Software · head to head
Spocket vs Katana
The short version
- Only Spocket has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Spocket the Starter plan at $39.99 per month is capped at 25 unique products and includes no premium products; Katana limited BOM explosion and lead-time offset planning requiring manual work that should be automated
- They diverge on capability: Spocket covers Supplier marketplace, Katana covers Production planning.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Spocket and Katana actually diverge.
Identical on both: 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 Spocket
- Supplier marketplace
- Product import
- Inventory sync
- Order automation
- Wix
- Squarespace
- Browser extension support
Only in Katana
- Production planning
- Real-time inventory
- BOM management
- Shop floor control
- QuickBooks
- Xero
- API access support
Both cover
- Shopify
- WooCommerce
- BigCommerce
- Web support
- Cloud-based support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Spocket
- Sourcing dropshipping products from US and EU suppliersnot Katana
- Importing supplier products into a Shopify or WooCommerce storenot Katana
- Automating order fulfilment to dropship suppliersnot Katana
Katana
- Production schedulingnot Spocket
- Material planningnot Spocket
- Work order managementnot Spocket
- Inventory optimizationnot Spocket
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Spocket
- The Starter plan at $39.99 per month is capped at 25 unique products and includes no premium products
- Premium products start on the Professional plan at $59.99 per month, which allows 25 of them
- Supplier chat requires the Professional plan
- The free trial lasts 7 days across all plans
- The lowest advertised monthly rates require annual prepayment
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
Spocket
Free- FreeFree
- 25 products
- Basic features
- Email support
- Starter$24/month
- 250 products
- Real-time inventory
- Chat support
- Pro$49/month
- Unlimited products
- Premium suppliers
- Priority support
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 Spocket if
- You need supplier marketplace.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Browser extension, Cloud-based.
- You also want product import.
Questions people ask
- Is Spocket or Katana better?
- Neither clearly leads. Spocket 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, Spocket or Katana?
- Spocket has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Spocket and $99/month for Katana.
- Does Spocket or Katana run on more platforms?
- Spocket runs on Web, Browser extension, Cloud-based. Katana runs on Web.
- Can I use Spocket for free?
- Yes. Spocket has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Katana starts at $99/month.
- What is Spocket best used for?
- Spocket is most often used for sourcing dropshipping products from us and eu suppliers, importing supplier products into a shopify or woocommerce store, automating order fulfilment to dropship suppliers. Of those, sourcing dropshipping products from us and eu suppliers and importing supplier products into a shopify or woocommerce store are not what Katana is typically brought in for.
- What can Spocket do that Katana cannot?
- Spocket covers Supplier marketplace, Product import, Inventory sync, Order automation. Katana covers Production planning, Real-time inventory, BOM management, Shop floor control. Both handle Shopify, WooCommerce, 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.
SourceKatana: 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.
SourceKatana: 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.
SourceKatana: 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