Katana vs Odoo (formerly OpenERP)
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 production, stock and sales channels in one tool and can start free up to 30 SKUs; its paid plan is priced by quote. Pick Odoo if you want a published per-user price, accounting in the same suite, or the option to self-host the Community edition.
Choose Katana if
- You sell through Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce or Amazon and want those orders pulled in.
- You have many people who need a login, because Katana does not charge per user.
- You want to start on the free plan: up to 30 SKUs with unlimited users.
Choose Odoo if
- You need a price in writing: Standard is $24.90 per user a month billed yearly for the first 12 months, then $31.10.
- You want accounting, purchasing and manufacturing from one vendor.
- You want to self-host: the Community edition is free with no user limit.
Key differences
The rows that separate these two. Unknown means we have not found evidence; it is not the same as No.
| Attribute | Katana | Odoo |
|---|---|---|
| Useful entry priceWhat you pay to get the manufacturing capability, not the cheapest nominal tier. | No paid price publishedSource: katanamrp.com › Pricing(opens in a new tab)Checked October 9, 2026 | $24.90 per user a monthSource: odoo.com › Pricing(opens in a new tab)Checked October 9, 2026 |
| Billing basis | Quote only | Per user |
| Free plan or trial | Free plan: YesUp to 30 SKUs, with unlimited users, integrations and inventory locations, all Katana features and API access.Free trial: 15 days | Free plan: YesOne App Free: one app, unlimited users, on Odoo Online only. Dependencies of the chosen app come along with it. Self-hosting the Community edition is also free, with no user limit at all.Free trial: Unknown |
| Deployment and licensing | Cloud (hosted for you)Proprietary SaaS | Cloud (hosted for you), Self-hosted, On-premise (vendor-supported)Open core (LGPL-3.0) |
| Produces dated buy/make suggestionsThe output is an actionable list with dates, order this much by this date, start this batch on this date. | 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) | YesIn a 2025 vendor tutorial, the replenishment report shows a forecasted date and the request for quotation it creates carries an order deadline and an expected arrival date: "Now, when using reordering rules, ODU will remind you to order 10 days before the quantity is expected to drop below the minimum."Source: odoo.com › Manufacturing(opens in a new tab) |
| Accounting connectionSends financial data to bookkeeping software, or includes its own general ledger. | 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) | YesAccounting is one of the included apps on the Standard and Custom plans. Full Accounting is Enterprise only on Odoo's Compare Editions table; the Community edition has Invoicing.Source: odoo.com › Pricing(opens in a new tab) |
| Ecommerce connectionPulls orders and pushes stock levels to a storefront or marketplace. | 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.Source: support.katanamrp.com › Woocommerce integration overview(opens in a new tab) | YeseCommerce is a first-party app included on the Standard and Custom plans.Source: odoo.com › Pricing(opens in a new tab) |
| Product classWhat kind of system it is. | Full MRP | Manufacturing ERP |
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.
Full comparison
Every sourced field, side by side. It opens on the rows where the two differ.
Unknown means we have not found evidence. It is not the same as No.
