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Fishbowl vs Sage X3

Fishbowl logo

Fishbowl

Software

Manufacturing and warehouse management for QuickBooks

From
$4395/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sage X3 logo

Sage X3

Software

Enterprise management for mid-size businesses worldwide

From
$1500/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 X3 listed on G-Cloud 14 by reseller X3 Consulting Ltd at £43.50 to £1,625.00 per user per year
  • They diverge on capability: Fishbowl covers Inventory management, Sage X3 covers Financial management.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fishbowl and Sage X3 actually diverge.

Attributes where Fishbowl and Sage X3 differ
AttributeFishbowlSage X3
Starting price$4395/one-time$1500/month
Pricing modelone-timesubscription
PlatformsWindows, CloudCloud, Windows, Web
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

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

Only in Sage X3

  • Financial management
  • Supply chain management
  • Project management
  • CRM integration
  • Salesforce
  • Microsoft 365
  • Power BI
  • EDI systems

Both cover

  • Manufacturing
  • Audit trails
  • Windows support
  • Cloud 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 X3
  • Manufacturing bills of materials, MRP, work orders and job costingnot Sage X3
  • Warehouse fulfilment, transfer orders and automated reorderingnot Sage X3
  • Multichannel selling with synchronised stock levelsnot Sage X3

Sage X3

  • Multi-site operationsnot Fishbowl
  • International businessnot Fishbowl
  • Process manufacturingnot Fishbowl
  • Distribution managementnot 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 X3

  • Listed on G-Cloud 14 by reseller X3 Consulting Ltd at £43.50 to £1,625.00 per user per year

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 X3

$1500/month
  • Standard$1500/month
    • Core ERP functionality
    • Financial management
    • Inventory management
  • Enterprise$3000/month
    • Multi-company support
    • Advanced manufacturing
    • Business intelligence

Which should you pick?

Choose Fishbowl if

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

Choose Sage X3 if

  • You need financial management.
  • You work on Cloud, Windows, Web.
  • You also want supply chain management.
Sage X3 review

Questions people ask

Is Fishbowl or Sage X3 better?
Neither clearly leads. Fishbowl starts at $4395/one-time and Sage X3 at $1500/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fishbowl or Sage X3?
Fishbowl starts at $4395/one-time and Sage X3 at $1500/month.
Does Fishbowl or Sage X3 run on more platforms?
Fishbowl runs on Windows, Cloud. Sage X3 runs on Cloud, Windows, 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 Sage X3 is typically brought in for.
What can Fishbowl do that Sage X3 cannot?
Fishbowl covers Inventory management, Work orders, Barcode scanning, QuickBooks integration. Sage X3 covers Financial management, Supply chain management, Project management, CRM integration. Both handle Manufacturing, Audit trails, Windows support, Cloud support.
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