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ERP & Business Operations · head to head

Fishbowl vs Paychex Flex

Fishbowl logo

Fishbowl

ERP & Business Operations

Manufacturing and warehouse management for QuickBooks

From
$4395/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Paychex Flex logo

Paychex Flex

Payroll & Benefits

Payroll and HR solutions that grow with you

From
$39/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; Paychex Flex paychex publishes no rate card for Paychex Flex: the payroll page names the Select, Pro and Enterprise packages but gives no per employee fee, no base monthly fee and no setup fee
  • They diverge on capability: Fishbowl covers Inventory management, Paychex Flex covers Payroll Processing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fishbowl and Paychex Flex actually diverge.

Attributes where Fishbowl and Paychex Flex differ
AttributeFishbowlPaychex Flex
Starting price$4395/one-time$39/month
Pricing modelone-timequote
PlatformsWindows, CloudWeb, Ios, Android
CategoryERP & Business OperationsPayroll & Benefits
Founded20011971

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 Paychex Flex

  • Payroll Processing
  • Tax Administration
  • HR Services
  • Benefits Administration
  • Time and Attendance
  • Retirement Services
  • QuickBooks
  • Xero

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

Paychex Flex

  • Running payroll and filing payroll taxes for small and mid sized US businessesnot Fishbowl
  • Combining payroll with benefits administration and HR services from one vendornot Fishbowl
  • Handling multi state payroll compliance and year end tax formsnot 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

Paychex Flex

  • Paychex publishes no rate card for Paychex Flex: the payroll page names the Select, Pro and Enterprise packages but gives no per employee fee, no base monthly fee and no setup fee
  • Pricing is obtained only by requesting a quote or calling sales
  • Product capability is split across three packages, so features are tied to a tier whose price is not disclosed

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

Paychex Flex

$39/month
  • Essentials$39/month
    • Payroll Processing
    • Tax Services
    • Direct Deposit
  • Select$undefined/month
    • All Essentials features
    • HR Administration
    • Onboarding

Which should you pick?

Choose Fishbowl if

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

Choose Paychex Flex if

  • You need payroll processing.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want tax administration.
Paychex Flex review

Questions people ask

Is Fishbowl or Paychex Flex better?
Neither clearly leads. Fishbowl starts at $4395/one-time and Paychex Flex at $39/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fishbowl or Paychex Flex?
Fishbowl starts at $4395/one-time and Paychex Flex at $39/month.
Does Fishbowl or Paychex Flex run on more platforms?
Fishbowl runs on Windows, Cloud. Paychex Flex 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 Paychex Flex is typically brought in for.
What can Fishbowl do that Paychex Flex cannot?
Fishbowl covers Inventory management, Manufacturing, Work orders, Barcode scanning. Paychex Flex covers Payroll Processing, Tax Administration, HR Services, Benefits Administration.
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