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ERP · head to head

Fishbowl vs Katana MRP

Fishbowl logo

Fishbowl

ERP

Manufacturing and warehouse management for QuickBooks

From
$4395/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Katana MRP logo

Katana MRP

ERP

Smart manufacturing software for scaling brands

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Katana MRP has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Fishbowl the $229 per month Essentials plan includes only 2 users, Growth at $429 includes 5 and Scale at $729 includes 10, all billed annually; Katana MRP the free plan caps SKUs at 30 after a 15 day unlimited period
  • They diverge on capability: Fishbowl covers Inventory management, Katana MRP covers Visual production scheduling.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fishbowl and Katana MRP actually diverge.

Attributes where Fishbowl and Katana MRP differ
AttributeFishbowlKatana MRP
Starting price$4395/one-timeFree
Pricing modelone-timeusage-based
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, CloudCloud, Web, Mobile
Founded20012017

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

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 Fishbowl

  • Inventory management
  • Manufacturing
  • Work orders
  • Barcode scanning
  • QuickBooks integration
  • QuickBooks Desktop
  • QuickBooks Online
  • Amazon

Only in Katana MRP

  • Visual production scheduling
  • Real-time inventory
  • Bill of materials
  • Purchase orders
  • Shop floor app
  • WooCommerce
  • QuickBooks
  • Xero

Both cover

  • Shopify
  • Cloud support

What people use each for

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

Fishbowl

  • Inventory and SKU tracking for wholesale and distribution businessesnot Katana MRP
  • Manufacturing bills of materials, MRP, work orders and job costingnot Katana MRP
  • Warehouse fulfilment, transfer orders and automated reorderingnot Katana MRP
  • Multichannel selling with synchronised stock levelsnot Katana MRP

Katana MRP

  • Manufacturing resource planning for small production businessesnot Fishbowl
  • Tracking live inventory across making, selling and purchasingnot Fishbowl

Where each one falls short

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

Fishbowl

  • The $229 per month Essentials plan includes only 2 users, Growth at $429 includes 5 and Scale at $729 includes 10, all billed annually
  • A paid implementation package is required as part of purchase and covers a 6 to 8 week training certification
  • Lot tracking, demand forecasting and compliance documentation require the Scale plan at $729 per month
  • Advanced Warehouse from $595 per month and Advanced Manufacturing from $675 per month are quoted on team size and deployment rather than sold at a fixed rate
  • Demand forecasting and custom reports are add ons carrying separate fees
  • All listed plan prices are billed annually rather than monthly

Katana MRP

  • The free plan caps SKUs at 30 after a 15 day unlimited period
  • The Core plan starts at $299 a month and includes one location, with more sold as a usage based add on
  • Core is billed per sales order delivered on top of the base price, so cost tracks throughput
  • Manufacturing management, traceability and warehouse management are separate add ons at $199, $249 and $149 a month
  • A full manufacturing setup therefore stacks to well above the headline $299

Pricing, plan by plan

Fishbowl

$4395/one-time
  • Fishbowl Warehouse$4395/one-time
    • Inventory tracking
    • Order management
    • QuickBooks sync
  • Fishbowl Manufacturing$5495/one-time
    • Work orders
    • Bill of materials
    • Shop floor control

Katana MRP

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 30 SKUs (unlimited during 15-day trial)
    • Unlimited users
    • Unlimited integrations
  • Core$299/month
    • Unlimited SKUs
    • Unlimited users
    • Unlimited integrations
  • Advantage$null/mo
    • Custom annual contract
    • Everything in Core plus custom integrations
    • Custom dashboards and automations

Which should you pick?

Choose Fishbowl if

  • You need inventory management.
  • You work on Windows, Cloud.
  • You also want manufacturing.
Fishbowl review

Choose Katana MRP if

  • You need visual production scheduling.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud, Web, Mobile.
  • You also want real-time inventory.
Katana MRP review

Questions people ask

Is Fishbowl or Katana MRP better?
Neither clearly leads. Fishbowl starts at $4395/one-time and Katana MRP at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fishbowl or Katana MRP?
Katana MRP has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $4395/one-time for Fishbowl and Free for Katana MRP.
Does Fishbowl or Katana MRP run on more platforms?
Fishbowl runs on Windows, Cloud. Katana MRP runs on Cloud, Web, Mobile.
Can I use Katana MRP for free?
Yes. Katana MRP has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Fishbowl starts at $4395/one-time.
What is Fishbowl best used for?
Fishbowl is most often used for inventory and sku tracking for wholesale and distribution businesses, manufacturing bills of materials, mrp, work orders and job costing, warehouse fulfilment, transfer orders and automated reordering, multichannel selling with synchronised stock levels. Of those, inventory and sku tracking for wholesale and distribution businesses and manufacturing bills of materials, mrp, work orders and job costing are not what Katana MRP is typically brought in for.
What can Fishbowl do that Katana MRP cannot?
Fishbowl covers Inventory management, Manufacturing, Work orders, Barcode scanning. Katana MRP covers Visual production scheduling, Real-time inventory, Bill of materials, Purchase orders. Both handle Shopify, Cloud support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Fishbowl: How much does Fishbowl Inventory cost per month?

Fishbowl Inventory pricing starts at $229/month (billed annually) for the Essentials tier, $429/month for Growth, and $729/month for Scale. The Advanced Manufacturing tier starts at $675/month and Advanced Warehouse starts at $595/month, though both are quote-based and vary by user count.

Source
Katana MRP: How much does Katana MRP cost?

Katana offers a free plan with 30 SKUs and all core features. Core plan starts at $299/month for unlimited SKUs and users. Usage-based pricing applies to sales orders delivered and additional locations beyond the 1 included. Add-ons like Manufacturing Management cost $199/month.

Source
Fishbowl: How many users are included in each tier?

Essentials includes 2 users, Growth includes 5 users, and Scale includes 10 users. Advanced Manufacturing and Advanced Warehouse support teams of 2 to 200+ users with pricing confirmed by quote based on your specific deployment.

Source
Katana MRP: How does Katana charge for multiple locations?

Core plan includes 1 location. Additional locations beyond the included location are charged separately with per-unit costs decreasing at higher volumes. Exact pricing for additional locations is calculated based on scale.

Source
Fishbowl: Is Fishbowl billed monthly or annually?

Fishbowl Inventory plans require annual billing. The Advanced Manufacturing and Advanced Warehouse plans have variable pricing confirmed by quote and may have different billing arrangements.

Source
Katana MRP: What are the manufacturing add-on costs for Katana?

Katana charges $199/month for Manufacturing Management, $249/month for Traceability, and $149/month for Warehouse Management add-ons. Onboarding package costs $2,000 but is included with Core plan.

Source
Fishbowl: What's included when I sign up for Fishbowl?

All Fishbowl plans include an implementation package with specialist support, data migration services, and 6 to 8 weeks of certification training. Cloud hosting is included with Advanced Manufacturing plans.

Source
Fishbowl: Can I add more users if I exceed my tier's user limit?

You can upgrade to a higher tier which includes additional users. Essentials ($229/mo with 2 users) can upgrade to Growth ($429/mo with 5 users) or Scale ($729/mo with 10 users). Custom team sizes beyond 10 users require Advanced Manufacturing or Advanced Warehouse quotes.

Source
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