Last Updated
Key Takeaways
Generated from the text of customer reviews
Fishbowl offers inventory and manufacturing solutions that connect inventory, purchasing, warehousing, and production with accounting systems. It is used by product-based industries such as food and beverage, chemicals, medical devices, and automotive. Users often value direct invoicing from sales orders and stock reporting, though some find report customization limited. In August 2026, Fishbowl acquired Repfabric to integrate AI-enabled CRM and commission management with its inventory, manufacturing, warehousing, and fulfillment tools.
Our Verdict
The platform is best suited to small and mid-sized businesses that need inventory and manufacturing tools without the complexity of enterprise systems. Its pricing scales cleanly from a two-person inventory setup to a 200-plus-seat manufacturing operation, though paid add-ons can be an additional cost to bear. We recommend it for businesses already using Xero or QuickBooks and need bills of materials (BOM), material requirements planning (MRP), and lot-tracking depth.
Overall Rating
Based on 181 users reviews
4.1
Rating Distribution
Positive
79%
Neutral
15%
Negative
6%
Starting Price
$229
per month
Fishbowl Specifications
- Production Planning
- Inventory Management
- Supply Chain Management
- Work Order Management
What Is Fishbowl?
Fishbowl is a manufacturing and inventory management software built for small and midsize manufacturers. Its cloud-based manufacturing tools cover production planning, multi-level BOMs, work orders, MRPs, finite-capacity scheduling, and labor-cost tracking. It also tracks raw materials, work-in-progress, and finished goods with lot and serial traceability and barcode scanning through Fishbowl GO.
Beyond manufacturing, Fishbowl supports multi-location inventory and warehouse operations, including pick-and-pack, transfers, returns, landed costs, and automated reordering. It integrates with QuickBooks, Xero, Shopify, Amazon, ShipStation, and shipping carriers. A separate Fishbowl Inventory product serves distributors and product-based businesses that do not manufacture.
What Is Fishbowl Best For?
The platform stands out for Juno, its artificial intelligence based (AI) assistant for manufacturing planning and production preparation. It reviews orders, inventory, bills of materials, and vendor lead times to identify which jobs are ready, blocked, or at risk. Juno can then draft purchase, manufacturing, and work orders based on those constraints for teams to review and approve. This helps manufacturers reduce the manual preparation needed before production starts.
How Much Does Fishbowl Cost?
Fishbowl pricing starts at $229/month for Fishbowl Inventory, billed annually. This product is designed for businesses that stock, move, and sell finished goods. Fishbowl Advanced is the second product line, starting at $595/month and priced according to users and deployment. It is designed for businesses that manufacture products or manage multi-warehouses.
Each product line has separate plans based on business requirements.
Fishbowl Inventory plans include:
- Essentials: $229/month, billed annually, for two users
- Growth: $429/month, billed annually, for five users
- Scale: $729/month, billed annually, for 10 users
Fishbowl Advanced plans include:
- Advanced Warehouse: Starting at $595/month, priced by users and deployment
- Advanced Manufacturing: Starting at $675/month, priced by users and deployment
Both Advanced tiers support teams from two to 200-plus users, with cloud-hosted or self-managed deployment options.
AI Manufacturing Add-on: In Growth Plan for an additional $199/month and in Scale Plan for an additional $249/month
Beyond the base subscription, a few costs show up depending on how a business uses the platform. For example: its standard ecommerce and marketplace integrations beyond the two included in Growth run $50/month each. Similarly, demand forecasting, B2B portal access, and custom reporting are available as add-ons on lower tiers.
For better budgeting, users should keep these additional costs in mind:
- Implementation And Data Migration: $1,500–$10,000+ one-time, depending on warehouse count, BOM/SKU complexity, and QuickBooks/Xero data migration
- Training: $300–$1,500 per session or user cohort, depending on the training scope and number of users
- Premium/priority support: Approximately 15–20% of the annual license cost per year
- Barcode scanners/mobile computers: $500–$1,800 per device for Zebra, Honeywell, or Motorola-class hardware
- Label printers: $200–$500 per printer, depending on the model and printing requirements
When it comes to pricing, users generally praise Fishbowl for being affordable. The pricing plans are scalable, with features that can also support larger businesses. However, paid add-ons can significantly increase pricing, especially for teams on tighter budgets.
Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.
Fishbowl Integrations
The Fishbowl software supports integration with multiple third-party systems, such as:
- QuickBooks
- QuickBooks Online
- Xero Accounting Solution
- Magento
- ShipStation
- Avalara
- ConverSight
- BigCommerce
How Does Fishbowl Work?
