Softwr

Inventory · head to head

Katana vs Visibility

Katana logo

Katana

Inventory

Smart manufacturing ERP for scaling businesses

From
$99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Visibility logo

Visibility

ERP

Supply chain and manufacturing execution software

From
$1000/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; Visibility no price, licensing model, minimum or contract term is published on the site; buyers are directed to a sales email and phone number
  • They diverge on capability: Katana covers Real-time inventory, Visibility covers Supply chain visibility.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Katana and Visibility actually diverge.

Attributes where Katana and Visibility differ
AttributeKatanaVisibility
Starting price$99/month$1000/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
PlatformsWebCloud, On-premise, Web
CategoryInventoryERP
Founded20151989

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

  • Real-time inventory
  • BOM management
  • Shop floor control
  • Shopify
  • WooCommerce
  • QuickBooks
  • Xero
  • BigCommerce

Only in Visibility

  • Supply chain visibility
  • Manufacturing execution
  • Analytics
  • Reporting
  • ERP systems
  • REST APIs
  • EDI
  • Third-party systems

Both cover

  • Production planning
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Katana

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

Visibility

  • ERP for engineer to order and make to order manufacturersnot Katana
  • Job shop production planning and costingnot Katana
  • Manufacturing operations in aerospace and defence, fabricated metals and medical devicesnot 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

Visibility

  • No price, licensing model, minimum or contract term is published on the site; buyers are directed to a sales email and phone number
  • The vendor states an implementation of 4 to 6 months, so the product is not usable immediately after purchase
  • The product targets make to order, engineer to order and job shop manufacturers rather than general business use

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

Visibility

$1000/month
  • Standard$1000/month
    • Supply chain visibility
    • MES
    • Basic analytics
  • Premium$2000/month
    • Advanced analytics
    • Custom reports
    • Priority support

Which should you pick?

Choose Katana if

  • You need real-time inventory.
  • You also want bom management.
Katana review

Choose Visibility if

  • You need supply chain visibility.
  • You work on Cloud, On-premise, Web.
  • You also want manufacturing execution.
Visibility review

Questions people ask

Is Katana or Visibility better?
Neither clearly leads. Katana starts at $99/month and Visibility at $1000/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Katana or Visibility?
Katana starts at $99/month and Visibility at $1000/month.
Does Katana or Visibility run on more platforms?
Katana runs on Web. Visibility runs on Cloud, On-premise, 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 Visibility is typically brought in for.
What can Katana do that Visibility cannot?
Katana covers Real-time inventory, BOM management, Shop floor control, Shopify. Visibility covers Supply chain visibility, Manufacturing execution, Analytics, Reporting. Both handle Production planning, 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
Visibility: Does Visibility publish pricing on their website?

No, Visibility does not disclose subscription costs or pricing tiers on their website. Interested parties must contact sales directly.

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
Visibility: How do I get a Visibility quote?

Visibility directs interested parties to contact sales at [email protected] or (978) 269-6500, or to request a demo through their website.

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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