AfterShip vs Katana
AfterShip and Katana are both inventory & shipping tools. AfterShip is aimed at E-commerce and small businesses, while Katana is aimed at small businesses. Both have a free plan.
AfterShip
Shipment tracking, returns and post-purchase suite for online stores
Katana
Cloud inventory for small manufacturers
| Pricing | Freemium · $29 | Freemium |
| Starting price | $29/mo | Not published |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | 7 days | — |
| Built for | E-commerce, Small businesses, Enterprise | Small businesses |
| Platforms | web, ios, android | web |
| Country | — | EE · 2017 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose AfterShip if
Shopify and multi-channel ecommerce brands shipping thousands of orders a year that want branded tracking and fewer support tickets.
- Very wide carrier coverage for cross-border sellers
- Measurably cuts where-is-my-order support tickets
- Deep Shopify integration with a free starter app plan
Look elsewhere if: Merchants mainly looking for discounted shipping labels (Shippo, ShipStation) or an all-in-one EU shipping tool (Sendcloud).
Choose Katana if
Small manufacturers selling online.
- Built for small manufacturers
- Visual production planning
- Good integrations
Look elsewhere if: Pure resellers (Cin7, inFlow).
AfterShip vs Katana pricing
AfterShip
- Free (Shopify app)$0Shopify App Store plan with 50 shipments a month
- Tracking Essentials$35/mo$29/mo billed yearly; 6,000 shipments/yr, $0.08 overage
- Tracking Premium$70/mo$59/mo billed yearly; 6,000 shipments/yr, API and webhooks
- EnterpriseCustomCustom volumes, SLAs and support
Katana
- Free$0Up to 30 SKUs, unlimited users, API access
- AdvantageCustomAnnual contract, unlimited SKUs, custom integrations
AfterShip · Key features
- Branded tracking pages with product recommendations
- Email and SMS delivery notifications across 1,300+ carriers
- AI-predicted estimated delivery dates on product and checkout pages
- Self-serve returns and exchanges portal (AfterShip Returns)
- Shipping labels and rate comparison (AfterShip Shipping)
- Shipping protection priced per declared order value
Cons
- Pricing differs between direct site and Shopify App Store
- API access requires Premium, not Essentials
- Overage fees per shipment add up during peak season
Katana · Key features
- Raw material and finished goods inventory
- Production scheduling
- BOM and recipes
- Purchasing
- Batch and serial tracking
- E-commerce and accounting sync
Cons
- Free plan capped at 30 SKUs
- Paid Advantage plan is custom-quoted on an annual contract
- Not full ERP for large firms
AfterShip vs Katana: FAQ
Do AfterShip and Katana have a free plan?
Yes, both AfterShip and Katana have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.