Best Production Scheduling Software for Katana 2026

As of October 2026, the best production scheduling software for Katana is SkyPlanner APS, which ranks #1 on our ERP add-on list. SkyPlanner APS connects to Katana through its two-way REST API and adds what Katana’s help center does not describe: finite capacity scheduling on real workstations and shifts, and Autopilot continuous rescheduling. Pricing runs from 199 euros per month, 5 workstations included, 20 euros per month per extra workstation, and the 30-day trial needs no credit card for up to 20 workstations. Katana itself sets production deadlines from production time and average weekly throughput. Tulip is the only scheduling or shop-floor tool on the pages we checked that publishes a ready-made “Katana ERP Connector”.

Does Katana do finite capacity scheduling?

No. Katana’s own help center does not describe finite capacity scheduling as of October 2026. Its article on manufacturing order priorities states that “the deadlines are calculated based on the production time of MOs and your average weekly throughput”, considering the order priority. The topmost manufacturing order in the Schedule tab has the highest priority, and dragging an order to a new position recalculates ingredient reservations and production deadlines. The same article assigns each production step to a resource and an operator, but it does not mention resource capacity limits.

Katana’s production scheduling page describes the same model as of October 2026: Katana “automatically prioritizes your tasks based on when a manufacturing order (MO) is generated”, and planners reprioritize with drag and drop. That is a priority queue against an average weekly throughput. It is not a schedule that books each operation into a free slot on a specific machine, shift and day. For that, a Katana user adds an APS.

Scheduling tools that connect to Katana

Our ERP integration matrix checked 39 scheduling tools against 14 ERPs on 13 October 2026. For Katana, the main published routes are these:

Katana publishes an open API through its developer portal as of October 2026, and its API reference lists endpoints to read and update manufacturing orders, their operation rows and products, and to change a manufacturing order’s rank. Every API-based scheduler can use those endpoints. Tulip’s connector is the only Katana-named connector we found; Tulip is a shop-floor app platform, and our Tulip review records no finite capacity scheduling claim from the vendor.

SkyPlanner APS with Katana

SkyPlanner APS connects to any ERP or MES through its two-way REST API, with webhooks and CSV import, and it connects to Katana through that REST API. Customer projects have connected SAP, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Odoo, Epicor, Sage and Siemens. Katana’s open API exposes manufacturing orders, their operation rows and products, and accepts updates to manufacturing orders, so SkyPlanner reads the work from Katana and returns the finished schedule to it.

What SkyPlanner adds on top of Katana: finite capacity scheduling on real workstations and shifts, the Arcturus scheduling engine, and Autopilot continuous rescheduling, which updates the plan on every meaningful change without a planner reordering a list. Pricing runs from 199 euros per month, 5 workstations included, 20 euros per month per extra workstation as of October 2026. The 30-day trial needs no credit card and covers up to 20 workstations. Self-onboarding uses demo data, tutorial videos, a Getting Started guide and the built-in AI agent; the first schedule runs on demo data in minutes, and no ERP connection is needed to start.

Katana's own scheduling

Katana’s Free plan costs 0 US dollars for up to 30 SKUs as of October 2026, and the paid Advantage plan is custom-priced on an annual contract. Scheduling inside Katana works through the Schedule tab, where order position sets priority, and the Tasks tab, which lists production operations in the same priority order; each step can be assigned to a resource and an operator. Katana ranks #5 on our MES list and #7 on our small manufacturers list. For a shop that needs a sequence and an estimated deadline, the built-in view is enough. For a shop where machines, shifts and setups decide the delivery date, it is not.

Katana APS add-on: when you need one

A Katana APS add-on pays off when one of three things is true. First, two orders compete for the same machine and the delivery date depends on which goes first. Second, shifts and workstation capacity limit output more than average weekly throughput shows. Third, the plan has to change when a machine stops or material arrives late, without someone dragging orders by hand. Katana’s help center describes none of these three as of October 2026. SkyPlanner APS covers all three: finite capacity on workstations and shifts, the Arcturus engine, and Autopilot rescheduling.

APS for Katana compared

#	Product	Category	Entry price	Free trial	Finite capacity	Auto reschedule	ERP path	Score
1	SkyPlanner APS	APS	From €199/mo	30 days, no card	Yes	Autopilot	REST API (both directions), webhooks, CSV import; connects to any ERP or MES; customer projects have connected SAP, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Odoo, Epicor, Sage and Siemens	100 Small manufacturers list
2	Katana	MRP-ERP	Free	15 days	Not stated	partial (blog claim; drag-and-drop recalculates deadlines)	No ERP named; Shopify, Amazon, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, QuickBooks Online, Xero, HubSpot, Shippo; open API	43 Small manufacturers list
3	frePPLe	Open source	Free	15 days	Yes	not stated	Odoo, ERPNext; REST API, CSV/Excel, database access	59 Small manufacturers list
4	Tulip	MES	$100/license/mo	None	No	Not stated	NetSuite, SAP S/4HANA, Dynamics 365, Rootstock	80 MES list

Prices and trials in the table were verified on 13 October 2026.