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ERP & Business Operations · head to head

Fishbowl vs Lightspeed Retail

Fishbowl logo

Fishbowl

ERP & Business Operations

Manufacturing and warehouse management for QuickBooks

From
$4395/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Lightspeed Retail logo

Lightspeed Retail

Inventory Management

Point of sale and retail management system

From
$89/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; Lightspeed Retail high pricing starts at USD 89/month (Basic plan), escalating to USD 289/month for Plus tier with advanced features
  • They diverge on capability: Fishbowl covers Manufacturing, Lightspeed Retail covers Point of sale.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fishbowl and Lightspeed Retail actually diverge.

Attributes where Fishbowl and Lightspeed Retail differ
AttributeFishbowlLightspeed Retail
Starting price$4395/one-time$89/month
Pricing modelone-timeUnknown
PlatformsWindows, CloudWeb, iPad, Cloud-based
CategoryERP & Business OperationsInventory Management
Founded20012005

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

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

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

Only in Lightspeed Retail

  • Point of sale
  • Customer management
  • Omnichannel selling
  • Analytics
  • Employee management
  • Loyalty programs
  • Hardware compatibility

Both cover

  • Inventory management

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

Lightspeed Retail

No use cases recorded yet. See the Lightspeed Retail review.

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

Lightspeed Retail

  • High pricing starts at USD 89/month (Basic plan), escalating to USD 289/month for Plus tier with advanced features
  • Limited integrations with third-party platforms, particularly challenging for Shopify inventory sync
  • Inventory synchronization issues reported with backordered products and bulk updates
  • Customer support response times can be slow despite 24/7 availability
  • System crashes and performance degradation reported during high-traffic periods

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

Lightspeed Retail

$89/month
  • Basic$89/month
    • One register
    • Integrated payments
    • Inventory management
  • Core$149/month
    • All Basic features
    • Expanded eCommerce capabilities
    • Phone support access
  • Plus$289/month
    • All Core features
    • API access
    • Custom workflows

Which should you pick?

Choose Fishbowl if

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

Choose Lightspeed Retail if

  • You need point of sale.
  • You work on Web, iPad, Cloud-based.
  • You also want customer management.
Lightspeed Retail review

Questions people ask

Is Fishbowl or Lightspeed Retail better?
Neither clearly leads. Fishbowl starts at $4395/one-time and Lightspeed Retail at $89/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fishbowl or Lightspeed Retail?
Fishbowl starts at $4395/one-time and Lightspeed Retail at $89/month.
Does Fishbowl or Lightspeed Retail run on more platforms?
Fishbowl runs on Windows, Cloud. Lightspeed Retail runs on Web, iPad, Cloud-based.
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 Lightspeed Retail is typically brought in for.
What can Fishbowl do that Lightspeed Retail cannot?
Fishbowl covers Manufacturing, Work orders, Barcode scanning, QuickBooks integration. Lightspeed Retail covers Point of sale, Customer management, Omnichannel selling, Analytics. Both handle Inventory management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Lightspeed Retail: What payment processing rates does Lightspeed Retail charge?

Lightspeed Retail charges 1.5% for card-present payment processing via Lightspeed Payments.

Source
Lightspeed Retail: Does Lightspeed Retail offer API access?

Yes. API access and custom workflows are available in the Plus plan (USD 289/month), enabling advanced customization and integrations.

Source
Lightspeed Retail: Does Lightspeed support multi-location management?

Yes. All Lightspeed Retail plans support multi-location inventory management with centralized control, though additional location and register costs apply as businesses scale.

Source
Lightspeed Retail: What customer support options are available?

All Lightspeed Retail plans include 24/7 customer support via chat and phone for Core and Plus plans.

Source
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Related pages

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