Fishbowl Review: Overview, Features, Pricing & Alternatives in 2025

Struggling with messy inventory tracking again?

If you’re evaluating inventory software, you’re likely buried under spreadsheets, disconnected systems, and constant fear of stockouts or over-ordering.

But the real headache? You’re wasting hours fixing mistakes that shouldn’t happen—manual errors, missed sales, and frustrated staff are costing your business every single day.

Fishbowl takes aim at these problems with an all-in-one platform that syncs inventory, orders, and accounting, bringing automation and real-time visibility even if you’re running QuickBooks or selling on multiple e-commerce channels.

In this review, I’ll walk you through how Fishbowl makes inventory management less stressful by showing you exactly where it solves for these pain points.

By the end of this Fishbowl review, you’ll know what features stand out, how their pricing works, what the setup experience is really like, and how Fishbowl compares side-by-side with its strongest competitors.

You’ll find the features you need to make an informed decision—with more clarity and fewer surprises later.

Let’s get started.

Fishbowl Overview

Fishbowl has been in the inventory management game since 2001, based out of Orem, Utah. I appreciate their straightforward mission: giving small to mid-sized businesses the same powerful tools that big corporations use.

They’ve carved out a specific niche, focusing on manufacturers and distributors who have hit a wall with basic tracking. What really makes them different is their unmatched integration with QuickBooks, creating a natural upgrade path when you’re ready for more.

I think their recent acquisition of Sellware was a smart move, showing a clear commitment to modern e-commerce sellers. You’ll see this forward-thinking approach reflected throughout this Fishbowl review.

Unlike huge ERPs that feel overwhelming, Fishbowl doubles down on specialized inventory and manufacturing control. This focused approach feels like it was designed by people who actually understand the complexities of a warehouse or production floor.

They work with thousands of growing businesses you’d recognize, from direct-to-consumer brands to complex manufacturers needing precise control over parts, assemblies, and stock across multiple locations.

Lately, their entire strategy seems centered on strengthening their cloud offerings like Fishbowl Online and Commerce Suite. This directly addresses your team’s need for real-time data access from anywhere, on any device.

Now let’s examine their core capabilities.

Fishbowl Features

Struggling with fragmented inventory and manufacturing processes?

Fishbowl offers robust solutions designed to streamline your operations. These are the five core Fishbowl features that directly address common business challenges.

1. Fishbowl Manufacturing

Stuck with outdated production planning?

Manual tracking and disconnected systems can lead to costly manufacturing delays. This often results in wasted materials and missed deadlines.

Fishbowl Manufacturing provides advanced tools for production and inventory, creating multi-level bills of materials and work orders. From my testing, the ability to track raw materials to finished goods shines, automating reorder points. This feature ensures you have precise control over every stage of your production.

This means you can ensure all necessary parts are available, minimizing production delays and boosting your manufacturing efficiency.

2. Fishbowl Warehouse

Is your warehouse a tangled mess of paper and guesswork?

Inefficient warehouse operations can cause inaccurate stock counts and slow order fulfillment. This frustrates customers and wastes valuable time.

Fishbowl Warehouse streamlines operations with barcode scanning and mobile inventory management. What I love about this approach is how you can update your database in real-time using mobile devices, eliminating paper. This feature significantly improves accuracy in receiving, moving, and shipping products.

So you can achieve faster order fulfillment and maintain accurate stock levels across multiple locations with ease.

3. Fishbowl Online & Drive

Need to access inventory data from anywhere?

On-site servers and limited access can tie you down, hindering flexibility. This is a huge pain point for businesses with remote teams or multiple locations.

Fishbowl Online (SaaS) and Fishbowl Drive (cloud-based) offer full-featured inventory management accessible from any Wi-Fi device. Here’s what I found: you gain real-time visibility and control securely across all sites. This dual feature set reduces the need for on-site server maintenance and provides ultimate flexibility.

This means your teams can manage inventory, scan items, and oversee operations securely, no matter where they are.

4. Boxstorm

Are you a small business outgrowing manual inventory?

Spreadsheets might work for a while, but they quickly become unsustainable. This leads to errors and difficulty scaling your inventory management.

Boxstorm is a cloud-based inventory management app, with a free version that integrates with QuickBooks Online. This is where Fishbowl gets it right for small businesses, as you can start with barcode scanning and cycle counts easily. Paid versions offer sales orders, purchase orders, and stock alerts as you grow.

The result is you can transition from manual tracking to a more robust, scalable inventory system without breaking the bank.

5. Fishbowl Commerce Suite

Struggling to keep multichannel e-commerce inventory synced?

Selling across multiple platforms without centralized control leads to overselling. This creates frustrated customers and costly inventory discrepancies.

