Softwr

Inventory Management · head to head

Sortly vs Katana

Sortly logo

Sortly

Inventory Management

Visual inventory management with photo tracking

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Katana logo

Katana

Inventory Management

Smart manufacturing ERP for scaling businesses

From
$99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Sortly has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Sortly mobile app performance is slow with occasional crashes on both iOS and Android; Katana limited BOM explosion and lead-time offset planning requiring manual work that should be automated
  • They diverge on capability: Sortly covers Photo-based inventory, Katana covers Production planning.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Sortly and Katana actually diverge.

Attributes where Sortly and Katana differ
AttributeSortlyKatana
Starting priceFree$99/month
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb
Founded20132015

Identical on both: pricing model (Unknown), 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 Sortly

  • Photo-based inventory
  • Multi-location support
  • Custom categories
  • Low stock notifications
  • Barcode scanning
  • CSV export
  • API access
  • Zapier

Only in Katana

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

Both cover

  • Web support
  • Cloud-based support

What people use each for

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

Sortly

  • Visual inventory trackingnot Katana
  • Asset managementnot Katana
  • Photo documentationnot Katana
  • Mobile inventorynot Katana

Katana

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

Where each one falls short

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

Sortly

  • Mobile app performance is slow with occasional crashes on both iOS and Android
  • Minimal advanced reporting features lacking depth and customization options
  • No native serial number tracking capability, limiting asset management functionality
  • Synchronization problems occur when reconnecting from offline mode

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

Pricing, plan by plan

Sortly

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Sortly review.

Katana

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Sortly if

  • You need photo-based inventory.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want multi-location support.
Sortly review

Choose Katana if

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

Questions people ask

Is Sortly or Katana better?
Neither clearly leads. Sortly starts at Free and Katana at $99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Sortly or Katana?
Sortly has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Sortly and $99/month for Katana.
Does Sortly or Katana run on more platforms?
Sortly runs on Web, iOS, Android. Katana runs on Web.
Can I use Sortly for free?
Yes. Sortly has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Katana starts at $99/month.
What is Sortly best used for?
Sortly is most often used for visual inventory tracking, asset management, photo documentation, mobile inventory. Of those, visual inventory tracking and asset management are not what Katana is typically brought in for.
What can Sortly do that Katana cannot?
Sortly covers Photo-based inventory, Multi-location support, Custom categories, Low stock notifications. Katana covers Production planning, Real-time inventory, BOM management, Shop floor control. Both handle Web support, Cloud-based support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Sortly: What is included in Sortly's free plan?

Sortly's free plan includes 100 unique items and 1 user license, sufficient for testing or very small inventories, with permanent access.

Source
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
Sortly: What are Sortly's paid tier pricing and item limits?

Sortly offers Advanced ($49/month, 500 items), Ultra ($149/month, 2,000 items), Premium ($299/month, 5,000 items), and Enterprise with custom pricing for 10,000+ items. All paid plans include a 14-day free trial.

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
Sortly: Does Sortly offer offline functionality?

Sortly has offline mode on mobile apps, though with potential synchronization issues when reconnecting. Offline mode is not available on the free plan.

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
Sortly: Does Sortly have a mobile app?

Yes, Sortly offers mobile apps for iOS and Android. However, users report slow performance and occasional crashes, plus lack of bulk actions available on the web platform.

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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