Fishbowl vs inFlow
An honest side-by-side comparison of two of our top inventory management picks — pricing, strengths, weaknesses, and who each one is really for.
Fishbowl
Ranked #3 of 15 in this directory
Powerful inventory management designed for QuickBooks
inFlow
Ranked #4 of 15 in this directory
Inventory management made simple for small businesses
Our pick: Fishbowl. Our editors rank Fishbowl higher overall in Inventory Management — but inFlow can be the better fit depending on your budget and use case below. How we review
Compare the details
| Fishbowl | inFlow | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Paid | Freemium |
| Starting price | See website | See website |
| Category | Small Business | Small Business |
| Editorial rank | #3 of 15 | #4 of 15 |
Strengths
Fishbowl
- ✓Best-in-class two-way QuickBooks integration
- ✓Handles both inventory management and light manufacturing
- ✓Flexible deployment with cloud and on-premise options
- ✓Comprehensive barcode scanning with label printing
- ✓One-time licensing available for on-premise installations
inFlow
- ✓Very intuitive interface — easy transition from spreadsheets
- ✓Built-in B2B showroom for accepting wholesale orders online
- ✓Supports barcode scanning with mobile devices
- ✓Affordable pricing with a free tier for small product counts
- ✓Desktop app available for Windows with offline capabilities
Watch out for
Fishbowl
- !Interface feels dated compared to modern cloud-native solutions
- !Steep learning curve for initial configuration
- !On-premise version requires IT infrastructure and maintenance
- !Per-user pricing can get expensive as teams grow
inFlow
- !Limited ecommerce integrations compared to multichannel platforms
- !Manufacturing and assembly tracking is basic
- !Reporting is adequate but not highly customizable
- !Mobile app has fewer features than the desktop version
Best use cases
Fishbowl
- →Growing wholesalers needing inventory management beyond QuickBooks basics
- →Small manufacturers tracking parts, assemblies, and finished products
- →Multi-warehouse distributors managing stock across locations
inFlow
- →Small retailers moving from spreadsheets to proper inventory management
- →Wholesalers creating a B2B showroom for customer self-ordering
- →Small businesses needing simple purchase order and receiving workflows
About each tool
Fishbowl
Fishbowl is the most popular advanced inventory management add-on for QuickBooks, providing multi-location tracking, barcode scanning, manufacturing, and warehouse management. It bridges the gap between basic QuickBooks inventory and full ERP systems for growing businesses. Fishbowl supports both cloud and on-premise deployment with comprehensive part tracking and automated reorder points.
inFlow
inFlow provides intuitive inventory management for small businesses with features including purchase ordering, sales orders, barcode scanning, and multi-location tracking. Its clean interface and straightforward workflow make it ideal for businesses transitioning from spreadsheet-based inventory tracking. inFlow offers both cloud and on-premise versions with a built-in B2B showroom for wholesale orders.
Still deciding? Browse all 15 options with honest pros, cons, and pricing.
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