How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Rankite is independent; if a vendor ever pays for a featured spot, that listing is clearly labeled Partner.
Key takeaways
- MRPeasy and Katana are the friendliest entry points for small manufacturers.
- Odoo offers the best value when you need MRP plus a full ERP suite.
- Fishbowl and Cin7 bridge manufacturing with inventory and multichannel sales.
- NetSuite is the enterprise-grade answer for manufacturers outgrowing point tools.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 MRPeasy | small manufacturer ERP | $49 per user/month | Free trial |
 Katana | visual production planning | See website | Free trial |
 Fishbowl | QuickBooks manufacturing | See website | No |
 Cin7 | multichannel manufacturers | $349 per month | No |
 Odoo | full-suite value | $31.10 per user/month (billed annually) | Yes |
 NetSuite | enterprise manufacturing | See website | Free trial |
 inFlow | simple inventory control | See website | Free trial |
 Stocksmith | small-batch makers | See website | Free trial (14 days) |
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
The best mrp software for manufacturing
Starting price$49 per user/month
Free planFree trial
MRPeasy is cloud MRP designed specifically for small manufacturers, and it shows in the focus. Production planning and scheduling, inventory management, procurement, and CRM come together in one system, with a master production schedule feature that helps smaller shops plan like bigger ones. Plans start at $49 per user per month.
The strength is completeness at small-business prices: this is a genuine ERP/MRP system, not inventory software with a manufacturing label. Users report meaningful gains in on-time delivery. The honest limitation is polish. The interface prioritizes function over form, and the deepest features sit in higher tiers. Small manufacturers that want real MRP without enterprise budgets should start here.
What we like- Purpose-built for small manufacturers
- Production planning plus inventory and CRM
- Affordable per-user pricing
Watch out for- Interface is functional rather than beautiful
- Advanced features need higher tiers
Starting priceSee website
Free planFree trial
Katana is the modern, visual take on manufacturing software. The real-time view of raw materials, production, and finished goods is genuinely pleasant to use, and deep integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, and QuickBooks make it the natural fit for direct-to-consumer brands that manufacture. A free trial lets teams test with real data.
For makers and small manufacturers selling online, Katana connects the storefront to the shop floor better than anyone. The limitation is scale and price: it costs more than MRPeasy, and complex multi-site operations will want heavier systems. But for growing D2C manufacturers, the visual planning experience is the category's best.
What we like- Beautiful visual interface
- Strong e-commerce integrations
- Real-time raw material tracking
Watch out for- Pricing is higher than entry-level rivals
- Less depth for complex multi-site operations
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Fishbowl is the manufacturing and warehouse layer that sits on QuickBooks. For the vast number of manufacturers running their books on QuickBooks, Fishbowl adds bills of materials, work orders, barcoding, and multi-warehouse management without changing the accounting system. Advanced manufacturing plans start around $675 per month.
The fit is obvious: keep QuickBooks, add real manufacturing capability. Two decades in business means mature features and a partner network. The honest catch is the enterprise sales motion: pricing is quote-based and implementation takes effort. Manufacturers committed to QuickBooks who need serious inventory control will find the investment justified.
What we like- Deepest QuickBooks integration in the category
- Full warehouse and manufacturing features
- Established since 2001
Watch out for- Quote-based pricing
- Implementation can be involved
Starting price$349 per month
Free planNo
Cin7 connects inventory across every sales channel a manufacturer sells through: wholesale, retail, e-commerce, and marketplaces. The Core product starts at $349 per month, with the Omni tier at $599 for businesses needing advanced order and warehouse management. Built-in EDI and 3PL integrations serve brands selling into retail chains.
For manufacturers that are also distributors, Cin7's channel connectivity is the differentiator. Processing over 125 million orders annually, the platform handles real volume. The limitation is the buying process: no free trial, demo-led sales, and implementation work for complex setups. Multichannel product businesses will get the most from it.
What we like- Connected inventory across all sales channels
- Built-in EDI and 3PL integrations
- Strong for B2B and B2C
Watch out for- No free trial
- Implementation complexity for the full Omni product
Starting price$31.10 per user/month (billed annually)
Free planYes
Odoo is the value play: a complete ERP suite including MRP, inventory, sales, accounting, and HR at $31.10 per user per month billed annually, with one app free forever. The manufacturing module covers bills of materials, work centers, routings, quality, and maintenance, all integrated with the rest of the business.
For manufacturers that need more than MRP, the suite economics are unbeatable. One login runs the whole company. The honest catch is implementation: Odoo's power comes with configuration needs, and results depend heavily on the implementation partner. Businesses with in-house technical capacity or a good partner get enterprise capability at mid-market prices.
What we like- Full ERP suite at per-user pricing
- One app free forever
- Huge open-source community
Watch out for- Manufacturing depth needs configuration
- Implementation quality varies by partner
Starting priceSee website
Free planFree trial
NetSuite is where manufacturers graduate when point tools no longer suffice. The Oracle-owned cloud ERP unites financials, manufacturing, inventory, CRM, and e-commerce in one system, with multi-entity and multi-currency support for growing companies. A free product tour and test drive are available.
