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Fishbowl vs Unit4

Fishbowl logo

Fishbowl

Software

Manufacturing and warehouse management for QuickBooks

From
$4395/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Unit4 logo

Unit4

Software

Cloud ERP for service organizations and mid-market enterprises

From
$800/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; Unit4 listed on UK G-Cloud 14 at £56 per user per month for Unit4 Enterprise Resource Planning, submitted directly by Unit4 Business Software Limited
  • They diverge on capability: Fishbowl covers Inventory management, Unit4 covers Financial management.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fishbowl and Unit4 actually diverge.

Attributes where Fishbowl and Unit4 differ
AttributeFishbowlUnit4
Starting price$4395/one-time$800/month
Pricing modelone-timesubscription
PlatformsWindows, CloudCloud, Web, Mobile
Founded20011987

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

Only in Unit4

  • Financial management
  • Project accounting
  • Resource management
  • Time and expense
  • HR management
  • Salesforce
  • Microsoft 365
  • Custom integrations

Both cover

  • 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 Unit4
  • Manufacturing bills of materials, MRP, work orders and job costingnot Unit4
  • Warehouse fulfilment, transfer orders and automated reorderingnot Unit4
  • Multichannel selling with synchronised stock levelsnot Unit4

Unit4

  • Service deliverynot Fishbowl
  • Project profitabilitynot Fishbowl
  • Resource utilizationnot Fishbowl
  • Financial 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

Unit4

  • Listed on UK G-Cloud 14 at £56 per user per month for Unit4 Enterprise Resource Planning, submitted directly by Unit4 Business Software Limited

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

Unit4

$800/month
  • Professional Services$800/month
    • Project accounting
    • Resource management
    • Time tracking
  • Enterprise$2000/month
    • Advanced features
    • Multi-entity
    • Analytics

Which should you pick?

Choose Fishbowl if

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

Choose Unit4 if

  • You need financial management.
  • You work on Cloud, Web, Mobile.
  • You also want project accounting.
Unit4 review

Questions people ask

Is Fishbowl or Unit4 better?
Neither clearly leads. Fishbowl starts at $4395/one-time and Unit4 at $800/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fishbowl or Unit4?
Fishbowl starts at $4395/one-time and Unit4 at $800/month.
Does Fishbowl or Unit4 run on more platforms?
Fishbowl runs on Windows, Cloud. Unit4 runs on Cloud, Web, Mobile.
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 Unit4 is typically brought in for.
What can Fishbowl do that Unit4 cannot?
Fishbowl covers Inventory management, Manufacturing, Work orders, Barcode scanning. Unit4 covers Financial management, Project accounting, Resource management, Time and expense. Both handle Cloud support.
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