Is Fishbowl Manufacturing cheaper than Katana?

Fishbowl Manufacturing starts at $675 a month for the plan that covers manufacturing (mixed billing). Katana publishes no paid price beyond its free plan, so you have to ask for a quote. Put your own users, orders and locations into the cost calculator to see what each comes to.

Does Fishbowl Manufacturing or Katana have a free plan or a free trial?

Fishbowl Manufacturing has no free plan and we have no trial length on record. Katana has a free plan and a 15-day free trial.

Which has lot traceability, Fishbowl Manufacturing or Katana?

Fishbowl Manufacturing has batch and lot tracking. Katana has batch and lot tracking, from the Free plan.

Does Fishbowl Manufacturing or Katana tell you what to order and when?

That is the test for material requirements planning: a dated recommendation to buy or make. Fishbowl Manufacturing partly does. Katana does.

Do Fishbowl Manufacturing and Katana work with QuickBooks, Xero or Shopify?

Fishbowl Manufacturing: an accounting integration and no evidence either way on e-commerce integration. Named integrations: QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop and Xero. Katana: an accounting integration and an e-commerce integration. Named integrations: QuickBooks Online, Shopify, Xero, WooCommerce, BigCommerce and Amazon.

Fishbowl Manufacturing vs Katana

Comparison last checked October 10, 2026. Every figure comes from the two product records, each with its own sources and check dates.

The short answer

Pick Katana if you are a product brand that wants dated buy and make suggestions and can start on a free plan capped at 30 SKUs. Pick Fishbowl if you are a larger team built around QuickBooks or Xero and can budget from $675 a month for manufacturing, plus a required implementation package with no published price.

Choose Fishbowl Manufacturing if

Your books are in QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop or Xero and the system has to sit beside them.
You have six or more people and need lot, serial and expiry tracking with recall reports.
You can budget from $675 a month plus an implementation package the vendor requires and does not price.

Choose Katana if

You want a date to order by: Katana suggests one from each item's lead time, where Fishbowl reorders from reorder points.
You want to start free: the free plan covers up to 30 SKUs with unlimited users.
You are a small team: Katana's record lists 2 to 50 people as its fit, and Fishbowl's starts at 6.

Key differences

The rows that separate these two. Unknown means we have not found evidence; it is not the same as No.

Key differences between Fishbowl Manufacturing and Katana.
Attribute	Fishbowl Manufacturing	Katana
Useful entry priceWhat you pay to get the manufacturing capability, not the cheapest nominal tier.	$675 a monthSource: fishbowlinventory.com › Pricing(opens in a new tab)Checked October 9, 2026	No paid price publishedSource: katanamrp.com › Pricing(opens in a new tab)Checked October 9, 2026
Setup or onboarding fee	Required, price not published. The pricing page states "we do require an implementation package as part of your Fishbowl purchase" but names no figure.	No figure. Advantage "covers a fully personalized build, setup, and support, all in one contract".
Free plan or trial	Free plan: NoFree trial: Unknown	Free plan: YesUp to 30 SKUs, with unlimited users, integrations and inventory locations, all Katana features and API access.Free trial: 15 days
Product classWhat kind of system it is.	Manufacturing ERP	Full MRP
Produces dated buy/make suggestionsThe output is an actionable list with dates, order this much by this date, start this batch on this date.	PartialReordering is reorder-point driven: once a part hits its point "the purchase order generates itself, ready for approval".Source: fishbowlinventory.com › Purchasing(opens in a new tab)	YesThe Replenishment tab lists a "Suggested order by" date, "Latest date to place an order based on the item's lead time to avoid a stockout", with Buy and Make buttons that create a pre-filled purchase or manufacturing order.Source: support.katanamrp.com › Understanding replenishment and order suggestions(opens in a new tab)
Lot and batch traceabilityWhich incoming material lots went into which finished batch, and where those finished goods went.	Yes"Track lots, serials, expiry, landed costs, and tariffs with one-click recall reports." One-click recall is the capability food and cosmetics producers are buying.Source: fishbowlinventory.com(opens in a new tab)	YesIncluded from the Free plan"End-to-end traceability for materials and products with batch tracking", with auto-generated batch and internal barcodes.Source: katanamrp.com › Manufacturing(opens in a new tab)
Accounting connectionSends financial data to bookkeeping software, or includes its own general ledger.	YesQuickBooks Online and Xero integrations are named, with QuickBooks Desktop also supported.Source: fishbowlinventory.com(opens in a new tab)	YesThe help center has a Xero integration overview, which lists "Send purchase orders (POs) to Xero as bills".Source: support.katanamrp.com › Xero integration overview(opens in a new tab)
Best-fit team sizes	6–20 people, 21–50 people, 51+ people	2–5 people, 6–20 people, 21–50 people

What it costs at your size

Entry prices leave out users, add-ons, order limits and extra locations. Put in your own numbers and both products are worked out the same way, from each vendor's published prices.

