MRPeasy vs Fishbowl: Quick Verdict
If you’re short on time, here’s the bottom line. MRPeasy is the better pick for small makers under 50 employees who want a web-based system they can set up in a weekend. Fishbowl is the stronger choice for mid-size companies with $3M to $50M in revenue that run complex warehouses and already rely on QuickBooks for accounting.
| Feature | MRPeasy | Fishbowl |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Small makers (11–200 employees) | Mid-size inventory-heavy companies |
| Setup | Web-based only | On-premise or hosted |
| Starting price | $49/user/month | $4,395 perpetual license (single user) |
| Free trial | 30 days | Contact vendor |
| Inventory management rating | 45.3% (TEC score) | 73.4% (TEC score) |
| Manufacturing/MRP | Core strength | Add-on to inventory |
| How intuitive (G2) | 4.6/5 stars | 4.1/5 stars |
| Connected tools | 22 | 41 |
Both tools target producers, but they approach the problem from opposite directions. MRPeasy starts with production planning and adds inventory around it. Fishbowl starts with inventory management and bolts on manufacturing features.
Company Background and Target Market
Fishbowl was founded in 2001 by Chuck and Beverly Hale in Orem, Utah. It’s been around for over two decades, which explains the massive library of connected tools and the 1,087 reviews on Capterra. In 2021, Fishbowl was acquired by Diversis Capital and now serves over 50,000 customers worldwide. But here’s what most sites get wrong. Fishbowl isn’t an ERP. It’s an Inventory Management System. It doesn’t touch accounting. QuickBooks or Xero handles your general ledger, bank reconciliation, and accounts payable and receivable. Fishbowl takes over everything inventory-related.
The sweet spot is companies doing $3M to $50M per year in revenue. Below $3M, Fishbowl is overkill. Above $50M, you’ll probably need a full ERP like NetSuite.
MRPeasy launched in 2014 out of Tallinn, Estonia. It’s built as a web-native manufacturing ERP for small firms, with over 1,700 clients in 58 countries today. The target customer is an 11-to-300-person manufacturer who needs production planning, procurement, and basic financials in one system. No on-premise option exists. Everything runs online in the browser.
Pricing: What You’ll Actually Pay
Pricing information for these two products is scattered and contradictory across the web. Here’s what’s actually current, as verified against official sources.
MRPeasy has straightforward per-user pricing with four tiers:
- Starter: $49/user/month (1 site, basic MRP)
- Professional: $69/user/month (quality management, serial tracking)
- Enterprise: $99/user/month (multi-site, barcoding, maintenance management)
- Unlimited: $149/user/month (API access, webhooks)
All plans include a free 30-day evaluation. No credit card required. You can test with your own data before committing.
Fishbowl pricing works differently. It primarily uses perpetual licensing. The Warehouse plan starts at $4,395 for a single user license. The Manufacturing plan costs $6,595 for a single user. Additional user licenses run $1,195 each. Annual renewal fees for continued updates range from $1,395 to $9,795 depending on your plan and team size. Fishbowl has also offered subscription options around $329/month, but the perpetual model is more prominent in 2026.
One thing MRPeasy doesn’t tell you upfront. Multi-site and multi-stock support only kicks in at the Enterprise tier ($99/user/month). If you run two warehouses on MRPeasy’s Starter plan, you’re stuck with a single-location structure.
For a 5-person team, expect to pay roughly $245–$745/month on MRPeasy (depending on plan) versus a $5,590–$11,390 upfront investment on Fishbowl plus annual renewals. MRPeasy is cheaper month to month, but Fishbowl’s perpetual license can save money over 3+ years.
Core Features Head-to-Head
Inventory Management
Fishbowl dominates here. Technology Evaluation Center scores Fishbowl at 73.4% vs MRPeasy’s 45.3% across 415 evaluated feature requirements. That’s not a small gap.
Fishbowl offers auto-putaway where one click generates transfer orders for everything in receiving. It also supports hub-and-spoke replenishment between locations and path-optimized mobile picking that guides staff through the most efficient route. These are features you’d expect in software costing three times more.
