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ERP · head to head

Katana MRP vs Unanet

Katana MRP logo

Katana MRP

ERP

Smart manufacturing software for scaling brands

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Unanet logo

Unanet

ERP

Project ERP and CRM built for government contractors and architecture and engineering firms

From
On request
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: Katana MRP the free plan caps SKUs at 30 after a 15 day unlimited period; Unanet no pricing is published for any Unanet product; every line is quoted per user per month with separate implementation fees, so a small contractor cannot budget the first year without a full sales cycle.
  • They diverge on capability: Katana MRP covers Visual production scheduling, Unanet covers DCAA-oriented timekeeping.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Katana MRP and Unanet differ
AttributeKatana MRPUnanet
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelusage-basedquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsCloud, Web, MobileWeb, Cloud, iOS, Android
Founded2017Unknown

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 Katana MRP

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

Only in Unanet

  • DCAA-oriented timekeeping
  • Indirect rate management
  • Contract type support
  • Project accounting
  • Resource planning
  • Unanet CRM
  • Compliant invoicing
  • Unanet ERP AE

What people use each for

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

Katana MRP

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

Unanet

  • A federal contractor moving from QuickBooks and spreadsheets because it has won its first cost-reimbursable contract and needs an accounting system that survives a DCAA adequacy reviewnot Katana MRP
  • A services firm that must calculate and true up provisional indirect rates each year and cannot do it credibly in Excel any longernot Katana MRP
  • An architecture and engineering practice tracking utilisation and project profitability across dozens of concurrent jobsnot Katana MRP
  • A government contractor consolidating a separate CRM, timekeeping tool and accounting package into one system so pipeline and backlog reconcilenot Katana MRP

Where each one falls short

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

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

Unanet

  • No pricing is published for any Unanet product; every line is quoted per user per month with separate implementation fees, so a small contractor cannot budget the first year without a full sales cycle.
  • Implementation is a project rather than a signup, involving chart of accounts design, indirect pool structure and data migration, and third parties report implementation fees reaching five figures for mid-sized deployments, an amount easily missed when comparing per-user rates.
  • The interface is dated compared with modern SaaS finance products, which raises training time for staff who only touch it to enter a timesheet and increases the support burden on the finance team.
  • ERP and CRM are separate products with separate contracts, so a firm that wants pipeline, backlog and actuals in one place pays twice and still deals with an integration boundary between them.
  • Its value is concentrated in United States federal and state contracting compliance, so a firm that does no public-sector work is paying for indirect rate machinery and DCAA audit behaviour it will never use, and a non-US firm gets almost nothing from the product’s main differentiator.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Unanet

On request
  • Unanet ERP GovCon$undefined/year
    • Project accounting with indirect rate pools
    • DCAA-oriented daily timekeeping and audit trail
    • Cost-plus, T&M and fixed price contract billing
  • Unanet ERP AE$undefined/year
    • Project accounting configured for architecture and engineering firms
    • Resource planning and utilisation reporting
    • Priced per user per month, quoted
  • Unanet CRM$undefined/year
    • Pursuit and opportunity tracking
    • Proposal content library and reuse
    • Sold separately from ERP; quoted

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Unanet if

  • You need dcaa-oriented timekeeping.
  • You work on Web, Cloud, iOS, Android.
  • You also want indirect rate management.
Unanet review

Questions people ask

Is Katana MRP or Unanet better?
Neither clearly leads. Katana MRP starts at Free and Unanet at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Katana MRP or Unanet?
Katana MRP has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Katana MRP and On request for Unanet.
Does Katana MRP or Unanet run on more platforms?
Katana MRP runs on Cloud, Web, Mobile. Unanet runs on Web, Cloud, iOS, Android.
Can I use Katana MRP for free?
Yes. Katana MRP has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Unanet starts at On request.
What is Katana MRP best used for?
Katana MRP is most often used for manufacturing resource planning for small production businesses, tracking live inventory across making, selling and purchasing. Of those, manufacturing resource planning for small production businesses and tracking live inventory across making, selling and purchasing are not what Unanet is typically brought in for.
What can Katana MRP do that Unanet cannot?
Katana MRP covers Visual production scheduling, Real-time inventory, Bill of materials, Purchase orders. Unanet covers DCAA-oriented timekeeping, Indirect rate management, Contract type support, Project accounting.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Unanet: What does Unanet cost?

Nothing is published. Pricing is per user per month and quoted, with implementation fees charged separately on top of the subscription.

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
Unanet: Does Unanet make you DCAA compliant?

No software does. Unanet provides the timekeeping controls, audit trail and indirect rate accounting that an adequacy review looks for; the policies and their enforcement are still yours.

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
Unanet: Is Unanet CRM included with the ERP?

No. Unanet CRM, built on the acquired Cosential platform, is a separate product with its own contract.

Unanet: How does it compare with Deltek?

Unanet typically targets smaller contractors than Deltek Costpoint and is quicker to implement, but has less depth for very large multi-segment organisations.

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