Log in to your registered Fishbowl account and follow these steps to start using its features:
- Set up products and inventory by adding SKUs, quantities, locations, and other item details
- Connect your accounting system to keep inventory and financial records synchronized
- Set up warehouses and assign inventory to the appropriate locations
- Create purchase orders to manage incoming stock from vendors
- Receive inventory and update stock levels as shipments arrive
- Manage sales orders and prepare items for fulfillment
- Scan barcodes during receiving, picking, packing, and shipping using Fishbowl GO
- Create bills of materials and work orders for products that require manufacturing
- Track inventory and production activity through reports to monitor stock levels, orders, and operational costs
Who Is Fishbowl For?
Fishbowl is mainly suitable for small to medium sized businesses in the following industries:
- Aerospace and defense
- Chemical manufacturing
- Construction and trades
- Consumer goods
- Government agencies
- Food and beverages
Fishbowl Use Cases
After analyzing Fishbowl features and user reviews, we have come up with the following key scenarios where this software can be a good fit.
1. Manufacturers Managing Production Planning
Manufacturers can use Fishbowl to manage bills of materials, work orders, and material planning alongside their accounting records. Juno checks inventory and lead times before production starts. This helps planners identify potential material shortages before they affect scheduled jobs.
2. Businesses Selling Across Multiple Ecommerce Channels
Retailers and wholesalers selling through multiple ecommerce channels can use Fishbowl to keep inventory levels updated across sales channels. Orders can be imported while inventory changes are reflected across connected channels. This way businesses maintain more consistent stock counts and reduce the risk of overselling.
3. Distributors Managing Multi-Warehouse or 3PL Operations
Distributors can use Fishbowl Advanced to manage inventory across multiple warehouses and third-party logistics operations. Its warehouse tools support transfer orders and electronic data interchange (EDI) workflows. These advanced capabilities make managing inventory movement and customer-specific requirements from the same system easier.
4. Regulated Manufacturers Managing Lot Traceability
Food and beverage producers, chemical manufacturers, and other regulated businesses can use Fishbowl to track lots through production and inventory activity. Its Scale plan supports forward and backward traceability and compliance documentation. This means that businesses can use it to trace affected inventory during audits or product recalls.
Is Fishbowl Right For You?
Fishbowl is a good fit for small and mid-sized businesses that want inventory and manufacturing control layered on top of QuickBooks or Xero. Its BOM and job-costing tools give a detailed view of what a product costs to build, which matters most once a business is running enough SKUs that a spreadsheet stops being reliable.
Security is handled at the infrastructure level: Fishbowl encrypts data in transit with TLS 1.2 or higher and data at rest with AES-256. The platform is SOC 2 Type II certified, with ISO and PCI compliance. The company also follows GDPR and CCPA practices and maintains data privacy agreements with its integration partners. The platform, though best suited for small-to-mid-sized businesses, is both operationally and pricing-wise scalable. Its clients include brands such as Pepsi, NASA, Teton, and Dot’s pretzels.
Still deciding if Fishbowl is the right software for your business? Call us at (661) 384-7070, and we will help you work through it.
Fishbowl Features
Cost Management
The feature enables manufacturers to track labor, estimated, and actual costs with precision to provide visibility into production expenses. Labor hours can be linked to individual production stages and work orders and manufacturing costs can be connected to the accounting systems. This enables manufacturers to trace costs linked with raw materials, labor, and finished products.
Capacity Planning
The platform provides capacity planning tools to help manufacturers allocate production resources based on demand. Users can get automated capacity projections, which help identify bottlenecks within manufacturing workflows so they can strategize to counter them as needed. By considering resources alongside production requirements, manufacturers can plan workloads, adjust schedules, and coordinate production capacity as demand or workflow requirements change.
Traceability
Fishbowl tracks parts, batches, and serial numbers through their inventory lifecycle. The Audit Trail plugin records changes made to records, while the Lot History report shows the work orders, purchase orders, and sales orders associated with a specific lot. This gives businesses a way to review item history when investigating inventory activity or preparing an audit.
Asset Management
The platform tracks business equipment in addition to inventory. Businesses can record the location and availability of assets such as tools, forklifts, and vehicles. Managers can use these records to check where equipment is located and whether it is available before assigning it to a job or emplboyee.
Vendor Management
Fishbowl stores vendor information alongside purchasing records. Businesses can assign default vendors to parts and maintain vendor-specific contract and payment terms. This gives purchasing teams access to supplier information when creating orders and reviewing previous purchasing activities.
