Certified Katana Partner & Manufacturing Accounting Specialist
Katana MRP Implementation & Inventory Optimization Services
Certum Solutions implements Katana Cloud Inventory for manufacturers and product businesses, then ties production, inventory, and job costing directly into QuickBooks Online or Xero.
✔️ G2 Best Software 2026✔️ 1,500+ product businesses on Katana✔️ QuickBooks Online & Xero integration
6 wks, Typical guided onboarding to full visibility
30 SKUs, Free forever, no credit card, 3 locations
$1–250M Katana's ideal customer revenue range
Certified
Katana Partner Implementation & integration
Top 5%
ProAdvisor, QuickBooks Elite Partner
Compliant
SOC-2 & GDPR Compliant, Katana platform security
★
4.6 / 5.0 Google 47+ reviews
BBB
BBB A+ Rated, Certum Solutions
Quick Summary
Certum Solutions is a certified Katana partner that implements Katana Cloud Inventory for manufacturers, then integrates it with QuickBooks Online or Xero for accurate job costing and COGS. Katana requires QuickBooks Online, not Desktop or Enterprise — if you're not already there, we handle that migration too. This guide covers what Katana includes, real pricing, and how it compares to running inventory inside QuickBooks Desktop, QuickBooks Enterprise, or Fishbowl. Book a free consultation →
The Platform
What Is Katana MRP?
Katana Cloud Inventory is manufacturing resource planning software built for product businesses — real-time inventory, production scheduling, purchasing, and sales order management in one platform, with QuickBooks Online and Xero as its core accounting integrations. Over 1,500 product businesses run on it, and it was named Best Software 2026 and Best ROI 2026 by G2.
Katana's ideal customer is a tech-enabled SMB doing $1M–$250M in annual revenue, dealing with physical inventory, already using or open to QuickBooks Online or Shopify/WooCommerce, and operating primarily in English-speaking markets (US, Canada, UK, New Zealand, Australia). It's industry-agnostic — food and beverage, cosmetics and CBD, apparel and textiles, electronics, furniture, material fabrication, and chemical manufacturing all run on it.
Important to Know
Katana Runs on QuickBooks Online — Not Desktop or Enterprise
This trips people up: Katana's accounting integration connects to QuickBooks Online (and Xero), not QuickBooks Desktop or QuickBooks Enterprise. If you're currently running inventory inside QuickBooks Desktop, QuickBooks Enterprise, or a bolt-on tool like Fishbowl, you'll need to move to QuickBooks Online before Katana can sync with your books.
This is actually the most common way we bring clients onto Katana; as part of a QuickBooks Desktop-to-Online migration, not as a separate project. We handle both at once so your inventory data and your accounting data land in the right place together.
How This Works
What Certum Solutions Actually Does
Katana account setup and configuration, including products, Bills of Materials (BOMs), and production routing
QuickBooks Online or Xero integration, mapped so purchase orders, sales orders, and inventory balances sync correctly with your books
QuickBooks Desktop-to-Online migration first, if you're not yet on QBO
E-commerce and marketplace connections — Shopify, Amazon, BigCommerce, and others — for a single view of orders across channels
Employee training on shop floor data collection, order management, and reporting
Ongoing support as your production and inventory needs scale
"They are transparent and honest. Unlike other companies that will simply nod and say they can do it all, Certum will ensure that the client is aware of limitations or incompatibilities early on, further helping establish expectations before the project is afoot."
— James Frey, Case Study ReviewPlatform Features
What's Included With Katana
Inventory & Warehousing
Advanced inventory management, multi-location tracking, warehouse management
Production
Production planning and scheduling, shopfloor data collection, real-time job costing
Sales & Purchasing
Omnichannel sales consolidation, sales order functionality, partial invoicing
Planning
Forecasting and inventory planning, live demand data to prevent stockouts and overstock
Pricing
What Katana Actually Costs
$0
Free Plan
Up to 30 SKUs and 3 inventory locations, unlimited users, no credit card required. Core integrations like Shopify and QuickBooks Online included. Good for early-stage testing before committing.
$299/mo, starting
Core Plan
Unlimited SKUs, users, and integrations, plus API access and 24/7 support. This is where most growing manufacturers land.
Custom
Advantage Plan
A dedicated solution built and maintained by Katana, with custom integrations, dashboards, and a dedicated Solutions Engineer.
Pricing and plan structures change periodically — we'll confirm current tiers and scope pricing accurately against your SKU count and location needs during a consultation.See If Katana Fits Your Operation
Bring your SKU count, sales channels, and current system, and we'll scope the right plan and integration path.
