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Inventory · head to head

ABC Inventory vs Fishbowl Inventory

A

ABC Inventory

Inventory

Free inventory software for Windows

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Fishbowl Inventory logo

Fishbowl Inventory

Inventory

Manufacturing and warehouse inventory built around QuickBooks

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only ABC Inventory has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: ABC Inventory the free ABC Inventory edition is single user only; multi-user access requires the paid commercial Almyta Control System upgrade, per the vendor's own page as captured by the Internet Archive on 20 November 2024; Fishbowl Inventory pricing is not published and has historically involved a substantial upfront figure, which surprises buyers expecting SaaS monthly pricing
  • They diverge on capability: ABC Inventory covers Inventory tracking, Fishbowl Inventory covers QuickBooks and Xero integration.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ABC Inventory and Fishbowl Inventory actually diverge.

Attributes where ABC Inventory and Fishbowl Inventory differ
AttributeABC InventoryFishbowl Inventory
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWindows DesktopWindows, Web, iOS, Android
Founded1995Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Inventory).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in ABC Inventory

  • Inventory tracking
  • Purchase orders
  • Sales orders
  • Multi-location
  • Excel export
  • Barcode printing
  • Label printing
  • Windows Desktop support

Only in Fishbowl Inventory

  • QuickBooks and Xero integration
  • Manufacturing orders
  • Multi-location inventory
  • Barcode scanning
  • Purchasing and reorder
  • Order fulfilment

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

ABC Inventory

  • Desktop inventorynot Fishbowl Inventory
  • Order managementnot Fishbowl Inventory
  • Purchasingnot Fishbowl Inventory
  • Stock controlnot Fishbowl Inventory

Fishbowl Inventory

  • Small manufacturers who have outgrown QuickBooks inventory but not the accountingnot ABC Inventory
  • Wholesalers needing barcode-driven warehouse operationsnot ABC Inventory
  • Companies wanting inventory control without replacing their finance systemnot ABC Inventory
  • Businesses preferring a perpetual licence to a per-seat subscriptionnot ABC Inventory

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

ABC Inventory

  • The free ABC Inventory edition is single user only; multi-user access requires the paid commercial Almyta Control System upgrade, per the vendor's own page as captured by the Internet Archive on 20 November 2024
  • The free licence excludes phone, email and online support, per the same capture of 20 November 2024

Fishbowl Inventory

  • Pricing is not published and has historically involved a substantial upfront figure, which surprises buyers expecting SaaS monthly pricing
  • The interface reflects its on-premise origins and looks dated beside cloud-native inventory tools
  • Implementation and data migration are heavier than the marketing implies, and undersized projects are the usual source of complaints
  • The QuickBooks dependency that makes it attractive also caps it: businesses that eventually need real ERP will migrate away
  • Reporting is functional but teams frequently export to a spreadsheet for anything analytical

Pricing, plan by plan

ABC Inventory

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Full features
    • Single user
    • Basic support
  • Network$199/month
    • Multi-user
    • Network access
    • Priority support

Fishbowl Inventory

On request
  • Fishbowl Drive$undefined/month
    • Cloud-based
    • Inventory tracking
    • Order management
  • Fishbowl Advanced$undefined/month
    • Manufacturing
    • Multi-location
    • Advanced reporting

Which should you pick?

Choose ABC Inventory if

  • You need inventory tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows Desktop.
  • You also want purchase orders.
ABC Inventory review

Choose Fishbowl Inventory if

  • You need quickbooks and xero integration.
  • You work on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want manufacturing orders.
Fishbowl Inventory review

Questions people ask

Is ABC Inventory or Fishbowl Inventory better?
Neither clearly leads. ABC Inventory starts at Free and Fishbowl Inventory at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ABC Inventory or Fishbowl Inventory?
ABC Inventory has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for ABC Inventory and On request for Fishbowl Inventory.
Does ABC Inventory or Fishbowl Inventory run on more platforms?
ABC Inventory runs on Windows Desktop. Fishbowl Inventory runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use ABC Inventory for free?
Yes. ABC Inventory has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Fishbowl Inventory starts at On request.
What is ABC Inventory best used for?
ABC Inventory is most often used for desktop inventory, order management, purchasing, stock control. Of those, desktop inventory and order management are not what Fishbowl Inventory is typically brought in for.
What can ABC Inventory do that Fishbowl Inventory cannot?
ABC Inventory covers Inventory tracking, Purchase orders, Sales orders, Multi-location. Fishbowl Inventory covers QuickBooks and Xero integration, Manufacturing orders, Multi-location inventory, Barcode scanning.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Fishbowl Inventory: What does Fishbowl cost?

Not published. It has historically been sold with a significant upfront component rather than a low monthly fee, so budget for a quote well above typical SaaS inventory pricing.

Fishbowl Inventory: Do I still need QuickBooks?

Usually yes. Fishbowl handles inventory and manufacturing and posts the financial results into QuickBooks or Xero. It is not an accounting replacement.

Fishbowl Inventory: Is it cloud or on-premise?

Both. Fishbowl Drive is the cloud product; Fishbowl Advanced can be hosted or run on your own server, which is why it still appeals to companies avoiding subscriptions.

Fishbowl Inventory: Who is it wrong for?

Businesses that need genuine ERP, and businesses small enough that a cloud inventory app at a low monthly cost would do. It sits deliberately between those.

Fishbowl Inventory: How hard is implementation?

Harder than a signup. Bills of material and historical stock data need preparation, and companies that treat it as a weekend job are the ones who describe it as difficult afterwards.

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