Price Fishbowl Manufacturing and Katana for your shop

Full comparison

Every sourced field, side by side. It opens on the rows where the two differ.

Show differences only(a Yes on different plans or editions counts as a difference)

Unknown means we have not found evidence. It is not the same as No.

Side-by-side comparison of Fishbowl Manufacturing, Katana.
Attribute	Fishbowl ManufacturingFishbowl · record checked October 9, 2026	KatanaKatana · record checked October 9, 2026
Fit
Product classWhat kind of system it is.	Manufacturing ERP	Full MRP
One-line fit	The veteran QuickBooks-attached manufacturing system, with manufacturing from $675 a month plus a required implementation package.	Strong production control with documented MRP planning; paid pricing is quote-only since 2026-10, last published at $299 plus $199 for manufacturing.
Real cost
Pricing	From $675/moSource: fishbowlinventory.com › Pricing(opens in a new tab)Checked October 9, 2026	Free plan availableSource: katanamrp.com › Pricing(opens in a new tab)Checked October 9, 2026
Useful entry priceWhat you pay to get the manufacturing capability, not the cheapest nominal tier.	$675/mo	$0/mo
Billing basis	mixed	quote
Free plan	No	YesUp to 30 SKUs, with unlimited users, integrations and inventory locations, all Katana features and API access. "For your first 15 days you can work with unlimited SKUs." "For e-commerce, only Shopify currently integrates with Free."
Planning
Accepts dated demandYou can tell it what is due and when, sales orders with dates, a forecast, or a production schedule.	Partial"Automated Reorder Points and AI Forecasting". Forecast demand is an input. We could not confirm whether dated sales orders drive the requirements calculation.Source: fishbowlinventory.com(opens in a new tab)	YesThe Planning tab monitors expected stock from "Sales orders (SOs)", "Purchase orders (POs)", "Manufacturing orders (MOs)" and "Outsourced purchase orders (OPOs)", and "Katana projects anticipated stock levels by week or month"; forecast demand can be calculated from sales history or entered by hand. Requires the Planning and forecasting add-on. Suggested manufacturing orders that have not been created yet do not appear to be exploded into material demand. For a subassembly with no history the help center suggests a workaround: "Example: Increase the manual forecast for a subassembly without historical data to align stock levels with expected requirements." That is our inference from the workaround, not a direct statement.Source: support.katanamrp.com › Planning and anticipating stock levels(opens in a new tab); support.katanamrp.com › How to use forecast demand(opens in a new tab); katanamrp.com › Manufacturing(opens in a new tab)
Nets against stock on handIt subtracts what you already have before telling you to buy more.	Unknown	YesThe projected stockout date is "Based on your current stock levels and open demand (sales + manufacturing orders)", and the suggested quantity "Considers your demand forecasts, MOQ, and any open supplier orders." Requires the Planning and forecasting add-on.Source: support.katanamrp.com › Understanding replenishment and order suggestions(opens in a new tab); support.katanamrp.com › Planning and anticipating stock levels(opens in a new tab)
Counts incoming ordersIt knows about purchase orders and production orders already placed, so it does not tell you to order twice.	Unknown	YesOpen purchase orders, manufacturing orders and outsourced purchase orders are all inputs to the projected stock level, and the suggested quantity accounts for "any open supplier orders". Requires the Planning and forecasting add-on.Source: support.katanamrp.com › Basics of the planning and forecasting add on(opens in a new tab); support.katanamrp.com › Understanding replenishment and order suggestions(opens in a new tab)
Uses lead timesIt works backwards from when you need something to when you must order or start it, using supplier and production lead times.	PartialLead time is an input to the reorder point. The system "sets automatic reorder points based on sales trends, lead times, and minimum stock levels". But that is lead time shaping a static threshold, not a time-phased plan offset backwards from a required date.Source: fishbowlinventory.com › Purchasing(opens in a new tab)	YesEach SKU carries a lead time, "the number of days it takes to replenish stock (either from a supplier or internal production)". The order-by date is the projected stockout date offset backwards by that lead time: "If a product has a lead time of 7 days and is forecasted to run out on July 21, Katana will suggest placing an order by July 14." Requires the Planning and forecasting add-on.Source: support.katanamrp.com › Sku lead time and minimum order quantity moq(opens in a new tab); support.katanamrp.com › Understanding replenishment and order suggestions(opens in a new tab)
Produces dated buy/make suggestionsThe output is an actionable list with dates, order this much by this date, start this batch on this date.	PartialReordering is reorder-point driven: once a part hits its point "the purchase order generates itself, ready for approval". The published material describes quantities and a preferred vendor, never a date to order by, so this falls short of a dated recommendation. The help center's MRP works the same way: "The Material Resource Planning (MRP) wizard allows reorder levels to be calculated based on historical data, daily consumption rates, forecast percentages, safety stock, and days of stock." Auto PO and Auto MO then order parts that fall below those levels.Source: fishbowlinventory.com › Purchasing(opens in a new tab); help.fishbowlinventory.com › Part(opens in a new tab)	YesThe Replenishment tab lists a "Suggested order by" date, "Latest date to place an order based on the item's lead time to avoid a stockout", with Buy and Make buttons that create a pre-filled purchase or manufacturing order. Requires the Planning and forecasting add-on.Source: support.katanamrp.com › Understanding replenishment and order suggestions(opens in a new tab); support.katanamrp.com › Sku lead time and minimum order quantity moq(opens in a new tab)
Capacity planningChecks whether your people and machines can do the work in the time available.	Yes"Finite-capacity planning" with constraint-aware rescheduling that reroutes jobs when capacity gaps appear.Source: fishbowlinventory.com(opens in a new tab)	Yes"Plan capacity, allocate resources, and ensure materials are ready when needed", with schedules adjustable on the fly.Source: katanamrp.com › Manufacturing(opens in a new tab)
Production