| Attribute | KatanaKatana · record checked October 9, 2026 | OdooOdoo S.A. · record checked October 9, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | ||
| Product classWhat kind of system it is. | Full MRP | Manufacturing ERP |
| One-line fit | Strong production control with documented MRP planning; paid pricing is quote-only since 2026-10, last published at $299 plus $199 for manufacturing. | An open-core ERP covering manufacturing, stock and accounting; read the Community versus Enterprise line carefully. |
| Real cost | ||
| Pricing | Free plan availableSource: katanamrp.com › Pricing(opens in a new tab)Checked October 9, 2026 | From $0/user/mo · $24.90/user/mo usefulSource: odoo.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. | $0/mo | $24.90/user/mo |
| Billing basis | quote | per-user |
| Openness & data | ||
| Licensing model | Proprietary SaaS | Open coreLGPL-3.0 |
| Deployment | Cloud (hosted for you) | Cloud (hosted for you), Self-hosted, On-premise (vendor-supported) |
| Planning | ||
| Accepts dated demandYou can tell it what is due and when, sales orders with dates, a forecast, or a production schedule. | 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) | Yes"The MPS is perfect for your S&OP meeting, to align objectives of sales people and the manufacturing department." A master production schedule is dated demand by definition.Source: odoo.com › Manufacturing(opens in a new tab) |
| Nets against stock on handIt subtracts what you already have before telling you to buy more. | 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) | YesOdoo 19's reordering rules documentation: "When forecasted stock falls below this number, a replenishment order for the product is created." The rule works on forecast, not on stock on hand today. A 2026 vendor tutorial shows the arithmetic on screen: "We take our max amount 400 and subtract our forecasted amount 25. And that number is our suggested reorder quantity, which is 375." The forecasted amount is stock on hand plus confirmed incoming, minus confirmed outgoing.Source: odoo.com › Reordering rules(opens in a new tab); Vendor video, 2026, at 1:52(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. | 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) | YesIn a 2026 vendor tutorial on reordering rules, the forecasted quantity the rule uses is explained: "It includes confirmed incoming and outgoing moves. So, if we have sales orders waiting to ship or purchase orders on the way, Odoo factors those in automatically."Source: Vendor video, 2026, at 2:07(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. | 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) | YesThe vendor states: "Lead times are calculated in the order provided above, working backward from the delivery deadline using just-in-time (JIT) logic." Customer, manufacturing and purchase lead times are each described, and Odoo schedules backward from the delivery deadline. Checked 2026-09-14. A 2025 vendor tutorial works an example where a 7-day vendor lead time, a 2-day purchase security lead time and 1 day to purchase add up: "Together, these three lead times give ODU a 10-day planning window."Source: odoo.com › Lead times(opens in a new tab); Vendor video, 2025, at 1:40(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. | 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) | YesIn a 2025 vendor tutorial, the replenishment report shows a forecasted date and the request for quotation it creates carries an order deadline and an expected arrival date: "Now, when using reordering rules, ODU will remind you to order 10 days before the quantity is expected to drop below the minimum."Source: odoo.com › Manufacturing(opens in a new tab); Vendor video, 2025, at 1:45(opens in a new tab) |
| Capacity planningChecks whether your people and machines can do the work in the time available. | 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) | Yes"Schedule manufacturing orders and plan resources with finite capacity planning", adjustable on a Gantt chart. Odoo's Compare Editions table marks the Manufacturing sub-row "Shopfloor, Control Panel, Scheduling" as Enterprise only, so Community does not include this scheduling.Source: odoo.com › Manufacturing(opens in a new tab); odoo.com › Editions(opens in a new tab) |
| Production | ||
| Recipes & formulasBatch-style production by weight, volume, or percentage, including scaling a batch up or down. | 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) | Unknown |
| Routings & operationsThe ordered steps a product goes through, and which machine or station does each one. | 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) | YesWork centers and worksheets are documented, with orders scheduled across them.Source: odoo.com › Manufacturing(opens in a new tab) |
| Shop-floor trackingOperators report progress, time, and completions as the work happens. | 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) | Yes"The Shop Floor app helps streamline your manufacturing line. Through the tablet-optimized dashboard, you can organize workers, workcenters, worksheets, quality tests." Odoo's Compare Editions table marks the Manufacturing sub-row "Shopfloor, Control Panel, Scheduling" as Enterprise only, so the self-hosted Community edition does not include it.Source: odoo.com › Manufacturing(opens in a new tab); odoo.com › Editions(opens in a new tab) |
