Best MRP Software in 2026: 9 Tools for Small Manufacturers Compared

Short answer: for most small manufacturers the best MRP software is a cloud MRP that plans materials and production in one place. Katana suits brands that make products and sell them through Shopify, Amazon or wholesale. MRPeasy suits small factories that need real production planning, routings and capacity. Fishbowl and SOS Inventory suit businesses that run their books in QuickBooks. inFlow and Cin7 Core suit assemblers and distributors that do light manufacturing. Craftybase suits handmade and craft makers, Odoo MRP suits teams that want a low-cost modular suite, and Autodesk Fusion Operations suits shop floors that want tablet-based production tracking.

This guide compares nine MRP systems for small and growing manufacturers, explains what MRP software does and where it stops, and closes with how these products are priced and a checklist for choosing one. It is written for owners, operations managers and finance leads at companies with roughly 5 to 150 people. Larger and more complex manufacturers should read our companion guide to manufacturing ERP software, which covers Epicor, SYSPRO, Plex, DELMIAworks and other mid-market systems.

MRP software compared

Software	Best for	Planning depth	Accounting link	How it charges
Katana	D2C and wholesale brands that make what they sell	Make-or-buy view, BOMs, operations, basic capacity	QuickBooks Online, Xero	Tiered subscription
MRPeasy	Small factories that need proper production planning	Multi-level BOMs, routings, capacity-aware scheduling	QuickBooks Online, Xero and others	Per user tiers
Fishbowl	QuickBooks businesses with warehouse and assembly work	BOMs, work orders, barcode-driven stock	QuickBooks, Xero	Quote-based
inFlow	Distributors and assemblers adding light manufacturing	Bills of materials and work orders on top of inventory	QuickBooks, Xero	Tiered subscription with add-ons
SOS Inventory	QuickBooks Online users that assemble or manufacture	BOMs, work orders, lot and serial tracking	QuickBooks Online (built around it)	Tiered subscription
Cin7 Core	Multichannel sellers with assembly and production	BOMs, assembly and production runs, batch tracking	QuickBooks Online, Xero	Tiered subscription by users and channels
Craftybase	Handmade, craft and small-batch makers	Material recipes, batch production, cost of goods	Exports and accounting links	Tiered subscription
Odoo MRP	Budget-conscious teams wanting a modular suite	BOMs, work centres, routings; PLM and quality as extra apps	Odoo Accounting built in	Per user with app bundles; free community edition
Autodesk Fusion Operations	Shop floors that need live production tracking	Production orders, shop floor data capture, scheduling	Integrations	Subscription, quote-based for larger teams

We do not quote prices. MRP vendors change tiers and limits often, and several sell by quote, so each profile explains the pricing model and links to the vendor’s page so you can check current pricing.

What is MRP software?

MRP (material requirements planning) software works out what materials and components you need to buy or make, how many and by when, based on sales orders, forecasts, bills of materials and stock on hand. Modern MRP products go further: they schedule production against work centres, issue work orders, track materials and labour per job, and pass costs to your accounting package. If you want the underlying calculation explained with a worked example, read what MRP is and how it works.

MRP software vs manufacturing ERP vs inventory software: which do you need?

• Inventory management software tracks stock, locations and reorder points. It is enough if you buy and resell, or assemble simple kits. See our guide to the best inventory management software.
• MRP software adds bills of materials, production planning, work orders and job costing, while leaving the general ledger in QuickBooks, Xero or similar. It fits most manufacturers up to a few dozen production staff.
• Manufacturing ERP puts MRP, finance, sales, purchasing, quality and often shop floor control on one database. It fits companies with several sites, complex routings, heavy compliance or a finance team that needs one ledger. See manufacturing ERP software and our broader list of the best ERP software.

A useful rule: if your accountant is happy with QuickBooks or Xero and your pain is on the production side, start with MRP. If the pain is reconciling production, inventory and finance across entities, look at ERP.

The best MRP software for small manufacturers

1. Katana

Katana is a cloud manufacturing platform built for small brands that make and sell physical products, such as cosmetics, food and drink, apparel, furniture and electronics. Its central view shows whether each sales order can ship from stock, needs a manufacturing order, or is waiting on materials. Native connections to Shopify, WooCommerce and Amazon pull orders straight into planning, and QuickBooks Online and Xero handle the books.

