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Inventory · head to head

Katana vs QAD Adaptive ERP

Katana logo

Katana

Inventory

Smart manufacturing ERP for scaling businesses

From
$99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
QAD Adaptive ERP logo

QAD Adaptive ERP

ERP

ERP for regulated and supply-chain-heavy manufacturers, strongest in automotive and life sciences

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; QAD Adaptive ERP no pricing is published and licensing splits across user types and separately sold modules, so first quotes routinely come in well above the number buyers had in their heads.
  • They diverge on capability: Katana covers Production planning, QAD Adaptive ERP covers Automotive EDI.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Katana and QAD Adaptive ERP actually diverge.

Attributes where Katana and QAD Adaptive ERP differ
AttributeKatanaQAD Adaptive ERP
Starting price$99/monthOn request
Pricing modelUnknownquote
PlatformsWebWeb, Windows, iOS, Android
CategoryInventoryERP
Founded2015Unknown

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

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
  • Shopify
  • WooCommerce
  • QuickBooks
  • Xero

Only in QAD Adaptive ERP

  • Automotive EDI
  • Manufacturing execution
  • Supply chain planning
  • Quality management
  • Global financials
  • Traceability and recall
  • Connected workforce
  • Adaptive UX

What people use each for

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

Katana

  • Production schedulingnot QAD Adaptive ERP
  • Material planningnot QAD Adaptive ERP
  • Work order managementnot QAD Adaptive ERP
  • Inventory optimizationnot QAD Adaptive ERP

QAD Adaptive ERP

  • An automotive tier supplier that must accept OEM EDI releases and ship to AIAG or Odette labelling without building it themselvesnot Katana
  • A multi-plant manufacturer consolidating several plant-level ERPs onto one ledger with local statutory reporting per countrynot Katana
  • A food or pharmaceutical maker that needs lot genealogy fast enough to scope a recall in hoursnot Katana
  • A manufacturer replacing an ageing QAD MFG/PRO installation and wanting continuity of process rather than a rewritenot 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

QAD Adaptive ERP

  • No pricing is published and licensing splits across user types and separately sold modules, so first quotes routinely come in well above the number buyers had in their heads.
  • QAD has been owned by Thoma Bravo since the 2021 take-private, so roadmap and pricing decisions answer to an investment thesis rather than to public product commitments, and buyers should ask about contract terms at renewal.
  • The implementation partner network is small next to SAP, Oracle or Microsoft, which limits competitive tendering on services and makes regional coverage patchy.
  • Outside its target industries the vertical depth is dead weight, and a general distributor or services firm pays for automotive and life sciences function it will never switch on.
  • Long-standing QAD customers still run heavily customised MFG/PRO estates, and migrating those customisations to Adaptive ERP is a re-implementation, not an upgrade, which is why some sites have stayed on old versions for years.

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

QAD Adaptive ERP

On request
  • QAD Adaptive ERP$undefined/year
    • Subscription priced by user type, modules and deployment
    • Cloud or on-premise deployment
    • Implementation delivered by QAD or a partner and billed separately

Which should you pick?

Choose Katana if

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

Choose QAD Adaptive ERP if

  • You need automotive edi.
  • You work on Web, Windows, iOS, Android.
  • You also want manufacturing execution.
QAD Adaptive ERP review

Questions people ask

Is Katana or QAD Adaptive ERP better?
Neither clearly leads. Katana starts at $99/month and QAD Adaptive ERP at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Katana or QAD Adaptive ERP?
Katana starts at $99/month and QAD Adaptive ERP at On request.
Does Katana or QAD Adaptive ERP run on more platforms?
Katana runs on Web. QAD Adaptive ERP runs on Web, Windows, iOS, Android.
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 QAD Adaptive ERP is typically brought in for.
What can Katana do that QAD Adaptive ERP cannot?
Katana covers Production planning, Real-time inventory, BOM management, Shop floor control. QAD Adaptive ERP covers Automotive EDI, Manufacturing execution, Supply chain planning, Quality management.

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
QAD Adaptive ERP: Who owns QAD?

Thoma Bravo, which took the company private in 2021. It is no longer publicly listed, so financials and roadmap commitments are not disclosed the way they once were.

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
QAD Adaptive ERP: Is QAD only for automotive?

No, but automotive supplier compliance is its deepest area, alongside life sciences, food and beverage and industrial manufacturing. Non-manufacturers are not the target.

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
QAD Adaptive ERP: Can it run on-premise?

Yes, both cloud and on-premise deployments are supported, which matters to manufacturers with plant-floor systems that cannot tolerate a WAN dependency.

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
QAD Adaptive ERP: Is Adaptive ERP an upgrade from MFG/PRO?

Not in practice for a customised site. Moving heavily modified MFG/PRO installations is a re-implementation project, and that cost should be in the business case from the start.

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