| Quality controlsChecks, tests, holds, and non-conformance records tied to production or receiving. | Unknown | Yes"Get statistical analysis of quality issues, and set control point instantly available in the shop floor with instructions." Quality is an Enterprise-only app on Odoo's Compare Editions table.Source: odoo.com › Manufacturing(opens in a new tab); odoo.com › Editions(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"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) | Yes"Track components, or manufacture in batches (lots) or serial numbers. Get a clear traceability of all operations in just a click."Source: odoo.com › Manufacturing(opens in a new tab) |
| Expiry & shelf lifeBest-before dates on materials and finished goods, with warnings before they lapse. | Yes"Track the expiry date of items and stay in control of expiring stock."Source: katanamrp.com › Manufacturing(opens in a new tab) | YesOdoo's Inventory documentation says: "In Odoo, only products that are tracked using lots and serial numbers can be assigned expiration information." Each product can set expiration, best before, removal and alert dates. This is the Products Expiration Date module in the free Community edition, not an Enterprise-only feature.Source: odoo.com › Expiration dates(opens in a new tab); github.com › Manifest .py(opens in a new tab) |
| Commerce & accounting | ||
| Product costing & COGSWhat it costs you to make one, and the cost of the goods you sold. | Yes"Automatically calculate manufacturing costs based on your BOMs, operations, and material usage. Compare planned and actual consumption."Source: katanamrp.com › Manufacturing(opens in a new tab) | PartialCost control is described in the manufacturing-order simulation. We have not verified the costing method.Source: odoo.com › Manufacturing(opens in a new tab) |
| PurchasingRaising and tracking purchase orders to suppliers from inside the system. | 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) | YesReordering rules automatically create requests for quotation carrying vendor, price and quantity.Source: odoo.com › Reordering(opens in a new tab) |
| Accounting connectionSends financial data to bookkeeping software, or includes its own general ledger. | YesThe help center has a Xero integration overview, which lists "Send purchase orders (POs) to Xero as bills". QuickBooks Online is shown in a 2026 vendor walkthrough: "To connect the QuickBooks Online integration to Katana, you first need to make sure that you have the integrations permission."Source: support.katanamrp.com › Xero integration overview(opens in a new tab); Vendor video, 2026, at 0:07(opens in a new tab); Vendor video, 2026, at 0:29(opens in a new tab) | YesAccounting is one of the included apps on the Standard and Custom plans. Full Accounting is Enterprise only on Odoo's Compare Editions table; the Community edition has Invoicing.Source: odoo.com › Pricing(opens in a new tab); odoo.com › Editions(opens in a new tab) |
| Ecommerce connectionPulls orders and pushes stock levels to a storefront or marketplace. | 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) | YeseCommerce is a first-party app included on the Standard and Custom plans.Source: odoo.com › Pricing(opens in a new tab) |
| Openness & your data | ||
| APIA documented programming interface so other software can read and write your data. | 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) | YesExternal API access is listed as a Custom-tier feature at $49/user/month, not available on Standard. Self-hosted Community installs are unrestricted.Source: odoo.com › Pricing(opens in a new tab) |
| WebhooksThe system can notify other software the moment something changes. | 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) | YesAutomation rules have a "Send Webhook Notification" action: "This action is used to send a POST API request with the values of the selected Fields to the webhook URL specified in the URL field." Incoming webhooks are supported too. From Odoo's Studio documentation; rules are built in Studio, which is Enterprise, or in developer mode.Source: odoo.com › Automated actions(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. | 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) | Unknown |
| Full data exportYou can take everything, including history and relationships, not just a few screens' worth of rows. | Unknown | YesSelf-hosting the Community edition puts the PostgreSQL database in your hands.Source: github.com › Odoo(opens in a new tab) |
Common questions
- Is Katana cheaper than Odoo?
- Katana publishes no paid price beyond its free plan, so you have to ask for a quote. Odoo starts at $24.90 per user a month for the plan that covers manufacturing, and also has a free plan. Put your own users, orders and locations into the cost calculator to see what each comes to.
- Does Katana or Odoo have a free plan or a free trial?
- Katana has a free plan and a 15-day free trial. Odoo has a free plan and we have no trial length on record.
- Which has lot traceability, Katana or Odoo?
- Katana has batch and lot tracking, from the Free plan. Odoo has batch and lot tracking.
- Does Katana or Odoo tell you what to order and when?
- That is the test for material requirements planning: a dated recommendation to buy or make. Katana does. Odoo does.
- Do Katana and Odoo work with QuickBooks, Xero or Shopify?
- Katana: an accounting integration and an e-commerce integration. Named integrations: QuickBooks Online, Shopify, Xero, WooCommerce, BigCommerce and Amazon. Odoo: an accounting integration and an e-commerce integration.
- Is Katana or Odoo open source, and can you host it yourself?
- Katana is proprietary SaaS, deployed as cloud (hosted for you). Odoo is open core (LGPL-3.0), deployed as cloud (hosted for you), self-hosted and on-premise (vendor-supported).
Related
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.