Softwr

Inventory Management · head to head

Katana vs DEAR Inventory

Katana logo

Katana

Inventory Management

Smart manufacturing ERP for scaling businesses

From
$99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
DEAR Inventory logo

DEAR Inventory

Inventory Management

Complete inventory and order management system

From
On request
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; 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
  • They diverge on capability: Katana covers Production planning, DEAR Inventory covers Inventory management.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Katana and DEAR Inventory differ
AttributeKatanaDEAR Inventory
Starting price$99/monthOn request
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
PlatformsWebWeb, Mobile app, Cloud-based
Founded20152013

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

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
  • BigCommerce
  • API access support

Only in DEAR Inventory

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

Both cover

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

What people use each for

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

Katana

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

DEAR Inventory

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

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

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

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Katana if

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

Choose DEAR Inventory if

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

Questions people ask

Is Katana or DEAR Inventory better?
Neither clearly leads. Katana starts at $99/month and DEAR Inventory at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Katana or DEAR Inventory?
Katana starts at $99/month and DEAR Inventory at On request.
Does Katana or DEAR Inventory run on more platforms?
Katana runs on Web. DEAR Inventory runs on Web, Mobile app, Cloud-based.
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 DEAR Inventory is typically brought in for.
What can Katana do that DEAR Inventory cannot?
Katana covers Production planning, Real-time inventory, BOM management, Shop floor control. DEAR Inventory covers Inventory management, Manufacturing, Purchase orders, Sales orders. Both handle Shopify, QuickBooks, Xero, 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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