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Manufacturing · head to head

AVEVA System Platform vs Katana

AVEVA System Platform logo

AVEVA System Platform

Manufacturing

Supervisory HMI and SCADA platform, formerly sold as Wonderware System Platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Katana logo

Katana

Inventory

Smart manufacturing ERP for scaling businesses

From
$99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: AVEVA System Platform wonderware is no longer a name you can buy; if you have inherited documentation, purchase orders or job specifications that say Wonderware, everything has to be re-mapped to AVEVA product names before you can quote it.; Katana limited BOM explosion and lead-time offset planning requiring manual work that should be automated
  • They diverge on capability: AVEVA System Platform covers ArchestrA object model, Katana covers Production planning.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which AVEVA System Platform and Katana actually diverge.

Attributes where AVEVA System Platform and Katana differ
AttributeAVEVA System PlatformKatana
Starting priceOn request$99/month
Pricing modelquoteUnknown
PlatformsWindowsWeb
CategoryManufacturingInventory
FoundedUnknown2015

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 AVEVA System Platform

  • ArchestrA object model
  • InTouch HMI
  • AVEVA Historian
  • Redundancy
  • Situational awareness graphics
  • OMI
  • Alarm management
  • Connectivity

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.

AVEVA System Platform

  • A multi-site food manufacturer standardising operator screens across plants that run different PLC brandsnot Katana
  • A water utility with a decade of ArchestrA templates where rewriting to another platform cannot be justifiednot Katana
  • A pharmaceutical line needing ISA-88 batch recipe handling above existing Rockwell and Siemens controllersnot Katana
  • A plant modernising legacy InTouch applications without discarding the existing screens and scriptsnot Katana

Katana

  • Production schedulingnot AVEVA System Platform
  • Material planningnot AVEVA System Platform
  • Work order managementnot AVEVA System Platform
  • Inventory optimizationnot AVEVA System Platform

Where each one falls short

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

AVEVA System Platform

  • Wonderware is no longer a name you can buy; if you have inherited documentation, purchase orders or job specifications that say Wonderware, everything has to be re-mapped to AVEVA product names before you can quote it.
  • AVEVA Flex converts licensing to a recurring subscription draw-down, so organisations that budgeted for a perpetual licence with a support percentage face a materially different cost model at renewal.
  • It is Windows only, and version compatibility between System Platform, Historian and InTouch is tight, so upgrades are coordinated projects rather than incremental patches.
  • The ArchestrA object model has a steep learning curve and small systems end up paying for structure they do not need, which is why integrators often deploy standalone InTouch instead.
  • Licence enforcement counts I/O aggressively and unexpected tag growth during commissioning can trigger a mid-project licence purchase at list price.

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

AVEVA System Platform

On request
  • AVEVA System Platform$undefined/year
    • Licensed by I/O count, client count and platform nodes
    • Sold through AVEVA Flex subscription token pool or legacy perpetual licence
    • Legacy perpetual licences carry an annual customer FIRST support fee

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 AVEVA System Platform if

  • You need archestra object model.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want intouch hmi.
AVEVA System Platform review

Choose Katana if

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

Questions people ask

Is AVEVA System Platform or Katana better?
Neither clearly leads. AVEVA System Platform starts at On request and Katana at $99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, AVEVA System Platform or Katana?
AVEVA System Platform starts at On request and Katana at $99/month.
Does AVEVA System Platform or Katana run on more platforms?
AVEVA System Platform runs on Windows. Katana runs on Web.
What is AVEVA System Platform best used for?
AVEVA System Platform is most often used for a multi-site food manufacturer standardising operator screens across plants that run different plc brands, a water utility with a decade of archestra templates where rewriting to another platform cannot be justified, a pharmaceutical line needing isa-88 batch recipe handling above existing rockwell and siemens controllers, a plant modernising legacy intouch applications without discarding the existing screens and scripts. Of those, a multi-site food manufacturer standardising operator screens across plants that run different plc brands and a water utility with a decade of archestra templates where rewriting to another platform cannot be justified are not what Katana is typically brought in for.
What can AVEVA System Platform do that Katana cannot?
AVEVA System Platform covers ArchestrA object model, InTouch HMI, AVEVA Historian, Redundancy. Katana covers Production planning, Real-time inventory, BOM management, Shop floor control.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

AVEVA System Platform: Is Wonderware still sold?

No. The brand was retired; buy AVEVA System Platform, AVEVA InTouch HMI, AVEVA Historian or AVEVA Plant SCADA instead.

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
AVEVA System Platform: Can I still buy a perpetual licence?

AVEVA steers new business to Flex subscriptions. Perpetual is increasingly restricted to existing agreements and renewals.

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
AVEVA System Platform: Do my old InTouch applications still run?

Yes, legacy InTouch applications are supported in System Platform, though the older graphics do not gain the newer situational-awareness features without rework.

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
AVEVA System Platform: What is AVEVA Flex?

A subscription credit pool you draw against for any AVEVA product, which trades a fixed licence for a recurring balance you must keep topped up.

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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