Fishbowl
- Entry price
- Get quote
- Users included
- Quote (priced per user and warehouse)
- Multi-channel sync
- Yes
- Accounting
- QuickBooks, Xero
- Manufacturing
- Yes (strong)
- Est. monthly cost
- —
Fishbowl
Manufacturing-focused inventory with the tightest QuickBooks integration on the market. Quote-only pricing with a perpetual-license option starting around $4,395.
- Entry price
- Get quote
- Users included
- Quote (priced per user and warehouse)
- Multi-channel
- Yes
- Manufacturing
- Yes (strong)
Best for
Manufacturers and QuickBooks-first US businesses wanting deep accounting integration with strong assembly and BOM support.
Pricing breakdown
All prices in USDLast verified June 19, 2026Every fee we track, grouped by where it applies.
Strengths and trade-offs
Pros
- Tightest QuickBooks integration of any inventory platform
- Strong manufacturing, BOM, and assembly features
- Multi-warehouse on every plan
- US-built with US-hours support and a perpetual-license option
Cons
- Quote-only: no self-serve pricing, demo required
- Support hours are Mon to Fri US business hours (not 24/7)
- Custom reports and add-ons can push real cost much higher
- Annual subscription or upfront license; budget for implementation
About Fishbowl
Fishbowl is a US-built inventory platform with one of the deepest QuickBooks integrations in the market and a strong manufacturing module. The cloud product (Fishbowl Drive) and the Fishbowl Advanced tier are both quote-only, with no self-serve checkout. Perpetual licenses are reported to start around $4,395, scaling by warehouse count and users. Implementation can be involved, but the QuickBooks integration and assembly/BOM depth are strong for manufacturers and QuickBooks-first US businesses.
Fishbowl was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Orem, Utah, USA.
How Fishbowl compares
Side-by-side with the closest alternatives by estimated cost.
Plan-tier pricing based on 3 users. Per-location providers (Katana, Lightspeed) stay flat as users change. Quote-only providers are excluded.
Katana Cloud Inventory
$199/mo est.
- Entry price
- $199/mo
- Users included
- 3 (Starter); extra users ~$30/mo each
- Multi-channel sync
- Yes
- Accounting
- QuickBooks, Xero
- Manufacturing
- Yes (strong)
- Est. monthly cost
- $199/mo
Zoho Inventory
$239/mo est.
- Entry price
- Free / $29/mo
- Users included
- 1 (Free), 2 (Standard to Premium), 7 (Enterprise)
- Multi-channel sync
- Yes
- Accounting
- QuickBooks, Xero, Zoho Books
- Manufacturing
- No
- Est. monthly cost
- $239/mo
Finale Inventory
$275/mo est.
- Entry price
- $99/mo
- Users included
- 2 (Starter); higher tiers add users
- Multi-channel sync
- Yes
- Accounting
- QuickBooks, Xero
- Manufacturing
- No
- Est. monthly cost
- $275/mo
Common questions about Fishbowl
The same questions US merchants ask before signing up.
Fishbowl is quote-based with no self-serve checkout. Pricing scales by the number of users and warehouse locations. A perpetual-license option is reported to start around $4,395, and a subscription option is also available; the exact figure depends on your team size, warehouse count, and modules. You will need to book a demo to receive a quote tailored to your business.
Yes. Fishbowl has the deepest QuickBooks integration in this comparison, covering QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, and QuickBooks Enterprise. It also integrates natively with Xero. For US businesses whose accounting runs on QuickBooks, Fishbowl is specifically designed around that workflow and syncs inventory, purchase orders, bills, and COGS in both directions.
Manufacturing is a core strength of Fishbowl, not an add-on. It covers multi-level bills of materials, assembly and disassembly workflows, production scheduling, work orders, lot and serial number tracking, and expiry date management. Fishbowl Drive (the cloud version) and Fishbowl Advanced (on-premise) both include manufacturing, making it a strong choice for US product makers who need deep BOM support.
Fishbowl includes AI Insights for analyzing inventory and purchasing trends, and Athena, an AI assistant for answering operational questions and surfacing recommendations. AI Forecasting and Recommended Purchase Orders use demand signals to suggest replenishment quantities. These tools are built into the platform rather than sold as separate modules. Fishbowl does not publish an official MCP server; Zapier and community integrations are the route for AI agents.
Fishbowl support is available Monday to Friday during US business hours (Central Time), with phone, email, chat, and a knowledge base. As a US-built company, its support aligns with US working hours, which is a practical advantage for US businesses running time-sensitive warehouse operations. There is no 24/7 coverage.
Fishbowl positions itself for small to mid-sized businesses in manufacturing and distribution, particularly those already using QuickBooks. It is not a lightweight SMB app: the demo-gated sales process, license or annual contract norms, and per-user and per-warehouse pricing mean real cost can be significant. It is best suited to product businesses that already run QuickBooks and need proper BOM and production scheduling rather than basic assembly tracking.
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