Fishbowl vs Erplain

Sortly

NetSuite

Odoo 

Sortly is an easy inventory solution that helps businesses track and manage their inventory from any device, in any location.

NetSuite is an AI-powered cloud-based business management suite. It helps organizations streamline their operations and gain real-time insights into their performance. The suite caters to a range of industries such as manufacturing, retail, and professional services.

Odoo is an all-in-one, open-source business platform covering CRM, Sales, Accounting, Inventory, Manufacturing, and Projects. It’s fully integrated, customizable, and scalable for companies of any size or budget.

Automate your inventory management with real-time data in a cloud-based or on-premise solution that is simple to deploy and easy to use. Fishbowl streamlines the manufacturing process to increase throughput, accuracy, efficiency, and profitability.

3D Modeling

3PL Management

Access Control

Access Controls/Permissions

Accounting

Accounting Integration

ACH Payment Processing

Activity Dashboard

Activity Tracking

Add & Edit Photos

AI/Machine Learning

Alerts/Escalation

Alerts/Notifications

Approval Process Control

Approval Workflow

Asset Categorization

Asset Kitting

Asset Lifecycle Management

Asset Planning

Asset Tracking

Audit Management

Audit Trail

Automated Scheduling

Availability Management

Backorder Management

Backup and Recovery

Barcode Generation

Barcode/Label Management

Barcode Printing

Barcode Recognition

Barcode/Ticket Scanning

Barcoding/RFID

Barrel Management

Batch Printing

Batch Processing

Billing & Invoicing

Bill of Material Analysis

Bill of Materials

Bills of Material

BOM Creation

Budgeting/Forecasting

Business Intelligence

Business Process Automation

CAD Tools

Calendar Management

Capacity Management

Capacity Planning

Catalog Management

Cellar Management

Channel Management

Check-in/Check-out

Chemical Management

Commission Management

Components Tracking

Contact Database

Cost Analysis

Cost Estimating

Cost Management

Cost Tracking

Credit Card Processing

Customer Accounts

Customer Database

Customer History

Customer Management

Customizable Branding

Customizable Fields

Customizable Reports

Customizable Templates

Customization

Custom Pricing Rules

Dashboard

Data Analysis Tools

Data Catalog

Data Collection

Data Import/Export

Data Security

Data Synchronization

Data Visualization

Delivery Estimate

Delivery Management

Delivery Record

Delivery Tracking

Demand Forecasting

Discount Management

Disposal Management

Document Management

Dropshipping Services

eCommerce Integration

eCommerce Management

Electronic Payments

Employee Management

Employee Time Clock

Equipment Management

Equipment Tracking

Estimating

Exchange Management

Expense Management

Reviews for Fishbowl come from a wide variety of industries, including electrical/electronic manufacturing (13% of reviewers), food & beverages (7%), and consumer goods (6%). The most frequent use case for Fishbowl cited by reviewers is inventory management (68% of reviewers).

Users and use cases

Some reviewers find Fishbowl offers comprehensive features at a reasonable price and appreciate the modular pricing and budget flexibility. However, some users report confusing pricing, unexpected ongoing costs, and say it can become expensive for small businesses.

Value for money

The Fishbowl integrations most frequently cited by reviewers are: QuickBooks Online (an accounting product rated 4.7 out of 5 for its integration with Fishbowl), QuickBooks Enterprise (an enterprise resource planning product, 4.5), and Shopify (an eCommerce product, 4.4).

Integrations

Fishbowl is an inventory management solution with key features that include inventory management, inventory control, reporting and analytics, purchase order management, inventory tracking, order management, and more.

