Brightpearl vs Fishbowl (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Brightpearl if

• Fits if you sell through several channels and can plan a months-long rollout
• Works for retailers of about £2m revenue or more

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you are small, as it aims at roughly £2m revenue and up
• Skip it if you want a price, because a quote after a demo is the only way to buy
• Tight if you need to start this month, since implementation averages about 120 days
• Skip it if you want a free trial, as none is listed

Pick Fishbowl if

• Fits if your books live in QuickBooks or Xero and you've outgrown their inventory
• Works for food, chemical and other regulated businesses tracing lots

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want to try it yourself first, as it's demo only with no trial
• Pricey if you sell online, since multichannel selling is listed from Growth at $429 a month
• Not for you if your team uses iPhones, as no iPhone app is listed
• Watch out: every purchase needs an implementation package, and its price isn't published
• Pricey if you make products, as MRP and work orders need Fishbowl Advanced from $675 a month

Brightpearl

• No prices are published; the pricing page says cost is tailored and quoted after a demo.
• Unlimited users are included in the quote, per the vendor's pricing page.
• Implementation averages about 120 days, so it suits planned migrations more than quick starts.
• The vendor aims at businesses of roughly £2m in revenue and up, and a quote is the only way to buy.

Fishbowl

• An implementation package is required with every purchase, and its price is not published.
• Fishbowl Inventory plans do not include manufacturing; bills of materials, work orders and MRP need Fishbowl Advanced.
• Fishbowl Advanced prices are starting points quoted by users and deployment, and the vendor calls them illustrative.
• Standard ecommerce and marketplace integrations cost $50 a month on some plans, and the B2B portal and custom reports are add-ons.

Brightpearl

Inventory and order management

Keeps one stock count across online stores, physical locations, wholesale channels and marketplaces, and routes orders between locations.

Automation Engine

Business rules for routing, allocation, fulfillment and invoicing run without custom development.

Forecasting and purchasing

Seasonal demand forecasting and suggested purchase orders come from Inventory Planner, which Brightpearl has acquired.

Retail accounting and analytics

Includes its own accounting and reporting, or connects to Xero, Sage Intacct or QuickBooks.

Warehouse and shipping

Covers warehouse management and shipping, with carrier integrations such as USPS, FedEx, DPD and Royal Mail.

Expert-led implementation

Setup runs through discovery, configuration, data migration and training. The vendor gives an average go-live of 120 days.

Fishbowl

Accounting sync

Posts inventory movements, COGS and landed costs to QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop or Xero.

Barcode scanning and labels

Mobile barcode scanning on every plan, with an Android warehouse app for handheld scanners, barcode printing and cycle counts.

Reordering and forecasting

Reorder points on every plan, automated reordering from Growth, and demand forecasting included on Scale or as an add-on.

Lot and serial traceability

Lot, serial number and expiry tracking with forward and backward traceability for recalls and regulated goods.

Manufacturing in Fishbowl Advanced

Multi-level bills of materials, sub-assemblies, MRP, production scheduling, work orders and made-to-order builds.

Warehousing and EDI

Multi-warehouse, 3PL and EDI-driven distribution with tiered pricing rules, RMAs and audit trails in Fishbowl Advanced.

Brightpearl

Pricing could not be confirmed. See brightpearl.com.

Fishbowl

• Essentials$229

  per month for up to 2 users, billed annually

  Fishbowl Inventory, sold after a demo. QuickBooks Online and Xero sync, real-time stock and SKU tracking, reorder points and mobile scanning.

• Growth$429

  per month for up to 5 users, billed annually

  Adds picking, receiving and shipping, automated reordering, multichannel selling, sales-tax automation, AI insights and unlimited warehouses.

• Scale$729

  per month for up to 10 users, billed annually

  Adds demand forecasting, lot traceability, audit trails, compliance documents for GMP, FDA and ISO, and advanced AI automations.

• Advanced Warehouse$595

  per month and up

  Fishbowl Advanced, quoted by users and deployment. Multi-warehouse, 3PL and EDI workflows, transfer orders, payment processing and audit trails.

• Advanced Manufacturing$675

  per month and up

  Fishbowl Advanced, quoted by users and deployment. Bills of materials, MRP, scheduling, work orders, job and labor costing, lot tracking and an open API.