# MRPeasy vs Katana: Which Cloud MRP Fits Your Shop? > Source: https://netray.co/tools/mrpeasy-vs-katana-selection-scorecard > Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems. > Section: Free Tools ## Short answer A 10-question fit test that scores how much planning depth and shop floor control your operation needs, to compare MRPeasy and Katana style cloud MRPs. ## Category erp-migration ## Erp MRPeasy / Katana ## Industry Small Manufacturing ## Audience - Founder - Operations manager - Production planner ## Tool **Kind:** assessment **Questions:** #### How do most of your orders arrive? **Help:** Order channel shapes how much integration you need to storefronts versus manual quoting. **Options:** ##### Online store orders, mostly standard products **Score:** 0 ##### Mix of online and direct customer orders **Score:** 2 ##### Quotes and purchase orders from B2B customers **Score:** 4 #### How complex are your routings? **Options:** ##### A few steps, one or two stations **Score:** 0 ##### 3 to 6 operations across several work centers **Score:** 2 ##### Many operations, parallel steps, outside processing **Score:** 4 #### How many active SKUs and BOM levels do you manage? **Options:** ##### Under 200 SKUs, BOMs one or two levels deep **Score:** 0 ##### 200 to 1,000 SKUs, up to three levels **Score:** 2 ##### More than 1,000 SKUs or deep multi-level BOMs **Score:** 4 #### How do you plan material purchases today? **Options:** ##### Reorder when a bin looks low **Score:** 0 ##### Reorder points and min/max levels **Score:** 2 ##### Time-phased requirements from planned orders and lead times **Score:** 4 #### Do you need shop floor tracking by operation and worker? **Options:** ##### No, we only need job completion **Score:** 0 ##### Some visibility of job status would help **Score:** 2 ##### Yes, time and progress per operation and per worker **Score:** 4 #### Do you need capacity planning against machines or people? **Options:** ##### No, we produce to demand without constraints **Score:** 0 ##### Rough weekly view is enough **Score:** 2 ##### Yes, scheduling against work center calendars **Score:** 4 #### How important are lot or serial traceability and quality records? **Options:** ##### Not required by customers **Score:** 0 ##### Lot tracking for some products **Score:** 2 ##### Customer or regulatory traceability is mandatory **Score:** 4 #### How many people will use the system daily? **Options:** ##### 1 to 3 **Score:** 0 ##### 4 to 10 **Score:** 2 ##### More than 10, with shop floor users **Score:** 4 #### Which accounting and sales tools must connect? **Help:** Check current integration lists on each vendor site before deciding. **Options:** ##### Shopify or similar storefront plus QuickBooks or Xero **Score:** 0 ##### Storefront plus some custom API work **Score:** 2 ##### Mostly API or CSV based, little storefront dependency **Score:** 4 #### How soon do you need to be live? **Options:** ##### In days, with minimal setup **Score:** 0 ##### Within a month or two **Score:** 2 ##### We can invest a quarter to model the process properly **Score:** 4 **Bands:** #### Lighter inventory and order flow tool fits **Min:** 0 **Max:** 33 **Verdict:** Your profile looks like a product business with simple routings and strong storefront ties. A Katana style tool that centres on stock, sales orders and simple manufacturing orders is likely enough. **Recommendations:** - Trial a storefront-connected tool with your 20 best-selling SKUs first. - Confirm how it handles multi-level BOMs and sub-assemblies before committing. - Re-run this scorecard when you add a second production site or more routing steps. #### Both are plausible, test with real data **Min:** 34 **Max:** 66 **Verdict:** You sit in the middle. Either style can work, so the decision depends on specifics such as routings, traceability and integrations. **Recommendations:** - Load one real BOM with its routing into both trials and plan an actual order. - Write down the three features you cannot live without and verify each in the vendor demo. - Check pricing tiers against your user count and order volume, not the entry plan. #### Deeper production planning needed **Min:** 67 **Max:** 100 **Verdict:** Your needs lean toward time-phased MRP, work center scheduling and shop floor tracking. An MRPeasy style planning tool, or a fuller ERP such as Odoo or ERPNext, is a better starting point. **Recommendations:** - Shortlist tools that provide routings, capacity planning and lot traceability in one system. - Compare with open-source options such as Odoo or ERPNext if you have in-house skills. - Plan a data