Softwr

ERP & Business Operations · head to head

Fishbowl vs Paycom

Fishbowl logo

Fishbowl

ERP & Business Operations

Manufacturing and warehouse management for QuickBooks

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

Paycom

Payroll & Benefits

HR and payroll technology led by employees

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; Paycom no public API and no transparent integration capabilities
  • They diverge on capability: Fishbowl covers Inventory management, Paycom covers Payroll.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fishbowl and Paycom actually diverge.

Attributes where Fishbowl and Paycom differ
AttributeFishbowlPaycom
Starting price$4395/one-timeOn request
Pricing modelone-timequote
PlatformsWindows, CloudWeb
CategoryERP & Business OperationsPayroll & Benefits
Founded20011998

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 Paycom

  • Payroll
  • Time and Attendance
  • HR Management
  • Talent Acquisition
  • Talent Management
  • Learning Management
  • Microsoft 365
  • Google Workspace

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

Paycom

  • Payroll processing with employee self-verification through Betinot Fishbowl
  • Time and attendance tracking with schedulingnot Fishbowl
  • Talent acquisition and onboardingnot Fishbowl
  • Benefits and compliance administrationnot Fishbowl
  • Automated time-off decisions through GONEnot 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

Paycom

  • No public API and no transparent integration capabilities
  • Limited integrations with third-party ATS, LMS, or performance tools
  • Custom pricing makes cost forecasting difficult
  • Proprietary system philosophy limits flexibility compared to more open platforms
  • Does not support global payroll and benefits

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

Paycom

On request
  • Standard$undefined/month
    • Payroll
    • Time and Labor
    • HR Management

Which should you pick?

Choose Fishbowl if

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

Choose Paycom if

  • You need payroll.
  • You also want time and attendance.
Paycom review

Questions people ask

Is Fishbowl or Paycom better?
Neither clearly leads. Fishbowl starts at $4395/one-time and Paycom at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fishbowl or Paycom?
Fishbowl starts at $4395/one-time and Paycom at On request.
Does Fishbowl or Paycom run on more platforms?
Fishbowl runs on Windows, Cloud. Paycom runs on Web.
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 Paycom is typically brought in for.
What can Fishbowl do that Paycom cannot?
Fishbowl covers Inventory management, Manufacturing, Work orders, Barcode scanning. Paycom covers Payroll, Time and Attendance, HR Management, Talent Acquisition.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Paycom: Does Paycom offer a free trial?

No. Paycom does not offer a free trial. Pricing depends on company size and modules and requires a custom quote.

Source
Paycom: Can Paycom integrate with third-party tools?

Paycom has no public API and fewer than 50 integrations. Paycom's philosophy is that you should use their built-in modules for everything. Custom integrations require commercial partnership approval.

Source
Paycom: What are Paycom's core features?

Paycom is a single-database payroll and HR platform featuring custom reporting tools, org chart visualization, employee self-service portal, and a tax center dashboard for compliance management.

Source
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Related pages

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