ERP and manufacturing
A Katana alternative for shops that are also contractors
Katana is cloud inventory and MRP for product businesses: makers, CPG, and small brands who buy, build, and ship SKUs. Pricing is published in tiers. Recent 2026 comparisons put a manufacturing-enabled setup in the several-hundred-dollars-a-month range once the manufacturing add-on is included, not the sticker people quote for the base plan.
Katana is a good lite ERP if you sell products. It is an awkward fit if the “product” is a railing measured off a drawing and installed on a building. TrueScope covers the same inventory and BOM needs and continues into takeoff, a project schedule, and a field crew.
Relative cost for a small crew
Katana
Specialist software
TrueScope
$20 / full user
Longer bar means a heavier bill. TrueScope stays at $20. Confirm the other price on the vendor site.
Apps on a typical week
Katana plus
- Takeoff
- Field crews
One subscription
TrueScope
Takeoff, shop, field, and books
Fit for a small contractor
KatanaTrueScope
Works on a Mac
Works on a phone
One app for the whole shop
More details
What Katana is built to do
Katana plans materials for orders and manufacturing, with a clean interface aimed at operators who are not ERP people. Advanced manufacturing features sit on higher tiers or add-ons. Construction billing and dispatch are out of scope.
- SKU-based planning for brands and omnichannel shipping
- Manufacturing as a paid add-on on top of a core subscription
- No plan takeoff, retainage, or technician schedule
The lighter version for a small contractor
TrueScope inventory and job central are the small-shop version of buy, build, and ship: bins, multi-level BOMs, purchase orders, and a cost on the job. You do not pay a separate manufacturing add-on. If the business is only SKUs, Katana’s product focus may still be the tighter tool.
The contractors who bounce off Katana are mixed: a fab table plus an install crew, or a product line plus service agreements. Katana asks them to be a product company. TrueScope lets both functions stay on, which is the actual shape of the business.
Shop updates and receiving run on a phone. The owner can live on a Mac. Offline sync covers the floor. Katana is a web app too, but it will not be the app in the truck after the delivery.
Katana’s manufacturing capability has been priced as an add-on on top of a core plan, with published cores in the hundreds per month. TrueScope includes manufacturing at $20 per full user. Prices change. Check the vendor before you buy.
Katana and TrueScope side by side
Best customer
Katana. Product brands and makers
TrueScope. Custom shops and trade contractors
Make the item
Katana. MRP and a manufacturing add-on
TrueScope. BOM and routing included
Measure a plan
Katana. No
TrueScope. Visual takeoff
Install or service it
Katana. No
TrueScope. Projects and field scheduling
Price shape
Katana. Tier plus manufacturing add-on
TrueScope. $20 full user, every module
TrueScope features that cover this work
- Inventory
Stock, bins, and purchasing for what you build.
- Job central
Production without a separate MRP add-on.
- Field service
When the product is installed or maintained, not only shipped.
When Katana is still the right call
Stay on Katana if you sell a catalog, you ship it, and you do not take off drawings or run jobsite crews. Move if the shop is half manufacturer and half contractor and you are about to buy a second system for the other half.
Questions small contractors ask
Is TrueScope a Katana alternative?
Yes for inventory, purchasing, and small-shop production. It is the better alternative when those goods are taken off a plan, installed, or serviced afterward.
Do I need a manufacturing add-on?
No. BOM, routing, and work orders are included for every full user. There is no module upcharge.
Can I use it only as inventory at first?
Yes. Leave projects, takeoff, or field service off until the shelf is under control, then turn them on without a new vendor.
$20 a full user. Every module.
Field contributors are $5. Mac, phone, and offline included.
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Katana is a trademark of its owner. TrueScope is not affiliated with or endorsed by them. Bars show a relative picture for a small crew, not a live quote.