Softwr

Inventory Management · head to head

Stockpile vs Katana

S

Stockpile

Inventory Management

Free inventory management for small teams

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 Stockpile has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • They diverge on capability: Stockpile covers Item tracking, Katana covers Production planning.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Stockpile and Katana actually diverge.

Attributes where Stockpile and Katana differ
AttributeStockpileKatana
Starting priceFree$99/month
Pricing modelfreemiumUnknown
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Cloud-basedWeb
Founded20132015

Identical on both: 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 Stockpile

  • Item tracking
  • Location management
  • Custom fields
  • Basic reports
  • CSV import/export
  • Barcode support

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.

Stockpile

  • Basic inventorynot Katana
  • Asset trackingnot Katana
  • Supply managementnot Katana
  • Equipment trackingnot Katana

Katana

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

Where each one falls short

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

Stockpile

Nothing recorded yet. See the Stockpile review.

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

Stockpile

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited items
    • Multi-location
    • Basic reporting
  • Premium$5/month
    • Advanced reports
    • Barcode scanning
    • 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 Stockpile if

  • You need item tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Cloud-based.
  • You also want location management.
Stockpile review

Choose Katana if

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

Questions people ask

Is Stockpile or Katana better?
Neither clearly leads. Stockpile 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, Stockpile or Katana?
Stockpile has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Stockpile and $99/month for Katana.
Does Stockpile or Katana run on more platforms?
Stockpile runs on Web, Cloud-based. Katana runs on Web.
Can I use Stockpile for free?
Yes. Stockpile has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Katana starts at $99/month.
What is Stockpile best used for?
Stockpile is most often used for basic inventory, asset tracking, supply management, equipment tracking. Of those, basic inventory and asset tracking are not what Katana is typically brought in for.
What can Stockpile do that Katana cannot?
Stockpile covers Item tracking, Location management, Custom fields, Basic reports. 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

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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