Fishbowl vs Unleashed
We give Fishbowl a 2.0 GPA and Unleashed a 2.4, out of 4.0. Unleashed 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
Unleashed
Inventory, purchasing and assembly software for wholesalers and makers
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAFishbowlFair | 2.4GPAUnleashedFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CFor a shop and an online store, Lite does it: $91 a month billed yearly ($99 monthly), or $1,089 a year, with 3 users, 3 integrations and one warehouse. In the middle of this category, but only 100 sales orders a month are included, and 500 more cost $70 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. | CNo free plan, but a 14-day free trial with every feature and no credit card needed. Enough time to load products and push a few orders through. |
| 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. | BStock across warehouses with batch and serial tracking and landed costs, quotes to invoices, purchase orders and supplier returns, bills of materials, assemblies and production planning. The whole job, though several warehouses need Core and MRP needs Pro. |
| 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. Onboarding is a one-off fee of $449 to $5,549, and you'll set up warehouses, products and integrations 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, iPhone and Android, with Xero, QuickBooks Online, Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon and Lightspeed. No desktop app, and the warehouse app is $149 a month on Core, included on Pro. |
| Best for | QuickBooks users who've outgrown its inventory | wholesalers and makers tracking batches |
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 Unleashed. 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. Unleashed starts at $91 a month and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and Unleashed starts $138 a month lower. Of the other inventory management tools on the chart, 3 score higher than Fishbowl for less, and 2 score higher than Unleashed 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. Unleashed starts at $91 per month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly).
- Only Fishbowl lists Windows and macOS apps.
- Only Unleashed lists an iOS app.
- Unleashed also covers reports.
At a glance
| Fishbowl | Unleashed | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | $229 per month for up to 2 users, billed annually | $91 per month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial with all features, no credit card needed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Fishbowl | The Access Group |
| Price read from | fishbowlinventory.com | unleashedsoftware.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
Unleashed
- Wholesalers and distributors selling to trade customers
- Food, beverage and supplement makers that track batches
- Businesses on Xero or QuickBooks Online needing more than basic stock
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.
Unleashed
- Every plan includes 100 sales orders a month; more cost $70 a month for 500, $200 for 1,500, $320 for 3,000 or $490 for unlimited.
- Extra users cost $69 a month each ($89 on Pro), and integrations beyond those included cost $39 a month each.
- Lite covers a single warehouse; multi-warehouse management needs Core or Pro.
- Onboarding is a one-off fee of $449, $799 or $5,549, and support plans cost $99 or $239 a month.
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.
Unleashed
- Stock control
- Multiple warehouses and transfers, stock counts, units of measure, low and high stock alerts, batch and serial tracking and landed costs.
- Sales and purchasing
- Quotes, sales orders, invoices, credit notes, backorders, pick lists and shipments, plus purchase orders, receipting and supplier returns.
- Assemblies and production
- Bills of materials, assembly and disassembly, and Kanban production planning, with an MRP-based planning module on Pro.
- Warehouse app
- An iOS and Android app for picking, packing, receiving and bin transfers by barcode scan, included on Pro and $149 a month on Core.
- Forecasting and analytics
- Advanced Inventory Manager for demand forecasting and reorder planning, and Access Analytics with plain-English report questions.
- B2B store and CRM
- Optional modules for a wholesale online store from $129 a month and a CRM with sales and marketing tools from $450 a month.
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.
Unleashed
Lite$91
per month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly)
$1,089 a year. 3 users, 100 sales orders a month (up to 500 with an upgrade), 3 integrations and a single warehouse.
Core$366
per month, billed annually ($399 billed monthly)
$4,389 a year. 3 users, 100 sales orders a month, 3 integrations and multiple warehouses; production and forecasting are paid modules.
Pro$668
per month, billed annually ($729 billed monthly)
$8,019 a year. 5 users and 5 integrations, with production, forecasting and MRP, the warehouse app and Access Analytics included.
Ways to pay less
Fishbowl
No public discounts listed.
Unleashed
- Annual discount
Save up to 10% with annual billing
Paying yearly costs $1,089 for Lite instead of $1,188, $4,389 for Core instead of $4,788 and $8,019 for Pro instead of $8,748.
