?
ABC Inventory runs on Windows Desktop. Katana runs on Web.
Can I use ABC Inventory for free?
Yes. ABC Inventory has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Katana starts at $99/month.
What is ABC Inventory best used for?
ABC Inventory is most often used for desktop inventory, order management, purchasing, stock control. Of those, desktop inventory and order management are not what Katana is typically brought in for.
What can ABC Inventory do that Katana cannot?
ABC Inventory covers Inventory tracking, Purchase orders, Sales orders, Multi-location. Katana covers Production planning, Real-time inventory, BOM management, Shop floor control.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Katana: What is Katana's pricing structure?

Katana starts at $99/month for the Essential plan with core MRP features. The Pro plan costs $299/month and adds shop floor control and API access. Add-ons for traceability, manufacturing, and warehouse management cost extra and can reach $747-$1,095 total.

Source
Katana: Does Katana support multi-level bills of materials?

Katana has limited BOM explosion and lead-time offset planning capabilities. Complex multi-level BOMs with sub-assemblies require manual workarounds, which becomes increasingly problematic as SKU count grows.

Source
Katana: Can Katana integrate with my accounting software?

Katana has no native invoicing capability and limited integrations with accounting systems. It is essentially standalone and requires manual data export or Zapier integration for most accounting workflows.

Source
Katana: Does Katana have an offline mode?

No, Katana is a cloud-only solution requiring internet connectivity. There is no built-in offline mode for production floor access without internet.

Source
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Related pages

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