A Katana alternative, if your manufacturing is light
Katana is a cloud inventory and manufacturing platform with real production depth: multi-level BOMs, MRP, a production schedule, routings and a shop floor app. If you run a production floor, it goes further than AssetBlaze. AssetBlaze is the simpler option for lighter manufacturing, with published prices, monthly or annual billing, and your data loaded within 48 hours.
Based on public pricing and product documentation as of November 2026.
Katana goes further on manufacturing. It has also changed how it sells.
Katana is built for businesses that make what they sell. Its pages describe multi-level bills of materials with subassemblies, priority-based material requirements planning, a drag-and-drop production schedule, routings, and a shop floor app for operators.
If you last looked at Katana on its Standard, Professional or Core plans, look again. Its pricing page now lists two plans: Free, for up to 30 SKUs, and Advantage, a custom annual contract with no published price.
So the comparison is less about price per tier and more about how much manufacturing you need, and how you want to buy.
Head-to-head: what each platform actually does.
The table compares the two products on the features most relevant to growing businesses. Details about Katana come from its own pricing pages and documentation, linked at the end of this page.
| Feature | AssetBlaze | Katana |
|---|---|---|
| Core Inventory | ||
| Real-time stock tracking | Included | Included |
| Reordering | Alerts and replenishment | Planning and forecasting, AI replenishment on Advantage |
| Barcode scanning | Included | Included |
| Multi-location tracking | Included | Unlimited locations |
| Lot & serial tracking | With the Manufacturing add-on | Batch and serial numbers, both plans |
| Bins, pick & pack | Pick and pack on shipments | Warehouse management app |
| Manufacturing | ||
| Bills of materials & manufacturing orders | Add-on, $110 a month | Multi-level, with subassemblies |
| MRP | Not available | Priority-based material requirements planning |
| Production scheduling | Not available | Drag-and-drop priorities |
| Routings & operations | Not available | Consecutive or parallel steps |
| Labor & operation costing | Not available | Cost per hour on each operation |
| Shop floor app | Not available | Shop Floor App for operators |
| Integrations | ||
| QuickBooks Online & Xero | Native, two-way | Orders sent as bills and invoices, payment status comes back |
| eCommerce | Via API | Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Amazon, eBay |
| API | All paid plans, with webhooks | Both plans, with webhooks |
| AI | MCP server | MCP server, AI replenishment on Advantage |
| Plans & Setup | ||
| Free plan | 3 users, 50 items | 30 SKUs, unlimited users, all features |
| Published prices | All plans | Free only, Advantage is quoted |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Annual contract |
| Users | 3, 5, 20 or unlimited | Unlimited |
| Implementation fee | None | Included in the Advantage contract |
| Setup | 48 hours, we load your data | Weeks, guided, on Advantage |
To be fair: what Katana does well.
If you make what you sell, Katana goes further than AssetBlaze does, and it would be wrong to pretend otherwise.
Manufacturing depth. Multi-level BOMs with subassemblies, priority-based MRP, a drag-and-drop production schedule, and routings that run steps one after another or in parallel.
Production costing. Each operation carries a cost per hour, which can include labor, maintenance and overhead, and actual time can be adjusted on the manufacturing order.
The shop floor. A Shop Floor App shows operators their tasks and lets them track time on jobs, and a warehouse management app handles bins, picking and receiving.
Unlimited users and eCommerce. Both plans include unlimited users, and Katana connects directly to Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Amazon and eBay.
A free plan with every feature. Free includes all Katana features and API access for unlimited users, within 30 SKUs. For eCommerce, only Shopify connects on Free.
What it costs.
Katana publishes two plans. Free is $0 for up to 30 SKUs. Advantage, its only paid plan, has no published price: Katana scopes your setup and quotes one annual contract, with implementation included.
AssetBlaze
Flat plan pricing
- Free Forever3 users, 50 items$0/month, billed annually
- Growth5 users, 1,000 items$99/month, billed annually
- Professional20 users, 5,000 items, orders and integrations$399/month, billed annually
- EnterpriseUnlimited users and items$999+/month, billed annually
No per-user fees and no order caps. Billed monthly, Growth is $125 and Professional is $449. Manufacturing is an optional add-on at $110 a month on Professional and Enterprise.
Katana
Current plans
- Free30 SKUs, unlimited users$0/month
- AdvantageUnlimited SKUs, users and integrationsQuote/month
Advantage is one annual contract, with implementation, a Customer Success Manager and 24/7 live support included. Katana says it will contact customers on its older Standard, Professional, Professional Plus and Core plans about any changes.
AssetBlaze publishes every price. Professional, with purchase orders, invoices and integrations, is $399 a month billed annually for up to 20 users and 5,000 items. Manufacturing adds $110, which makes $509. Katana Advantage has no user or SKU limits, so above 20 users or 5,000 items, compare its quote with AssetBlaze Enterprise at $999 a month or more.
When it makes sense to move, and when it doesn't.
Stay with Katana if: You run a production floor and need MRP, production scheduling, routings, operation costing or a shop floor app. You sell through Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce or Amazon and want direct connections. Or you want a team to scope, build and run your setup under one annual contract.
Consider AssetBlaze if: Your manufacturing is light: bills of materials with sub-assemblies, and manufacturing orders that check component stock before you build. You want to see the price before you talk to anyone. Or you want your data loaded within 48 hours, without a scoping project.
The honest summary.
Katana is the deeper product for manufacturers who will use MRP, scheduling and the shop floor.
AssetBlaze is built for businesses whose manufacturing is lighter, and who want a published price, monthly billing if they prefer it, and to be running within 48 hours.
Sources
Katana details were checked on 13 November 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm with Katana before you decide.
Other comparisons
Light manufacturing, running in 48 hours.
Start on the free forever plan, and add manufacturing when you need it. Send us your spreadsheet and we load it within 48 hours, with no scoping project.
Free forever plan · No credit card required · No implementation fee
