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ERP · head to head

Fishbowl vs Housecall Pro

Fishbowl logo

Fishbowl

ERP

Manufacturing and warehouse management for QuickBooks

From
$4395/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Housecall Pro logo

Housecall Pro

Field Service

Software to run your home service business

From
$59/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; Housecall Pro card processing fees start at 2.59%
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fishbowl and Housecall Pro actually diverge.

Attributes where Fishbowl and Housecall Pro differ
AttributeFishbowlHousecall Pro
Starting price$4395/one-time$59/month
Pricing modelone-timesubscription
PlatformsWindows, CloudWeb
CategoryERPField Service
Founded2001Unknown

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 Housecall Pro

Nothing recorded that Fishbowl does not also cover.

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

Housecall Pro

  • Answering every customer call and chat day or night for schedulingnot Fishbowl
  • Routing and reordering technician jobs by actual drive timenot Fishbowl
  • Accepting card payments in the field without card readersnot Fishbowl
  • Including profit margins in flat-rate service pricing automaticallynot Fishbowl
  • Collecting and sharing customer reviews for local search visibilitynot 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

Housecall Pro

  • Card processing fees start at 2.59%
  • Additional users in Essentials cost $100 per month; in MAX plan $75 per month
  • Bank payment fee of 1% charged

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

Housecall Pro

$59/month
  • Basic$59/month
    • 1 user included
    • Online booking
    • Invoices and payments
  • Essentials$149/month
    • 5 users included; additional $100 per month each
    • All Basic features
    • Routes
  • MAX$299/month
    • 8 users included; additional $75 per month each
    • Everything in Essentials
    • Sales proposal tool

Which should you pick?

Choose Fishbowl if

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

Choose Housecall Pro if

Nothing in the data separates Housecall Pro from Fishbowl on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Housecall Pro review

Questions people ask

Is Fishbowl or Housecall Pro better?
Neither clearly leads. Fishbowl starts at $4395/one-time and Housecall Pro at $59/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fishbowl or Housecall Pro?
Fishbowl starts at $4395/one-time and Housecall Pro at $59/month.
Does Fishbowl or Housecall Pro run on more platforms?
Fishbowl runs on Windows, Cloud. Housecall Pro 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 Housecall Pro is typically brought in for.
What can Fishbowl do that Housecall Pro cannot?
Fishbowl covers Inventory management, Manufacturing, Work orders, Barcode scanning.

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
Housecall Pro: What are Housecall Pro's transaction fees?

Housecall Pro charges card processing fees starting at 2.59%, a 1% fee for bank payments, and no fee for check deposits via mobile app.

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
Housecall Pro: Is there a free trial for Housecall Pro?

Yes, Housecall Pro offers 14 days of full access to all features with no credit card required.

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
Housecall Pro: Does Housecall Pro require long-term contracts?

No, Housecall Pro does not require long-term contracts and monthly plans can be cancelled anytime.

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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