17 years helping Australian businesses
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About Fishbowl

Everything you need for complete manufacturing, inventory management and order control.

Learn more about Fishbowl

Pros:

It makes training for accounting much easier. From a manufacturing perspective, FishBowl is a fairly powerful tool that can track inventory and assist in production planning.

Cons:

The user interface is difficult to navigate and make sense of.

Fishbowl ratings

Average score

Ease of Use
4.1
Customer Service
4.2
Features
4.1
Value for Money
4.1

Likelihood to recommend

7.7/10

Fishbowl has an overall rating of 4.2 out 5 stars based on 935 user reviews on Capterra.

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Filter reviews (935)

Harley
Harley
President in US
Verified LinkedIn User
Mining & Metals, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

After using for 5 years, we are implementing the newest FB Software, seems great

5.0 2 months ago New

Comments: We are still too early in the installation of the new FB so there is nothing to comment on yet

Pros:

The manufacturing module lets us build parts and put in inventory, which is what we needed (and did not have) in the past

Cons:

Price was a bit high but if it all works the way we have been promised, it will pay for itself. There has been alot of changes in the past 5 years from the old FB, so we are hoping it is all going to work and help us all to be more proficient.

Haley
Managing Director in US
Textiles, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Fishbowl is AWESOME

5.0 last month New

Comments: Deciding to implement fishbowl for our company has been the best decision we have made. I am excited about all it can do and track.

Pros:

Excellent onboarding and training. All the professionals I have worked with have been extremely knowledgeable and helpful.

Cons:

The cost per concurrent user is a little high in my opinion.

Alternatives Considered: MRPeasy, Odoo, NetSuite, Microsoft 365, inFlow Inventory and Katana Cloud Inventory

Reasons for Choosing Fishbowl: Needed a more up-to-date, cloud-based solution.

Switched From: Sage 50cloud Accounting

Reasons for Switching to Fishbowl: Better features for the money; support options; time to implement was shorter than others

Stephen
CEO in US
Transportation/Trucking/Railroad, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Fishbowl Admin

3.0 2 months ago

Comments: Difficult to get basic help and direction on setting it up correctly. Lacking in detailed information about how the system works.

Pros:

Simple and straight forward. Easy to get data in and out of the system.

Cons:

Support. Lacking in features for manufacturing processes.

Verified Reviewer
Verified LinkedIn User
Telecommunications, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Fishbowl is a powerful tool for any business.

5.0 3 months ago

Comments: Overall, my experience with Fishbowl has been very positive and I'm looking forward to utilizing all of its potential!

Pros:

We love the scalability and how the modules are integrated with one another increasing productivity and enhanced reporting functionality.

Cons:

I don't like that it does not differentiate a reship purchase order with a drop ship purchase order from an item costing perspective. In other words, if I place an order for material from my supplier, and have them ship it to my customer directly, the cost impacts my AVERAGE cost of the inventory in my warehouse even though it has not been physically received in and mixed in with previously purchased inventory.

Alternatives Considered: Smart Part Number Quoter

Reasons for Choosing Fishbowl: We needed something to better manage inventory and sales process. We will use QB for accounting.

Switched From: QuickBooks Online Advanced

Reasons for Switching to Fishbowl: We needed a full solution that encompassed the sales cycle and inventory management.

jay
WarehouseSupervisor in US
Automotive, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Fishbowl Advance Review

5.0 2 months ago New

Comments: okay will be fully launching using the software august

Pros:

inventory count is easier to track which makes ordering product easier.

Cons:

set up time and getting help from account manager

Alternatives Considered: Square Point of Sale

Reasons for Choosing Fishbowl: customer service was terrible as well as software set up

Switched From: MAM Business Management Solutions

Reasons for Switching to Fishbowl: you can use square payments with fishbowl

Joe
Lead Engineer in US
Machinery, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

With the amount of time I've spent trying to get it to work, I might actually have been able to program better.

3.0 4 weeks ago New

Comments: My experience has been pretty garbage, overall, to be completely honest. As a system, it works okay. Many, many aspects, such as the import/export function, are some of the worst examples of programming/knowledge I have seen in decades.

