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Software · head to head

Fishbowl vs Sage 50

Fishbowl logo

Fishbowl

Software

Manufacturing and warehouse management for QuickBooks

From
$4395/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sage 50 logo

Sage 50

Software

Powerful desktop accounting for small businesses

From
$29/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; Sage 50 sage 50 tiers as captured in 2022: Pro Accounting $595/year for 1 user, Premium Accounting $970/year for 1-5 users with multi-company support, Quantum Accounting $1,610/year for larger teams
  • They diverge on capability: Fishbowl covers Manufacturing, Sage 50 covers General ledger.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fishbowl and Sage 50 actually diverge.

Attributes where Fishbowl and Sage 50 differ
AttributeFishbowlSage 50
Starting price$4395/one-time$29/month
Pricing modelone-timesubscription
PlatformsWindows, CloudWindows
Founded20011981

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

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 Sage 50

  • General ledger
  • Invoicing
  • Job costing
  • Budgeting
  • Microsoft 365
  • Salesforce
  • Local encryption
  • Backup

Both cover

  • Inventory management
  • Windows support

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 Sage 50
  • Manufacturing bills of materials, MRP, work orders and job costingnot Sage 50
  • Warehouse fulfilment, transfer orders and automated reorderingnot Sage 50
  • Multichannel selling with synchronised stock levelsnot Sage 50

Sage 50

  • Desktop accountingnot Fishbowl
  • Job costingnot Fishbowl
  • Inventory trackingnot 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

Sage 50

  • Sage 50 tiers as captured in 2022: Pro Accounting $595/year for 1 user, Premium Accounting $970/year for 1-5 users with multi-company support, Quantum Accounting $1,610/year for larger teams

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

Sage 50

$29/month
  • Pro Accounting$50/month
    • Core accounting
    • 1 user
    • Basic reports
  • Premium Accounting$85/month
    • 5 users
    • Job costing
    • Inventory

Which should you pick?

Choose Fishbowl if

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

Choose Sage 50 if

  • You need general ledger.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want invoicing.
Sage 50 review

Questions people ask

Is Fishbowl or Sage 50 better?
Neither clearly leads. Fishbowl starts at $4395/one-time and Sage 50 at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fishbowl or Sage 50?
Fishbowl starts at $4395/one-time and Sage 50 at $29/month.
Does Fishbowl or Sage 50 run on more platforms?
Fishbowl runs on Windows, Cloud. Sage 50 runs on 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 Sage 50 is typically brought in for.
What can Fishbowl do that Sage 50 cannot?
Fishbowl covers Manufacturing, Work orders, Barcode scanning, QuickBooks integration. Sage 50 covers General ledger, Invoicing, Job costing, Budgeting. Both handle Inventory management, Windows support.
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