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Inventory · head to head

Brightpearl vs Fishbowl

Brightpearl logo

Brightpearl

Inventory

Retail operating system for omnichannel commerce

From
$499/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Fishbowl logo

Fishbowl

ERP

Manufacturing and warehouse management for QuickBooks

From
$4395/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Brightpearl no pricing is published, and every quote is described as a bespoke setup; 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: Brightpearl covers Order management, Fishbowl covers Manufacturing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Brightpearl and Fishbowl actually diverge.

Attributes where Brightpearl and Fishbowl differ
AttributeBrightpearlFishbowl
Starting price$499/month$4395/one-time
Pricing modelsubscriptionone-time
PlatformsCloud, WebWindows, Cloud
CategoryInventoryERP
Founded20072001

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 Brightpearl

  • Order management
  • Warehouse management
  • Retail accounting
  • POS integration
  • eBay
  • Magento
  • BigCommerce
  • SOC2 compliance

Only in Fishbowl

  • Manufacturing
  • Work orders
  • Barcode scanning
  • QuickBooks integration
  • QuickBooks Desktop
  • QuickBooks Online
  • ShipStation
  • User permissions

Both cover

  • Inventory management
  • Shopify
  • Amazon
  • Cloud support

What people use each for

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

Brightpearl

  • Retail operations management across inventory, orders and accountingnot Fishbowl
  • Connecting ecommerce and wholesale channels to fulfilmentnot Fishbowl

Fishbowl

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

Where each one falls short

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

Brightpearl

  • No pricing is published, and every quote is described as a bespoke setup
  • Cost is driven by business size rather than by a stated unit, so nothing can be estimated before contacting sales
  • The vendor frames cost as a percentage of revenue, which means the bill grows with turnover rather than with usage

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

Brightpearl

$499/month
  • Core$499/month
    • Order management
    • Inventory management
    • Basic accounting
  • Professional$999/month
    • Unlimited channels
    • Warehouse management
    • Advanced reporting

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 Brightpearl if

  • You need order management.
  • You work on Cloud, Web.
  • You also want warehouse management.
Brightpearl review

Choose Fishbowl if

  • You need manufacturing.
  • You work on Windows, Cloud.
  • You also want work orders.
Fishbowl review

Questions people ask

Is Brightpearl or Fishbowl better?
Neither clearly leads. Brightpearl starts at $499/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, Brightpearl or Fishbowl?
Brightpearl starts at $499/month and Fishbowl at $4395/one-time.
Does Brightpearl or Fishbowl run on more platforms?
Brightpearl runs on Cloud, Web. Fishbowl runs on Windows, Cloud.
What is Brightpearl best used for?
Brightpearl is most often used for retail operations management across inventory, orders and accounting, connecting ecommerce and wholesale channels to fulfilment. Of those, retail operations management across inventory, orders and accounting and connecting ecommerce and wholesale channels to fulfilment are not what Fishbowl is typically brought in for.
What can Brightpearl do that Fishbowl cannot?
Brightpearl covers Order management, Warehouse management, Retail accounting, POS integration. Fishbowl covers Manufacturing, Work orders, Barcode scanning, QuickBooks integration. Both handle Inventory management, Shopify, Amazon, Cloud support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Brightpearl: Why does Brightpearl use custom pricing instead of fixed subscription tiers?

Brightpearl states 'One size never fits all. That's why we build a bespoke set-up for every customer with simple, tailored pricing so you never pay for more than you need.' Pricing is tailored to individual business needs.

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
Brightpearl: Do I have to pay extra for additional users?

No. Unlimited users are always included with Brightpearl at no extra cost, regardless of how many people use the system.

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
Brightpearl: How does Brightpearl pricing scale as my business grows?

Brightpearl pricing scales to become a smaller percentage of your revenue as you grow. The company states 'The bigger you grow, the better the value' in their pricing model.

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
Brightpearl: Is there a free trial available?

No free trial or freemium option is mentioned on the pricing page. Interested customers are asked to book a 1-1 demo with retail experts to receive a custom pricing quote.

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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