Pros:

It does 85% of what it should. Its functions are organized very well, looking past its archaic functions.

Cons:

Bugs, bugs, bugs. But most of all - Never getting resolution to deep technical issues. Surface-level issues of data entry are clearly support's bread and butter, but anything beyond that is guided out to a pasture to die of old age instead of being addressed.

Alternatives Considered: NetSuite

Reasons for Switching to Fishbowl: I did not choose; I was not involved in identifying/purchasing our ERP.

Daniel
President in US
Industrial Automation, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Great QB Add On

5.0 2 months ago New

Pros:

Fishbowl adds the missing link to our capabilities with QB online that does create hurdles and workload for us. fishbowl finally allows tracking on all levels and satisfactory customer orders without having to manually track. Also we like the serial number tracking and free mobile app.

Cons:

The software could be more aesthetically appealing and if there was a more seamless transfer from QB to Fishbowl with all order history that would be awesome

Alternatives Considered: Acctivate Inventory Management

Reasons for Switching to Fishbowl: Capabilities and cost were at a more appealing point.

Allen
Owner in US
Warehousing, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

My use of FishBowl Online

3.0 2 months ago New

Comments: My trainer, [sensitive content hidden], is excellent. However, his hands are often tied by limitations in the software's functionality and configurability. Many features can not be configured to my business' needs. Also, the integration with LilyPad is completely broken.

Pros:

The user interface of FishBowl online is reasonably intuitive.

Cons:

Our warehouse business is not a typical fulfillment type setup. We're a receiving, storage, and delivery warehouse of furniture for interior designers. There are many ways in which the FishBowl functionality is not geared toward my business and not flexible enough to configure to my needs. Also, the LilyPad integration with FishBowl Online is completely broken and I've spent hours having to help both companies with the development fixes.

Cody
Supervisor in US
Ranching, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Fishbowl Rating

4.0 last month New

Comments: From going from no inventory program to fishbowl is incredible, saves us a lot of time and can manage overhead a lot better,

Pros:

I like the way the BOM's are Set up, and the inventory is saving us a lot of headache

Cons:

The quoting system does not work for how we are setup

Ken
Warehouse Supervisor in US
Sports, 201–500 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Fishbowl. Great for managing inventory.

4.0 2 months ago New

Comments: Been good so far. Still learning the nuances of the system.

Pros:

Ease of use for inventory. Scanner makes it easy to scan and remove product from stock.

Cons:

Intergration is a little problematic. Unfortunately, some things will not transfer from Microsoft AX.

Kyle
Operations Manager in US
Package/Freight Delivery, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Easy to use, but missing some standard features.

5.0 6 months ago

Comments: Overall, very enjoyable. As my operations grow, I will seek out Fishbowl to see if I'm actually able to do the things I've mentioned above, or what they suggestion to do instead. The help desk team is great and very responsive. I've received a lot of help from them.

Pros:

I've used SAP and Oracle for previous companies, and Fishbowl is very easy to use and overall very intuitive. I enjoy using this system.

Cons:

Not able to store more than Scheduled Date per sales order. Some customers POs have multiple lines and different due dates per line. I'm unable to do the same and then partial ship and keep track of the order like on larger ERP systems. As far as I understand, Fishbowl is not capable of reporting OTD because there isn't enough date submission options. It's frustrating not being able to highlight any text to copy and past in another location or for another program (Word, Excel). There are only a few places FB allows me to highlight and copy the info. The rest I'm unable to. Being able to highlight and copy anything would improve ease of use.

Alternatives Considered: ProShop ERP, Megaventory and Zoho Inventory

Reasons for Switching to Fishbowl: Zoho was cheap, but did not seem capable of putting locations for inventory which is critical for us. Megaventory is cheaper than Fishbowl, but did not seem capable of connecting multiple locations together easily. Our manufacturing center uses ProShop, but ProShop does not seem to have great a inventory management software. Fishbowl, though expensive, seemed capable of doing all the things we would need it to do, so I was given approval to implement it and try it out.

Louis
Purchaser/ Project Manager in US
Mechanical or Industrial Engineering, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source
Source: SoftwareAdvice

Fishbowl Manufacturing Software has proven an invaluable inventory management tool for our team.

