Softwr

Software · head to head

DEAR Inventory vs Katana

DEAR Inventory logo

DEAR Inventory

Software

Complete inventory and order management system

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Katana logo

Katana

Software

Smart manufacturing ERP for scaling businesses

From
$99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: DEAR Inventory dEAR Inventory is now sold as Cin7 Core with four named tiers (Standard, Pro, Advanced, Omni) but no dollar figures are published, only an ROI calculator; Katana limited BOM explosion and lead-time offset planning requiring manual work that should be automated
  • They diverge on capability: DEAR Inventory covers Inventory management, Katana covers Production planning.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where DEAR Inventory and Katana differ
AttributeDEAR InventoryKatana
Starting priceOn request$99/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWeb, Mobile app, Cloud-basedWeb
Founded20132015

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 DEAR Inventory

  • Inventory management
  • Manufacturing
  • Purchase orders
  • Sales orders
  • Accounting
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • Mobile app support

Only in Katana

  • Production planning
  • Real-time inventory
  • BOM management
  • Shop floor control
  • WooCommerce
  • BigCommerce
  • API access support

Both cover

  • Xero
  • QuickBooks
  • Shopify
  • Web support
  • Cloud-based support

What people use each for

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

DEAR Inventory

  • Manufacturing managementnot Katana
  • Order processingnot Katana
  • Stock controlnot Katana
  • Financial integrationnot Katana

Katana

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

Where each one falls short

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

DEAR Inventory

  • DEAR Inventory is now sold as Cin7 Core with four named tiers (Standard, Pro, Advanced, Omni) but no dollar figures are published, only an ROI calculator

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

DEAR Inventory

On request
  • Standard$249/month
    • Core features
    • 5 users
    • Standard support
  • Professional$449/month
    • Advanced manufacturing
    • 10 users
    • Priority support
  • Enterprise$849/month
    • Full features
    • Unlimited users
    • Dedicated 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 DEAR Inventory if

  • You need inventory management.
  • You work on Web, Mobile app, Cloud-based.
  • You also want manufacturing.
DEAR Inventory review

Choose Katana if

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

Questions people ask

Is DEAR Inventory or Katana better?
Neither clearly leads. DEAR Inventory 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, DEAR Inventory or Katana?
DEAR Inventory starts at On request and Katana at $99/month.
Does DEAR Inventory or Katana run on more platforms?
DEAR Inventory runs on Web, Mobile app, Cloud-based. Katana runs on Web.
What is DEAR Inventory best used for?
DEAR Inventory is most often used for manufacturing management, order processing, stock control, financial integration. Of those, manufacturing management and order processing are not what Katana is typically brought in for.
What can DEAR Inventory do that Katana cannot?
DEAR Inventory covers Inventory management, Manufacturing, Purchase orders, Sales orders. Katana covers Production planning, Real-time inventory, BOM management, Shop floor control. Both handle Xero, QuickBooks, Shopify, Web support.

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
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on DEAR Inventory

More on Katana

Keep looking

Other head to heads