MRPeasy vs Katana: Which Cloud MRP Fits Your Shop?
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.
1. How do most of your orders arrive?
Order channel shapes how much integration you need to storefronts versus manual quoting.
2. How complex are your routings?
3. How many active SKUs and BOM levels do you manage?
4. How do you plan material purchases today?
5. Do you need shop floor tracking by operation and worker?
6. Do you need capacity planning against machines or people?
7. How important are lot or serial traceability and quality records?
8. How many people will use the system daily?
9. Which accounting and sales tools must connect?
Check current integration lists on each vendor site before deciding.
10. How soon do you need to be live?
How to use the scorecard
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.
- 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
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
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
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.
- 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Katana or MRPeasy better for a small manufacturer?
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?
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?
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?
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.
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.
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