5.0 4 years ago

Comments: Fishbowl Management software has offered our team a complete supply chain management and physical sales tracking system in one convenient system . In this time especially , we understand that organization and efficiency are paramount to surviving let alone prospering and we are thankful to Fishbowl for helping.

Pros:

Our team found both these ease of use and relative ease of integration to be among the most attractive components of Fishbowl. The variety of modules allow close monitoring of essentially every aspect of physical asset tracking . With Fishbowl we can organize warehouse parts inventory , print labels,and organize purchase orders which organizes our supply side. Fishbowl's sales side module allows for effective tracking of lead times as well as sales item forecasting so we are never behind on available inventory .

Cons:

Fishbowl Manufacturing software at this time time requires the use of a server which we had to supply . In exchange for all other features , we see this as a nominal and not inconvenient requirement as at the time we were adding new computer assets. This requirement may not suit all smaller companies.

Alternatives Considered: kintone and Finale Inventory

Reasons for Switching to Fishbowl: We selected Fishbowl Inventory Management software over alternatives for its comprehensive module options which allow for a complete organization of our office and warehouse now optimized with a primary consideration to sales output and production. We could not ask for more in this area of business operations.

Fishbowl Response

3 years ago

Thank you for taking the time to leave this review, Louis. We appreciate your business and are happy to know that your experience has been satisfactory.

Dasha
Business Development Director in US
Medical Devices, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Too Expensive, Unintuitive, and Aesthetically Unpleasing

3.0 4 years ago

Pros:

It meets our basic needs for manufacturing and sales.

Cons:

The flow from the creation of a sales order to the fulfillment is flawed. If a customer pre-pays, we have to artificially fulfill the order, export it to QuickBooks, charge the customer through QuickBooks, then manually notify the fulfillment department to release the purchase order to UPS.

Alternatives Considered: inFlow Inventory

Reasons for Choosing Fishbowl: Manufacturing needs were not met using InFlow.

Switched From: inFlow Inventory

Reasons for Switching to Fishbowl: Allows inventory management for manufacturing purposes.

Kim
CEO in US
Biotechnology, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Fishbowl a great choice for small process manufacturing companies

5.0 4 months ago

Comments: Fishbowl is an integral part of our company process, we use it daily with little to no hickups.

Pros:

1- Ease of use for end users 2- Ease of use for administrator 3- Functionality for process manufacturing 4- Pricepoint

Cons:

Having used other, more expensive manufacturing software in the past, there is nothing that I do not like about Fishbowl

Cassie
VP in US
Warehousing, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

FB has abled our business to grow from a home based co. to a 10,000ft fully functioning warehouse

5.0 7 years ago

Comments: Being able to operate above and beyond to what we used to. We can now compete with our competitors

Pros:

I absolutely love that FB is easy to use and easy to teach. It has all the features that our company uses daily. Examples include customer pricing rules, customer "numbers" or customer sku's, Auto PO function, The import/export feature has been a God-send when we need to import products to our website or send information to our customers. The substitute feature is very helpful too. We also really love how we can create custom fields within every module. I really love how the FB team remembers our company when we call and goes above and beyond when we have a hiccup or questions. We can thank FB for some of our company's success. W/o being able to correctly track inventory and use it for daily operations, we wouldn't be operating at the level we are today.

Cons:

There aren't things that I like "the least" but there are things I wish FB offered/had that would help our type of business/company. This includes: 1) Since we are a product distributor, we provide a lot of our customers w/ "quotes." FB has the ability to create an "estimate" but no way to store it or look back at it for reference. Pricing rules are essentially only created in our line of operation when a customer begins buying a product. So, we have to create "quotes" on excel sheets and save them on our network folder. So it would be easier if it was all w/in FB. Or if there was a different section from pricing rules that you could make a pricing rule? If that makes sense 2) Wish we could customize reports that are staples of FB w/o paying high dollar. For ex. the packing slip should have a signature line or at least the option to include it. Or there should be options on layouts or what columns to include. Also, we've gotten feedback from customers on how they wish the item # and description where split into different columns. 3) If FB alerted a user if a sales order has been in the system for "x" amount of time. Like a dormant SO in FB 4) Be able to sort the packing slip. Ex. by Item #, customer #, item description, etc. 5) Had a UNSPSC code field. We've found that this is going to be an important code for future web sales.

