The short version
Katana is a capable, well-established MRP platform with a large ecosystem and a strong e-commerce story. If you sell mainly through Shopify or Amazon and want the deepest marketplace integrations available, Katana is a reasonable choice and we would not pretend otherwise.
Brytebuild is built for UK manufacturers who want production, warehouse and quality in one system, priced per user, without buying a separate module every time they need a core capability. The clearest difference is not the headline price — it is what happens to the price once you add traceability, manufacturing management and a warehouse module.
All Katana figures on this page are taken from publicly published pricing and third-party pricing analyses, correct as of August 2026. Vendors change pricing — please check katanamrp.com for their current rates before making a decision.
What each one actually costs
Katana prices a base plan and then charges separately for capabilities that many manufacturers treat as essential. Brytebuild prices per user, with the warehouse module as a single low add-on and everything else included in the tier.
| What you are buying | Brytebuild | Katana |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | From £45 / user / month (minimum 2 users) | From $99 / month (Essential, 1 user) |
| Pricing model | Per user. Tier includes its full feature set. | Base plan plus paid add-on modules |
| Warehouse management | +£19 / user / month | +$149 / month (separate module) |
| Lot / batch traceability | Included from Basic | +$249 / month (separate module) |
| Quality management (QMS, CAPA, document control) | Included in Pro | Not offered as an ISO-style QMS module |
| Shop-floor / operator seats | From £10 / user / month (execute-only) | Charged as full users |
| Currency and support | GBP, UK company, UK support hours | USD, Estonia / US based |
| Free trial | 14 days, no card required | 14 days |
A worked example: five users who need a warehouse
Take a five-person manufacturer that needs production planning, batch traceability and warehouse management — a fairly ordinary set of requirements for a UK SME.
- Brytebuild: Premium at £65 per user plus the £19 warehouse add-on — £420 per month for five users, with traceability already included.
- Katana: A base plan plus the traceability and warehouse modules. Third-party pricing analyses put a realistic multi-module Katana deployment in the $747 to $1,095 per month range.
The gap is not the sticker price. It is that capabilities most manufacturers consider core are priced separately.
Where Katana is the better choice
We would rather you picked the right system than picked ours. Katana is likely the better fit if:
- You are a single user. Brytebuild has a two-user minimum, so a sole trader will find Katana Essential cheaper to start.
- Your business is primarily e-commerce and you need deep, mature Shopify or Amazon integrations as the centre of your workflow.
- You need a large third-party app ecosystem and an established partner network.
Where Brytebuild is the better choice
- You want production, warehouse and quality in one system rather than assembling them from paid modules.
- You work to ISO 9001 or a customer quality standard and need document control, CAPA and engineering change orders — not just inspections.
- You have operators who only need to execute work, and do not want to pay full user prices for them.
- You want to bill in GBP, hold your data with a UK company, and speak to support in your own timezone.
- You want to lay out your warehouse in 3D and see live stock in the racks — Brytebuild includes a warehouse designer and viewer.
Frequently asked
Yes. Products, BOMs, customers and suppliers import from CSV. Talk to us and we will walk through your data before you commit to anything.
Not in every case. For a single user, Katana Essential has a lower entry price. For teams that need traceability, warehouse management or quality alongside production, Brytebuild is usually substantially cheaper because those are not separate purchases.
No. Monthly or annual billing, no lock-in, cancel any time. Annual billing gives you two months free, so see pricing for the detail.
If you would rather look at the system than read about it, the full feature list is here, or you can start a 14-day trial without a card.