Fishbowl Commerce Suite centralizes e-commerce operations, synchronizing inventory across Amazon, Shopify, and BigCommerce. From my testing, this solution prevents overselling by updating stock instantly across all channels. When a sale occurs, it imports the order and exports updated quantities, simplifying your process.

This means you can ensure consistent stock levels and streamlined order fulfillment, no matter where your customers are buying.

You’ll actually appreciate how these Fishbowl features work together, creating a unified view of your entire business, especially when integrated with accounting systems.

Fishbowl Pricing

Concerned about hidden software costs?

Fishbowl pricing primarily follows a custom quote model, especially for its cloud offerings, meaning you’ll need to contact sales for a tailored estimate.

1. Pricing Model & Cost Factors

Understanding Fishbowl’s structure.

Fishbowl employs a hybrid pricing model: perpetual licenses for its desktop products (Manufacturing, Warehouse) with optional annual maintenance, and subscription-based for cloud solutions like Fishbowl Online and Commerce Suite. What I found regarding pricing is that costs escalate with additional modules and users, driving your final quote.

From my cost analysis, this means your initial investment will vary significantly based on your chosen deployment and feature set.

2. Value Assessment & ROI

How much value do you get?

The perpetual license model for desktop products offers a unique appeal for businesses preferring capital expenditures, potentially providing long-term cost savings compared to continuous subscriptions. What impressed me is how Fishbowl’s deep QuickBooks integration boosts ROI by streamlining accounting and inventory, saving you manual effort.

Budget-wise, this approach helps you avoid recurring operational costs typically associated with many SaaS solutions.

3. Budget Planning & Implementation

Consider all your expenses.

While desktop products have an upfront perpetual fee, remember to factor in potential annual maintenance and significant implementation costs, particularly for cloud solutions. From my research, upfront certification packages can be substantial, impacting your initial budget allocation for Fishbowl’s ecosystem.

So for your business, plan for both the core software cost and the essential services needed for successful deployment.

My Take: Fishbowl’s hybrid pricing, with perpetual desktop licenses and custom SaaS quotes, suits businesses that prefer a one-time capital outlay for core systems while leveraging scalable cloud solutions.

The overall Fishbowl pricing reflects tailored inventory solutions requiring direct consultation for your business.

Fishbowl Reviews

What do real customers actually think?

These Fishbowl reviews provide analysis of real user feedback and experiences, helping you understand what actual customers think about the software from various sources.

1. Overall User Satisfaction

Users report significant satisfaction.

From my review analysis, Fishbowl generally receives positive ratings, typically ranging from 3.2 to 4.8 out of 5 across review platforms. What I found in user feedback is how its functionality often outweighs initial setup challenges, leading to high overall satisfaction once fully implemented.

This indicates you can expect strong long-term benefits after initial efforts.

2. Common Praise Points

Inventory control truly shines here.

Users consistently praise Fishbowl’s comprehensive inventory tracking across multiple locations and detailed manufacturing capabilities. What stands out in customer feedback is how seamless QuickBooks integration streamlines accounting workflows, which is a huge time-saver for businesses.

This means you’ll find robust features for managing complex inventory and production needs.

3. Frequent Complaints

Learning curve is a common hurdle.

While powerful, some users report a steeper learning curve and complex initial setup, particularly for those without technical expertise. What stood out in customer feedback is how implementation can demand significant time and training, potentially leading to early frustrations.

These issues are often manageable with dedicated time and leveraging available support.

The overall Fishbowl reviews provide analysis of real user feedback and experiences, helping you understand what actual customers think about the software from various sources.

Best Fishbowl Alternatives

Navigating inventory software choices can be tricky.

The best Fishbowl alternatives include several strong options, each better suited for different business situations, budget considerations, and specific operational needs.

1. QuickBooks Enterprise (with Advanced Inventory)

Want single-vendor accounting and inventory?

QuickBooks Enterprise (with Advanced Inventory) is Intuit’s native solution, deeply embedding inventory within your accounting system for a unified experience. What I found comparing options is that this alternative provides tighter QuickBooks integration than Fishbowl, which is an add-on, though its inventory capabilities are less specialized.

Choose QuickBooks Enterprise if you prioritize a single-vendor solution and seamless accounting integration over advanced manufacturing features.

2. Cin7

Running an e-commerce heavy business?

Cin7 excels for businesses with extensive e-commerce operations, offering strong integrations with various online channels and built-in POS capabilities. From my competitive analysis, Cin7 is superior for multichannel e-commerce sales, though its manufacturing and detailed warehouse management aren’t as robust as Fishbowl’s.

Consider Cin7 if your sales primarily flow through numerous online marketplaces and you need native e-commerce and retail focus.

3. Zoho Inventory

A small business needing an affordable cloud solution?