Conrad
General Manager
Business Supplies & Equipment, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Quality Software for Small to Mid-Size Businesses

4.0 2 years ago

Comments: We have been using Fishbowl Inventory since 2011 and while it has been quite an eventful journey we have seen definite improvements over the years in stability and ease of use.

Pros:

QuickBooks integration is probably the feature I appreciate the most about Fishbowl. Any small to mid sized business that is outgrowing QuickBooks inventory management features but doesn't want to pay the price of an all-inclusive ERP program targeted for larger corporations should consider Fishbowl Inventory. The ability to track inventory by location, assign multiple vendors to one item, create intuitive bill of materials items that are as simple or complex as you wish, add multitudes of pricing rules for your products and customers, assign reorder points and order up to levels for your parts to quickly reorder items that are low, Fishbowl plugins that connect to a wide range of third party programs, I could go on for a long time about what there is to like about this program. Their support has definitely improved over the years as well, with a response to a support ticket usually within the hour.

Cons:

One inherent weakness with Fishbowl is the QuickBooks export connection. Fishbowl has made tremendous improvements in this area since we first started using it, but there are still multiple times that we need to restart the connection before running an export. To be fair, this may be as much QuickBooks' problem as Fishbowl's. The software also tends to be buggy after new releases. Again, they have improved lightyears over what they were 8 years ago, but still be prepared to have some weird things happen occasionally when a software update is released. Also, Fishbowl only has rudimentary accounting functions and leaves the majority of accounting related tasks to QuickBooks. This can create accounting headaches and even nightmares if the wrong QuickBooks accounts are assigned to items in Fishbowl. I do miss the QuickBooks ability to map transactions directly to expense accounts. In Fishbowl, you must create an item and then map it to the correct QuickBooks expense account, which again asks for accountant's nightmares.

Dennis
US
Used the Software for: Not provided
Reviewer Source
Source: SoftwareAdvice
5.0 11 years ago

Comments: We are a Head Start agency that uses FishBowl to purchase, track, and issue inventory to 60 Head Start classrooms and agency departments. Our system uses SharePoint, which is accessed by each classroom/dept. to place their order which is in turn sent to the approving supervisor. Once it is approved, it goes to the Purchasing office were it is imported into FishBowl (all done electronically within the magic of computer land...and the IT department). We started looking for new inventory software when the software we had did not support the Windows 7 that we were upgrading to. We needed a fully integrated inventory software program that not only supported our classrooms, but would provide the Finance dept. with the information they needed. One of the features I like about FishBowl is that as soon as Purchasing processes the classroom/dept. request, an email is sent to the requestor letting them know Purchasing has received their order and it is in the process of being filled. When the order has been shipped, another e-mail is sent to let the requestor know the order is on it's way. This email feature has greatly reduced the number of calls received from our classrooms requesting status on their order and when it will be sent to them (I really, really like it). We have set up reorder points and default vendors, which makes placing orders to replenish warehouse stock easy and nearly effortless. Each vendor has their own part unit of measure and unit of measure conversion, which makes processing receipts magic (well almost). The tracking feature on a warehouse part has helped to track expiration dates on food (milk, yogurt, cheese, etc.). The expiration dates are printed on the packing slip that goes out with each order and helps us resolve expiration date issues. FishBowl will also let us know an item is nearing its expiration date prior to processing the shipment. Another feature of FishBowl that has come in handy is the ability to monitor specific warehouse stock. I use the feature to monitor our milk products (Soy, Lactaid, Rice Milk, Goats Milk, etc.) to make sure we have enough on hand at all times to ensure we receive Federal reimbursement for meals served. These items are monitored on a daily basis due to their sensitive nature. The Dashboard tab provides a quick synopsis of sales, purchase orders, RMA,s etc. The first two FishBowl tabls I look at are the Monitor and DashBoard tab that will let me know the health of our inventory and status of orders. Thumbs up to the programmers that wrote these features into the system. Sales orders and back orders are easily maintained and monitored. I can process order requests, and hold them until such time as I need them to be processes for shipment. FishBowl provides us with reports on classroom expenditures (food/supplies or combination). We maintain two warehouse identifyiers to identify our supply items from our food items. There are custom fields that can be added to input processing that can further help in processing specific types of reports and tracking data. Prior to using FishBowl we had trainers from FishBowl give us module by module training and help us set up and transfer data from our old inventory system to FishBowl. I cannot say enough good things about the help we received. Note: The online help and training is a great resource also. FishBowl provideds many features which we are utilizing and others that we will grow into. FishBowl has a different look and feel from the software we were using, but once we started FishBowl, it has become second nature. There is so much more about FishBowl than there is space to write this review. If you need more information please contact me.