MRPeasy takes a different approach. Its 6-number stock overview shows in stock, available, booked, expected total, expected available, and expected booked all on one screen, plus a work-in-progress column. It’s simpler, but it covers the basics well for smaller operations.
Manufacturing and Production Planning
This is MRPeasy’s home turf. The software was built specifically for scheduling, and it shows. You get drag-and-drop planning, automatic workstation scheduling, and real-time shop floor data. FIFO costing applies automatically at the stock lot level.
Fishbowl’s manufacturing module exists, but it was added on top of an inventory management system. The planning features are functional but not as deep. If MRP is your primary need, MRPeasy earns its name.
Bill of Materials
Both platforms handle multi-level BOMs. MRPeasy lets you build BOMs with routing operations attached, so each step in your manufacturing process connects directly to the materials it consumes. Fishbowl handles BOMs well for assembly and kitting operations, but the routing integration isn’t as tight.
Barcode Scanning and Warehouse Tools
Fishbowl scores 85.94% vs MRPeasy’s 57.35% on barcode and warehouse capabilities (TEC data). Fishbowl’s mobile scanner includes path-optimized picking with barcode verification at each step. It also connects to Ship Express via Shippo for carrier connections with UPS and FedEx directly from the system.
MRPeasy has mobile barcode scanning, but it’s more basic. For companies where warehouse efficiency is the priority, Fishbowl is the clear winner.
How QuickBooks, Shopify, and Other Connections Work
Fishbowl lists 41 connected tools. MRPeasy has 22. Raw numbers don’t tell the whole story, though.
Fishbowl’s deepest connection is with QuickBooks, and that matters because most of its customer base runs QB for accounting. But here’s a catch most reviews don’t mention. The QB sync isn’t real-time. You have to manually trigger it or schedule it at set times. If your finance team needs live data, this creates a blind spot.
MRPeasy connects with QB Online, Xero, and Shopify out of the box. The sync is more automated. It also supports API access on the Unlimited plan for custom connectors, which smaller companies rarely need but growing ones appreciate.
For e-commerce sellers on Shopify or WooCommerce, both tools offer connections, but neither is a standout here.
Simplicity and Learning Curve
G2 reviewers rate MRPeasy at 4.6/5 stars for how intuitive it feels. Fishbowl gets 4.1/5 stars. That half-point gap reflects a real difference in daily experience.
MRPeasy is web-only, so there’s nothing to install. The interface is modern and clean. Most customers report being operational within a week. Training resources include live webinars and an online knowledge base.
Fishbowl’s installed application has a steeper learning curve. The UI prioritizes function over form. Product searches don’t show thumbnails, and you have to click into items for images to appear. It works fine once you learn it, but new hires need more training time and support during onboarding.
Fishbowl recently added a browser-based AI dashboard through a partnership with Conversight. It lets users build custom queries and analytics dashboards without SQL knowledge. That’s a good step toward modernizing the experience, though the core installed client still feels dated.
What Real Users Say: Pros and Cons
| Aspect | MRPeasy | Fishbowl |
|---|---|---|
| Capterra rating | 4.5/5 stars (157 reviews) | 4.1/5 stars (1,087 reviews) |
| Highlights | Easy setup, great customer support, affordable | Powerful inventory tracking, deep QB integration |
| Common complaints | Limited customization on lower plans, analytics could be deeper | Steep learning curve, UI feels outdated, QB sync delays |
| Support quality | Responsive live chat, fast ticket resolution | Phone and email support, mixed reviews on response time |
MRPeasy has fewer reviews but a higher rating. That’s partly because it’s a newer, smaller product with a more self-selected user base. Fishbowl’s 1,087 reviews give a broader and more honest picture. The criticism about Fishbowl’s learning curve shows up repeatedly across Capterra, G2, and GetApp.
One pattern stands out in user feedback. MRPeasy customers praise how responsive the support team is, while Fishbowl users often mention slow response times. For small shops without dedicated IT staff, that difference matters.
