Software · head to head
DEAR Systems vs Fishbowl
DEAR Systems
Software
Cloud inventory management for growing businesses
- From
- $249/month
- Rated
- -
Fishbowl
Software
Manufacturing and warehouse management for QuickBooks
- From
- $4395/one-time
- Rated
- -
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.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which DEAR Systems and Fishbowl actually diverge.
| Attribute | DEAR Systems | Fishbowl |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $249/month | $4395/one-time |
| Pricing model | subscription | one-time |
| Platforms | Cloud, Web, Mobile | Windows, Cloud |
| Founded | 2012 | 2001 |
Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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
$249/month- Standard$249/month
- 5 users
- Inventory management
- Order management
- Retailing$399/month
- 10 users
- POS integration
- B2B portal
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.
Choose Fishbowl if
- You need inventory management.
- You work on Windows, Cloud.
- You also want work orders.
Questions people ask
- Is DEAR Systems or Fishbowl better?
- Neither clearly leads. DEAR Systems starts at $249/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 $249/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.