Jeff
CEO in US
Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source
Source: SoftwareAdvice

Will Fishbowl Survive in the coming years?

1.0 9 months ago

Comments: Like many ERP systems, it has been overhyped and falls short of expectations. We initially implemented it alongside QuickBooks 2022. Interestingly, QuickBooks 2023 and subsequently QuickBooks 2024 have incorporated nearly all the features and functionalities that initially prompted us to integrate FishBowl. With the enhanced capabilities of QuickBooks 2024 and the shift towards cloud-based solutions, it's doubtful that FishBowl will sustain its business for more than a few years.

Pros:

Onboarding was smooth and responsive. The team was responsive and helpful, although be prepared to do all the work yourself. while it seems crazy at some point its worth starting from scratch on your inventory and negating Quickbooks inventory all together.

Cons:

Once your system is operational, support becomes a distant concern. Seeking assistance entails potentially shelling out thousands for even the most straightforward requests, if and when you manage to get a response. The scheduling for a simple fix or question may drag on for up to two weeks.

Dave
US
Used the Software for: Not provided
Reviewer Source
Source: SoftwareAdvice
4.5 11 years ago

Comments: North Park is a 3rd Party Logistics and Contract Packaging business, specializing in light manufacturing, warehousing, and B2C shipping services. We provide each customer the service and attention only the 'big guys' get at other fulfillment houses. Our search for a new Inventory/Manufacturing software solution was prompted by our move away from a warehouse operation towards a 3rd party solution for small to medium-sized businesses, that are outgrowing their current warehousing capabilities. Prior to using Fishbowl Inventory, we used 'MS Dynamics AX' (think 'GP' on steroids). Our management team has had decades of experience using everything from BaAn and SAP to high-end custom systems, and even home-grown customized solutions. We chose Fishbowl Inventory primarily based on value, integration w/Quickbooks, and ease-of-use. We've been running for more than 3 years, currently running ver 13.2 Manufacturing, Salespoint and Mobile Warehouse. We highly recommend staying updated with the current version, as improvements and features are continually being added. Initial install and implementation took us less than a full day, including import of Customer, Item, BOM, etc. from QB. User training took a week or so for all our team to be up and running well enough to use it in live production. (Only one of us spent any time in the demo.) For the most part, Fishbowl is simple and intuitive to use. There are very few places or processes where the desired next step isn't obvious. However, we've found many useful tips & tricks that we benefit from greatly, and most would have been learned with onsite training, but we declined initially because of our extensive background with other systems. Customer support has been absolutely fantastic for us! We use the Live Chat option as first contact, and only rarely need to resort to phone calls. Despite the recorded phone tree that is standard today, Fishbowl's is about as short as it can be and still direct your call to the right group. Once there, it's always leave a message and wait for a call-back; but I've always gotten a call within 2 hours (usually less). For truly urgent needs, I've always been able to call back, get the operator and get in touch with Support that can at least identify the issue and suggest some troubleshooting I can do while awaiting Technical help. In 3 years we've only had 1 instance of down-time due to system failure and that was resolved and we were up and running in 2hrs. Biggest benefits of using Fishbowl for us are ease of implementation and use; power/reliability of the system; manufacturing capabilities (only shortcoming there is full MRP/CRP/ERP modules for planning, but for our size and complexity it does surpisingly well). The biggest shortfall of Fishbowl for us is Reporting. The nature of our business doesn't lend itself well to many of the standard informational reports (operational reports are fine). However, Fishbowl is ODBC compliant, their reporting platform is open source (similar to Crystal Reports, but a bit steeper learning curve), and if you're not comfortable with SQL there are several 3rd party options for customizing reports.

