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ERP · head to head

Fishbowl vs Maintenance Connection

Fishbowl logo

Fishbowl

ERP

Manufacturing and warehouse management for QuickBooks

From
$4395/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Maintenance Connection logo

Maintenance Connection

Manufacturing

Enterprise CMMS from Accruent for multi-site asset management

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; Maintenance Connection implementation is a project measured in months, and the cost of that work frequently exceeds the first year of licensing
  • They diverge on capability: Fishbowl covers Inventory management, Maintenance Connection covers Deep asset hierarchies.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fishbowl and Maintenance Connection actually diverge.

Attributes where Fishbowl and Maintenance Connection differ
AttributeFishbowlMaintenance Connection
Starting price$4395/one-timeOn request
Pricing modelone-timequote
PlatformsWindows, CloudWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryERPManufacturing
Founded2001Unknown

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

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

Only in Maintenance Connection

  • Deep asset hierarchies
  • Labour and cost tracking
  • Multi-storeroom inventory
  • Preventive and predictive
  • Compliance reporting
  • Enterprise integration

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

Maintenance Connection

  • Multi-site manufacturing or healthcare estates with large asset registersnot Fishbowl
  • Organisations that must evidence a maintenance regime to a regulatornot Fishbowl
  • Operations replacing an ageing enterprise CMMS rather than papernot Fishbowl
  • Estates needing maintenance integrated with ERP and financenot 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

Maintenance Connection

  • Implementation is a project measured in months, and the cost of that work frequently exceeds the first year of licensing
  • Pricing is entirely quote-based with no published entry point, so early comparison is impossible
  • The interface reflects its age and is a common objection from technicians used to consumer-grade mobile apps
  • Overpowered for single-site operations, where the configuration burden buys capability that will not be used
  • Accruent sells a broad portfolio, so the buying process involves more product than a maintenance team asked for

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

Maintenance Connection

On request
  • Maintenance Connection$undefined/year
    • Work and asset management
    • Multi-site
    • Inventory

Which should you pick?

Choose Fishbowl if

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

Choose Maintenance Connection if

  • You need deep asset hierarchies.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want labour and cost tracking.
Maintenance Connection review

Questions people ask

Is Fishbowl or Maintenance Connection better?
Neither clearly leads. Fishbowl starts at $4395/one-time and Maintenance Connection at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fishbowl or Maintenance Connection?
Fishbowl starts at $4395/one-time and Maintenance Connection at On request.
Does Fishbowl or Maintenance Connection run on more platforms?
Fishbowl runs on Windows, Cloud. Maintenance Connection runs on Web, iOS, Android.
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 Maintenance Connection is typically brought in for.
What can Fishbowl do that Maintenance Connection cannot?
Fishbowl covers Inventory management, Manufacturing, Work orders, Barcode scanning. Maintenance Connection covers Deep asset hierarchies, Labour and cost tracking, Multi-storeroom inventory, Preventive and predictive.

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
Maintenance Connection: Who is Maintenance Connection for?

Multi-site organisations with large asset registers and formal maintenance governance. Below that scale, the configuration effort is not repaid.

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
Maintenance Connection: What does it cost?

Not published. It is quoted, and implementation is a separate line that often exceeds first-year licensing.

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
Maintenance Connection: How does it differ from MaintainX?

Almost entirely. This is an enterprise system configured to enforce an existing process; MaintainX is a mobile app a team adopts in a day. They rarely appear on the same shortlist honestly.

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
Maintenance Connection: Is it good for regulated industries?

That is its strongest case. Audit trails, evidence of preventive regimes and multi-site consistency are what it is built to produce.

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
Maintenance Connection: What is the biggest risk in adopting it?

Under-resourcing implementation. A partially configured enterprise CMMS is worse than a well-run simple one, and this is the most common way these projects disappoint.

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