Fishbowl

Web-based

Windows

iPhone

Linux

iPad

Android

QuickBooks Enterprise

Zoho Inventory

Katana Cloud Inventory

SAP Business One

SkuVault Core

inFlow Inventory

Cin7 Core

Thrive by Shopventory

Finale Inventory

MRPeasy

Acctivate Inventory Management

Wherefour 

Basic Inventory

Advanced Warehousing

Advanced Manufacturing

Fishbowl Commerce Suite

Cumbersome data handling

Lead Engineer

Many, many aspects, such as the import/export function, are some of the worst examples of programming/knowledge I have seen in decades.

62% of reviewers feel negative about Fishbowl’s data import and export capabilities. Reviewers indicate that exporting reports to Excel or QuickBooks is often problematic, with data requiring extensive manual cleanup. Users say import/export processes are error-prone, lack flexibility, and can result in lost historical data or failed transfers. Many mention recurring export failures and difficulties reconciling information between Fishbowl and accounting systems. Some reviewers report that troubleshooting these issues is time-consuming and often requires external support, adding to their frustration.

Delayed and inaccessible support

59% of reviewers feel negative about Fishbowl’s phone support. Reviewers report long wait times, difficulty reaching a live person, and frequent reliance on voicemail or callbacks that can take hours or days. Users say urgent issues are not addressed promptly, causing business disruptions. Many mention repeated attempts to contact support without success and frustration with unreturned calls or emails. Some reviewers feel the support team is understaffed and that communication is inconsistent, making it challenging to resolve problems quickly when they arise.

Refund and accounting frustrations

President

Not only did Fishbowl fail to provide adequate communication during the entire process, but they also refused to give me a refund.

79% of reviewers feel negative about Fishbowl’s accounting and refund processes. Reviewers report frequent issues with account mapping, integration errors with QuickBooks, and difficulty handling customer credits or returns. They say refund policies are restrictive, with many unable to obtain refunds even when the software does not meet their needs. Users mention poor communication and slow responses from support when dealing with financial discrepancies, leading to frustration and financial losses. Some reviewers feel misled by sales promises and dissatisfied with the lack of flexibility in accounting workflows.

Limited and rigid reporting

Office Manager

I think my only issue is having to update any custom reports every time there is a new update so your report is compatible with the version you are updating to.

60% of reviewers feel negative about Fishbowl’s reporting features. Reviewers say standard reports are basic and not easily customizable, making it hard to get the specific insights they need. Users mention that creating or modifying custom reports is difficult, often requiring third-party assistance or technical expertise. They find report formatting unintuitive and exporting data for further analysis challenging. Some reviewers express frustration with the time and cost involved in updating or developing reports, especially when frequent software updates break existing customizations.

Frequent software disruptions

64% of reviewers feel negative about Fishbowl’s bugs and technical issues. Users report regular software crashes, freezing, and sync problems, especially during updates or integrations with other platforms. Reviewers indicate that mistakes are hard to correct due to limited undo options, and system errors often require time-consuming workarounds or restarts. Some users say these disruptions can halt business operations and create significant frustration, particularly when technical glitches affect order processing or inventory accuracy. Multiple reviewers mention that fixes are slow and issues often recur.

Scalable for growing businesses

86% of reviewers feel positive about Fishbowl’s support for small business growth. Reviewers report that the software is well-suited for startups and small to medium-sized companies, offering tools that scale as their needs expand. They appreciate the affordable entry cost and the ability to add features or users as their business grows. Users say Fishbowl helps them manage increased complexity without switching platforms, and they value the flexibility to adapt the system to changing requirements. Many reviewers credit Fishbowl with supporting their company’s expansion.

Robust feature set

81% of reviewers feel positive about Fishbowl’s features. Reviewers indicate the software offers a wide range of functionalities for inventory, manufacturing, and integration with other business tools. They appreciate the customizable dashboard, advanced inventory controls, and seamless QuickBooks integration. Users mention that the system provides many out-of-the-box features and the ability to tailor the platform to specific business needs. Some reviewers note ongoing improvements and new feature releases, which help them optimize their operations and stay aligned with industry requirements.