cleanup of BOMs and routings before any import. ## Content **Intro:** Small manufacturers often shortlist MRPeasy and Katana because both are cloud based and priced for small teams. They are built around different assumptions, so the right choice depends on how you sell and how you make things. This scorecard turns ten practical questions into a fit score. **Sections:** #### How to use the scorecard **Body:** Answer each question for how your business operates today, not for the company you hope to be in three years. Higher scores mean you need more planning depth, routing control and shop floor tracking. Lower scores mean you mostly need stock control, sales orders and simple manufacturing orders tied to a storefront. The result is a direction, not a verdict, because vendors change features and tiers often. Use it to decide what to test in trials. **Bullets:** - Answer as a team: operations, purchasing and finance often disagree on routing complexity. - Use real order and BOM counts rather than estimates. - Save the result and repeat it before renewal. #### What separates the two styles of tool **Body:** Katana style tools centre on live inventory, sales order to manufacturing order flow and connections to online stores and accounting. MRPeasy style tools lean toward classic MRP: routings with work centers, time-phased purchasing suggestions, capacity planning and shop floor reporting. Neither description is absolute, and both vendors keep adding features, so treat the differences as tendencies and verify in a live demo. Feature names, limits and pricing tiers change, so confirm each against the vendor's current documentation. #### A worked example **Body:** A candle maker selling through a web store, with one-step pouring and 150 SKUs, scores around 10 to 20 percent. A lighter tool is probably enough. A machine shop with six-step routings, outside plating, lot traceability for aerospace customers and 12 daily users scores above 80 percent and needs real routings, scheduling and quality records. A contract assembler in between scores near 50 percent and should run a two-week trial in each product using one real job before choosing. #### Common mistakes when comparing cloud MRPs **Body:** Teams compare feature lists rather than workflows. Plan one complete order end to end: quote, sales order, material shortage, purchase order, receipt, production, shipment, invoice. Another common error is ignoring data migration effort. Messy BOMs and inconsistent units of measure cause more delay than software choice. Finally, small shops underestimate outgrowing a tool. If you can see a path to routings, traceability or multiple sites within two years, favour a tool with headroom. **Bullets:** - Do not choose on entry price alone, check the tier that includes the features you need. - Test the import of your real BOMs, not the demo data. - Ask how integrations behave when an order is edited after sync. **Cta:** If your answers point to a bigger ERP, or you want the cloud MRP connected to private AI and reporting, Netray can review your shortlist and data readiness. **Faq:** #### Is Katana or MRPeasy better for a small manufacturer? **Answer:** Neither is better in general. Katana style tools suit product businesses with storefront integrations and simple production. MRPeasy style tools suit shops needing routings, capacity planning and shop floor tracking. Run your own order through a trial of each and compare the planning output. #### Can I switch between them later? **Answer:** Yes, but expect to export items, BOMs, suppliers and open orders as CSV and re-import them. History usually does not carry over cleanly. Keep clean item codes and consistent units of measure so migration stays cheap. #### Should I consider Odoo or ERPNext instead? **Answer:** If you need broader modules such as accounting, CRM and HR, or want to customise heavily, open-source ERPs are worth a look. They need more implementation effort, so budget for setup time or a consultant. #### How accurate is a scorecard like this? **Answer:** It is a screening tool built from common selection criteria. It cannot know your exact workflows or current vendor features. Use it to prepare trial scenarios, then decide based on how real orders behave in each system. ## Search terms mrpeasy vs katana, katana mrp vs mrpeasy, best cloud mrp for small manufacturer, small business mrp software comparison, mrpeasy alternatives, katana alternatives, cloud mrp selection checklist, mrp software for startups --- Talk to an engineer: https://netray.co/contact?intent=erp_ai | Machine catalog: https://netray.co/agent/catalog.json