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ERP · head to head

Fishbowl vs IFS Cloud

Fishbowl logo

Fishbowl

ERP

Manufacturing and warehouse management for QuickBooks

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

IFS Cloud

ERP

Single-codebase ERP, EAM and field service for asset-heavy industries

From
On request
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 Cloud the partner ecosystem is a fraction of the size of SAP or Microsoft, so day rates for experienced IFS consultants are high and availability is genuinely constrained; a failing implementation is hard to rescue because there are few alternative firms to bring in.
  • They diverge on capability: Fishbowl covers Inventory management, IFS Cloud covers Single codebase.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fishbowl and IFS Cloud actually diverge.

Attributes where Fishbowl and IFS Cloud differ
AttributeFishbowlIFS Cloud
Starting price$4395/one-timeOn request
Pricing modelone-timequote
PlatformsWindows, CloudWeb, iOS, Android, Windows
Founded2001Unknown

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

Only in IFS Cloud

  • Single codebase
  • Aviation MRO
  • Field service management
  • Enterprise asset management
  • Copperleaf decision analytics
  • Composable deployment
  • Twice-yearly release train
  • Project-driven manufacturing

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 Cloud
  • Manufacturing bills of materials, MRP, work orders and job costingnot IFS Cloud
  • Warehouse fulfilment, transfer orders and automated reorderingnot IFS Cloud
  • Multichannel selling with synchronised stock levelsnot IFS Cloud

IFS Cloud

  • An airline or defence operator that needs airworthiness-compliant maintenance records tied to the same system that runs procurement and financenot Fishbowl
  • A utility that must justify capital asset spend to a regulator and wants the investment case and the work orders in one placenot Fishbowl
  • A contract manufacturer running engineer-to-order projects where project accounting, shop floor and service revenue need to reconcilenot Fishbowl
  • An industrial services firm replacing a separate ERP, CMMS and field scheduling tool with one vendor contractnot 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 Cloud

  • The partner ecosystem is a fraction of the size of SAP or Microsoft, so day rates for experienced IFS consultants are high and availability is genuinely constrained; a failing implementation is hard to rescue because there are few alternative firms to bring in.
  • Financial accounting and consolidation are the weakest part of the suite relative to the asset and service modules, and finance teams at group level often end up keeping a separate consolidation tool, which undermines the single-system business case.
  • Licensing is per capability area on top of user counts, so a scope change during implementation can produce a licence uplift that was not in the original business case, and the price is only discoverable through sales.
  • Upgrades between major releases still require regression testing of customisations, and organisations that have extended the product heavily report multi-month upgrade projects rather than the low-effort updates the cloud positioning implies.
  • IFS is private-equity owned and has acquired several companies in quick succession, so the portfolio and the roadmap have shifted more than once; a capability you buy on a roadmap promise may be delivered by an acquired product with a different data model.

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 Cloud

On request
  • IFS Cloud$undefined/year
    • Named and concurrent user licensing
    • Capability areas licensed separately
    • Cloud, customer-cloud or on-premises deployment

Which should you pick?

Choose Fishbowl if

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

Choose IFS Cloud if

  • You need single codebase.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Windows.
  • You also want aviation mro.
IFS Cloud review

Questions people ask

Is Fishbowl or IFS Cloud better?
Neither clearly leads. Fishbowl starts at $4395/one-time and IFS Cloud at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fishbowl or IFS Cloud?
Fishbowl starts at $4395/one-time and IFS Cloud at On request.
Does Fishbowl or IFS Cloud run on more platforms?
Fishbowl runs on Windows, Cloud. IFS Cloud runs on Web, iOS, Android, Windows.
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 Cloud is typically brought in for.
What can Fishbowl do that IFS Cloud cannot?
Fishbowl covers Inventory management, Manufacturing, Work orders, Barcode scanning. IFS Cloud covers Single codebase, Aviation MRO, Field service management, Enterprise asset management.

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 Cloud: Is IFS Cloud one product or a suite of separate ones?

One product on one codebase. You licence capability areas within it rather than buying separate applications, though acquired products such as Copperleaf are still being folded in.

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 Cloud: How much does IFS Cloud cost?

IFS does not publish pricing. Cost depends on user counts and which capability areas you licence, and implementation is usually the larger line item.

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
IFS Cloud: Is IFS a credible replacement for SAP S/4HANA?

In asset-heavy and service-heavy industries, yes. For a finance-first, multi-country group with complex statutory consolidation, SAP remains stronger.

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
IFS Cloud: Who owns IFS?

It is privately held, majority owned by EQT and Hg. That funds acquisitions but also means the portfolio changes shape.

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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