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ERP · head to head

DEAR Systems vs Fishbowl

DEAR Systems logo

DEAR Systems

ERP

Cloud inventory management for growing businesses

From
$349/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: DEAR Systems dEAR Systems is sold as Cin7 Core and priced on the Cin7 pricing page; 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: DEAR Systems covers Inventory control, Fishbowl covers Inventory management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which DEAR Systems and Fishbowl actually diverge.

Attributes where DEAR Systems and Fishbowl differ
AttributeDEAR SystemsFishbowl
Starting price$349/month$4395/one-time
Pricing modelsubscriptionone-time
PlatformsCloud, Web, MobileWindows, Cloud
Founded20122001

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

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 DEAR Systems

  • Inventory control
  • Purchase orders
  • Sales orders
  • Accounting integration
  • Xero
  • QuickBooks
  • WooCommerce
  • SSL encryption

Only in Fishbowl

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

Both cover

  • Manufacturing
  • Shopify
  • Amazon
  • Data backup
  • Cloud support

What people use each for

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

DEAR Systems

  • Inventory and order management for wholesale and e-commerce sellersnot Fishbowl
  • Manufacturing with bills of materials and material requirements planningnot Fishbowl
  • Syncing stock and orders with Xero or QuickBooks Onlinenot Fishbowl
  • Multi warehouse stock control across unlimited locationsnot Fishbowl

Fishbowl

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

Where each one falls short

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

DEAR Systems

  • DEAR Systems is sold as Cin7 Core and priced on the Cin7 pricing page
  • The $349 per month Standard plan caps sales orders at 6,000 per year, includes 5 users and 2 e-commerce integrations
  • Material requirements planning requires the Pro plan at $599 per month
  • Advanced warehouse management requires the Advanced plan at $1,199 per month
  • Additional users, extra integrations, API access, forecasting and advanced automations all cost extra and are priced by the sales team
  • The Omni enterprise plan is custom priced with no published rate

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

DEAR Systems

$349/month
  • Standard$349/month
    • 5 users
    • 6000 annual sale orders
    • 2 e-commerce integrations
  • Pro$599/month
    • 10 users
    • 24000 annual sale orders
    • 4 e-commerce integrations
  • Advanced$1199/month
    • 15 users
    • 120000 annual sale orders
    • 6 e-commerce integrations
  • Omni$null/month
    • 8 users
    • Flexible annual sale orders
    • 5 e-commerce integrations

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 DEAR Systems if

  • You need inventory control.
  • You work on Cloud, Web, Mobile.
  • You also want purchase orders.
DEAR Systems review

Choose Fishbowl if

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

Questions people ask

Is DEAR Systems or Fishbowl better?
Neither clearly leads. DEAR Systems starts at $349/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, DEAR Systems or Fishbowl?
DEAR Systems starts at $349/month and Fishbowl at $4395/one-time.
Does DEAR Systems or Fishbowl run on more platforms?
DEAR Systems runs on Cloud, Web, Mobile. Fishbowl runs on Windows, Cloud.
What is DEAR Systems best used for?
DEAR Systems is most often used for inventory and order management for wholesale and e-commerce sellers, manufacturing with bills of materials and material requirements planning, syncing stock and orders with xero or quickbooks online, multi warehouse stock control across unlimited locations. Of those, inventory and order management for wholesale and e-commerce sellers and manufacturing with bills of materials and material requirements planning are not what Fishbowl is typically brought in for.
What can DEAR Systems do that Fishbowl cannot?
DEAR Systems covers Inventory control, Purchase orders, Sales orders, Accounting integration. Fishbowl covers Inventory management, Work orders, Barcode scanning, QuickBooks integration. Both handle Manufacturing, Shopify, Amazon, Data backup.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

DEAR Systems: How much does Dear Systems (Cin7) cost?

Dear Systems pricing starts at $349/month for the Standard tier, $599/month for the Pro tier (most popular), $1199/month for Advanced, and custom pricing for the Omni enterprise solution.

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
DEAR Systems: What features does each Dear Systems plan include?

Standard includes 5 users and 6000 annual orders. Pro (most popular) adds 10 users, 24000 orders, and MRP. Advanced provides 15 users, 120000 orders, and advanced warehouse management. Omni offers enterprise customization with flexible user and order limits.

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
DEAR Systems: How many users and integrations are included in Dear Systems plans?

Standard tier includes 5 users and 2 e-commerce integrations. Pro tier includes 10 users and 4 integrations. Advanced tier includes 15 users and 6 integrations. Additional users and integrations are available as paid add-ons.

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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