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ERP · head to head

Fishbowl vs Global Shop Solutions

Fishbowl logo

Fishbowl

ERP

Manufacturing and warehouse management for QuickBooks

From
$4395/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Global Shop Solutions logo

Global Shop Solutions

ERP

Cloud and on-premise ERP for small manufacturers

From
$500/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; Global Shop Solutions no price or price range is published; the pricing page collects business details and returns a quote instead
  • They diverge on capability: Fishbowl covers Work orders, Global Shop Solutions covers Financial management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fishbowl and Global Shop Solutions actually diverge.

Attributes where Fishbowl and Global Shop Solutions differ
AttributeFishbowlGlobal Shop Solutions
Starting price$4395/one-time$500/month
Pricing modelone-timesubscription
PlatformsWindows, CloudCloud, On-premise, Web
Founded20011985

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

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

  • Work orders
  • Barcode scanning
  • QuickBooks integration
  • QuickBooks Desktop
  • QuickBooks Online
  • Shopify
  • Amazon
  • ShipStation

Only in Global Shop Solutions

  • Financial management
  • Order management
  • Reporting
  • REST APIs
  • EDI
  • QuickBooks
  • Third-party systems
  • Encryption

Both cover

  • Inventory management
  • Manufacturing
  • 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 Global Shop Solutions
  • Manufacturing bills of materials, MRP, work orders and job costingnot Global Shop Solutions
  • Warehouse fulfilment, transfer orders and automated reorderingnot Global Shop Solutions
  • Multichannel selling with synchronised stock levelsnot Global Shop Solutions

Global Shop Solutions

  • ERP for discrete manufacturers running job shops and make to order productionnot Fishbowl
  • Shop floor data collection and schedulingnot Fishbowl
  • Running manufacturing ERP on premise, in the cloud or as SaaSnot 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

Global Shop Solutions

  • No price or price range is published; the pricing page collects business details and returns a quote instead
  • Licensing is by concurrent user, meaning the number of employees in the system at once, rather than by named seat
  • Cost is split into an upfront charge plus an ongoing quarterly charge rather than a single subscription
  • Graphical shop floor interfaces carry their own upfront and ongoing quarterly cost on top of the base licence
  • No minimum user count, implementation fee or contract term is published

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

Global Shop Solutions

$500/month
  • Starter$500/month
    • Basic ERP
    • Inventory management
    • Financial module
  • Premium$1500/month
    • Advanced modules
    • Manufacturing
    • Priority support

Which should you pick?

Choose Fishbowl if

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

Choose Global Shop Solutions if

  • You need financial management.
  • You work on Cloud, On-premise, Web.
  • You also want order management.
Global Shop Solutions review

Questions people ask

Is Fishbowl or Global Shop Solutions better?
Neither clearly leads. Fishbowl starts at $4395/one-time and Global Shop Solutions at $500/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fishbowl or Global Shop Solutions?
Fishbowl starts at $4395/one-time and Global Shop Solutions at $500/month.
Does Fishbowl or Global Shop Solutions run on more platforms?
Fishbowl runs on Windows, Cloud. Global Shop Solutions runs on Cloud, On-premise, 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 Global Shop Solutions is typically brought in for.
What can Fishbowl do that Global Shop Solutions cannot?
Fishbowl covers Work orders, Barcode scanning, QuickBooks integration, QuickBooks Desktop. Global Shop Solutions covers Financial management, Order management, Reporting, REST APIs. Both handle Inventory management, Manufacturing, Cloud support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Fishbowl: How much does Fishbowl Inventory cost per month?

Fishbowl Inventory pricing starts at $229/month (billed annually) for the Essentials tier, $429/month for Growth, and $729/month for Scale. The Advanced Manufacturing tier starts at $675/month and Advanced Warehouse starts at $595/month, though both are quote-based and vary by user count.

Source
Global Shop Solutions: How much does Global Shop Solutions cost?

Global Shop Solutions does not publish pricing online. The company uses a concurrent user model with upfront and ongoing quarterly costs. Exact pricing varies by business requirements and must be obtained through a custom quote.

Source
Fishbowl: How many users are included in each tier?

Essentials includes 2 users, Growth includes 5 users, and Scale includes 10 users. Advanced Manufacturing and Advanced Warehouse support teams of 2 to 200+ users with pricing confirmed by quote based on your specific deployment.

Source
Global Shop Solutions: What is Global Shop Solutions pricing model?

Global Shop Solutions uses a concurrent user model based on the number of employees in the system at once. Pricing includes upfront costs and ongoing quarterly payments. Software updates and support are included in the ongoing cost.

Source
Fishbowl: Is Fishbowl billed monthly or annually?

Fishbowl Inventory plans require annual billing. The Advanced Manufacturing and Advanced Warehouse plans have variable pricing confirmed by quote and may have different billing arrangements.

Source
Global Shop Solutions: Does Global Shop Solutions offer deployment flexibility?

Yes, Global Shop Solutions supports on-premise, cloud, or SaaS deployments with custom pricing for each option.

Source
Fishbowl: What's included when I sign up for Fishbowl?

All Fishbowl plans include an implementation package with specialist support, data migration services, and 6 to 8 weeks of certification training. Cloud hosting is included with Advanced Manufacturing plans.

Source
Fishbowl: Can I add more users if I exceed my tier's user limit?

You can upgrade to a higher tier which includes additional users. Essentials ($229/mo with 2 users) can upgrade to Growth ($429/mo with 5 users) or Scale ($729/mo with 10 users). Custom team sizes beyond 10 users require Advanced Manufacturing or Advanced Warehouse quotes.

Source
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