Fishbowl Manufacturing vs inFlow Inventory
Comparison last checked October 10, 2026. Every figure comes from the two product records, each with its own sources and check dates.
The short answer
Pick inFlow Inventory if you are a light assembler who wants a published price: its manufacturing line starts at $169 a month billed annually with two users. Pick Fishbowl if you need lot, serial and expiry tracking with recall reports and finite-capacity planning; on inFlow, lot tracking is included only on the $859 Expansion plan.
Choose Fishbowl Manufacturing if
- You need lot, serial and expiry tracking with recall reports as part of the product.
- You schedule against capacity: Fishbowl lists finite-capacity planning.
- You can budget from $675 a month plus a required implementation package with no published price.
Choose inFlow Inventory if
- You want a price in writing: Start Up is $169 a month billed annually, or $199 monthly, with two users.
- You want to try it first: inFlow has a 14-day free trial.
- You do not need lot tracking, which is an unpriced add-on below the $859 Expansion plan.
Key differences
The rows that separate these two. Unknown means we have not found evidence; it is not the same as No.
| Attribute | Fishbowl Manufacturing | inFlow Inventory |
|---|---|---|
| Useful entry priceWhat you pay to get the manufacturing capability, not the cheapest nominal tier. | $675 a monthSource: fishbowlinventory.com › Pricing(opens in a new tab)Checked October 9, 2026 | $169 a monthSource: inflowinventory.com › Software pricing inflow(opens in a new tab)Checked October 9, 2026 |
| Billing basis | Mixed | Mixed |
| Setup or onboarding fee | Required, price not published. The pricing page states "we do require an implementation package as part of your Fishbowl purchase" but names no figure. | Onboarding package $499 one-off: optional on Start Up, "Required one-time cost, 499 USD" on Growth, Scale and Expansion. Onboarding + Training $999 and an Implementation Package $2,999 are optional; extra training is $199 an hour. |
| Free plan or trial | Free plan: NoFree trial: Unknown | Free plan: NoFree trial: 14 days |
| Lot and batch traceabilityWhich incoming material lots went into which finished batch, and where those finished goods went. | Yes"Track lots, serials, expiry, landed costs, and tariffs with one-click recall reports." One-click recall is the capability food and cosmetics producers are buying.Source: fishbowlinventory.com(opens in a new tab) | YesIncluded from the Expansion planThe vendor states: "inFlow tracks lots on both sides of the build: the components you pick and the finished product you put away.Source: inflowinventory.com › Lot numbers and expiry dates(opens in a new tab) |
| Capacity planningChecks whether your people and machines can do the work in the time available. | Yes"Finite-capacity planning" with constraint-aware rescheduling that reroutes jobs when capacity gaps appear.Source: fishbowlinventory.com(opens in a new tab) | Unknown |
| Produces dated buy/make suggestionsThe output is an actionable list with dates, order this much by this date, start this batch on this date. | PartialReordering is reorder-point driven: once a part hits its point "the purchase order generates itself, ready for approval".Source: fishbowlinventory.com › Purchasing(opens in a new tab) | Unknown |
| Best-fit team sizes | 6–20 people, 21–50 people, 51+ people | 2–5 people, 6–20 people, 21–50 people |
What it costs at your size
Entry prices leave out users, add-ons, order limits and extra locations. Put in your own numbers and both products are worked out the same way, from each vendor's published prices.
Price Fishbowl Manufacturing and inFlow Inventory for your shop
Full comparison
Every sourced field, side by side. It opens on the rows where the two differ.
Unknown means we have not found evidence. It is not the same as No.
| Attribute | Fishbowl ManufacturingFishbowl · record checked October 9, 2026 | inFlow InventoryArchon Systems · record checked October 9, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | ||
| Product classWhat kind of system it is. | Manufacturing ERP | Light manufacturing |
| One-line fit | The veteran QuickBooks-attached manufacturing system, with manufacturing from $675 a month plus a required implementation package. | Solid inventory, but manufacturing is a different, pricier product line. |
| Real cost | ||
| Pricing | From $675/moSource: fishbowlinventory.com › Pricing(opens in a new tab)Checked October 9, 2026 | From $69/mo · $169/mo usefulSource: inflowinventory.com › Software pricing inflow(opens in a new tab)Checked October 9, 2026 |
| Useful entry priceWhat you pay to get the manufacturing capability, not the cheapest nominal tier. | $675/mo | $169/mo |
| Openness & data | ||
| Deployment | Cloud (hosted for you) | Cloud (hosted for you), Mobile app |
| Planning | ||
| Accepts dated demandYou can tell it what is due and when, sales orders with dates, a forecast, or a production schedule. | Partial"Automated Reorder Points and AI Forecasting". Forecast demand is an input. We could not confirm whether dated sales orders drive the requirements calculation.Source: fishbowlinventory.com(opens in a new tab) | YesSales orders carry a requested ship date, which inFlow's API reference describes as "The date that you should ship this order". This is documented as a field in the API reference; we have not seen the reorder suggestions use it. Checked 2026-09-18.Source: cloudapi.inflowinventory.com › Swagger.json(opens in a new tab) |
| Nets against stock on handIt subtracts what you already have before telling you to buy more. | Unknown | PartialThe vendor states: "When your current anticipated quantity is lower than your reorder point, inFlow will suggest that you reorder more stock." Anticipated quantity is stock after all open sales and purchases, so open orders are netted, but the trigger is a reorder point. What is missing is a requirements calculation from dated demand through the bill of materials. Checked 2026-09-18.Source: inflowinventory.com › Is there a way to reorder items that are low in stock(opens in a new tab) |
| Counts incoming ordersIt knows about purchase orders and production orders already placed, so it does not tell you to order twice. | Unknown | YesThe vendor's reorder article says: "This means you likely have an open purchase order/manufacture order incoming (quantity on order) for this product, so you don’t have to reorder more." Open purchase orders and manufacture orders count as incoming stock, so the same item is not suggested twice. Checked 2026-09-18.Source: inflowinventory.com › Is there a way to reorder items that are low in stock(opens in a new tab) |
| Uses lead timesIt works backwards from when you need something to when you must order or start it, using supplier and production lead times. | PartialLead time is an input to the reorder point. The system "sets automatic reorder points based on sales trends, lead times, and minimum stock levels". But that is lead time shaping a static threshold, not a time-phased plan offset backwards from a required date.Source: fishbowlinventory.com › Purchasing(opens in a new tab) | PartialThe vendor states: "Lead time demand is the amount sold or used before your next purchase order comes in." Vendor lead times feed the Recommended Reorder Point report, which uses them to size the reorder point. What is missing is any use of lead time to set a suggested order or start date. Checked 2026-09-18.Source: inflowinventory.com › Can inflow recommend a reorder point for my products(opens in a new tab) |
| Produces dated buy/make suggestionsThe output is an actionable list with dates, order this much by this date, start this batch on this date. | PartialReordering is reorder-point driven: once a part hits its point "the purchase order generates itself, ready for approval". The published material describes quantities and a preferred vendor, never a date to order by, so this falls short of a dated recommendation. The help center's MRP works the same way: "The Material Resource Planning (MRP) wizard allows reorder levels to be calculated based on historical data, daily consumption rates, forecast percentages, safety stock, and days of stock." Auto PO and Auto MO then order parts that fall below those levels.Source: fishbowlinventory.com › Purchasing(opens in a new tab); help.fishbowlinventory.com › Part(opens in a new tab) | Unknown |
| Capacity planningChecks whether your people and machines can do the work in the time available. | Yes"Finite-capacity planning" with constraint-aware rescheduling that reroutes jobs when capacity gaps appear.Source: fishbowlinventory.com(opens in a new tab) | Unknown |
| Production | ||
| Bill of materialsA list of the parts and quantities needed to make one of something. | YesBills of materials manage "simple or configurable finished goods for single or multiple builds", editable mid-build.Source: fishbowlinventory.com(opens in a new tab) | Yes"Create bill of materials" is listed on the Manufacturing plans, and explicitly absent from every Inventory plan.Source: inflowinventory.com › Software pricing inflow(opens in a new tab) |
| Multi-level BOMSub-assemblies inside assemblies, a part that is itself made from other parts, nested as deep as you need. | YesThe manufacturing page offers "simple and multi-level BOMs for accurate production", with subassemblies and configurable builds.Source: fishbowlinventory.com › Manufacturing(opens in a new tab) | YesThe vendor states: "In the Overview table, raw materials and subassemblies are organized in a hierarchy to visualize which products need to be assembled first." A subassembly that is out of stock can get its own manufacture order. Manufacturing plans only. Checked 2026-09-18.Source: inflowinventory.com › Manufacture orders(opens in a new tab) |
| Work / manufacturing ordersA record authorising and tracking the making of a specific quantity. | YesManufacture and work orders connect inventory and sales directly to production, with work orders and BOMs editable mid-build.Source: fishbowlinventory.com(opens in a new tab) | Yes"Assemble new products or bundles" with work orders, on the Manufacturing plans only.Source: inflowinventory.com › Software pricing inflow(opens in a new tab) |
| Routings & operationsThe ordered steps a product goes through, and which machine or station does each one. | PartialRoutings are mentioned in the context of constraint-aware rescheduling. The work order help says "The steps on each work order will default to the instructions steps from the bill of materials, but work order steps can be added, deleted, or modified for each individual work order by using the buttons located on the component toolbar to the right." Those steps carry no work center or machine, so this stays partial. Needs Fishbowl Advanced.Source: help.fishbowlinventory.com › Work Order(opens in a new tab); fishbowlinventory.com(opens in a new tab) | YesThe vendor states: "MO operations are a series of tasks that need to be completed to assemble the finished product. Each operation represents a different stage in the manufacturing process." Operations are set on the bill of materials with a cost and estimated duration, then copied to each manufacture order. Needs Production management, which the pricing page includes on all four Manufacturing plans. Checked 2026-09-18.Source: inflowinventory.com › Manufacture orders(opens in a new tab); inflowinventory.com › Software pricing inflow(opens in a new tab) |
| Shop-floor trackingOperators report progress, time, and completions as the work happens. | YesThe Work Order module "displays work orders with instruction steps and provides a step-by-step process to complete work orders", and each step can be partly or fully completed as the work is done. This is step completion on the work order rather than a terminal or time-clock screen (Fishbowl Time is a separate module). It needs Fishbowl Advanced; the Inventory plans do not manufacture. Read from the help center, not seen in use.Source: help.fishbowlinventory.com › Work Order(opens in a new tab) | YesThe vendor states: "Multiple operators can start their own timesheets for the same operation, and they will be tracked separately." Operators start and stop timesheets and mark operations complete on the manufacture order itself; we did not find a separate kiosk or terminal mode. Needs Production management, which the pricing page includes on all four Manufacturing plans. Checked 2026-09-18.Source: inflowinventory.com › Manufacture orders(opens in a new tab); inflowinventory.com › Software pricing inflow(opens in a new tab) |
| Inventory & traceability | ||
| Batch & lot traceabilityWhich incoming material lots went into which finished batch, and where those finished goods went. | Yes"Track lots, serials, expiry, landed costs, and tariffs with one-click recall reports." One-click recall is the capability food and cosmetics producers are buying.Source: fishbowlinventory.com(opens in a new tab) | YesThe vendor states: "inFlow tracks lots on both sides of the build: the components you pick and the finished product you put away." Lots are picked on manufacture order components and assigned to the finished product, and a sales traceability report links lots to customers. In a 2026 vendor video, lot numbers and expiry dates leave beta as a paid add-on: "I just wanted to let you know it's graduated and available for everyone as a new add on to your subscription." The pricing page lists it at $69 a month on Start Up and $99 on Growth, and includes it on Scale and Expansion. Checked 2026-09-18.Source: inflowinventory.com › Lot numbers and expiry dates(opens in a new tab); Vendor video, 2026, at 3:02(opens in a new tab); inflowinventory.com › Software pricing inflow(opens in a new tab) |
| Expiry & shelf lifeBest-before dates on materials and finished goods, with warnings before they lapse. | YesExpiry is tracked alongside lots and serials.Source: fishbowlinventory.com(opens in a new tab) | YesThe vendor states: "Set the Shelf life in days based on either the created date or the manufacture date. inFlow uses this shelf life to calculate the expiration date for new lots when received." Each lot carries an expiry date, and a lot expiry report lists what is running out. Sold in the same paid add-on as lot tracking. Checked 2026-09-18.Source: inflowinventory.com › Lot numbers and expiry dates(opens in a new tab); Vendor video, 2026, at 3:02(opens in a new tab) |
| Serial numbersUnique identifiers on individual units, for warranty or field service. | YesSerial tracking is included with lot and expiry tracking.Source: fishbowlinventory.com(opens in a new tab) | YesSerial tracking is a paid add-on at $39 a month on Start Up, Growth and Scale, and included on Expansion (pricing page, 2026-10-09).Source: inflowinventory.com › Software pricing inflow(opens in a new tab) |
| Commerce & accounting | ||
| PurchasingRaising and tracking purchase orders to suppliers from inside the system. | YesPurchase orders are generated and executed automatically from reorder points and planning output.Source: fishbowlinventory.com(opens in a new tab) | YesPurchase orders are core to every plan, with order-volume caps and per-order overage charges.Source: inflowinventory.com › Software pricing inflow(opens in a new tab) |
| Accounting connectionSends financial data to bookkeeping software, or includes its own general ledger. | YesQuickBooks Online and Xero integrations are named, with QuickBooks Desktop also supported.Source: fishbowlinventory.com(opens in a new tab) | YesAccounting runs through an integration rather than a built-in ledger. The vendor states: "With inFlow, you can easily create new sales and purchase orders that can be seamlessly sent to QuickBooks Online." A Xero connection is documented too. Each integration counts toward your plan's integration limit, and QuickBooks may need a paid plan with journal entries. Checked 2026-09-18.Source: inflowinventory.com › How do i set up quickbooks online with inflow(opens in a new tab); inflowinventory.com › Connecting inflow to xero(opens in a new tab) |
| Ecommerce connectionPulls orders and pushes stock levels to a storefront or marketplace. | Unknown | YesThe vendor states: "Shopify orders create an inFlow sales order, which you can use to manage the order’s fulfillment." Each Shopify store counts as one integration against your plan's limit. Checked 2026-09-18.Source: inflowinventory.com › Connecting inflow to shopify(opens in a new tab) |
| Openness & your data | ||
| APIA documented programming interface so other software can read and write your data. | YesThe vendor states: "GET /api/products/:id/best-price DELETE /api/products/:id" From the public REST API reference for Fishbowl Advanced, which lists read and delete endpoints. It covers the Advanced line, not every Fishbowl edition. Checked 2026-09-14.Source: help.fishbowlinventory.com › Products(opens in a new tab) | YesThe vendor states: "The inFlow Inventory API allows you to read and write data to inFlow Inventory. Like most modern APIs, it’s organized around REST and JSON." Public reference docs are at cloudapi.inflowinventory.com. Needs an active subscription and API access, a $49 monthly add-on on Start Up and Growth and included on Scale and Expansion. Checked 2026-09-18.Source: inflowinventory.com › Inflows api(opens in a new tab); cloudapi.inflowinventory.com › Index(opens in a new tab); inflowinventory.com › Software pricing inflow(opens in a new tab) |
| WebhooksThe system can notify other software the moment something changes. | Unknown | YesThe API reference lets you subscribe to webhooks for sales order, purchase order, manufacture order and inventory changes, with the event field described as "A list of events that will trigger this webhook." Set up through the API, so it needs API access, a $49 monthly add-on on Start Up and Growth and included on Scale and Expansion. Checked 2026-09-18.Source: cloudapi.inflowinventory.com › Swagger.json(opens in a new tab); inflowinventory.com › Software pricing inflow(opens in a new tab) |
| MCP supportA Model Context Protocol server, letting an AI assistant read or act on this data. Useful, but it has nothing to do with whether the product plans materials. | Unknown | YesinFlow runs its own MCP server that exposes the public API operations as tools for AI agents. The API docs state: "The MCP server uses the same API key authentication as the REST API." The pricing page counts it as part of API access, a $49 monthly add-on on Start Up and Growth and included on Scale and Expansion. Checked 2026-09-18.Source: cloudapi.inflowinventory.com › Index(opens in a new tab); inflowinventory.com › Software pricing inflow(opens in a new tab) |
| CSV exportYou can get your lists out as spreadsheet files. | Unknown | YesThe vendor states: "When you open any of our reports in the inFlow web app, you have the option to save the report as either a PDF file or a CSV file." From the vendor's support article on exporting data. Checked 2026-09-14.Source: inflowinventory.com › How do i export data or other transactions from inflow(opens in a new tab) |
| Full data exportYou can take everything, including history and relationships, not just a few screens' worth of rows. | Unknown | PartialThe vendor states: "Manufacture orders cannot be exported; however, you can manually record the details if you want to recreate them." Many record types export, but manufacture orders, attachments and settings do not, so this is not a complete export. Checked 2026-09-14.Source: inflowinventory.com › How do i export data or other transactions from inflow(opens in a new tab) |
Common questions
- Is Fishbowl Manufacturing cheaper than inFlow Inventory?
- Fishbowl Manufacturing starts at $675 a month for the plan that covers manufacturing (mixed billing). inFlow Inventory starts at $169 a month for the plan that covers manufacturing (mixed billing). On those published figures inFlow Inventory is the lower of the two. Put your own users, orders and locations into the cost calculator to see what each comes to.
- Does Fishbowl Manufacturing or inFlow Inventory have a free plan or a free trial?
- Fishbowl Manufacturing has no free plan and we have no trial length on record. inFlow Inventory has no free plan and a 14-day free trial.
- Which has lot traceability, Fishbowl Manufacturing or inFlow Inventory?
- Fishbowl Manufacturing has batch and lot tracking. inFlow Inventory has batch and lot tracking, from the Expansion plan.
- Does Fishbowl Manufacturing or inFlow Inventory tell you what to order and when?
- That is the test for material requirements planning: a dated recommendation to buy or make. Fishbowl Manufacturing partly does. We have not found evidence either way for inFlow Inventory.
- Do Fishbowl Manufacturing and inFlow Inventory work with QuickBooks, Xero or Shopify?
- Fishbowl Manufacturing: an accounting integration and no evidence either way on e-commerce integration. Named integrations: QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop and Xero. inFlow Inventory: an accounting integration and an e-commerce integration. Named integrations: QuickBooks Online, Xero and Shopify.
- Is Fishbowl Manufacturing or inFlow Inventory open source, and can you host it yourself?
- Fishbowl Manufacturing is proprietary SaaS, deployed as cloud (hosted for you). inFlow Inventory is proprietary SaaS, deployed as cloud (hosted for you) and mobile app.
Related
How this comparison was made
The short answer and the two lists were written by an editor for this pair. Every other row and answer is read from the two product records, which cite the vendor pages behind each claim. Nobody paid to appear here or to be placed first; the order is alphabetical. How we classify and verify.
Report a correction to Fishbowl ManufacturingReport a correction to inFlow Inventory