When to Pick Fishbowl Over MRPeasy (and Vice Versa)
Stop reading feature lists. Start with your situation.
Pick Fishbowl if you run a company doing $3M–$50M/year with complex warehouse operations. Pick it if you already rely on QuickBooks and need deep accounting integration. Pick it if you need advanced features like path-optimized picking and hub-and-spoke replenishment. Choose it when you have staff dedicated to learning and managing the software. And consider it if you prefer a one-time perpetual license over ongoing subscription costs.
Pick MRPeasy if you’re a smaller manufacturer under 200 employees who needs manufacturing planning first. Choose it if you want a system up and running within days, not weeks. It’s the right call when you prefer browser-only access with no IT setup required. Go with MRPeasy when you need manufacturing ERP features like procurement and basic financials beyond just inventory. And it makes sense if you have a tighter budget and want transparent per-user pricing.
Pick neither if your primary need is multichannel e-commerce inventory management across Shopify, Amazon, and wholesale channels. Both MRPeasy and Fishbowl focus on manufacturing. For that specific need, you’ll want something purpose-built.
Which Tool Is Right for You?
5 questions. 30 seconds. A clear recommendation.
0/5
How many employees does your company have?
What’s your primary need?
What’s your monthly software budget per user?
Do you use QuickBooks for accounting?
How fast do you need to be up and running?
MRPeasy looks like your best fit
You need a cloud-based manufacturing ERP that’s affordable and quick to deploy. MRPeasy starts at $49/user/month with a 30-day free trial. It’s built for small manufacturers who need production planning without the complexity.
Fishbowl looks like your best fit
You need a powerful inventory and warehouse management system with deep QuickBooks integration. Fishbowl’s perpetual license model suits companies that prefer a one-time investment, and its warehouse features are best-in-class for mid-size operations.
Qoblex might be a better fit
Your needs lean toward multichannel inventory management and order fulfillment rather than manufacturing. Qoblex syncs with Shopify, WooCommerce, and QuickBooks from a single dashboard. Start a free trial at qoblex.com to see if it fits.
Qoblex: A Third Option Worth Considering
If you’re reading this because you sell physical products across multiple channels, Qoblex might be a better fit than either MRPeasy or Fishbowl.
Qoblex is built for multichannel inventory management with B2B wholesale support. It syncs with Shopify, WooCommerce, and QuickBooks, and handles order fulfillment across retail and wholesale channels from a single dashboard. It’s not a manufacturing ERP like MRPeasy. And it’s not an inventory-focused system like Fishbowl. It fills the gap for companies that sell across multiple sales channels and need their stock, orders, and accounting in sync without the manufacturing overhead.
If manufacturing and planning aren’t your core needs, start a free Qoblex evaluation and see if it fits your operation.
FAQ
What is the best MRP software?
It depends on your company size and budget. For small makers under 200 employees, MRPeasy is one of the strongest options due to its affordable pricing, quick setup, and solid customer support. Larger operations with revenue above $50M typically outgrow both MRPeasy and Fishbowl and move to enterprise ERPs like SAP or NetSuite.
Is Fishbowl an MRP system?
Not exactly. Fishbowl is primarily an Inventory Management System that includes manufacturing modules. It handles BOMs, work orders, and basic tracking, but its core strength is inventory and warehouse management. MRPeasy is a dedicated MRP system built from the ground up for manufacturing planning.
Is Fishbowl legitimate?
Yes. Fishbowl has been in operation since 2001 and has over 1,087 verified reviews on Capterra with a 4.1/5 rating. Software Connect rated it 8.9/10. It was acquired by Diversis Capital in 2021 and now serves over 50,000 customers globally. It’s one of the most established inventory management platforms for small and mid-size companies.
Is Fishbowl an ERP system?
No. Fishbowl handles inventory, warehouse, and manufacturing management, but it doesn’t include accounting, HR, or CRM. It’s designed to work alongside QuickBooks or Xero for financial management. If you need a single system that covers everything, look at MRPeasy for small shops or a full ERP like NetSuite for larger operations.