Strengths: fast to set up, visual and easy for non-planners, strong ecommerce links, batch tracking for regulated consumer goods. Limits: capacity scheduling and shop floor control are lighter than MRPeasy’s, and complex engineer-to-order work is not its focus. Pricing model: tiered subscription; check current pricing or see our Katana pricing page and our breakdown of how Katana pricing works.

2. MRPeasy

MRPeasy is a cloud MRP for small manufacturers that need real production planning. It handles multi-level BOMs, routings with work centres, capacity-aware scheduling, MRP-driven purchasing, a light CRM for quotes and sales orders, and product costing. It suits make-to-order and mixed shops that have outgrown spreadsheets but do not want an ERP project.

Strengths: planning depth for a small-business tool, quick rollout, sensible costing. Limits: the interface is functional more than modern, and it has fewer ecommerce connectors than Katana. Pricing model: per user tiers; check current pricing or read how MRPeasy pricing works. For a head-to-head, read Katana vs MRPeasy.

3. Fishbowl

Fishbowl is a long-standing inventory and manufacturing system that many QuickBooks businesses adopt when they outgrow QuickBooks’ own inventory. It covers bills of materials, work orders, barcode scanning, multi-location stock and part tracking, and it is available in cloud and on-premises versions.

Strengths: deep QuickBooks relationship, warehouse and barcode workflows, suits assembly and light manufacturing. Limits: planning and scheduling are simpler than a dedicated MRP, and setup benefits from partner or vendor help. Pricing model: quote-based; check current pricing. We compare it with Zoho in Fishbowl vs Zoho Inventory.

4. inFlow

inFlow is an inventory management system for small businesses that includes bills of materials and work orders, so a distributor or retailer that also assembles products can manage both in one tool. It is strong on barcode scanning, purchasing and a B2B ordering portal.

Strengths: easy to learn, good for mixed resale and assembly, mobile scanning. Limits: it is not a production planner: there is no capacity scheduling or routing depth, so true manufacturers outgrow it. Pricing model: tiered subscription with paid add-ons; check current pricing. See also inFlow Inventory alternatives.

5. SOS Inventory

SOS Inventory is built around QuickBooks Online. It adds what QuickBooks lacks for makers: bills of materials, work orders, assemblies, lot and serial number tracking, and multi-location stock, while keeping QuickBooks as the system of record for accounting.

Strengths: tight QuickBooks Online sync, traceability for small regulated producers, reasonable learning curve. Limits: tied to QuickBooks Online, and scheduling is basic. Pricing model: tiered subscription; check current pricing.

6. Cin7 Core

Cin7 Core is Cin7’s inventory and operations product for small and mid-sized product businesses. Alongside multichannel inventory, it supports bills of materials, assembly and production runs, and batch and expiry tracking, which makes it a fit for brands that sell across channels and do some production in house.

Strengths: one system for multichannel sales, inventory and light production; many integrations. Limits: production planning is lighter than a dedicated MRP, and setup takes care. Pricing model: tiered subscription driven by users, channels and integrations; check current pricing. For other options, see Cin7 alternatives.

7. Craftybase

Craftybase is an inventory and manufacturing tool for handmade and small-batch makers: candle, soap, jewellery, cosmetics and food producers selling on Etsy, Shopify and at markets. It tracks raw materials, records production batches from recipes, and calculates cost of goods sold per product, which is often the number small makers are missing.

Strengths: built for makers, strong on material costing and batch records. Limits: not designed for factories with work centres, routings or multiple shifts. Pricing model: tiered subscription; check current pricing.

8. Odoo MRP

Odoo is a modular business suite in which Manufacturing (MRP) is one app among many. You can start with Inventory and Manufacturing and add Accounting, Purchase, Quality, PLM and Maintenance later, all on one database. A free community edition exists for teams that can self-host and support it.

Strengths: low entry cost, broad module set, grows into a full ERP. Limits: implementation quality depends heavily on the partner, and customisation can make upgrades harder. Pricing model: per user subscription with hosting options; check current pricing or read how Odoo pricing works. See Odoo alternatives if you want to compare.

