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ERP & Business Operations · head to head

Metasfresh vs Fishbowl

Metasfresh logo

Metasfresh

ERP & Business Operations

Open-source ERP for mid-sized wholesale and manufacturing

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Fishbowl logo

Fishbowl

ERP & Business Operations

Manufacturing and warehouse management for QuickBooks

From
$4395/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Metasfresh has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Metasfresh cloud hosting is charged separately from user licences at EUR 299 per month on monthly billing or EUR 249 per month on annual billing; 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: Metasfresh covers Supply chain, Fishbowl covers Inventory management.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Metasfresh and Fishbowl actually diverge.

Attributes where Metasfresh and Fishbowl differ
AttributeMetasfreshFishbowl
Starting priceFree$4395/one-time
Pricing modelopen-sourceone-time
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsSelf-hosted, Cloud, WebWindows, Cloud
Founded20152001

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (ERP & Business Operations).

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 Metasfresh

  • Supply chain
  • Inventory
  • Purchasing
  • Accounting
  • Wholesale management
  • Custom modules
  • EDI systems
  • Business analytics

Only in Fishbowl

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

Both cover

  • Manufacturing
  • Audit trails
  • Cloud support

What people use each for

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

Metasfresh

  • Open source ERP for procurement, sales, warehouse and accountingnot Fishbowl
  • Hosting an ERP in a German data centre on a dedicated servernot Fishbowl
  • Self hosting an ERP where the source code must be inspectablenot Fishbowl

Fishbowl

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

Where each one falls short

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

Metasfresh

  • Cloud hosting is charged separately from user licences at EUR 299 per month on monthly billing or EUR 249 per month on annual billing
  • The EUR 79 per user per month annual rate requires minimum user quantities that depend on company size; monthly billing costs EUR 99 per user per month
  • The mandatory starter package covering setup, customisation, project management and training is priced individually on request
  • Standard support is email only during business hours; a 24/7 SLA is a separate contract on request
  • All published prices exclude VAT
  • Projects larger than the L size starter package require an individual quote

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

Metasfresh

Free
  • Self-hostedFree
    • Open-source
    • Full functionality
    • Community support
  • Cloud Enterprise$150/month
    • Cloud hosting
    • Professional support
    • Custom development

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 Metasfresh if

  • You need supply chain.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Self-hosted, Cloud, Web.
  • You also want inventory.
Metasfresh review

Choose Fishbowl if

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

Questions people ask

Is Metasfresh or Fishbowl better?
Neither clearly leads. Metasfresh starts at Free and Fishbowl at $4395/one-time, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Metasfresh or Fishbowl?
Metasfresh has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Metasfresh and $4395/one-time for Fishbowl.
Does Metasfresh or Fishbowl run on more platforms?
Metasfresh runs on Self-hosted, Cloud, Web. Fishbowl runs on Windows, Cloud.
Can I use Metasfresh for free?
Yes. Metasfresh has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Fishbowl starts at $4395/one-time.
What is Metasfresh best used for?
Metasfresh is most often used for open source erp for procurement, sales, warehouse and accounting, hosting an erp in a german data centre on a dedicated server, self hosting an erp where the source code must be inspectable. Of those, open source erp for procurement, sales, warehouse and accounting and hosting an erp in a german data centre on a dedicated server are not what Fishbowl is typically brought in for.
What can Metasfresh do that Fishbowl cannot?
Metasfresh covers Supply chain, Inventory, Purchasing, Accounting. Fishbowl covers Inventory management, Work orders, Barcode scanning, QuickBooks integration. Both handle Manufacturing, Audit trails, Cloud support.
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