Zoho Inventory offers a more budget-friendly, cloud-based solution, ideal for smaller businesses or startups, with strong integration into the broader Zoho ecosystem. What I found comparing options is that Zoho Inventory provides a lower cost entry point and simpler setup, making it an accessible Fishbowl alternative for basic needs.

Choose Zoho Inventory if you’re a small business seeking an affordable, cloud-based solution with a strong focus on e-commerce integrations.

4. Acumatica Cloud ERP

Need a comprehensive, full-suite ERP?

Acumatica is a scalable cloud ERP offering a much broader suite of functionalities beyond just inventory, including financials, CRM, and project accounting. From my analysis, Acumatica delivers a complete business management system for growing mid-market companies, though it represents a significantly larger investment than Fishbowl.

Consider Acumatica if you require a full-fledged ERP to manage all business operations, not just inventory and manufacturing.

The best Fishbowl alternatives depend on your business size, specific operational demands, and budget more than just feature lists.

Fishbowl Setup

Concerned about complicated software setup and training?

Fishbowl implementation requires careful planning for deployment and adoption, setting realistic expectations for your business. This Fishbowl review will help you understand what’s involved.

1. Setup Complexity & Timeline

This isn’t a simple plug-and-play deployment.

Fishbowl implementation involves a comprehensive setup that demands dedicated time and resources for onboarding and training. From my implementation analysis, the initial setup can feel daunting for those new to advanced inventory systems, so plan for a substantial ramp-up.

You’ll need to allocate specific internal team members or external consultants to manage the setup process effectively.

2. Technical Requirements & Integration

Expect your IT team to be involved.

Fishbowl offers both on-premise solutions requiring local server management and cloud-based options accessible online, impacting your technical overhead. What I found about deployment is that seamless integration with QuickBooks is a major strength, but connecting to other systems like e-commerce or CRM requires careful planning.

Prepare your IT infrastructure for the chosen deployment method and ensure data synchronization plans for all critical integrations.

3. Training & Change Management

User adoption requires extensive planning and support.

Given Fishbowl’s robust features, comprehensive training is crucial for your team to fully leverage its capabilities. From my analysis, successful user adoption hinges on proactive training efforts and addressing the learning curve for new processes and workflows.

Invest in proper training programs and leverage Fishbowl’s tutorials and documentation to ensure smooth transition and high user proficiency.

4. Support & Success Factors

Vendor support is key during your rollout.

Fishbowl provides customer service via phone and email, aiming for responsiveness during your deployment phase. What I found about deployment is that accessing premium support can be beneficial for intricate issues, though it may involve additional costs.

You should establish clear communication channels with Fishbowl’s support team and have internal champions to drive the implementation forward.

The overall Fishbowl setup requires dedicated time and resources for successful implementation, ensuring you maximize its comprehensive inventory management capabilities.

Bottom Line

Is Fishbowl right for your business?

My Fishbowl review shows a solution that delivers robust inventory and manufacturing management, particularly for SMBs leveraging QuickBooks for their accounting.

1. Who This Works Best For

SMBs with complex inventory and manufacturing needs.

Fishbowl excels for small to medium-sized businesses in manufacturing, wholesale distribution, and retail that require detailed inventory control, multi-location tracking, and robust production management. From my user analysis, businesses with complex production processes using QuickBooks will find this software an ideal fit.

You’ll see strong gains if you’re struggling with inaccurate stock levels, inefficient order processing, or disjointed accounting and inventory systems.

2. Overall Strengths

Seamless QuickBooks integration stands out.

The software succeeds by offering unparalleled integration with QuickBooks, comprehensive manufacturing capabilities, and advanced inventory tracking features like barcode scanning and serial/lot numbers. From my comprehensive analysis, the automatic synchronization with QuickBooks saves immense time by eliminating duplicate data entry and streamlining financial reporting.

These strengths translate into significant efficiencies, accurate data and real-time visibility that will empower your business growth.

3. Key Limitations

Initial investment and learning curve are notable.

While powerful, new users may experience a steeper learning curve, and the initial upfront costs for perpetual licenses and implementation can be substantial for smaller businesses. Based on this review, some users reported concerns with advanced reporting customization and the consistency of support response quality for specific issues.

These limitations are important considerations, but for businesses with complex needs, the long-term benefits often outweigh these initial challenges.

4. Final Recommendation

Fishbowl earns a strong recommendation for its target audience.

You should choose this software if your manufacturing, wholesale, or e-commerce business uses QuickBooks and requires a dedicated, powerful inventory and manufacturing solution. From my analysis, this solution thrives in environments needing deep inventory control and complex bill of materials management.

My confidence level is high for businesses with growing complexities that need a robust, integrated system to scale operations.

This Fishbowl review shows strong value for businesses outgrowing basic inventory systems, while also highlighting investment and learning considerations before you make a decision.