Point Of Sale
Fishbowl Payments allows businesses to process card and ACH payments through the platform. Payment information is handled according to Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) requirements. Meanwhile, transactions are recorded alongside inventory and accounting activity. This allows sales and payment records to remain connected with the related inventory transactions.
Warehouse Inventory Management
The platform supports inventory management across physical warehouses, mobile inventory operations, third-party logistics, and drop-shipping workflows. Businesses can manage purchasing and order fulfillment from the same inventory records. Receiving and shipping transactions update stock levels as inventory moves through the warehouse.
Pros And Cons of Fishbowl
Pros
Handles inventory across multiple locations efficiently
Makes kitting flexible for complex product combinations
Supports barcode scanning and warehouse scanners
Accommodates high-mix, low-volume operations and custom builds
Supports batch numbers during bulk uploads
Cons
Provides rigid report filters and limited options for adding fields
Limited drill-down capabilities for detailed cost analysis
Lacks configurable low-stock email notifications
Fishbowl Pricing
Essentials | Growth | Scale | Advanced Manufacturing | Advanced Warehouse |
|---|---|---|---|---|
$229 per month | $429 per month | $729 per month | $675 per month | $595 per month |
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Disclaimer: The pricing details were last updated on Sep 25, 2026 from the vendor's website. Please contact us for a tailored pricing list.
Fishbowl Reviews
Total 181 reviews
4.1
All reviews are from verified customers
Rating Distribution
5
Stars48%
4
Stars31%
3
Stars11%
2
Stars4%
1
Stars6%
Share your experience
Enterprise, 500+ employees
“Positive experience”
Pros
One thing I really appreciate is its compliance support, along with the flexibility to put automations in place whenever needed.
Cons
Problem is that product innovation moves pretty slowly and new improvements or enhancements tend to take a long time to arrive.
Rating Distribution
Ease of use
10
Value for money
9
Customer Support
7
Functionality
9
Retail, 11-50 employees
Less than a year
“Software that's 70% complete”
Pros
I appreciate the interface's simplicity and seamless integration with Quickbooks.
Cons
This software has the potential to be fairly decent, but numerous peculiarities prevent it from truly being a powerful tool. A prime example is when moving inventory from one location to another. If you've had the item in your warehouse for six months and you move it from row 1 to row 2, the aged date resets to zero. Consequently, tracking aged inventory becomes effectively impossible. Additionally, when searching for a part that is not in stock, you must go through an advanced search, select the option for non-inventory items, and then search for the product. This process needs to be repeated for every consecutive product, resulting in unnecessary repetition.
Rating Distribution
Ease of use
3
Value for money
4
Customer Support
3
Functionality
2
Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing, 11-50 employees
Less than 6 months
“Will Fishbowl Survive in the coming years?”
Pros
The onboarding process was smooth and the team provided responsive and helpful support. However, be prepared to handle the workload independently. Despite the initial challenge of starting from scratch and excluding Quickbooks inventory, it is ultimately worth it.
Cons
Once your system is up and running, customer support becomes a distant concern. Seeking assistance often entails spending thousands of dollars, even for the simplest requests, and getting a response can be a lengthy process, sometimes spanning up to two weeks for scheduling a resolution.
Rating Distribution
Ease of use
4
Value for money
4
Customer Support
4
Functionality
4
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of pricing plans does Fishbowl offer?
Fishbowl Inventory offers three published monthly plans, Essentials at $229/month, Growth at $429/month, and Scale at $729/month. Fishbowl’s warehouse and manufacturing software pricing starts at $595/month and $675/month, billed annually. Contact us for a custom Fishbowl cost estimate.
Who are the typical users of Fishbowl?
Fishbowl is best suited for small to mid-sized manufacturers and distributors across industries like aerospace, automotive, chemicals, construction, consumer goods, food and beverage, and healthcare.
What languages does Fishbowl support?
Fishbowl primarily supports English.
Does Fishbowl offer an API?
Yes. The platform offers an API.
What other apps does Fishbowl integrate with?
Fishbowl integrates with QuickBooks (Online, Desktop, and Enterprise), Xero, Shopify software, Magento, ShipStation, Amazon, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and CRMs including HubSpot, Salesforce, and Zoho.
What level of support does Fishbowl offer?
Fishbowl provides support through phone from an in-house customer success team, along with dedicated implementation specialists and the MyFishbowl community portal.
Does Fishbowl have a mobile app?
Yes. Fishbowl GO is a dedicated mobile app available on both iOS and Android.