Sarah Chen
Manufacturing Operations Consultant | 8 Years
Sarah specializes in production workflow optimization and inventory systems for electronics and contract manufacturers. She has helped 30+ manufacturing teams transition off spreadsheets and into modern inventory systems.
As of October 2026, Katana MRP's pricing page lists two plans: Free, for up to 30 SKUs, and Advantage, a custom-priced annual contract with no published number. The $299/month Core plan that older pricing guides quote no longer appears there. Beyond 30 SKUs, Katana now expects a sales conversation before it names a price. We checked katanamrp.com on October 9, 2026, so confirm terms before you budget.
Many pages that still rank for "Katana pricing" describe the old structure. This guide covers what Katana publishes now, what happened to Core, and what a small manufacturer should expect to pay. It also compares Katana with Nstock, the inventory and production management platform for small manufacturers at nstock.pro. We make Nstock, so weigh that accordingly. Where Katana fits better, we say so.
What Katana Publishes Today
Katana's pricing page, last updated October 7, 2026, shows exactly two plans.
Free: $0, no card required
- Up to 30 SKUs, with unlimited users, locations, and integrations
- Full feature set, API access, an AI assistant, and Knowledge Base support
- Unlimited SKUs for the first 15 days, then trim to 30 SKUs or talk to sales
- Shopify is the only e-commerce integration on Free
- No assigned Solutions Engineer or Customer Success Manager, and no custom integrations, dashboards, or automations
Advantage: custom pricing, one annual contract
- Unlimited SKUs, users, and integrations, with locations scoped to your needs
- Everything in Free, plus custom integrations, dashboards, and automations
- Katana AI and AI Replenishment, the API, and the MCP server
- Implementation, an assigned Solutions Engineer and Customer Success Manager, and regular inventory consultations
- 24/7 live support and priority support with an SLA
Everything above Free's size limit is a quote, and the page shows no self-serve middle tier.
What the Free Plan Really Covers
Free includes the full feature set and unlimited users, and needs no card. The catch is size. For the first 15 days you can load as many SKUs as you like to test at real scale. After that you either trim to 30 or contact sales. Check three things first.
- Only Shopify connects as a sales channel. If you need a different e-commerce channel connected, ask Katana what plan that requires.
- Ask what counts toward the 30. The pricing page says SKUs. A Katana support article reportedly counts 30 active items including variants and archived items. We could not confirm which wording governs, and it matters: 30 products with variants can pass the cap fast. Ask whether raw materials and components count too.
- Location limits are unclear. That same article reportedly lists 3 locations on Free, while the pricing page says unlimited. Treat it as unverified and get the answer in writing.
How Advantage Pricing Works
Advantage has no public price. Katana bills it as one annual contract, and the quote lists everything it will build, which Katana presents as a way to avoid piecemeal invoices and surprise charges. Katana says most teams are fully live in under six weeks, so budget for a project, not an afternoon of setup. We found no published price range and will not guess at one.
To get a useful quote, bring a short brief:
- SKU count, split into finished goods, raw materials, and variants
- Locations and users
- Systems to connect, such as sales channels, accounting, and shipping
- Modules you would have bought separately under the old structure, such as traceability or warehouse management
- How much implementation help you want
- Contract length, renewal terms, and how the price changes as you add SKUs or locations
The $299 Core Plan: What Is Reported and What Is Not Confirmed
We found no single Katana announcement of this change. The timeline below is pieced together from third-party listings and Katana's own replies to reviews, so read it as reported, not confirmed.
- Until early 2026, the tiers were reported as Starter at $179, Standard at $359, Professional at $799, and Professional Plus at $1,799 per month.
- In February 2026, Katana reportedly introduced Free, Advantage, and a Core plan at $299 per month, with unlimited users, one location, and usage-based charges for extra delivered sales orders and locations.
- Third-party listings described add-ons on top of Core: Traceability at $249, Manufacturing Management at $199, Warehouse Management at $149, and the Shop Floor App at $199 per month. Some cite a $2,000 onboarding fee.
- By October 2026, the pricing page shows only Free and Advantage.
Capterra, G2, and many review blogs still show Core from $299 a month, which is why the number keeps circulating. We could not verify whether Core is still sold to new customers.
Existing customers get one line from the pricing page FAQ: "We'll contact you directly about any changes to your plan." They can also ask their Customer Success Manager to move them to Advantage sooner. If you were quoted Core, get the price, renewal date, and add-ons in writing, ask how long the quote holds, and ask what you would pay on Advantage. A $299 figure on a review site is not an offer.