For manufacturers crossing $10M+ in revenue with complex operations, NetSuite is the safe enterprise choice. The depth in financials and compliance is unmatched at this level. The honest catch is the total cost: licensing plus implementation plus ongoing administration is a serious investment. Small shops should not start here; growing manufacturers with complexity will find it earns its keep.
What we like- The cloud ERP standard for scaling manufacturers
- Deep financials and multi-entity support
- Strong ecosystem
Watch out for- Significant implementation cost and time
- Overkill for small shops
Starting priceSee website
Free planFree trial
inFlow is inventory management software with manufacturing capability, not MRP software with inventory added. For light manufacturers, assemblers, and kitters, that distinction is fine: bills of materials, work orders, and barcoding cover the need without MRP complexity. A free trial is available.
The strength is approachability. Teams get running in days, and the pick-pack-ship workflow with barcode support suits distribution-heavy operations. The limitation is manufacturing depth: complex routings, capacity planning, and multi-level scheduling belong in MRPeasy or Katana. Businesses that assemble more than they manufacture will find inFlow the right weight.
What we like- Easy to learn and deploy
- Strong barcoding and pick-pack-ship
- Good for wholesalers and light manufacturing
Watch out for- MRP depth is lighter than dedicated systems
- Manufacturing features are basic
Starting priceSee website
Free planFree trial (14 days)
Stocksmith, formerly Craftybase, is inventory and manufacturing software for small-batch product businesses: food, cosmetics, skincare, and craft manufacturers. Multi-level bills of materials, automatic material deduction, and real-time unit costing come standard on every plan, with a 14-day free trial and no credit card required.
For makers who have outgrown spreadsheets, Stocksmith calculates true cost per unit from materials, labor, and overhead, which is exactly the number small producers usually guess at. The limitation is scale: this is for batches, not factories. But in its niche, the fit between product and customer is the tightest on this list.
What we like- Built for small-batch producers
- True unit costing and COGS
- Multi-level BOMs on every plan
Watch out for- Rebranded from Craftybase, which confuses some searches
- Not for large factories
How we chose
We mapped the MRP market from small-shop tools to enterprise ERP, verifying each vendor's current homepage and pricing directly. Two findings shaped the list: Craftybase has rebranded to Stocksmith, and Katana's pricing now starts higher than older listings suggest. We weighted real manufacturing fit, production planning depth, inventory integration, and company-size fit over feature counts. We never claim hands-on testing.
Matching MRP to your operation
The right MRP depends on what you make and how you sell.
Small shops and job shops
MRPeasy and Katana are the starting points. MRPeasy offers more ERP depth; Katana offers the better visual experience and e-commerce connections.
QuickBooks manufacturers
Fishbowl extends the accounting system you already run. Do not replace QuickBooks if the team loves it; add the manufacturing layer.
Multichannel and scaling
Cin7 suits manufacturers selling across channels. Odoo suits businesses wanting one system for everything. NetSuite suits manufacturers outgrowing everything else.
The implementation reality
The cost of skipping implementation discipline is real. Talk to any MRP consultant and they will tell you the same thing: troubled projects almost always trace back to process and data problems, not missing features. The pattern is familiar: a shop buys for the demo, skips the BOM cleanup, and goes live on bad data. Consultants consistently report that clean item masters and accurate BOMs matter more than the feature list. MRP software fails more often from implementation than from features. Before buying, map your bills of materials, routings, and inventory processes as they are, not as you wish they were. Budget for data cleanup: item masters and BOMs are usually messier than expected. Start with one product line, prove the workflow, then expand. The shops that succeed treat MRP as an operations project with software attached, not a software purchase. Get the process right and the software follows. That is the whole secret.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best MRP software for manufacturing?
For small manufacturers, MRPeasy and Katana lead. Odoo offers the best full-suite value, Fishbowl is best for QuickBooks shops, and NetSuite is the enterprise standard.
What is the difference between MRP and ERP?
MRP focuses on manufacturing: materials, production planning, and scheduling. ERP covers the whole business: financials, HR, CRM, and more. Many products, like Odoo and NetSuite, combine both.
How much does MRP software cost?
Entry-level MRP starts around $31 to $49 per user per month (Odoo, MRPeasy). Mid-market options like Cin7 start at $349 per month. Enterprise ERP like NetSuite is quote-based and significantly more.
Is there free MRP software?
Odoo offers one app free forever with unlimited users. Most dedicated MRP tools offer free trials rather than free plans. Open-source options exist but require technical resources.
What happened to Craftybase?
Craftybase rebranded to Stocksmith. Same team, same product, new name, now at stocksmith.io. Existing accounts carried over unchanged.
Do I need MRP if I already use QuickBooks?
QuickBooks handles accounting, not manufacturing. If you track raw materials, build products from components, or schedule production, you need a manufacturing layer like Fishbowl, MRPeasy, or Katana alongside it.
Sources we checked (8)
- https://www.mrpeasy.com
- https://katanamrp.com
- https://www.fishbowlinventory.com
- https://www.cin7.com
- https://www.odoo.com
- https://netsuite.com/
- https://www.inflowinventory.com
- https://stocksmith.io
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has spent more than a decade helping SaaS and e-commerce brands grow through search. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.