Fishbowl Manufacturing review
A packaged MRP system for manufacturers managing complex production and traceability.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Fishbowl Manufacturing is inventory and manufacturing software for small and midsize manufacturers that build or customize products. It covers raw materials, multi-level bills of materials, subassemblies, work orders, production scheduling, capacity planning, purchasing, costing, and traceability. Its scope fits teams that need to coordinate inventory, production, labor, and material costs in one packaged MRP system, particularly where made-to-order builds and work in progress are part of daily operations.
The Advanced Manufacturing plan costs $675 per month with monthly billing. Its published features include full BOMs, subassemblies and configurations; MRP and production scheduling; job, labor, and landed costing; work orders and made-to-order builds; lot and batch traceability; and mobile barcode scanning. The starting price is subject to user count and deployment-specific quotation, so manufacturers should treat the monthly amount as an entry point rather than a complete project cost. There is no free plan, making the product a fit for businesses budgeting for a paid manufacturing system rather than evaluating a no-cost option.
Accounting connectivity is a notable part of the product’s operating model. Fishbowl Manufacturing integrates with QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, QuickBooks Enterprise, Xero, and NetSuite, helping connect manufacturing activity with established accounting systems. The product is available through a web platform and supports cloud-hosted deployment with self-managed options. Manufacturers should choose it when multi-level BOMs, purchase-order generation, scheduling, capacity planning, costing, and traceability justify a dedicated system. Teams seeking a free plan, a lower monthly starting price, or a non-web platform should consider another option.
Fishbowl Manufacturing pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Supports multi-level BOMs, subassemblies, and configurations
- Combines MRP, scheduling, capacity planning, and purchase planning
- Provides lot, batch, serial traceability and mobile barcode scanning
- Where it doesn't
- Starts at $675 per month for Advanced Manufacturing
- Platform access is web-only
- No free plan is available
Fishbowl Manufacturing fact sheet, pricing and score →
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