Katana MRP alternatives for batch records: 4 options

Katana MRP alternatives: when to look

Look beyond Katana MRP when a customer or auditor asks for batch records, because Katana's pages name lots and expiry dates, not a batch production record. The four alternatives below name batch records or batch control on their own pages, and BatchBuddy Manufacturer, up to 15 members, carries a printed monthly price: $749 a month, billed monthly, or $7,490 a year, billed annually.

Try BatchBuddy opens its plan cards if you want to read the Manufacturer line for yourself.

What Katana names for batches

Katana's pricing page says you can "Track lots, serial numbers, and expiry dates from supplier to customer." Its traceability and cosmetics pages describe batch and lot tracking, and the cosmetics page ties it to recall readiness. Katana offers a Free plan for up to 30 SKUs at no cost, and Advantage, a custom annual contract with custom pricing.

None of the Katana pages read names a master manufacturing record, a batch production record, an electronic signature or Part 11 wording. For dietary supplements, 21 CFR 111.205(a) and 111.255(a) ask the maker to prepare both records.

BatchBuddy for electronic batch records

BatchBuddy's plan cards put electronic batch records (EBR), batch records kept as step-by-step electronic forms, on Manufacturer, for a team of up to 15 members; other vendor pages differ. BatchBuddy says operators cannot skip steps or complete a record with missing data, and that batches cannot be released to shipping without a QA e-signature. Pick Manufacturer for a printed monthly price with the EBR on one card.

BatchBuddy calls its Part 11 controls aligned, a self-assessed mapping, and its terms say using it "does not make your products or operations compliant on its own." It has a 14-day free trial with no credit card, and its FAQ says formulas held as CSV files can be uploaded. See BatchBuddy pricing.

InstantGMP, Wherefour and BatchMaster

• InstantGMP for an annual Batch Records module: $20,000 a year for electronic master and batch production records with e-signatures, first five users included, users beyond five extra. InstantGMP says it does IQ and OQ, installation and operation qualification, on its cloud version.
• Wherefour for a custom quote with yields and scheduling: it says its platform schedules batches, tracks yields and monitors production runs, with FSMA 204 tools, mock recalls, certificate of analysis (COA) management and audit trails.
• BatchMaster for a mid-market maker who wants an ERP: no public price, and its home page offers Contact Us or Request a Demo. It says its nutraceutical edition covers electronic batch records, deviations and SOPs.

When to stay on Katana

Stay on Katana when no batch record duty applies yet and the catalog is up to 30 SKUs, the Free plan limit. A cosmetics maker with 20 SKUs is inside it, and FDA's page on the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (MoCRA) lists a draft guidance with no rule text, so it holds no cosmetics batch record field list.

For dietary supplements, 21 CFR 111.605(b) lets records be kept as originals or true copies, and 111.605(c) holds electronic records to part 11, so paper records can sit beside Katana's lot tracking.

BatchBuddy alternatives covers the wider field, and the batch record template lists the fields a supplement batch record holds.