inFlow Manufacturing vs. Katana MRP
Which should you use for orders or manufacturing work?
Manufacturing and MRP software isn’t something you shop for often. So the inFlow team made this page to show you why you might use inFlow Manufacturing over Katana, or vice versa.
inFlow Manufacturing vs. Katana MRP
A feature table of inFlow and Katana can look pretty similar at first glance.
 inFlow | Katana MRP | |
|---|---|---|
| Features | ||
| Inventory and orders | ||
| Barcode support | ||
| Pick, pack, ship | ||
| Manufacturing and BOMs | ||
| Routing | ||
| B2B Portal | ||
| Ecommerce integrations | ||
| Accounting integrations | ||
| API | ||
| Platforms | ||
| Web app | ||
| Windows app | ||
| Android | ||
| iPhone | ||
| Support | ||
| Onboarding | ||
| Chat | ||
| Remote troubleshooting | ||
| Learning Center | ||
| Trials | ||
| Free 14-day trial | Request a demo | |
| Price and users | ||
| Starts at 199 USD/month for 2 users, paid annually. Some plans require an onboarding package. | Starts at 179 USD/month for unlim. users, paid annually. Onboarding starts at 2,000 USD on most plans. | |
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Unlimited features for 14 days.
Why would I use inFlow over Katana?
Tables can’t tell you everything, so here’s why you might prefer inFlow Manufacturing.
inFlow can assemble multiple products on a single order
Both inFlow and Katana support the concept of manufacture orders (MOs) to build products from raw materials. But if you have a complex product that requires several stages of assembly, inFlow can handle multiple sub-assemblies on one MO. This lets you see everything in one place and track progress easily.
On the other hand, sub-assemblies in Katana must be split into their own separate manufacturing orders.
inFlow scales simply for sales
inFlow and Katana plans include a set number of sales orders. If you exceed the included orders in inFlow, you’ll pay a nominal fee for the extra orders.
However, Katana also places annual limits on gross merchandise value (GMV). So if you sell a lot ot high value products or deal in very high volume, your Katana plan will cost you more and more over time.
inFlow is equally great on web and mobile
Katana offers special Shop Floor and Warehouse web apps, but they’re only available on certain plans. On the other hand, inFlow offers dedicated Android and iPhone app available on every plan.
inFlow’s mobile apps also help you get more done out of the box, allowing you to take purchases or sales from start to finish—including buying and printing shipping labels.
Onboarding differences
Katana’s mid and high-tier plans require a mandatory onboarding fee that starts at $2,000. inFlow plans also require an onboarding purchase, but for a significantly lower one-time cost (see pricing for details).
Oh, and every inFlow customer has their own Customer Success Manager to help with workflows and account assistance. That’s a service only offered on Katana’s highest-end plans.
Why would I use Katana over inFlow?
Katana has more robust support for batches, expiry dates, and variants.
You need batches and expiration dates
Although inFlow and Katana are well matched in terms of overall functionality, currently only Katana supports batches and expiration dates.
If you need this kind of functionality in your industry, then Katana may be the better fit for you.
You need a lot of variants for ecommerce
And while both Katana and inFlow offer unlimited SKUs and products, Katana has more extensive support for product variants, which are common in retail clothing, where the same product can be offered in multiple colors and sizes.
How should you decide between inFlow and Katana?
Katana is a good candidate if you need batch numbers, variants, or need to track expiration dates. However, its GMV-based pricing and can make it more expensive for high-value or high-volume businesses.
inFlow offers great apps across web, Windows, and mobile and lets you build multiple sub-assemblies on a single order. It’s also more affordable in the long run because the plan prices aren’t tied to your GMV.
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