Joshua
US
Verified LinkedIn User
Management Consulting, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source
Source: GetApp

Can be a great product but will depend on your personnel

4.0 6 years ago

Pros:

I'm an Advanced QuickBooks Pro Advisor and I specialize in Inventory set up and management. I haven't found any program with as many capabilities at such a low cost range as Fishbowl. Netsuite can handle what Fishbowl does but can easily go into the hundreds of thousands to setup and get started and I found the process very complex. Fishbowl on the other hand, can import from QuickBooks and have you set up and running in just a few minutes, though I stress that this should be used as test only. To accurately use Fishbowl it can take months to setup and learn properly. This largely depends on your current experience with technology, accounting practices and inventory knowledge.

Cons:

The support isn't stable. Depending on your time zone, you'll get a different team. Some zones, depending on the day and time, will pick up your call immediately and be very knowledgeable and helpful. Others will take a day to get back to you and you'll get someone who's only been there a few months but will confidently tell you something as fact and you might find our later they don't actually know what they're talking about. However, the online wiki is very detailed so if you're someone who can figure out things on your own, this will be a huge help. Basically, I've found that most people who complain about Fishbowl are really complaining about inventory, which is hugely complex. But if you're a detail oriented company with personnel who don't cut corners, Fishbowl can be an excellent fit for you. Just don't expect it to be easy!

Taylor
Director of Sales in US
Apparel & Fashion, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source
Source: SoftwareAdvice

I would not recommend this Software to anyone!

1.0 last year

Comments: The software overall is extremely outdated. I would not recommend this to anyone.

Pros:

Inventory tracking is mediocre at best - A pro was required for the review.

Cons:

Customer service is terrible. Once you sign up and pay thousands for their system, they virtually tell you to "figure it out yourself". Information from QuickBooks to Fishbowl does not properly transfer. The invoicing process is extremely cumbersome. There are a lot of unnecessary steps when invoicing and processing orders. To edit invoice lines is extremely difficult. You cannot edit invoices once they have been processed. Printing and formatting (two very simple things) have been overly difficult with this program. We have had to reach out to Fishbowl numerous times to have the system tailored to our needs.

Jeff
US
Used the Software for: Not provided
Reviewer Source
Source: SoftwareAdvice
4.5 11 years ago

Comments: If you are considering Fishbowl for your business, you will be making a wise choice. Let me tell you a little about our business, what we were using before Fishbowl, and why we decided to go with them instead of the many choices you will have. We are a manufactures rep agency servicing the HVAC and plumbing industry. We work directly with the wholesale market and warehouse about 750 - 1000 sku's. Before Fishbowl, we had no inventory program in place - other than notebooks and getting up to check the shelf. As our business continued to grow, we quickly realized the need for some sort of help in managing our inventory and purchasing. In the 2 + years since full line integration, we are very satisfied with our decision and continue to find tools and reports that we didn't even know exisited. It's a very complete system. Our decision to go with Fishbowl wasn't an easy one. There are a lot of programs out there that will do the same thing Fishbowl can and at stagering range of costs. We looked at over a half a dozen systems, ranging from the 6 figure programs to the custom coded excel based from the local starving student. The decision was made based on the following facts - Fishbowl works directly with Quickbooks, our current accounting program. It works with excel which makes updating prices and importing product lines very easy. The other deciding factor was their support and training. Training was a huge concern for all of our associates. Since most of us had only been working out of notebooks or memory of inventory levels for years, and with varying levels of comfort with any computer program, going to any inventory software program was a very scary thought. We made the decision to invest into the on-site training they offered and it was the best decision we could have made. There is a learning curve, no doubt about it and it can be steep depending your level of comfort and savy with a computer. But rest assured, the support and training got us the answers and assistance we needed. The only thing I could say about Fishbowl in a negative light, is it's a little bit of a "one size fits all" program. There are some feature/functions that in our business just aren't needed. However, as a growing small business we like the idea of having tools at our disposal even if they are left in the tool box. It's nice to know we have them. We are very happy with Fishbowl. It has helped us grow our warehouse business and find loose ends in sales, stocking levels, and purchasing practices which all means at the end of the day we have become more profitable because of it. The more time we put behind us the more valuable the data has become. We are now even doing credit card transactions right out of Fishbowl! Trust Fishbowl. They will be there for you, provide an inventory program that will work and help you grow the business.

