Softwr

Inventory · head to head

Acumatica vs Fishbowl

Acumatica logo

Acumatica

Inventory

Cloud ERP for modern distributed businesses

From
On request
Rated
-
Fishbowl logo

Fishbowl

ERP

Manufacturing and warehouse management for QuickBooks

From
$4395/one-time
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Acumatica pricing is not published; the vendor directs buyers to a pricing review or an industry calculator instead; Fishbowl the $229 per month Essentials plan includes only 2 users, Growth at $429 includes 5 and Scale at $729 includes 10, all billed annually
  • They diverge on capability: Acumatica covers Financial management, Fishbowl covers Inventory management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Acumatica and Fishbowl actually diverge.

Attributes where Acumatica and Fishbowl differ
AttributeAcumaticaFishbowl
Starting priceOn request$4395/one-time
Pricing modelsubscriptionone-time
PlatformsWebWindows, Cloud
CategoryInventoryERP
Founded20052001

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Acumatica

  • Financial management
  • Inventory
  • Order management
  • CRM
  • Acumatica mobile
  • Business intelligence
  • Custom integrations
  • Third-party apps

Only in Fishbowl

  • Inventory management
  • Work orders
  • Barcode scanning
  • QuickBooks integration
  • QuickBooks Desktop
  • QuickBooks Online
  • Shopify
  • Amazon

Both cover

  • Manufacturing
  • Cloud support

What people use each for

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

Acumatica

  • Construction industry ERPnot Fishbowl
  • Manufacturing business managementnot Fishbowl
  • Distribution operationsnot Fishbowl

Fishbowl

  • Inventory and SKU tracking for wholesale and distribution businessesnot Acumatica
  • Manufacturing bills of materials, MRP, work orders and job costingnot Acumatica
  • Warehouse fulfilment, transfer orders and automated reorderingnot Acumatica
  • Multichannel selling with synchronised stock levelsnot Acumatica

Where each one falls short

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

Acumatica

  • Pricing is not published; the vendor directs buyers to a pricing review or an industry calculator instead
  • Cost is driven by transaction volume, data storage and resource levels, so spend rises with business activity rather than staying fixed
  • Charged per application implemented, so adding a module changes the price

Fishbowl

  • The $229 per month Essentials plan includes only 2 users, Growth at $429 includes 5 and Scale at $729 includes 10, all billed annually
  • A paid implementation package is required as part of purchase and covers a 6 to 8 week training certification
  • Lot tracking, demand forecasting and compliance documentation require the Scale plan at $729 per month
  • Advanced Warehouse from $595 per month and Advanced Manufacturing from $675 per month are quoted on team size and deployment rather than sold at a fixed rate
  • Demand forecasting and custom reports are add ons carrying separate fees
  • All listed plan prices are billed annually rather than monthly

Pricing, plan by plan

Acumatica

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Acumatica review.

Fishbowl

$4395/one-time
  • Fishbowl Warehouse$4395/one-time
    • Inventory tracking
    • Order management
    • QuickBooks sync
  • Fishbowl Manufacturing$5495/one-time
    • Work orders
    • Bill of materials
    • Shop floor control

Which should you pick?

Choose Acumatica if

  • You need financial management.
  • You also want inventory.

Choose Fishbowl if

  • You need inventory management.
  • You work on Windows, Cloud.
  • You also want work orders.

Questions people ask

Is Acumatica or Fishbowl better?
Neither clearly leads. Acumatica starts at On request and Fishbowl at $4395/one-time, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Acumatica or Fishbowl?
Acumatica starts at On request and Fishbowl at $4395/one-time.
Does Acumatica or Fishbowl run on more platforms?
Acumatica runs on Web. Fishbowl runs on Windows, Cloud.
What is Acumatica best used for?
Acumatica is most often used for construction industry erp, manufacturing business management, distribution operations. Of those, construction industry erp and manufacturing business management are not what Fishbowl is typically brought in for.
What can Acumatica do that Fishbowl cannot?
Acumatica covers Financial management, Inventory, Order management, CRM. Fishbowl covers Inventory management, Work orders, Barcode scanning, QuickBooks integration. Both handle Manufacturing, Cloud support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Acumatica: How does Acumatica's pricing model work compared to traditional per-seat ERP systems?

Acumatica charges based primarily on the number of applications you implement, not user seats. Pricing adjusts based on business usage and resources (transaction volumes, user count, data storage needs) plus your chosen deployment license type. Unlimited users are included; you only pay for the functionality you need.

Source
Fishbowl: How much does Fishbowl Inventory cost per month?

Fishbowl Inventory pricing starts at $229/month (billed annually) for the Essentials tier, $429/month for Growth, and $729/month for Scale. The Advanced Manufacturing tier starts at $675/month and Advanced Warehouse starts at $595/month, though both are quote-based and vary by user count.

Source
Acumatica: Are there separate pricing calculators for different industries?

Yes, Acumatica offers industry-specific pricing calculators for Construction, Manufacturing, and Distribution to help estimate costs. You can also schedule a custom pricing review with an Acumatica partner for a tailored assessment.

Source
Fishbowl: How many users are included in each tier?

Essentials includes 2 users, Growth includes 5 users, and Scale includes 10 users. Advanced Manufacturing and Advanced Warehouse support teams of 2 to 200+ users with pricing confirmed by quote based on your specific deployment.

Source
Acumatica: What happens if my business usage and data storage needs grow over time?

Acumatica allows you to adjust resource levels and data storage as you add users or expand usage. The transparent pricing model ensures you always know your costs, and you do not pay overages for unused features or unnecessary functionality.

Source
Fishbowl: Is Fishbowl billed monthly or annually?

Fishbowl Inventory plans require annual billing. The Advanced Manufacturing and Advanced Warehouse plans have variable pricing confirmed by quote and may have different billing arrangements.

Source
Fishbowl: What's included when I sign up for Fishbowl?

All Fishbowl plans include an implementation package with specialist support, data migration services, and 6 to 8 weeks of certification training. Cloud hosting is included with Advanced Manufacturing plans.

Source
Fishbowl: Can I add more users if I exceed my tier's user limit?

You can upgrade to a higher tier which includes additional users. Essentials ($229/mo with 2 users) can upgrade to Growth ($429/mo with 5 users) or Scale ($729/mo with 10 users). Custom team sizes beyond 10 users require Advanced Manufacturing or Advanced Warehouse quotes.

Source
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