Katana vs. BoxHero
Production planning or inventory control?
Katana and BoxHero are both cloud-based, but they solve different problems. Katana is built around planning and scheduling production, while BoxHero focuses on tracking the materials, parts, and finished goods themselves, with no production planning to set up.
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Katana is an operations platform built around manufacturing
Katana combines inventory, sales and purchase orders, warehousing, and production in one system. Its strength is manufacturing, with material requirements planning, BOMs, and a shop floor app for production teams.
BoxHero is inventory management for manufacturers, retailers, and wholesalers
Instead of production planning, BoxHero covers the core of inventory work: barcode scanning, low stock alerts, multiple locations, and order management.
Why BoxHero over Katana?
Barcodes built into every task
In BoxHero, barcodes drive everyday work. Scan with a Bluetooth scanner or your phone camera to add, find, and move items, and design and print your own labels on a standard or thermal printer.
Katana also supports barcode scanning in its shop floor and warehouse apps, and integrates with accounting and sales platforms like QuickBooks and Shopify.
Simple enough to set up yourself
Katana covers a lot of ground, from production planning to warehouse picking, and new customers are set up with a dedicated onboarding manager. If you don’t run production, much of that setup won’t apply to you.
BoxHero is intuitive, so most teams are up and running right away without formal training. If you’d like a hand, short video tutorials, a quick start guide, and optional demos are there to help.
Published pricing instead of a quote
Katana’s free plan is capped at a small number of SKUs, and the paid plan is priced on request. To learn what a growing catalog will cost, you need to talk to sales.
BoxHero lists its price up front. The Business Plan starts at $30 a month per team, and as your catalog grows you add items in blocks instead of asking for a new quote. You can try it free with your own stock first.
Katana or BoxHero: Which is right for you?
Katana is best for manufacturers that need to manage raw materials, production planning, and shop floor tasks in one system. If production efficiency is your priority, Katana is worth a look.
BoxHero is the better fit if you don’t need production management but want a simpler way to manage stock, sales, and purchases. It takes less time to set up, and its price is published up front.
Take control of your inventory anytime, anywhere
BoxHero runs on your PC, tablet, or phone with real-time inventory data. Whether you’re managing stock in a retail store or overseeing multiple warehouses, everyone sees the same numbers.
Get more out of the box on BoxHero
Learn moreInventory Sharing
Share current stock levels with people outside your team through a private link, no login required on their end. Choose which items and details appear, and keep the rest of your inventory private.
Learn moreInventory Control
Track every item in one place with SKUs, photos, and custom attributes. Record cost and price for each one, and keep quantities accurate with every stock transaction.
Learn moreMultiple Locations
Manage inventory across warehouses, stores, and stockrooms, all from one place. See how much you have at each site, and move stock between locations with full tracking history.
Learn moreStock Count
Run full or partial counts with your team, splitting the work into task sheets by area or shelf. Review every difference against recorded quantities, then apply the results in a single step.
Learn moreExcel Import & Export
Add and update items straight from a spreadsheet, from prices and quantities to SKUs. Download a template that matches your columns, then export back to Excel whenever you need.
Learn morePurchases & Sales
Create purchase and sales orders, then receive or ship them in full or in batches. Send invoices by email or PDF, apply taxes and discounts, and handle returns against the original order.
Track your stock without a manufacturing system
Try BoxHero free for 30 days.
Quick reference
Help GuideFrom getting started to basic concepts, explore our detailed user guide to learn more about BoxHero.
Contact UsHave a question or comment? Reach out to us and we’ll get back to you.
GlossaryLearn about the most important inventory management and accounting terms and acronyms for small businesses.
Manage your inventory from anywhere
Set up items and review reports in your browser, then scan barcodes, record inventory transactions, and get low stock alerts on your phone. Everything stays in sync in real time.
