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ERP · head to head

Deltek vs Fishbowl

Deltek logo

Deltek

ERP

Project-based business management and accounting software

From
$1500/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: Deltek not one product but a portfolio, including Costpoint, Vantagepoint, Maconomy, Ajera, ComputerEase, GovWin IQ and Replicon, so the right choice depends on the industry before the feature set; 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: Deltek covers Project accounting, Fishbowl covers Inventory management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Deltek and Fishbowl actually diverge.

Attributes where Deltek and Fishbowl differ
AttributeDeltekFishbowl
Starting price$1500/month$4395/one-time
Pricing modelsubscriptionone-time
PlatformsCloud, Web, MobileWindows, Cloud
Founded19832001

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 Deltek

  • Project accounting
  • Resource management
  • Time and expense
  • Financial reporting
  • Government compliance
  • Office 365
  • Outlook
  • Tableau

Only in Fishbowl

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

Both cover

  • Audit trails
  • Cloud support

What people use each for

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

Deltek

  • Government contracting project accounting and compliance managementnot Fishbowl
  • Aerospace and defense ERP with FAR/CAS requirementsnot Fishbowl
  • Architecture and engineering firm resource planning and billingnot Fishbowl
  • Construction cost tracking, labor management, and job costingnot Fishbowl
  • Professional services resource scheduling and utilizationnot Fishbowl

Fishbowl

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

Where each one falls short

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

Deltek

  • Not one product but a portfolio, including Costpoint, Vantagepoint, Maconomy, Ajera, ComputerEase, GovWin IQ and Replicon, so the right choice depends on the industry before the feature set
  • Pricing is not published anywhere and requires contacting sales
  • Built around project-based industries such as government contracting, architecture and engineering rather than general business

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

Deltek

$1500/month
  • Vantagepoint$1500/month
    • Project accounting
    • Professional services
    • Resource management
  • Vantagepoint Enterprise$3500/month
    • Advanced features
    • Multi-entity
    • Advanced analytics

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 Deltek if

  • You need project accounting.
  • You work on Cloud, Web, Mobile.
  • You also want resource management.
Deltek review

Choose Fishbowl if

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

Questions people ask

Is Deltek or Fishbowl better?
Neither clearly leads. Deltek starts at $1500/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, Deltek or Fishbowl?
Deltek starts at $1500/month and Fishbowl at $4395/one-time.
Does Deltek or Fishbowl run on more platforms?
Deltek runs on Cloud, Web, Mobile. Fishbowl runs on Windows, Cloud.
What is Deltek best used for?
Deltek is most often used for government contracting project accounting and compliance management, aerospace and defense erp with far/cas requirements, architecture and engineering firm resource planning and billing, construction cost tracking, labor management, and job costing. Of those, government contracting project accounting and compliance management and aerospace and defense erp with far/cas requirements are not what Fishbowl is typically brought in for.
What can Deltek do that Fishbowl cannot?
Deltek covers Project accounting, Resource management, Time and expense, Financial reporting. Fishbowl covers Inventory management, Manufacturing, Work orders, Barcode scanning. Both handle Audit trails, Cloud support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Deltek: How much does Deltek Costpoint cost?

Deltek does not display pricing for Costpoint or other products on its website. Enterprise ERP pricing requires contact with Deltek sales.

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
Deltek: What is the cost of Deltek Vantagepoint for architecture firms?

Deltek does not publish Vantagepoint pricing on its website. Pricing depends on firm size, employee count, and feature requirements.

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
Deltek: Do Deltek cloud ERP solutions charge per user?

Deltek offers cloud ERP products but does not disclose per-user, per-month, or subscription rate information on its public website.

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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