Recipes & formulasBatch-style production by weight, volume, or percentage, including scaling a batch up or down.	Unknown	PartialKatana calls its BOM the "product recipe". In a 2026 vendor live training, size variants of one formula (an 8, 12 and 16 oz candle) share one product card: "So recipes that are identical or proportionally scaled are a perfect fit." No demo shows a formula scaled to a batch size.Source: Vendor video, 2026, at 8:51(opens in a new tab)
Routings & operationsThe ordered steps a product goes through, and which machine or station does each one.	PartialRoutings are mentioned in the context of constraint-aware rescheduling. The work order help says "The steps on each work order will default to the instructions steps from the bill of materials, but work order steps can be added, deleted, or modified for each individual work order by using the buttons located on the component toolbar to the right." Those steps carry no work center or machine, so this stays partial. Needs Fishbowl Advanced.Source: help.fishbowlinventory.com › Work Order(opens in a new tab); fishbowlinventory.com(opens in a new tab)	YesIn a 2026 vendor live training, the product recipe carries production operations in sequence: "Each one has a resource assigned whether that's ... a person, a station, a work area, a cost per hour, and an estimated time." Operations flow into every manufacturing order and the Shop Floor app. Until 2026-10 the pricing page put this behind the Manufacturing Management add-on ($199/mo on Core): "Access manufacturing routings, and manufacturing insights".Source: Vendor video, 2026, at 12:24(opens in a new tab); katanamrp.com › Pricing(opens in a new tab)
Shop-floor trackingOperators report progress, time, and completions as the work happens.	YesThe Work Order module "displays work orders with instruction steps and provides a step-by-step process to complete work orders", and each step can be partly or fully completed as the work is done. This is step completion on the work order rather than a terminal or time-clock screen (Fishbowl Time is a separate module). It needs Fishbowl Advanced; the Inventory plans do not manufacture. Read from the help center, not seen in use.Source: help.fishbowlinventory.com › Work Order(opens in a new tab)	Yes"Give your production team clear task lists, priorities, and instructions directly on the shop floor with no limits on the number of users." Note the pricing page also lists a separate Shop Floor app.Source: katanamrp.com › Manufacturing(opens in a new tab); katanamrp.com › Pricing(opens in a new tab)
Inventory & traceability
Batch & lot traceabilityWhich incoming material lots went into which finished batch, and where those finished goods went.	Yes"Track lots, serials, expiry, landed costs, and tariffs with one-click recall reports." One-click recall is the capability food and cosmetics producers are buying.Source: fishbowlinventory.com(opens in a new tab)	Yes"End-to-end traceability for materials and products with batch tracking", with auto-generated batch and internal barcodes. Until 2026-10 this was sold as a $249/month Traceability add-on; the pricing page read on 2026-10-09 lists traceability inside the Advantage contract and "All Katana features" on the Free plan.Source: katanamrp.com › Manufacturing(opens in a new tab); katanamrp.com › Pricing(opens in a new tab)
Commerce & accounting
PurchasingRaising and tracking purchase orders to suppliers from inside the system.	YesPurchase orders are generated and executed automatically from reorder points and planning output.Source: fishbowlinventory.com(opens in a new tab)	YesPurchase orders can be created pre-filled from a replenishment suggestion with the Buy button, and received in parts. The help center: "Keep your inventory accurate by receiving items from a purchase order in multiple shipments," after which "The PO is updated to Partially received". No plan restriction is stated on the receiving article. Checked 2026-09-19.Source: support.katanamrp.com › How to partially receive a purchase order po(opens in a new tab); support.katanamrp.com › Understanding replenishment and order suggestions(opens in a new tab)
Ecommerce connectionPulls orders and pushes stock levels to a storefront or marketplace.	Unknown	YesShopify is shown in a 2026 vendor walkthrough, and the help center has overviews for WooCommerce ("Once connected, products, customers, and sales orders are automatically pulled into Katana."), BigCommerce and Amazon FBA and FBM. The pricing page FAQ says only Shopify is available on the Free plan.Source: support.katanamrp.com › Woocommerce integration overview(opens in a new tab); support.katanamrp.com › Bigcommerce integration overview(opens in a new tab); support.katanamrp.com › Amazon fba integration overview(opens in a new tab); Vendor video, 2026, at 0:09(opens in a new tab)
Openness & your data
APIA documented programming interface so other software can read and write your data.	YesThe vendor states: "GET /api/products/:id/best-price DELETE /api/products/:id" From the public REST API reference for Fishbowl Advanced, which lists read and delete endpoints. It covers the Advanced line, not every Fishbowl edition. Checked 2026-09-14.Source: help.fishbowlinventory.com › Products(opens in a new tab)	YesThe pricing page read on 2026-10-09 lists "API access" on the Free plan. Before 2026-10 it was listed as included with the Core plan.Source: katanamrp.com › Pricing(opens in a new tab)
WebhooksThe system can notify other software the moment something changes.	Unknown	YesThe vendor states: "Webhooks offer an easy way to receive programmatic notifications from Katana regarding changes to your data as they occur." From Katana's developer documentation. Checked 2026-09-14.Source: developer.katanamrp.com › Getting started with katana webhooks(opens in a new tab)
MCP supportA Model Context Protocol server, letting an AI assistant read or act on this data. Useful, but it has nothing to do with whether the product plans materials.	Unknown	YesIn a 2026 vendor live training, Katana staff connect the first-party Katana MCP server to Claude and ChatGPT: "you can using the MCP read create update any data that you have in Gatana. We have ... not allowed deleting your data this time." The trainer says it is free to connect, and non-owner users need an MCP permission.Source: Vendor video, 2026, at 10:03(opens in a new tab)
CSV exportYou can get your lists out as spreadsheet files.	Unknown	YesA 2023 vendor tutorial exports the serial-number list from the Stock screen: "exporting that we can export as an a CSV file or an Excel file". The same list can be brought back in through Settings, Data import.Source: Vendor video, 2023, at 4:38(opens in a new tab)

