Fishbowl
Manufacturing-aware inventory for QuickBooks shops with BOMs, work orders, and AI MRP
What is Fishbowl?
Fishbowl is an inventory and manufacturing platform aimed at QuickBooks and Xero shops that have outgrown native accounting inventory but aren't ready for full ERP. It handles Bills of Materials, work orders, MRP scheduling, and multi-location stock with an agentic AI layer that flags shortages and margin risks before they hit deadlines. Implementation is white-glove, with a 6-8 week certification training period included on every paid plan.
Manufacturing, supply chain, procurement, logistics, inventory, fleet, and warehouse operations tools.
See the full Manufacturing & Logistics guide to compare more tools, buyer criteria, and related workflows.
Use cases to evaluate
Manage BOMs and work orders for small-batch manufacturing runs
Run MRP with finite-capacity scheduling and auto-generated POs
Track committed, available, and on-order stock across unlimited warehouses
Sync inventory transactions to QuickBooks or Xero in real time
Fit to evaluate
Small to mid-size manufacturers with active BOMs
Distributors running multiple warehouses on QuickBooks
Operations leaders needing MRP without full ERP cost
3PL-supported brands needing committed/available stock visibility
Business fit
Right for you if you assemble or manufacture products, juggle BOMs and work orders, and want to keep QuickBooks as the financial source of truth. Skip if you're a pure reseller with no production workflow, or if you need fewer than two seats. The mandatory 6-8 week certification training means this is not a same-week deployment. Mid-market manufacturers and distributors in the $2M-$50M range fit best.
How to evaluate Fishbowl
Use this category when inventory, freight, production, or vendor workflows are too manual or opaque.
Confirm the exact workflow
Map Fishbowl to one concrete workflow first, such as manage boms and work orders for small-batch manufacturing runs. Avoid buying before the owner, trigger, output, and success metric are clear.
Check category fit
Compare inventory visibility, planning, procurement, freight, and maintenance workflows.
Compare practical alternatives
Shortlist Fishbowl against Freightos, Flexport, project44 so the decision is based on fit, effort, and workflow ownership rather than brand recognition alone.
Validate cost and rollout effort
Essentials $229/month (2 users), Growth $429/month (5 users), Scale $729/month (10 users), all billed annually. Advanced tier with payment processing and advanced manufacturing is custom-quoted. AI Manufacturing is a paid add-on on Growth and Scale. Also confirm implementation time, support needs, and whether the medium setup matches your team.
Compare Fishbowl with alternatives
Use this quick comparison before booking demos or moving data into a new system.
| Primary workflow | Manage BOMs and work orders for small-batch manufacturing runs, Run MRP with finite-capacity scheduling and auto-generated POs |
|---|---|
| Best-fit team | Small to mid-size manufacturers with active BOMs, Distributors running multiple warehouses on QuickBooks |
| Implementation effort | Medium setup and maintenance profile |
| Pricing check | Published pricing |
| Closest alternatives | FreightosFlexportproject44FourKites |
Fishbowl pricing
| Model | Published pricing |
|---|---|
| Snapshot | Essentials $229/month (2 users), Growth $429/month (5 users), Scale $729/month (10 users), all billed annually. Advanced tier with payment processing and advanced manufacturing is custom-quoted. AI Manufacturing is a paid add-on on Growth and Scale. |
| Checked |
Common questions about Fishbowl
What is Fishbowl?
Fishbowl is an inventory and manufacturing platform aimed at QuickBooks and Xero shops that have outgrown native accounting inventory but aren't ready for full ERP. It handles Bills of Materials, work orders, MRP scheduling, and multi-location stock with an agentic AI layer that flags shortages and margin risks before they hit deadlines. Implementation is white-glove, with a 6-8 week certification training period included on every paid plan.
What is Fishbowl used for?
Common use cases: Manage BOMs and work orders for small-batch manufacturing runs; Run MRP with finite-capacity scheduling and auto-generated POs; Track committed, available, and on-order stock across unlimited warehouses; Sync inventory transactions to QuickBooks or Xero in real time.
How much does Fishbowl cost?
Essentials $229/month (2 users), Growth $429/month (5 users), Scale $729/month (10 users), all billed annually. Advanced tier with payment processing and advanced manufacturing is custom-quoted. AI Manufacturing is a paid add-on on Growth and Scale.
Who is Fishbowl best for?
Fishbowl fits Small to mid-size manufacturers with active BOMs, Distributors running multiple warehouses on QuickBooks, Operations leaders needing MRP without full ERP cost, 3PL-supported brands needing committed/available stock visibility. Right for you if you assemble or manufacture products, juggle BOMs and work orders, and want to keep QuickBooks as the financial source of truth. Skip if you're a pure reseller with no production workflow, or if you need fewer than two seats. The mandatory 6-8 week certification training means this is not a same-week deployment. Mid-market manufacturers and distributors in the $2M-$50M range fit best.
What are alternatives to Fishbowl?
Common alternatives to Fishbowl include Freightos, Flexport, project44, FourKites, Shippeo, Fictiv.