What a Small Manufacturer Should Expect to Pay
Katana's pricing page publishes no number for paid use, and we will not invent one. Sort yourself into one of three situations instead.
- 30 SKUs or fewer, selling on Shopify: $0 on Free, as published.
- More than 30 SKUs, or a sales channel other than Shopify that you need connected: ask Katana for a quote; Advantage is the paid plan its pricing page lists.
- On a legacy plan: whatever your agreement says, until Katana contacts you.
For historical reference only, the reported Core-plus-add-ons structure put a producer needing lot traceability near $548 per month ($299 plus $249), and one needing manufacturing and warehouse modules near $647 ($299 plus $199 plus $149). Advantage is a different contract, so a real quote could land lower or higher, and we have no basis to say which. Compare quotes on first-year total including implementation, not on a monthly sticker price.
When Katana Is Worth It
- Your catalog fits in 30 SKUs and you sell on Shopify. Free gives you the full feature set and unlimited users at no cost.
- You run scheduling across several work centers and want a mature shop-floor tool.
- You want implementation, an assigned engineer, and an SLA in one contract.
- An annual contract is routine procurement for your business.
When It Isn't
- You need more than 30 SKUs and want a price before talking to anyone.
- You sell on a channel other than Shopify and need it connected, but cannot confirm which plan allows it.
- Your approval process needs a published price to compare vendors.
- You would rather not sign an annual contract for your first manufacturing system.
How Nstock's Pricing Compares
Nstock publishes every self-serve price on its pricing page:
- Free: $0, finished goods only, 1 team member, no time limit
- Starter, $49/mo: core inventory and production tracking, Bills of Materials, up to 3 team members, email support
- Pro, $149/mo: adds AI Reorder Advisor and projections, up to 10 team members, priority support
- Business, $349/mo: adds full add-on access, up to 25 team members, dedicated support
- Custom: quoted separately, and can include bespoke API access
Paid plans start with a 90-day trial of Business-tier features. You add a card at checkout and nothing is charged until it ends. Nstock's features page lists multi-level BOMs, lot and batch tracking, and batch production runs.
Katana wins at the small end. If your catalog fits in 30 SKUs and you sell on Shopify, Katana's Free plan is the better deal today. It has the full feature set and unlimited users, while Nstock's Free plan covers finished goods only for one team member, so BOMs start at Starter for $49 a month. Katana's Free plan also needs no card.
Nstock's case begins after 30 SKUs: prices on the page instead of a quote, plan changes anytime, and a 90-day trial to test real BOMs before you are charged. The trade-off is hands-on help. If you want a vendor-led implementation with an assigned engineer, Advantage is built for that, while Nstock leans self-serve. See Nstock vs Katana MRP, the Katana alternatives roundup, or switching to Nstock.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Katana still have a $299 plan?
Not on its pricing page. As of October 2026, katanamrp.com lists only a Free plan (up to 30 SKUs) and a custom-priced Advantage plan. Core was reportedly priced at $299 per month, and review sites still show that figure. We could not verify whether Core is still sold to new customers, so ask for current terms in writing.
How much does Katana Advantage cost?
Katana does not publish a price. Advantage is a custom quote billed as one annual contract, scoped to your SKU count, locations, integrations, and users. It bundles implementation, an assigned Solutions Engineer and Customer Success Manager, and 24/7 live support. Any dollar figure you see online is an estimate, so request a written quote that itemizes everything included.
What does the Katana Free plan include?
Katana's Free plan costs $0, needs no card, and covers up to 30 SKUs with unlimited users, locations, and integrations, plus API access and an AI assistant. New accounts can test unlimited SKUs for 15 days. Only Shopify integrates on Free, and no Solutions Engineer is assigned. A Katana support article may describe the caps differently, so confirm them before you rely on them.
What happens to customers on Core, Standard or Professional?
Katana's pricing page says it will contact those customers directly about any changes to their plan, and customers can ask their Customer Success Manager to move them to Advantage sooner. The page publishes no migration schedule or new prices for existing plans. If you are on one of them, get your current rate, renewal date, and any change notice in writing.
Is there an alternative with published pricing?
Nstock publishes every self-serve plan: Free, then Starter at $49 per month, Pro at $149, and Business at $349, with a Custom plan quoted separately. Whether that beats a Katana quote depends on the quote. Katana's Free plan is the better deal if your catalog fits in 30 SKUs and you sell on Shopify.
: Sarah Chen, Manufacturing Operations Consultant