Fulcrum vs Katana (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Fulcrum if

• Fits if you run a precision CNC or sheet metal shop and want quoting through to job costing in one place
• Works for high-mix job shops whose schedule changes day to day

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you want to price it yourself first, as no prices are published
• Skip it if you want to try it before talking to anyone, because the only way in is a guided demo
• Watch out: there is no built-in accounting, so you pay for and connect another accounting product
• Tight if you work on the move, since it is a browser system with no phone or desktop apps listed

Pick Katana if

• Fits if you make your own products and need bills of materials and work orders
• Works for food and cosmetics makers who must trace batches for recalls

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want to see a price before booking a sales call
• Tight if you're staying free, as the 30 SKUs count every variant and material
• Not for you if your team wants native phone apps rather than a browser app
• Watch out: the paid plan is sold as one yearly contract, with no monthly option on record
• Watch out: the free plan has no live support, only the AI assistant and knowledge base

Fulcrum

• No prices are published and the FAQ says there is no self-serve free trial; the vendor offers guided demos.
• It has no built-in accounting or general ledger, and connects to accounting software instead.
• It runs in a web browser only, on desktops, tablets and other connected devices.

Katana

• No price is published beyond the free plan: Advantage is quoted after a scoping call and sold as one annual contract.
• The free plan stops at 30 SKUs, counting each product or material variant, and has no live support.
• There are no native phone apps; the warehouse app runs in a mobile browser at wh.katanamrp.com.

Fulcrum

Items and inventory

Item details and transaction history in one place, with material check-in and audit trails.

Purchase planning

Shows what you need before you need it and can combine purchase orders automatically.

Autoschedule

Builds a production schedule from live production data and adjusts it when priorities change.

Job costing

Uses actual labor, material and operation data to compare estimated with actual job cost.

Quoting and sales orders

Quote and sales order tools, with BOM and routing import or creation.

Archie AI and API

Archie is a built-in AI chat and builder; the vendor also lists MCP and API documentation.

Katana

Production planning

Multi-level bills of materials, routings and work orders, with materials assigned to orders and finished goods returned to stock when production ends.

Live inventory across locations

Stock for products and materials across warehouses, production sites and partner locations, with transfers and a real-time availability planner.

Batch and serial traceability

Track lot numbers, serial numbers and expiry dates from supplier to customer to answer recalls and audits.

Sales and purchase orders

Orders from Shopify, Amazon, WooCommerce and wholesale in one list, purchase orders with landed costs, price lists and multiple currencies.

Warehouse app and barcode scanning

A browser-based warehouse app for receiving, picking, packing and stocktakes with a phone camera or a rugged scanner.

AI replenishment and MCP

AI purchase-order suggestions based on demand history, and an MCP connection to query and update Katana from Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini.

Fulcrum

Pricing could not be confirmed. See fulcrumpro.com.

Katana

• Free$0

  Up to 30 SKUs, unlimited users, integrations and inventory locations, all features and API access, with self-serve setup.

• AdvantageCustom

  Unlimited SKUs on one annual contract that includes guided setup, custom integrations and reports, a success manager and 24/7 live support.