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ERP · head to head

Fishbowl vs IFS

Fishbowl logo

Fishbowl

ERP

Manufacturing and warehouse management for QuickBooks

From
$4395/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
IFS logo

IFS

ERP

ERP for project-centric and asset-centric businesses

From
$1000/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real 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; IFS no price, per user rate, minimum commitment or contract term is published on the site; the only route to a figure is a demo booking
  • They diverge on capability: Fishbowl covers Inventory management, IFS covers Project management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fishbowl and IFS actually diverge.

Attributes where Fishbowl and IFS differ
AttributeFishbowlIFS
Starting price$4395/one-time$1000/month
Pricing modelone-timesubscription
PlatformsWindows, CloudCloud, Hybrid
Founded20011983

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 Fishbowl

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

Only in IFS

  • Project management
  • Field service
  • Asset management
  • Supply chain
  • IoT sensors
  • Mobile workforce
  • Analytics
  • Third-party systems

Both cover

  • Manufacturing
  • Cloud support

What people use each for

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

Fishbowl

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

IFS

  • Enterprise resource planning for asset intensive industries such as aerospace, energy and manufacturingnot Fishbowl
  • Enterprise asset management and predictive maintenancenot Fishbowl
  • Field service management and workforce schedulingnot Fishbowl

Where each one falls short

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

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

IFS

  • No price, per user rate, minimum commitment or contract term is published on the site; the only route to a figure is a demo booking
  • IFS Cloud is sold as an industry specific composable suite rather than as a priced product with published editions

Pricing, plan by plan

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

IFS

$1000/month
  • Standard$1000/month
    • Core ERP
    • Project management
    • Field service
  • Premium$3000/month
    • Advanced features
    • Extensive integrations
    • AI capabilities

Which should you pick?

Choose Fishbowl if

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

Choose IFS if

  • You need project management.
  • You work on Cloud, Hybrid.
  • You also want field service.
IFS review

Questions people ask

Is Fishbowl or IFS better?
Neither clearly leads. Fishbowl starts at $4395/one-time and IFS at $1000/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fishbowl or IFS?
Fishbowl starts at $4395/one-time and IFS at $1000/month.
Does Fishbowl or IFS run on more platforms?
Fishbowl runs on Windows, Cloud. IFS runs on Cloud, Hybrid.
What is Fishbowl best used for?
Fishbowl is most often used for inventory and sku tracking for wholesale and distribution businesses, manufacturing bills of materials, mrp, work orders and job costing, warehouse fulfilment, transfer orders and automated reordering, multichannel selling with synchronised stock levels. Of those, inventory and sku tracking for wholesale and distribution businesses and manufacturing bills of materials, mrp, work orders and job costing are not what IFS is typically brought in for.
What can Fishbowl do that IFS cannot?
Fishbowl covers Inventory management, Work orders, Barcode scanning, QuickBooks integration. IFS covers Project management, Field service, Asset management, Supply chain. Both handle Manufacturing, Cloud support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
IFS: Why is IFS P2 Energy Solutions pricing not published?

IFS provides custom pricing based on organization size and specific needs. The website directs interested buyers to book a demo or contact the sales team rather than publishing standard rates.

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
IFS: What is the process to get pricing information from IFS?

The website includes calls-to-action for 'Book a demo' and 'Contact us' as the primary pathways to discuss pricing and contract terms with the sales team.

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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