Tool profile
Katana: cost, fit and limits
Katana is a cloud inventory and light manufacturing system made by Katana Technologies OÜ of Tallinn, Estonia, that tracks materials, products, production orders and sales across channels. It targets small product businesses that make or assemble goods and sell through Shopify, Amazon or wholesale, with AI replenishment advice and an MCP link for chat assistants.
What to know first
Katana now has only two commercial shapes: a free account limited to 30 SKUs and a custom-priced plan called Advantage. Both carry every feature, so the free version works as a real trial of the full system for a small catalog. The sticking point is the jump from a printed zero to a quote. Anyone with more than 30 products should ask what Advantage costs per year before moving data in.
Katana at a glance
| Maker | Katana Technologies OÜ, Estonia |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes |
| Entry price | $0 for up to 30 SKUs |
| API access | Yes |
| Category | Best AI Inventory Management Software in 2026, rank 1 of 11 |
| Website | katanamrp.com |
Who Katana is best for
Makers of consumer goods
Katana tracks materials, bills of materials and production tasks next to finished stock, so a candle or cosmetics maker can see what is buildable from current materials without a separate manufacturing tool.
Shopify and Amazon sellers who make their own stock
The integration menu lists Shopify, Amazon and QuickBooks Online, so sales sync into stock counts and production plans instead of being keyed twice.
Founders testing before committing
The free plan keeps unlimited users, integrations and locations, and a 15 day window tests unlimited SKUs, which lets a team judge fit with real data.
Owners who talk to an AI assistant daily
Katana MCP runs Katana from Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini, so questions and record creation happen in chat without opening the app.
Katana plans and pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0, no card required | Up to 30 SKUs, with unlimited users, integrations and inventory locations. All features are on, including API access and the AI assistant and knowledge base for support. |
| Advantage | Custom pricing | Unlimited SKUs, users and integrations in one annual contract, with a scoped setup, a dedicated customer success manager, priority support with an SLA and live support around the clock. |
| Unlimited SKU test | 15 days, no charge | The pricing table says the Free plan can test unlimited SKUs for 15 days, which lets a larger catalog be loaded before deciding on Advantage. |
Checked November 2026.
What Katana does
- Katana AI and AI Replenishment
- Purchase order recommendations come from demand history and plain-language context you control, such as a supplier minimum or a seasonal campaign. A buyer can steer the model with written instructions instead of tuning statistics.
- Real-time inventory planner
- A planner shows product and material availability against sales and production in real time, with planning and forecasting tools on top. It helps a maker see a shortage before a work order stalls.
- Traceability
- Batch and serial numbers trace materials and products from supplier to customer, and expiry dates are tracked. Food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical makers use that for audit readiness.
- Warehouse tools
- Bin locations and barcode scanning work on a scanner or smartphone for receiving, stocktakes and consuming materials, which suits a small warehouse without a separate warehouse system.
- Katana MCP and API
- An open API connects custom tools, and the MCP server lets chat assistants ask questions, create records and cross-reference data without opening Katana, which suits owners who prefer typing a request over clicking.
How Katana handles your data
Katana's security page says application data is secured in transit using TLS and encrypted at rest with industry-standard algorithms, that staff use single sign-on and role-based access control, and that the service is primarily hosted on AWS with automated backups. It states GDPR compliance and a completed SOC 2 Type II audit by an independent auditor. The privacy policy names Katana Technologies OÜ and says accounting records are kept for 7 years under Estonian law. Whether customer data trains the AI was not stated on the pages read.
Where Katana falls short in practice
- Price turns invisible at 31 SKUs. The step from a free plan to a custom contract means a growing seller cannot compute next year's cost. Ask for the Advantage annual figure and renewal terms before importing a larger catalog.
- Annual contract only. Advantage is described as a clear annual contract with a custom build. A business that wants month-to-month flexibility or a lower entry tier will find nothing between zero and a negotiated deal.
- Light on advanced warehouse depth. Bin locations and scanning cover a small warehouse, but multi-warehouse wave picking and complex putaway are not described. A fulfillment operation at scale will outgrow it.
Works with
Alternatives to Katana
Katana: common questions
What happens when I exceed 30 SKUs on Katana?
You move from the Free plan to Advantage, which has custom pricing and unlimited SKUs, users and integrations. The pricing page shows no fixed figure, so the cost comes from a conversation about your workflows. Ask for a written annual quote with implementation included before you import more than 30 products.
Does Katana suit a business that does not manufacture?
It can, because inventory, purchasing, order management and warehousing are separate feature areas. Its strength is production, so a pure reseller may pay for manufacturing depth it never uses. Compare it with a multichannel tool if you only buy and resell finished goods.
How does Katana's AI replenishment decide what to order?
The page says purchase order recommendations are based on demand history and plain-language context you control. It does not describe the statistical method or show error figures. Test it by comparing suggested quantities for ten products against what you actually ordered last season.
Can I use Katana through ChatGPT or Claude?
Yes. Katana MCP is described as running Katana from Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini so you can ask questions, create records and cross-reference data without opening the app. Check which actions are write-enabled and who in your team can use it before allowing broad access.
Which security audit does Katana hold?
The security page says Katana completed a SOC 2 Type II audit by an independent third-party auditor and uses a monitoring platform to track compliance between audits. It also states GDPR compliance. It does not publish the report itself, so request it under NDA if your policy requires reading it.