Fishbowl vs SOS Inventory
We give Fishbowl a 2.0 GPA and SOS Inventory a 2.4, out of 4.0. SOS Inventory grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, 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
SOS Inventory
Inventory, orders and manufacturing add-on for QuickBooks Online
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAFishbowlFair | 2.4GPASOS InventoryFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CCompanion is $699.50 a year billed yearly ($69.95 monthly) for 2 users and one location, and an online store connection like Shopify is $25 a month on top. That lands in the middle of this category, and it's built for people already paying for QuickBooks Online. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial. You book a demo, and there's nothing to try on your own first. | CNo free plan, just a 14-day free trial to see how it fits with your QuickBooks Online books before you pay. |
| 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. | BSales orders, partial shipments and invoices, pick tickets, serial and lot tracking, unlimited locations, assemblies, work orders and job costing, with FIFO, LIFO or average costing. The whole job, though serials, barcodes, pick tickets and extra locations need Plus. |
| 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. | CNo store rating on record. It runs alongside QuickBooks Online, so you'll connect that and set up items, locations and forms before it pays off. |
| 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 and iPhone or iPad, with no Android app listed. It connects to QuickBooks Online, ShipStation, UPS and Zapier, and to Shopify, BigCommerce and PayPal as $25-a-month connections. |
| Best for | QuickBooks users who've outgrown its inventory | QuickBooks Online users who need sales orders |
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 SOS Inventory. 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. SOS Inventory starts at $69.95 a month and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and SOS Inventory starts $159.05 a month lower. Of the other inventory management tools on the chart, 3 score higher than Fishbowl for less, and 2 score higher than SOS Inventory 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
- Fishbowl starts at $229 per month for up to 2 users, billed annually. SOS Inventory starts at $69.95 per month for up to 2 users, billed monthly.
- Only Fishbowl lists Windows, macOS and Android apps.
- Only SOS Inventory lists an iOS app.
- SOS Inventory also covers invoicing and reports.
At a glance
| Fishbowl | SOS Inventory | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | $229 per month for up to 2 users, billed annually | $69.95 per month for up to 2 users, billed monthly |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Fishbowl | SOS Inventory Software LLC |
| Price read from | fishbowlinventory.com | sosinventory.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Fishbowl
- QuickBooks or Xero users who have outgrown their built-in inventory
- Small manufacturers that need BOMs, work orders and MRP
- Food, chemical and other regulated businesses that must trace lots
SOS Inventory
- QuickBooks Online users who need sales orders and real inventory
- Small manufacturers that need work orders and job costing
- Distributors tracking serial or lot numbers across warehouses
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.
SOS Inventory
- It is built around QuickBooks Online and lists compatibility with the Essentials, Plus and Advanced plans.
- Extra users cost $25 a month each ($250 a year on annual plans), and external connections such as Shopify cost $25 a month each.
- Companion is limited to one location and has no serial or lot tracking or barcoding.
- The native app is for iPhone and iPad; no Android app is listed.
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.
SOS Inventory
- Sales orders for QuickBooks
- Create sales orders, full or partial shipments and partial invoices that sync to QuickBooks Online, which has no sales orders of its own.
- Pick, pack and ship
- ShipStation and UPS integrations on every plan, and pick tickets from sales orders or invoices from the Plus plan up.
- Serials, lots and barcodes
- Serial and lot number tracking and barcodes in several formats from the Plus plan, with transfers between unlimited locations.
- Assemblies and manufacturing
- Assemblies on every plan, contract manufacturing from Plus, and work orders, job costing and process manufacturing on Pro.
- Costing and valuation
- FIFO, LIFO or weighted average valuation, multiple currencies and customizable forms and dashboards on every plan.
- Store and app connections
- Connects to Shopify, BigCommerce, PayPal and FTP sites as paid external connections, plus Zapier and an iPhone and iPad app.
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.
SOS Inventory
Companion$69.95
per month for up to 2 users, billed monthly
$699.50 a year billed annually. Sales orders, assemblies, QuickBooks Online sync and one location, with room for one paid external connection.
Plus$139.95
per month for up to 3 users, billed monthly
$1,399.50 a year billed annually. Adds unlimited locations, serial and lot numbers, barcoding, pick tickets and contract manufacturing.
Pro$194.95
per month for up to 5 users, billed monthly
$1,949.50 a year billed annually. Adds work orders, job cost accounting, process and variable-yield manufacturing and a customer portal.
Ways to pay less
Fishbowl
No public discounts listed.
SOS Inventory
- Annual discount
Two months free with annual billing
Paying yearly costs $699.50 for Companion, $1,399.50 for Plus and $1,949.50 for Pro, ten times the monthly price.
