ERP & Business Operations · head to head
BatchMaster vs Fishbowl
BatchMaster
ERP & Business Operations
Manufacturing execution and batch management system
- From
- $1250/month
- Rated
- -
Fishbowl
ERP & Business Operations
Manufacturing and warehouse management for QuickBooks
- From
- $4395/one-time
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: BatchMaster implementation costs high, ranging from $15,000 to $120,000, adding significant upfront investment; 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: BatchMaster covers Production scheduling, Fishbowl covers Inventory management.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which BatchMaster and Fishbowl actually diverge.
| Attribute | BatchMaster | Fishbowl |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $1250/month | $4395/one-time |
| Pricing model | Unknown | one-time |
| Platforms | Cloud, On-premise, Web | Windows, Cloud |
| Founded | 1983 | 2001 |
Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (ERP & Business Operations).
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 BatchMaster
- Production scheduling
- Batch management
- Quality control
- Traceability
- Compliance
- ERP systems
- REST APIs
- IoT sensors
Only in Fishbowl
- Inventory management
- Manufacturing
- Work orders
- Barcode scanning
- QuickBooks integration
- QuickBooks Desktop
- QuickBooks Online
- Shopify
Both cover
- Cloud support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
BatchMaster
- Batch productionnot Fishbowl
- Quality assurancenot Fishbowl
- Regulatory compliancenot Fishbowl
- Product traceabilitynot Fishbowl
Fishbowl
- Inventory and SKU tracking for wholesale and distribution businessesnot BatchMaster
- Manufacturing bills of materials, MRP, work orders and job costingnot BatchMaster
- Warehouse fulfilment, transfer orders and automated reorderingnot BatchMaster
- Multichannel selling with synchronised stock levelsnot BatchMaster
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
BatchMaster
- Implementation costs high, ranging from $15,000 to $120,000, adding significant upfront investment
- Per-user licensing model can increase total cost of ownership for organizations with many users accessing the system
- Smaller user community compared to tier-1 ERP systems may limit support resources and third-party integrations
- Mobile app capabilities are optional add-ons that increase overall deployment cost
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
BatchMaster
$1250/monthNo published plan breakdown. See the BatchMaster 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 BatchMaster if
- You need production scheduling.
- You work on Cloud, On-premise, Web.
- You also want batch management.
Choose Fishbowl if
- You need inventory management.
- You work on Windows, Cloud.
- You also want manufacturing.
Questions people ask
- Is BatchMaster or Fishbowl better?
- Neither clearly leads. BatchMaster starts at $1250/month and Fishbowl at $4395/one-time, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, BatchMaster or Fishbowl?
- BatchMaster starts at $1250/month and Fishbowl at $4395/one-time.
- Does BatchMaster or Fishbowl run on more platforms?
- BatchMaster runs on Cloud, On-premise, Web. Fishbowl runs on Windows, Cloud.
- What is BatchMaster best used for?
- BatchMaster is most often used for batch production, quality assurance, regulatory compliance, product traceability. Of those, batch production and quality assurance are not what Fishbowl is typically brought in for.
- What can BatchMaster do that Fishbowl cannot?
- BatchMaster covers Production scheduling, Batch management, Quality control, Traceability. Fishbowl covers Inventory management, Manufacturing, Work orders, Barcode scanning. Both handle Cloud support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
BatchMaster: What industries does BatchMaster ERP serve?
BatchMaster ERP serves manufacturers across 20+ industries including pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, chemicals, personal care and cosmetics, nutraceuticals, paint and coatings, and others in more than 80 countries.
SourceBatchMaster: How much does BatchMaster cost?
BatchMaster pricing typically starts around $1,250 per month for cloud subscriptions, with costs ranging from $70-150 per user per month on subscription. Implementation costs range from $15,000 to $120,000, with essential modules like quality management commanding higher prices.
SourceBatchMaster: What integrations does BatchMaster support?
BatchMaster integrates with QuickBooks, SAP Business One, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Sage 50/100/200/300, Xero, and Tally. It also offers an API for custom integrations.
SourceBatchMaster: What are BatchMaster's key modules?
BatchMaster provides modular applications covering formulation, production, inventory, quality, compliance, planning, and scheduling. Optional modules include mobile and warehouse management capabilities.
SourceBatchMaster: Does BatchMaster support batch tracking and traceability?
Yes, BatchMaster includes batch tracking and traceability features essential for regulated industries like pharmaceuticals and food and beverage, supporting product recall management and regulatory compliance.
Source