9. Autodesk Fusion Operations

Autodesk Fusion Operations (formerly Prodsmart) is a cloud production management tool focused on the shop floor. Operators record production, scrap and downtime on tablets, supervisors see live job status, and planners get scheduling and material tracking. It suits small and mid-sized discrete manufacturers moving off paper travellers.

Strengths: real-time shop floor data, operator-friendly, part of Autodesk’s design-to-make ecosystem. Limits: lighter on purchasing and financial depth than Katana or MRPeasy; usually paired with an accounting or ERP system. Pricing model: subscription; check current pricing on Autodesk’s site.

Also worth a look

• Genius ERP for custom, make-to-order and engineer-to-order manufacturers that need quoting and job costing.
• Deskera for small businesses that want MRP, accounting and CRM in one low-cost cloud suite.
• ProShop ERP for machine shops that want quality, documents and scheduling in one system.

Which MRP software fits your business?

If you are…	Start with	Why
A Shopify or Amazon brand that makes its own products	Katana, Cin7 Core	Orders flow straight from sales channels into production
A small factory with bottleneck machines	MRPeasy, Autodesk Fusion Operations	Capacity-aware scheduling and shop floor visibility
Running QuickBooks and happy with it	Fishbowl, SOS Inventory	Built around QuickBooks as the ledger
A distributor that assembles kits	inFlow, Cin7 Core	Inventory first, with BOMs and work orders when needed
A handmade or craft business	Craftybase	Recipe-based batches and cost of goods per product
Wanting one suite you can grow into	Odoo MRP	Add accounting, PLM and quality apps later
A job shop quoting one-off work	Genius ERP, ProShop ERP, or a manufacturing ERP	Estimating and job costing per order

Which features matter most in MRP software?

1. Multi-level bills of materials with sub-assemblies, units of measure, scrap factors and version control.
2. An MRP run you can trust: netting against stock and open orders, lead time offsets, lot size rules and clear planned order suggestions.
3. Routings and work centres if you need capacity planning or labour costing, not just material planning.
4. Purchasing driven by the plan: one click from shortage to purchase order, with supplier lead times.
5. Batch, lot and serial tracking with expiry dates if you make food, cosmetics, supplements or regulated parts.
6. Shop floor data capture on tablets or phones: start and stop jobs, record output and scrap.
7. Costing: actual material and labour per job, rolled into cost of goods sold in your accounting system.
8. Integrations: accounting (QuickBooks, Xero), ecommerce (Shopify, Amazon, WooCommerce), shipping and EDI where relevant.

How is MRP software priced?

Small-business MRP pricing follows a few common models. Knowing which one a vendor uses tells you how the bill will grow:

Pricing model	How it works	What drives cost up
Per user	A monthly fee for each named or concurrent user	Adding planners, buyers and shop floor logins
Tiered plans	Bundles with feature sets, user counts or order volumes	Needing a feature only in a higher tier, such as batch tracking or advanced planning
Add-ons	Base plan plus paid modules or integrations	Shop floor apps, extra warehouses, API access, EDI
Quote-based	Price set per customer after a demo	Modules, users, deployment choice and services
Open-source or freemium	Free core edition, paid hosting, support or enterprise features	Hosting, partner time and customisation

Beyond the subscription, budget for onboarding and data setup, especially building BOMs and counting stock, and for barcode hardware or tablets on the shop floor. Our guide to what ERP costs walks through a total cost of ownership worksheet that works for MRP too.

How to choose MRP software

1. Write down your production mode: make-to-stock, make-to-order, batch or process, and how many BOM levels your products have.
2. Decide what stays where: which system is the ledger, which holds customer orders and which holds stock.
3. Clean a sample of data first. Build the BOMs for your five best sellers and count their components. If that is hard, fix it before any demo.
4. Run a scripted demo with your own product and a real week of orders: a rush order, a supplier delay and a partial shipment.
5. Check traceability and costing with your accountant or quality lead present.
6. Plan the move up: ask how customers move to the vendor’s higher tier or to an ERP, and how data exports work.

If you are weighing MRP against a full system, compare these tools with the options in our manufacturing ERP guide. For scheduling-only needs, see production planning and scheduling software, and for the wider landscape of MES, QMS, PLM and maintenance tools, see our guide to manufacturing software. Looking beyond Katana specifically? Read Katana alternatives.

Frequently asked questions