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Software · head to head

IFS vs Fishbowl

IFS logo

IFS

Software

ERP for project-centric and asset-centric businesses

From
$1000/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Fishbowl logo

Fishbowl

Software

Manufacturing and warehouse management for QuickBooks

From
$4395/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: IFS no price, per user rate, minimum commitment or contract term is published on the site; the only route to a figure is a demo booking; 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
  • They diverge on capability: IFS covers Project management, Fishbowl covers Inventory management.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which IFS and Fishbowl actually diverge.

Attributes where IFS and Fishbowl differ
AttributeIFSFishbowl
Starting price$1000/month$4395/one-time
Pricing modelsubscriptionone-time
PlatformsCloud, HybridWindows, Cloud
Founded19832001

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 IFS

  • Project management
  • Field service
  • Asset management
  • Supply chain
  • IoT sensors
  • Mobile workforce
  • Analytics
  • Third-party systems

Only in Fishbowl

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

Both cover

  • Manufacturing
  • Cloud support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

IFS

  • Enterprise resource planning for asset intensive industries such as aerospace, energy and manufacturingnot Fishbowl
  • Enterprise asset management and predictive maintenancenot Fishbowl
  • Field service management and workforce schedulingnot Fishbowl

Fishbowl

  • Inventory and SKU tracking for wholesale and distribution businessesnot IFS
  • Manufacturing bills of materials, MRP, work orders and job costingnot IFS
  • Warehouse fulfilment, transfer orders and automated reorderingnot IFS
  • Multichannel selling with synchronised stock levelsnot IFS

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

IFS

  • No price, per user rate, minimum commitment or contract term is published on the site; the only route to a figure is a demo booking
  • IFS Cloud is sold as an industry specific composable suite rather than as a priced product with published editions

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

Pricing, plan by plan

IFS

$1000/month
  • Standard$1000/month
    • Core ERP
    • Project management
    • Field service
  • Premium$3000/month
    • Advanced features
    • Extensive integrations
    • AI capabilities

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

Which should you pick?

Choose IFS if

  • You need project management.
  • You work on Cloud, Hybrid.
  • You also want field service.
IFS review

Choose Fishbowl if

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

Questions people ask

Is IFS or Fishbowl better?
Neither clearly leads. IFS starts at $1000/month and Fishbowl at $4395/one-time, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, IFS or Fishbowl?
IFS starts at $1000/month and Fishbowl at $4395/one-time.
Does IFS or Fishbowl run on more platforms?
IFS runs on Cloud, Hybrid. Fishbowl runs on Windows, Cloud.
What is IFS best used for?
IFS is most often used for enterprise resource planning for asset intensive industries such as aerospace, energy and manufacturing, enterprise asset management and predictive maintenance, field service management and workforce scheduling. Of those, enterprise resource planning for asset intensive industries such as aerospace, energy and manufacturing and enterprise asset management and predictive maintenance are not what Fishbowl is typically brought in for.
What can IFS do that Fishbowl cannot?
IFS covers Project management, Field service, Asset management, Supply chain. Fishbowl covers Inventory management, Work orders, Barcode scanning, QuickBooks integration. Both handle Manufacturing, Cloud support.
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