Common questions

Is Fishbowl Manufacturing cheaper than Katana?: Fishbowl Manufacturing starts at $675 a month for the plan that covers manufacturing (mixed billing). Katana publishes no paid price beyond its free plan, so you have to ask for a quote. Put your own users, orders and locations into the cost calculator to see what each comes to.
Does Fishbowl Manufacturing or Katana have a free plan or a free trial?: Fishbowl Manufacturing has no free plan and we have no trial length on record. Katana has a free plan and a 15-day free trial.
Which has lot traceability, Fishbowl Manufacturing or Katana?: Fishbowl Manufacturing has batch and lot tracking. Katana has batch and lot tracking, from the Free plan.
Does Fishbowl Manufacturing or Katana tell you what to order and when?: That is the test for material requirements planning: a dated recommendation to buy or make. Fishbowl Manufacturing partly does. Katana does.
Do Fishbowl Manufacturing and Katana work with QuickBooks, Xero or Shopify?: Fishbowl Manufacturing: an accounting integration and no evidence either way on e-commerce integration. Named integrations: QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop and Xero. Katana: an accounting integration and an e-commerce integration. Named integrations: QuickBooks Online, Shopify, Xero, WooCommerce, BigCommerce and Amazon.

How this comparison was made

The short answer and the two lists were written by an editor for this pair. Every other row and answer is read from the two product records, which cite the vendor pages behind each claim. Nobody paid to appear here or to be placed first; the order is alphabetical. How we classify and verify.

Report a correction to Fishbowl Manufacturing Report a correction to Katana