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Inventory · head to head

Fishbowl Inventory vs Quartzy

Fishbowl Inventory logo

Fishbowl Inventory

Inventory

Manufacturing and warehouse inventory built around QuickBooks

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Quartzy logo

Quartzy

Inventory

Lab inventory and ordering software funded by the supply marketplace attached to it

From
$50/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Fishbowl Inventory pricing is not published and has historically involved a substantial upfront figure, which surprises buyers expecting SaaS monthly pricing; Quartzy the vendor earns margin on supplies bought through its own Shop, so the recommended purchasing path is not necessarily the cheapest one for a university that already holds negotiated supplier contracts.
  • They diverge on capability: Fishbowl Inventory covers QuickBooks and Xero integration, Quartzy covers Inventory tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fishbowl Inventory and Quartzy actually diverge.

Attributes where Fishbowl Inventory and Quartzy differ
AttributeFishbowl InventoryQuartzy
Starting priceOn request$50/month
Pricing modelquotePer month by user tier
PlatformsWindows, Web, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android

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

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

  • QuickBooks and Xero integration
  • Manufacturing orders
  • Multi-location inventory
  • Purchasing and reorder
  • Order fulfilment

Only in Quartzy

  • Inventory tracking
  • Request and approval
  • Quartzy Shop
  • Order tracking
  • Spend reporting
  • PunchOut
  • Vendor catalogues

Both cover

  • Barcode scanning

What people use each for

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

Fishbowl Inventory

  • Small manufacturers who have outgrown QuickBooks inventory but not the accountingnot Quartzy
  • Wholesalers needing barcode-driven warehouse operationsnot Quartzy
  • Companies wanting inventory control without replacing their finance systemnot Quartzy
  • Businesses preferring a perpetual licence to a per-seat subscriptionnot Quartzy

Quartzy

  • An academic lab of three postdocs replacing a shared freezer spreadsheet that nobody updates after a reagent runs outnot Fishbowl Inventory
  • A small biotech that wants requests approved by a lab manager before any money is committednot Fishbowl Inventory
  • A principal investigator tracking consumable spend against separate grant codes for reportingnot Fishbowl Inventory
  • A growing company standardising ordering across two lab sites so duplicate reagent purchases stopnot Fishbowl Inventory

Where each one falls short

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

Fishbowl Inventory

  • Pricing is not published and has historically involved a substantial upfront figure, which surprises buyers expecting SaaS monthly pricing
  • The interface reflects its on-premise origins and looks dated beside cloud-native inventory tools
  • Implementation and data migration are heavier than the marketing implies, and undersized projects are the usual source of complaints
  • The QuickBooks dependency that makes it attractive also caps it: businesses that eventually need real ERP will migrate away
  • Reporting is functional but teams frequently export to a spreadsheet for anything analytical

Quartzy

  • The vendor earns margin on supplies bought through its own Shop, so the recommended purchasing path is not necessarily the cheapest one for a university that already holds negotiated supplier contracts.
  • Seat limits are tight, at three users on Academia and five on Industry, and exceeding them pushes you into a quoted Enterprise contract rather than a predictable per seat increment.
  • It is not a LIMS: there is no sample workflow, instrument integration, electronic lab notebook or 21 CFR Part 11 audit trail, so a lab moving toward regulated work will need a second system.
  • Prices are billed annually, so the USD 250 Industry plan is a USD 3,000 upfront commitment for a five-person team, which is significant for an early-stage company.
  • Supplier catalogue coverage and pricing accuracy vary by region, and labs outside the United States frequently find their usual distributors missing or their contract pricing not reflected.

Pricing, plan by plan

Fishbowl Inventory

On request
  • Fishbowl Drive$undefined/month
    • Cloud-based
    • Inventory tracking
    • Order management
  • Fishbowl Advanced$undefined/month
    • Manufacturing
    • Multi-location
    • Advanced reporting

Quartzy

$50/month
  • Academia$50/month
    • Billed annually
    • Up to 3 users
    • Inventory tracking and request workflow
  • Industry$250/month
    • Billed annually
    • Up to 5 users
    • Everything in Academia
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Quoted pricing
    • Unlimited users
    • PunchOut integration with institutional procurement

Which should you pick?

Choose Fishbowl Inventory if

  • You need quickbooks and xero integration.
  • You work on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want manufacturing orders.
Fishbowl Inventory review

Choose Quartzy if

  • You need inventory tracking.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want request and approval.
Quartzy review

Questions people ask

Is Fishbowl Inventory or Quartzy better?
Neither clearly leads. Fishbowl Inventory starts at On request and Quartzy at $50/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fishbowl Inventory or Quartzy?
Fishbowl Inventory starts at On request and Quartzy at $50/month.
Does Fishbowl Inventory or Quartzy run on more platforms?
Fishbowl Inventory runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android. Quartzy runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Fishbowl Inventory best used for?
Fishbowl Inventory is most often used for small manufacturers who have outgrown quickbooks inventory but not the accounting, wholesalers needing barcode-driven warehouse operations, companies wanting inventory control without replacing their finance system, businesses preferring a perpetual licence to a per-seat subscription. Of those, small manufacturers who have outgrown quickbooks inventory but not the accounting and wholesalers needing barcode-driven warehouse operations are not what Quartzy is typically brought in for.
What can Fishbowl Inventory do that Quartzy cannot?
Fishbowl Inventory covers QuickBooks and Xero integration, Manufacturing orders, Multi-location inventory, Purchasing and reorder. Quartzy covers Inventory tracking, Request and approval, Quartzy Shop, Order tracking. Both handle Barcode scanning.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Fishbowl Inventory: What does Fishbowl cost?

Not published. It has historically been sold with a significant upfront component rather than a low monthly fee, so budget for a quote well above typical SaaS inventory pricing.

Quartzy: How much does Quartzy cost?

USD 50 per month billed annually for up to three users on Academia, USD 250 per month for up to five users on Industry, and quoted pricing for unlimited users on Enterprise.

Fishbowl Inventory: Do I still need QuickBooks?

Usually yes. Fishbowl handles inventory and manufacturing and posts the financial results into QuickBooks or Xero. It is not an accounting replacement.

Quartzy: Do I have to buy supplies through Quartzy?

No, you can record orders placed elsewhere. But the Shop is how Quartzy earns beyond the subscription, and supplier credits are tied to it.

Fishbowl Inventory: Is it cloud or on-premise?

Both. Fishbowl Drive is the cloud product; Fishbowl Advanced can be hosted or run on your own server, which is why it still appeals to companies avoiding subscriptions.

Quartzy: Is Quartzy a LIMS?

No. It handles inventory and purchasing. It does not do sample workflow, instrument data or regulated electronic records.

Fishbowl Inventory: Who is it wrong for?

Businesses that need genuine ERP, and businesses small enough that a cloud inventory app at a low monthly cost would do. It sits deliberately between those.

Quartzy: What happens when we exceed the user limit?

You move to Enterprise, which is quoted rather than listed, so budget for a step change rather than an extra seat charge.

Fishbowl Inventory: How hard is implementation?

Harder than a signup. Bills of material and historical stock data need preparation, and companies that treat it as a weekend job are the ones who describe it as difficult afterwards.

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