Fishbowl vs HandiFox (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, HandiFox grades higher than Fishbowl: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Fishbowl grades higher on features. HandiFox grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Fishbowl
Inventory and manufacturing software built around QuickBooks and Xero
HandiFox
Barcode inventory and mobile warehouse app that syncs with QuickBooks
Which one is for you
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
Pick HandiFox if
- Fits if you run QuickBooks and want barcode scanning for stock
- Works for small warehouses that count and pick with phones
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you do not use QuickBooks, as the product is built around it
- Tight if you add staff, since Start has 2 users and 1 device and extras cost $15 and $40 a month
- Watch out: serial and lot numbers, pick and pack and the B2B portal are Pro only
- Watch out: the pricing page shows a first-year offer ending August 1 and no regular price
- Pricey if you use QuickBooks Desktop, because that is a separate $1,995 licence per mobile device
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAFishbowlFair | 2.2GPAHandiFoxFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CEssentials is $229 a month billed yearly for 2 users, a store connection is $50 a month on some plans, and multichannel selling is listed from Growth at $429. Every purchase also needs an implementation package with no published price, so with the real total unknown we've left it in the middle. | C$49 a month is at the cheaper-quarter line of $49, but the pricing page labels it as ending August 1 and the regular price is not shown. Extra users are $15 and extra devices $40 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial. You book a demo, and there's nothing to try on your own first. | CA 14-day trial with no card needed, and no free plan. |
| Features | BStock and SKU tracking with reorder points, barcode scanning, picking and shipping, lot and serial traceability, and in Fishbowl Advanced, bills of materials, MRP, work orders and EDI. Together that's the whole job, but manufacturing is only in Advanced, a separate quoted product. | CBarcoding, counting, purchasing, sales orders and QuickBooks sync. Serial and lot tracking, pick and pack and the B2B portal are Pro only, and Start allows 2 users and 1 device. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. An implementation package is required with every purchase, so setup is a project with Fishbowl's team rather than a sign-up form. | CSetup means connecting QuickBooks and getting devices scanning. No store rating is on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, Windows, Mac and Android, but no iPhone app is listed. It links to QuickBooks Online and Desktop, Xero, Amazon, Walmart, WooCommerce, HubSpot and Zebra, with an open API in Fishbowl Advanced. | BWeb plus iOS and Android apps, linking to QuickBooks Online and Desktop and Shopify. No desktop app for Online. |
| Best for | QuickBooks users who've outgrown its inventory | stock control around QuickBooks |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Fishbowl and HandiFox. How we grade
Price against what you get
Fishbowl starts at $229 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. HandiFox starts at $49 a month and scores 2.3.
Fishbowl scores higher, and starts $180 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other inventory management tools on the chart, 3 score higher than Fishbowl for less, and 1 scores higher than HandiFox for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- HandiFox also covers invoicing and reports.
At a glance
| Fishbowl | HandiFox | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | $229 per month for up to 2 users, billed annually | $49 per month, billed annually ($59 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial of HandiFox Online, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Fishbowl | HandiFox |
| Price read from | fishbowlinventory.com | handifox.com |
| Checked | Nov 9, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
HandiFox
- The pricing page still labels its prices as ending August 1 and as a first-year discount for new customers; the regular price after that is not shown.
- Plans cap users and mobile devices (Start has 2 users and 1 device); extra users cost $15 a month each and extra devices $40 a month each.
- Serial and lot numbers, picking and packing, and the B2B portal are Pro only.
- HandiFox Desktop, for QuickBooks Desktop, is sold separately as a perpetual license of $1,995 per mobile device, with a yearly support add-on of $495 per device.
Key features
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.
HandiFox
- Barcoding and label printing
- Barcodes in several formats and barcode label printing, with scanning from the mobile app.
- Counting and replenishment
- Cycle counts, physical counts, reorder points and purchase orders generated from stock levels.
- Sales and fulfillment
- Invoices on Optima; sales orders, picking, packing and three-stage fulfillment on Pro.
- Serial and lot tracking
- Serial numbers, lot numbers and expiration dates on Pro, with FIFO/FEFO fulfillment.
- QuickBooks sync
- Optional transaction-level sync with QuickBooks Online, including locations and sales taxes.
- B2B portal
- A customer ordering portal is included in the Pro plan.
Plans
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.
HandiFox
Start$49
per month for 2 users, billed annually ($59 monthly)
1 device, 1 location, barcoding, counting, auto-replenishment and the mobile app. Page labels the price as lasting until August 1, first year only.
Optima$95
per month for 4 users, billed annually ($105 monthly)
2 devices, up to 3 locations, invoices, customers, payments and transfers. Same first-year note as Start.
Pro$129
per month for 5 users, billed annually ($159 monthly)
3 devices, unlimited locations, sales orders, pick and pack, serial/lot numbers, manufacturing, B2B portal, phone support.
EnterpriseCustom
For larger teams and custom implementations. Sold through sales.
Ways to pay less
Fishbowl
No public discounts listed.
HandiFox
- Annual discount
Save up to 20% with annual subscriptions
HandiFox's pricing page says annual billing saves up to 20% against monthly billing.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Fishbowl or HandiFox?
As of Nov 13, 2026, HandiFox is cheaper to start with: $49 a month, against $229 a month for Fishbowl. Fishbowl starts at $229 per month for up to 2 users, billed annually, and HandiFox starts at $49 per month, billed annually ($59 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Fishbowl or HandiFox?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Fishbowl nor HandiFox has a free plan. HandiFox has a free trial.
Which platforms do Fishbowl and HandiFox run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Fishbowl lists macOS and Windows apps and only HandiFox lists an iOS app. Both list a web app and an Android app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.