Streamlined daily operations

92% of reviewers feel positive about Fishbowl’s ease of use. Reviewers indicate the software is straightforward to learn, even for those new to inventory systems, and say it makes daily tasks much simpler. They appreciate that processes are intuitive, navigation is quick, and everything is easy to find. Users think the platform’s simplicity reduces training time and allows staff to become productive quickly. Some reviewers find the interface clear and the steps to complete common actions minimal, which helps them work more efficiently and reduces the chance of errors.

Senior Production and Logistics Manager

Fishbowl is an easy solution that allows us to track inventory, manufacturing, and order fulfillment from the most basic parts and components, to finished and shipped product.

General Manager

Manufacturing has BOM's, Work Orders, Manufacture Orders, and has options for custom MO's as well as reverse MO's.

It has way more inventory functionality than Quickbooks and our e-commerce store and really does a great job for us when it comes to managing inventory.

Estimator and purchaser

It’s frustrating that common methods aren’t supported, and the lack of seamless billing integration makes managing subscriptions and transactions more time-consuming than it should be.

Accountant

It is amazing how much we are able to accomplish in just the warehousing license and the workarounds we created to manufacturing in a warehouse limited database.

Director of Corporate Operations

We were not able to link their system to our QuickBooks accounting software and online store (Shopify) to pull location of inventory available or shipping quotes prior to full sync.

I wish Fishbowl was able to split a sales order when parts of the order will be fulfilled at facility A and the rest of the order will be fulfilled at facility B.

Owner

Having an automotive based business, there are many combinations of parts we can put together, so kits has been very valuable to our business.

Customer Service Representative

I feel like there are some things that fall on shoulders of the CSR's that should be handled by the production team/warehouse (ie: picking and shipping) but that might not be a FB issue, that could be the way my company has decided to do things.   Because of that, I can't take away a star since that might not be a system issue.

Service Manager

Fishbowl has an end user friendly UI that makes creating orders, and purchase orders seamless.

warehouse manager

It’s a robust inventory management system that has helped bring structure and visibility to our warehouse operations.

Warehouse and Sales Admin Specialist

The system delivers strong functionality and integrates well with our existing processes, but some areas of the interface can feel less intuitive than we’d like.

Manager, Supply Chain

The real-time tracking of parts and assemblies, along with automated reorder points, has saved us from running into stockouts.

The ability to track inventory in real time and integrate with accounting systems is especially valuable.

Its real-time visibility ensures accurate stock levels, reducing the risk of overstocking or stockouts.

VP Operations - CSR Manager

Recently FB has been little troublesome in maintaining stock count, we face errors of pick stuck, unable to close short order etc.

I also appreciate how customizable it is for different workflows, allowing it to adapt to our specific operational needs.

Ecommerce and Customer Relations Manager

I find that most of the time I am exporting large reports that are slow to generate to transform in excel to get the information I am looking for.

The system’s ability to integrate seamlessly with other platforms makes managing complex inventories effortless.

The easy integration with our existing systems has saved us time and reduced errors, and their customer support team consistently goes above and beyond to help.

Director of Digital Marketing

Need more control over certain things like being able to send invoices with credit card payment links with our standard credit card processor.

Software has a great layout, its not old and dated, but neither is it a flashy smooth interface that changes with every new update.

Lead Designer

Overall, I feel that Fishbowl shines in warehouse tracking and production workflows, but it does come with a learning curve.

ITAdmin

Great support structure when product expectation is not meeting identified needs or when question arises that is not readily available n documentation.

Engineering Technician

Helpful Integration Team, we are using the system primarily for manufacturing inventory management, and were able to find ways to use functions in various ways to give the outcome we were looking for.

The integration with eBay, Big Commerce and ShipStation are paramount to our business running smoothly.

IT Director

Server seems to have minimal resources, so sometimes when i get in there to try and provide any support, it seems slow to navigate around in.

Fishbowl vs Erplain Comparison (2026)

Fishbowl

Erplain

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives