How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- Fishbowl Inventory starts at $229 per month, while Fishbowl Advanced Manufacturing starts at $675 per month, so compare the manufacturing package, not the base price.
- Katana Core from $299 per month plus Manufacturing at $199 per month is the modern manufacturing alternative with shop-floor scheduling.
- inFlow from $99 per month billed annually suits B2B and wholesale, while Zoho Inventory from $29 per month suits startups and small businesses.
- Fishbowl's tightest QuickBooks integration and strong manufacturing remain its edge, so alternatives should be judged on accounting sync and BOM depth together.
- For a 3-user, 1-warehouse setup, estimated monthly costs run $128 for inFlow, $299 for Katana, $349 for Cin7 Core, and $429 for Fishbowl.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Cin7 Core | Multichannel product businesses | $349 per month | No |
 Katana | Manufacturers, modern interface | $299 per month | Yes |
 inFlow Inventory | B2B and wholesale | $99 per month | No |
 Zoho Inventory | Startups and small businesses | $29 per month | Yes |
 Odoo Inventory | Modular ERP plus inventory | $25 per user per month | Yes |
 ERPAG | Small manufacturers, budget | $49 per month | No |
 Acctivate | Mid-market, deep QuickBooks sync | See website | No |
 NetSuite | Mid-size to large companies | See website | No |
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The best Fishbowl alternatives
#1Cin7 Core
Best for: Multichannel product businesses4.3/5 on
G2 (350 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit cin7.com
Starting price$349 per month
Free planNo
Cin7 Core, formerly DEAR, is the overall best pick for multichannel product businesses at $349 per month for Core, with 700 or more integrations, AI-driven demand forecasting, and built-in EDI on the Omni tier. It handles inventory, orders, and manufacturing across channels with a breadth that suits brands selling on Shopify, Amazon, and wholesale simultaneously.
The B2B portal add-on and EDI support matter for wholesale manufacturing: retailer compliance, customer-specific pricing, and EDI transactions all run through the same inventory. That breadth is why Cin7 suits operations that genuinely need omnichannel and enterprise features, not just production.
The $349 entry exceeds small-team budgets, and the trial lasts only 14 days. Pick Cin7 Core when multichannel breadth leads. Pick Katana when manufacturing focus leads.
What we like- 700+ integrations
- AI-driven demand forecasting
- Built-in EDI on Omni tier
- B2B portals
Watch out for- $349 per month entry
- 14-day trial only
- Enterprise breadth may exceed small-team needs
#2Katana
Best for: Manufacturers, modern interface4.4/5 on
G2 (117 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit katanamrp.com
Starting price$299 per month
Free planYes
Katana offers end-to-end manufacturing with BOM tracking and shop-floor production scheduling in a modern interface, with Core from $299 per month and Manufacturing Management at $199 per month as additional functionality. The free plan covers unlimited SKUs for 15 days, letting teams test with real data.
The scheduling depth is the draw: production orders, shop-floor visibility, and BOM cost tracking suit makers who need more scheduling depth than leaner tools without Fishbowl's legacy setup weight. That modern interface wins teams that found Fishbowl dated.
The add-on model means the real manufacturing configuration costs more than the headline Core price, and QuickBooks depth trails Fishbowl. Pick Katana when modern manufacturing scheduling leads. Pick Fishbowl when QuickBooks depth leads.
What we like- Modern shop-floor production scheduling
- BOM tracking
- Free plan with unlimited SKUs for 15 days
Watch out for- Core $299 plus Manufacturing $199 per month add-on model
- Advanced capabilities cost extra
- Less QuickBooks depth than Fishbowl
Starting price$99 per month
Free planNo
inFlow Inventory suits B2B and wholesale at $99 per month billed annually, with B2B showrooms, private portals with per-customer products and prices, and invoicing automation. It is the best wholesale pick for small and mid-sized B2B wholesalers who sell through portals rather than production lines.
The distribution and order-fulfillment tooling fits businesses closer to "assemble and ship" than multi-stage manufacturing. Barcode scanning and multi-location tracking cover warehouse basics well.
Manufacturing is a separate product, not built into inventory, so production-heavy makers should look elsewhere. Pick inFlow when B2B wholesale leads. Pick Katana when manufacturing leads.
What we like- B2B showrooms and invoicing automation
- Private B2B portals with per-customer prices
- 14-day trial
Watch out for- Manufacturing is a separate product, not built in
- $129 per month monthly billing
- Less production depth
Starting price$29 per month
Free planYes
Zoho Inventory suits startups and small businesses with a free plan and paid plans from $29 per month, offering lean, cloud-based stock and order management with multichannel ecommerce syncing. Bundling and kitting help small brands sell product sets without enterprise software.
Native Zoho ecosystem integrations suit teams already on Zoho CRM, Books, or Commerce, keeping stock, orders, and accounting connected. For a startup, the free plan covers early inventory needs without commitment.
Deep manufacturing is absent, and the Zoho bias matters for teams on other stacks. Pick Zoho Inventory when a lean, cheap start leads. Pick ERPAG when manufacturing depth at a low price leads.
What we like- Free plan available
- $29 per month paid entry
- Multichannel ecommerce sync
- Bundling and kitting
Watch out for- Lean stock and order management, not deep manufacturing
- Zoho ecosystem bias
- Higher tiers for scale
#5Odoo Inventory
Best for: Modular ERP plus inventory4.4/5 on
G2 (65 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit odoo.com
Starting price$25 per user per month
Free planYes
Odoo Inventory connects inventory tightly to sales, accounting, and MRP, with automation rules and warehouse routing, expanding into full ERP as needed. Paid plans start near $25 per user per month, with a free Community edition for one app.
The modular design lets a business start with inventory, then add manufacturing, quality control, and maintenance modules as it grows. That path suits businesses seeking modularity and customization over a fixed inventory tool.
Customization can increase total cost, and technical expertise is needed to configure modules well. Pick Odoo when modular ERP growth leads. Pick Zoho when a simple start leads.
What we like- Inventory connected to sales, accounting, and MRP
- Automation rules and warehouse routing
- Free Community edition
Watch out for- Customization can increase total cost
- Requires technical expertise
- Modular setup effort
#6ERPAG
Best for: Small manufacturers, budget4.8/5 on
G2 (11 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit erpag.com
Starting price$49 per month
Free planNo
ERPAG is a cloud ERP for small manufacturers from $49 per month with 5 users included, offering built-in manufacturing, BOMs, and work orders plus multi-warehouse inventory and production planning. QuickBooks and Xero integrations cover accounting without the Fishbowl price.
For a small manufacturer, ERPAG's built-in manufacturing at $49 beats Katana's $299 plus $199 add-on model on price, while still covering BOMs and work orders. That value suits micro-teams and small-batch producers.
The vendor is smaller with less polish than Katana, and ecommerce runs via integrations rather than native sync. Pick ERPAG when budget manufacturing leads. Pick Katana when modern scheduling leads.
What we like- Built-in manufacturing, BOMs, and work orders
- Multi-warehouse inventory
- QuickBooks and Xero integrations
Watch out for- Smaller vendor
- Less polish than Katana
- Ecommerce via integrations
#7Acctivate
Best for: Mid-market, deep QuickBooks sync4.0/5 on
G2 (99 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit acctivate.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Acctivate suits mid-market inventory with deep QuickBooks sync, offering advanced multi-warehouse and lot and serial tracking plus strong order, purchasing, and fulfillment workflows. The tight QuickBooks Desktop and Online integration is its defining strength for QuickBooks-heavy operations.
For a mid-market distributor or manufacturer running QuickBooks, Acctivate's sync depth avoids the reconciliation work that looser integrations impose. Lot and serial tracking covers traceability for regulated goods.
Pricing is custom, combining license and annual subscription, and the interface is less modern than Katana's. Pick Acctivate when deep QuickBooks sync leads. Pick Fishbowl when QuickBooks plus strong manufacturing leads.
What we like- Deep QuickBooks Desktop and Online integration
- Advanced multi-warehouse and lot/serial tracking
- Strong order workflows
Watch out for- Custom pricing, license plus annual subscription
- Mid-market focus
- Less modern interface
#8NetSuite
Best for: Mid-size to large companies4.1/5 on
G2 (4,963 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit netsuite.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
NetSuite suits mid-size to large companies with a full ERP suite, advanced automation, advanced planning, shop floor control, quality management, CRM, and supply chain management. It is cloud-based with extensive features and scalability that SMB tools cannot match.
For an enterprise manufacturer, NetSuite replaces several point tools and supports multi-entity operations. The implementation is complex and annual costs run higher than SMB tools, with estimates of $10,000 to $20,000 in year one for a 10-user setup in comparison data.
Small manufacturers should not start here. Pick NetSuite when the business outgrows SMB inventory tools. Pick Cin7 or Katana when mid-market scope still fits.
What we like- Full ERP suite with advanced automation
- Scalability
- Advanced planning and shop floor control
Watch out for- Quote-based pricing
- Complex implementation
- Higher annual cost than SMB tools
How we chose
We compared tools that replace Fishbowl's core job, inventory and manufacturing management, using vendor pages and 2026 comparison data. We favored published prices and marked quote-based tools as such, since Acctivate and NetSuite hide pricing behind quotes. We also judged each tool on accounting sync, BOM depth, and channel breadth together, since those three decide the choice for most manufacturers.
Compare the real manufacturing configuration
Software pricing is one of the easiest areas to compare incorrectly. Fishbowl lists standard Inventory from $229 per month, but that is not the manufacturing package buyers should compare with a manufacturing-enabled Katana setup. Fishbowl Advanced Manufacturing starts at $675 per month, with final pricing dependent on users and deployment.
Katana's real manufacturing configuration is Core at $299 plus Manufacturing at $199 per month, plus add-ons for advanced capabilities. For a 3-user, 1-warehouse setup using the cheapest plan whose limits cover both, estimated monthly costs run $128 for inFlow, $299 for Katana, $349 for Cin7 Core, and $429 for Fishbowl.
Always price the configuration you will actually run in total: users, warehouses, manufacturing features, and EDI or B2B add-ons. A tool that looks cheap at entry can cost more than a competitor once the real configuration is priced, and the cheapest headline price often loses to the configuration that matches the operation.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Fishbowl cost?
Fishbowl Inventory starts at $229 per month for Essentials with 2 users, while Fishbowl Advanced Manufacturing starts at $675 per month. For a 3-user, 1-warehouse setup, the estimated Fishbowl cost is $429 per month in 2026 comparisons.
What is the best Fishbowl alternative for manufacturers?
Katana, with Core from $299 per month plus Manufacturing at $199 per month, is the modern manufacturing alternative with shop-floor scheduling and BOM tracking. ERPAG at $49 per month is the budget manufacturing option with built-in BOMs and work orders.
Which alternative integrates best with QuickBooks?
Fishbowl itself has the tightest QuickBooks integration, but Acctivate offers deep QuickBooks Desktop and Online sync for mid-market firms. Katana, Cin7, inFlow, and ERPAG all integrate with QuickBooks and Xero as well.
Which alternative is cheapest for small businesses?
Zoho Inventory, with a free plan and paid plans from $29 per month, is the cheapest start for startups. ERPAG at $49 per month adds manufacturing depth at a low price, while inFlow from $99 per month suits B2B wholesale.
Which alternative suits multichannel brands?
Cin7 Core at $349 per month suits multichannel product businesses, with 700 or more integrations, B2B portals, and built-in EDI on the Omni tier. It covers Shopify, Amazon, and wholesale channels in one inventory.
When should a company move to NetSuite?
Move to NetSuite when the business outgrows SMB inventory tools, typically at mid to large scale with multi-entity or advanced planning needs. Expect quote-based pricing and complex implementation, with year-one costs well above SMB tools.
Sources we checked (6)
- https://www.softr.io/blog/fishbowl-alternatives
- https://www.cin7.com/blog/best-inventory-management-software-solutions/
- https://nstock.pro/blogs/best-fishbowl-alternatives
- https://www.itqlick.com/fishbowl-manufacturing
- https://smbcompare.com/providers/fishbowl
- https://xorosoft.com/katana-vs-fishbowl/
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.