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Software · head to head

Katana vs Brightpearl

Katana logo

Katana

Software

Smart manufacturing ERP for scaling businesses

From
$99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Brightpearl logo

Brightpearl

Software

Retail operating system for omnichannel commerce

From
$499/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Katana limited BOM explosion and lead-time offset planning requiring manual work that should be automated; Brightpearl no pricing is published, and every quote is described as a bespoke setup
  • They diverge on capability: Katana covers Production planning, Brightpearl covers Order management.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Katana and Brightpearl actually diverge.

Attributes where Katana and Brightpearl differ
AttributeKatanaBrightpearl
Starting price$99/month$499/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
PlatformsWebCloud, Web
Founded20152007

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 Katana

  • Production planning
  • Real-time inventory
  • BOM management
  • Shop floor control
  • WooCommerce
  • QuickBooks
  • Xero
  • Cloud-based support

Only in Brightpearl

  • Order management
  • Inventory management
  • Warehouse management
  • Retail accounting
  • POS integration
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • Magento

Both cover

  • Shopify
  • BigCommerce
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Katana

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

Brightpearl

  • Retail operations management across inventory, orders and accountingnot Katana
  • Connecting ecommerce and wholesale channels to fulfilmentnot Katana

Where each one falls short

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

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

Brightpearl

  • No pricing is published, and every quote is described as a bespoke setup
  • Cost is driven by business size rather than by a stated unit, so nothing can be estimated before contacting sales
  • The vendor frames cost as a percentage of revenue, which means the bill grows with turnover rather than with usage

Pricing, plan by plan

Katana

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

Brightpearl

$499/month
  • Core$499/month
    • Order management
    • Inventory management
    • Basic accounting
  • Professional$999/month
    • Unlimited channels
    • Warehouse management
    • Advanced reporting

Which should you pick?

Choose Katana if

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

Choose Brightpearl if

  • You need order management.
  • You work on Cloud, Web.
  • You also want inventory management.
Brightpearl review

Questions people ask

Is Katana or Brightpearl better?
Neither clearly leads. Katana starts at $99/month and Brightpearl at $499/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Katana or Brightpearl?
Katana starts at $99/month and Brightpearl at $499/month.
Does Katana or Brightpearl run on more platforms?
Katana runs on Web. Brightpearl runs on Cloud, Web.
What is Katana best used for?
Katana is most often used for production scheduling, material planning, work order management, inventory optimization. Of those, production scheduling and material planning are not what Brightpearl is typically brought in for.
What can Katana do that Brightpearl cannot?
Katana covers Production planning, Real-time inventory, BOM management, Shop floor control. Brightpearl covers Order management, Inventory management, Warehouse management, Retail accounting. Both handle Shopify, BigCommerce, 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
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Related pages

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