Prefer to call? (980) 210-6946
How It Compares
Katana + QuickBooks Online vs. Built-In Inventory vs. Fishbowl
If you're currently managing inventory inside QuickBooks Desktop, QuickBooks Enterprise, or a Desktop add-on like Fishbowl, here's how Katana + QuickBooks Online stacks up on the features that matter most for a growing manufacturer:
| Feature | Katana + QBO | QB Desktop | QB Enterprise | Fishbowl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited users | Yes | No | Add-on cost | No |
| Multi-level Bill of Materials | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Drag-and-drop order scheduling | Yes | No | No | No |
| Auto-scheduling by capacity | Yes | No | No | No |
| Built-in AI assistant | Yes | No | No | No |
| 24/7 support | Yes | No | No | No |
| SOC-2 & GDPR compliant | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Dedicated onboarding manager | Yes | No | No | No |
Feature comparison based on Katana's published partner battlecards. We'll walk through the specific gaps relevant to your current setup.Honest Fit Check
Is Katana Right for Your Business?
Where it fits
Katana is a strong fit if:
You're a $1M–$250M product or manufacturing business managing physical inventory
You sell across multiple channels — Shopify, Amazon, wholesale — and need one accurate stock count
You need real BOM-level job costing, not a rough estimate
You're outgrowing QuickBooks Desktop/Enterprise built-in inventory or a tool like Fishbowl
Where it doesn’t
Katana may not be the right fit if:
You're a pure service business with no physical inventory to track
You want to stay on QuickBooks Desktop permanently and never move to Online
You're beyond $250M in revenue and need a full enterprise ERP with deeper financial consolidation — we'd point you toward Intuit Enterprise Suite or Odoo instead
We'll tell you honestly if a different system fits your size and complexity better before recommending Katana.
The Bigger Picture
What Inventory Data Connects To Beyond Katana
QuickBooks Desktop-to-Online Migration — if Katana is your reason to finally move off Desktop
QuickBooks Online Setup — configured to receive Katana's inventory and job costing data correctly
Xero Setup & Support — for businesses running Katana on Xero instead
Inventory Management Services — broader inventory strategy beyond the Katana platform itself
E-commerce Integrations — Shopify, Amazon, and marketplace connections tied to inventory
Fractional CFO Services — margin and COGS analysis once job costing data is accurate
Software Training — for your production and warehouse staff after go-live
Katana also runs its own Katana Academy with self-paced courses if your team wants to go deeper after we've handled setup and training.
FAQ
Common Questions About Katana MRP
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Katana is manufacturing resource planning and inventory management software for product businesses. It handles real-time inventory tracking, production scheduling, purchasing, and sales order management across multiple sales channels and locations.
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For accounting integration, yes — Katana connects directly to QuickBooks Online and Xero, not QuickBooks Desktop or QuickBooks Enterprise. If you're currently on Desktop or Enterprise, Certum handles the migration to QuickBooks Online as part of your Katana setup.
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Katana has a Free Plan for up to 30 SKUs and 3 locations with no credit card required. Paid plans start around $299/month for unlimited SKUs, users, and integrations. A custom-built Advantage plan is available for more complex operations. We'll confirm exact current pricing during a consultation.
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Yes. Katana's Free Plan supports up to 30 SKUs and 3 inventory locations with unlimited users and no credit card required, making it a reasonable way to test real workflows before committing to a paid tier.
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Fishbowl is a QuickBooks Desktop add-on, while Katana is a standalone cloud platform that integrates with QuickBooks Online. Katana generally offers more modern features like drag-and-drop scheduling, an AI assistant, and 24/7 support that Fishbowl doesn't include.
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We handle account setup and configuration, product/BOM/routing setup, QuickBooks Online or Xero integration, e-commerce connections, employee training, and ongoing support as your operation scales. If you're not yet on QuickBooks Online, we handle that migration too.
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Yes. Katana integrates with Shopify, Amazon, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and other e-commerce platforms to keep inventory and orders synced across every sales channel.
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Self-serve setup can happen in a day for very simple operations. Guided implementation, including workflow mapping, data migration, and team training, typically reaches full inventory visibility in about six weeks. Timing depends on your SKU count, BOM complexity, and whether a QuickBooks migration is part of the project.
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Katana is industry-agnostic and used across food and beverage, cosmetics and CBD, apparel and textiles, electronics, furniture, material fabrication, chemical manufacturing, and more, anywhere physical inventory and production need to be tracked accurately.
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No. Very large manufacturers above roughly $250M in revenue, or those needing deep multi-entity financial consolidation, are usually better served by a full enterprise ERP like Intuit Enterprise Suite or Odoo. We'll tell you honestly which situation fits your business.
Related from Certum
Keep Inventory Data Connected to Your Books
Ready to Get Katana Set Up Right?
Whether you're starting fresh or migrating off QuickBooks Desktop, we'll implement Katana and tie it directly into your books.