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ERP · head to head

Fishbowl vs IFS Applications

Fishbowl logo

Fishbowl

ERP

Manufacturing and warehouse management for QuickBooks

From
$4395/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
IFS Applications logo

IFS Applications

ERP

ERP for asset-heavy and service-heavy industries, now delivered as IFS Cloud

From
$3000/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; IFS Applications iFS Applications 10 is the older line and the current product is IFS Cloud, so an existing customer's move is a re-implementation with data migration and process redesign rather than an upgrade, and it needs its own budget and business case.
  • They diverge on capability: Fishbowl covers Inventory management, IFS Applications covers Enterprise asset management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fishbowl and IFS Applications actually diverge.

Attributes where Fishbowl and IFS Applications differ
AttributeFishbowlIFS Applications
Starting price$4395/one-time$3000/month
Pricing modelone-timesubscription
PlatformsWindows, CloudCloud, Web, Mobile
Founded20011983

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

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

Only in IFS Applications

  • Enterprise asset management
  • Field service management
  • Project-based operations
  • Maintenance, repair and overhaul
  • Financials
  • Supply chain
  • Regular release cadence

Both cover

  • Manufacturing

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

IFS Applications

  • An aerospace or defence organisation performing regulated maintenance, repair and overhaul with full traceabilitynot Fishbowl
  • A utility or energy company managing distributed physical assets and the field crews who maintain themnot Fishbowl
  • A manufacturer that services and maintains the equipment it sells and wants that revenue in the same systemnot Fishbowl
  • An engineering or construction firm running long projects where cost control and progress billing drive the financesnot 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

IFS Applications

  • IFS Applications 10 is the older line and the current product is IFS Cloud, so an existing customer's move is a re-implementation with data migration and process redesign rather than an upgrade, and it needs its own budget and business case.
  • The partner and consultant pool is far smaller than for SAP, Oracle or Microsoft, so experienced implementers are scarce, expensive and concentrated in a few firms, and availability rather than price often sets your start date.
  • IFS Cloud ships on a regular release cadence, so you must fund regression testing and change communication repeatedly rather than treating an upgrade as an occasional event you can plan around a quiet quarter.
  • Deployment is commonly private cloud or on premise rather than shared multi-tenant, so infrastructure management, environment refreshes and operational responsibility remain yours or your partner's.
  • The product's depth is in asset-heavy and service-heavy industries, and outside those sectors, for example in retail or consumer goods, you would be paying for capability you do not need while competing products fit better.

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

IFS Applications

$3000/month
  • Core$3000/month
    • Financial management
    • Field service
    • Asset management
  • Premium$5500/month
    • Advanced modules
    • IoT integration
    • Priority support

Which should you pick?

Choose Fishbowl if

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

Choose IFS Applications if

  • You need enterprise asset management.
  • You work on Cloud, Web, Mobile.
  • You also want field service management.
IFS Applications review

Questions people ask

Is Fishbowl or IFS Applications better?
Neither clearly leads. Fishbowl starts at $4395/one-time and IFS Applications at $3000/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fishbowl or IFS Applications?
Fishbowl starts at $4395/one-time and IFS Applications at $3000/month.
Does Fishbowl or IFS Applications run on more platforms?
Fishbowl runs on Windows, Cloud. IFS Applications 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 IFS Applications is typically brought in for.
What can Fishbowl do that IFS Applications cannot?
Fishbowl covers Inventory management, Work orders, Barcode scanning, QuickBooks integration. IFS Applications covers Enterprise asset management, Field service management, Project-based operations, Maintenance, repair and overhaul. Both handle Manufacturing.

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
IFS Applications: Is IFS Applications still current?

No. IFS Applications 10 is the older line and IFS Cloud is the current product, which combined the separate ERP, asset management and field service products into one. Check your support dates for Applications and plan the transition explicitly.

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
IFS Applications: Why choose IFS over SAP or Oracle?

Because asset management and field service are in the core rather than integrated alongside. If your business revolves around maintaining physical assets or dispatching technicians, that single data model removes a class of integration and reconciliation work. If it does not, the argument largely disappears.

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
IFS Applications: What does the move from IFS Applications to IFS Cloud involve?

Data migration, reconfiguration and retraining, closer to a new implementation than an upgrade. Get a scoped estimate before committing, and be clear about how long your existing version remains supported so the deadline is a known quantity.

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
IFS Applications: How do I manage the release cadence?

Budget for regular regression testing as a standing operational cost, automate the tests that cover your critical processes, and assign an owner for reviewing each release's changes. Organisations that treat each release as a surprise project struggle with this model.

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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