Yosef
Owner in US
Construction, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source
Source: SoftwareAdvice

STOP HERE!! Be careful!

1.0 3 years ago

Comments: Im warning any business here. PLEASE STOP HERE and listen to this. I’ll put the list of things that I experienced with fishbowl, after that make your decision. 1) The experience with the salesperson was very tough. The guy was very inpatient and didn’t answer my questions.
I was exhausted from work and the search for inventory software and decided eventually to go with them even though I had the red flag in here already.
2) when I started to set up my account (and of course before that too) I was explaining about the way my business operating and the fact that I’m only a service company who doesn’t charge my client taxes (like many home service companies in California) but paying the taxes to the distributor as am the last materials purchaser, but they didn’t really listen to me.
After realized that when RECEIVING I can’t add sales tax I was asking fro solution.
It was few days before the end of my 30 days refund.
3) Here everything started, I told Fishbowl that the software will not work for me and from this moment they ignored my messages, my calls, my email. As soon as something happen guys you won’t hear from them. Tip:
- DON’T use them
- you have other alternatives like Inflow & Finale which are way better and cheaper.
If YES:
- ask for at least 120 days for refund. make sure you read the contract many times and ask for changes before you and them are signing for it.
It will take you a while to set up the software.
120 DAYS MUST.

Pros:

The app is looking ok and easy to use, actually the only good thing I found and it took me a while to think about something.

Cons:

- Software looks from the 90’s - CUSTOMER SERVICE IS DANGEROUS to this country. We all need to make sure companies like that are not existing in AMERICA. - software is really hard to use - not enough barcode sizes - the set up guys are very unprofessional and doesn’t think out of the box - the software is very square and can’t be customized AT ALL. - TOO EXPENSIVE - they really don’t care about their clients. But really. You can’t even imagine.

Verified Reviewer
Verified LinkedIn User
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Fishbowl Good For SMBs Wanting An On-Premises ERP, But Prepare To Outgrow It.

4.0 7 years ago

Comments: It provided a decent ERP for the price but is definitely geared to low transaction volumes.

Pros:

Fishbowl is relatively easy to use (by nature, ERP systems are complex) and is relatively reliable for companies whose transactions number in the low hundreds per day. Their support is quite effective but may be slower than you like -- if your business is effectively down due to an ERP issue, the last thing you want to get when you call support is voicemail. Unless things have changed in recent (2017) releases, one must update the local client with each system update, and that can be problematic for small shops that do have centralized software management and have restricted local rights on their PCs. They did change from FireDB to MySQL late last year, which improved performance drastically, but the database still requires a lot of optimization, care and feeding in order to get peak performance. Eventually, the company I worked for decided that it had outgrown FBI and migrated to NetSuite.

Cons:

* Slow support response * Relatively slow performance * Cannot cancel running batch jobs * They recommend(ed) running Quickbooks and Fishbowl on the same server, which meant an extremely expensive server was required. The alternative was to split the two apps onto different machines and experience super-slow batch updates (some ran hours)

Yousef
Owner in US
Packaging & Containers, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Okay, when it works. A disaster when it doesnt

3.0 3 years ago

Pros:

When Functional, it is a good software. Order Management, fulfillment, inventory updates, accounting integrations are all great. keyword is WHEN it functions properly.

Cons:

I was on the phone with fishbowl support at least 4-5 times a month. One issue after another, and although extremely friendly, i was given either incorrect information, or sent to an inbox with no reply. I could not get order fulfillment to work, my customers wouldn't receive tracking numbers. They blamed Woocommerce, but when i switched to multiple other competitors it worked just fine. We also had a ton of shipping integration issues. Any orders that had a credit card declined wouldnt come into fishbowl either. Just super glitchy Woocommerce customers, try out orderhive, its working great for what i am doing.

Alternatives Considered: Cin7 Core