The short answer
Shortlist Katana around demand, inventory, and manufacturing coordination, or MRPeasy around production planning and the feature tier your factory needs. Make both explain the same partial receipt, production job, and split shipment.
Compare the configuration that can reproduce the trial, including required features and users.
Separate on-hand, reserved, and expected stock at every checkpoint.
Unexplained quantity differences should stop the purchase decision.
Katana trial focus
Trace demand, material allocation, partial completion, and final actual-use reconciliation.
MRPeasy trial focus
Trace routing, worker reporting, partial completion, and the required feature tier.
Which should you shortlist?
Start with Katana when connecting customer demand to inventory and manufacturing is the main evaluation question. Start with MRPeasy when your evaluation revolves around production planning, BOMs, and the feature tier your factory needs. These are research-based shortlisting judgments, not measured usability rankings.
Neither product wins simply by having the lower advertised starting price. Count required seats, manufacturing features, locations, and implementation effort before comparing totals.
What the documentation establishes
| Decision | Katana | MRPeasy |
|---|---|---|
| Price basis | Core and Manufacturing Management are separate budget items; use the dated plan records below and confirm the full configuration. | Compare the dated per-user plan records below; higher tiers gate additional capabilities. |
| Partial production | Partial completion consumes ingredients proportionally using planned quantities; actual usage is applied when the order is fully completed. | Partial completion is enabled by default; products enter stock when the last operation is reported. Check the setting and reporting process used for the trial. |
| Selection risk | Base subscription may omit the production or traceability features you need. | Entry tier may omit subcontracting, multi-site, or revision requirements. |
| Proof to collect | Material allocation, interim balances, final actual-use reconciliation. | Routing/reporting setup, partial quantities, planned-goods settings. |
A repeatable manufacturing trial
This is an original planning exercise, not a report of software we have operated. Use a sandbox with fictional records. Keep the same units, prices, dates, and opening balances in each product, and record the plan tier and settings used.
Make 20 wooden desk stands. Each needs 2 wood blanks, 4 screws, and 1 box. Start with 30 blanks, 100 screws, and 20 boxes. The initial material ceiling is 15 stands. A purchase order for 20 blanks, with only 10 received, brings available material to exactly 20 stands.
Create a sales order for 12 stands and a production job for 20. Complete 8 units, ship 6, then complete the remaining 12. With no scrap or other movements, the ending stock should be 14 finished stands, 0 blanks, 20 screws, and 0 boxes. The sales order still needs 6 stands; the purchase order still needs 10 blanks. These are arithmetic expectations, not verified software outputs.
- Check whether unreceived purchases become available or merely planned. Do not silently count incoming goods as on-hand stock.
- Record when materials are consumed: on start, partial completion, or final completion. Explain any difference between planned and actual usage.
- Save evidence of remaining purchase quantity, finished stock, reserved stock, and the unshipped sales balance. A visually completed job is not enough.
- Repeat with one extra scrapped blank and a revised material cost. Reconcile the stock movement and cost adjustment separately.
Download the manufacturing trial ledger (CSV) ↓
- 1Receive
10 blanks received; 10 still on the purchase order.
- 2Part-complete
8 stands made; keep material and finished balances separate.
- 3Part-ship
Ship 6; 2 finished stands remain, with 6 still owed.
- 4Finish
Make 12 more; reconcile 14 finished stands and all components.
Expected checkpoints from the article’s documented planning exercise; no hands-on result is claimed.
Use a scorecard that can change the decision
For each task, record pass, workaround, unavailable on quoted plan, or unexplained. Add the operator time, required setup, and a screenshot or export. Do not turn untested claims into numerical ratings.
Treat unexplained stock differences as a stop condition. A price advantage is not useful if your team cannot distinguish reserved inventory from physical stock. Repeat the exercise with your own highest-volume product before buying.
| Checkpoint | Expected evidence |
|---|---|
| Purchase receipt | 10 received and 10 still outstanding. |
| After first completion and shipment | 2 finished units physically on hand; 12 still to manufacture; 6 still to ship. |
| After production completes | 14 finished units; remaining components match the ledger. |
| Actual-use adjustment | An extra scrapped blank is reflected without silently changing the sales quantity. |
Make the quote reproducible
Send the same user count, locations, order volume, product count, required integrations, and scenario to each vendor. Ask for the paid configuration that reproduces the demo. This prevents a trial with every feature enabled from being compared with an entry-level subscription.
If your central need is material costing for a small-batch brand, also read our Stocksmith comparison. If you only need shared channel quantities for finished goods, begin with the Trunk workflow instead.
Next useful readStocksmith vs Katana for a small-batch brand Continue with this related evaluation.
Next useful readBundle stock calculator Continue with this related evaluation.
Next useful readIn-house fulfillment vs 3PL calculator Continue with this related evaluation.
Put the decision to work
Tools and practical buying guides
Stocksmith vs Katana for a small-batch brand →
Choose around material costing, production, and channel stock updates.
Bundle stock calculator →
Find the limiting component after reservations and safety stock.
In-house fulfillment vs 3PL calculator →
Compare labor, packaging, storage, returns, and service minimums.
Sources and research scope
Official documentation checked September 20, 2026 by the ArtisanSW Research Desk. This is source-based research with original worked examples and proposed trial scenarios. We have not operated trial accounts or measured vendor performance. Prices and plan boundaries can change.
- Katana pricing and feature table ↗
- MRPeasy pricing and plan requirements ↗
- Katana: partially completing a manufacturing order ↗
- Katana: partial shipment when making to order ↗
- MRPeasy partial-completion release notes ↗
Found a discrepancy? info@artisansw.com · Editorial methodology
Keep the terms in view
Products in this guide
Prices are checked against official sources and show the verification date. Currency, billing commitment and usage charges matter; these are not like-for-like total costs.
Core · per account · Public monthly starting price; confirm configured quote
Checked Oct 2, 2026Official pricing ↗Core excludes some manufacturing/traceability/warehouse capabilities. Usage, locations and onboarding can increase the total; do not compare an add-on price as a standalone subscription.
Starter · per user · Billed monthly
Checked Oct 2, 2026Official pricing ↗Annual payment offers a separate discount. Additional users above 10 are sold in bundles; do not multiply the first-ten seat rate without checking.