Fishbowl Warehouse vs. Skubana

Fishbowl Warehouse is built with a “traditional” desktop design. The interface has a menu at the top which links to separate dashboards for “Materials”, “Purchases”, “Reports”, and so on.

The interface isn’t as minimal and intuitive as some of its cloud-based alternatives, and there’s definitely a learning curve. That said, it’s not overly complex, and Fishbowl provides ample support, through both onboarding assistants and documentation.

“The implementer that worked with me did a great job and we got a very personalized experience and a lot of up front training and support.”

“It works. As advertised and better. Some companies embellish the quality and quantity of their features. Not Fishbowl. They do everything they say and more.”

“It’s a little clunky to use, could definitely be a bit more user friendly. There is a bit of a learning curve and does take time to train new employees.”

Skubana is a browser app with a fairly typical user interface design. A central login page links to management dashboards for orders, shipments, inventory, analytics, and so on.

We thought that Skubana’s interface was reasonably intuitive and easy-to-use. It’s not the most straightforward on the market, and there is a slight learning curve, especially when it comes to the analytics dashboard. That said, it’s by no means the worst.

"It's a fantastic platform that has helped us leverage multiple additional technologies."

"It takes a little bit of time to fully learn everything about Skubana, I'm sure we still have a lot to learn."

"It takes a little bit of time to fully learn everything about Skubana, I'm sure we still have a lot to learn."

Fishbowl Warehouse is one of the most feature-rich solutions we’ve reviewed on Stackupp. It has all the functionality you would expect, including order and delivery management, analytics, automation, an extensive library of integrations, barcode scanning, POS, payment processing, on-site warehouse tracking, and more.

Fishbowl Warehouse was problematic in just a handful of areas. The analytics tools could be improved with more advanced reports. Currently, only limited sales and inventory tracking are possible. And very few integrations with third-party marketplaces, like Etsy, Wish, Walmart, and so on, are included. If any of these things is a make-or-break issue for you, then you’ll probably have to look elsewhere. Finally, keep in mind that Fishbowl offers a separate platform aimed exclusively at manufacturers. The “Warehouse” version alone isn’t suitable for tasks like tracking raw materials, managing parts, organizing stages of production, and so on.

The excellent multi-device compatibility is also worth noting. Fishbowl has built dedicated integrations to enable mobile use on Android, iPhone, and Microsoft Surface. And while it is a desktop app, users can access the platform from any device with the “Fishbowl Anywhere” tool. There’s also the option of “Fishbowl Hosting”, which allows users to store all their files on fully-secure servers. If you opt for this, you’ll still have to install software on your own hard drive but all your data will be looked after.

On the surface, Skubana’s feature-kit appears less comprehensive than many of its competitors. There’s no mobile app, native barcode scanning, POS, or accounting integrations.

But it’s important to remember that the platform has been designed with multichannel retailers in mind. For this specific group, few other platforms come close to providing the same level of functionality.

Among the most notable features are the individual channel reporting tools, the API for building custom integrations, automation bots which can be used to manage inventory on third-party marketplaces, and advanced options for organizing parent-child and bundled products.

Skubana also excels on the training front. Users have access to onboarding consultants (full onboarding takes between four and six weeks), long-term client success managers, and a complete and highly-praised support package.

The analytics tools also rank among the best in the industry. Retailers can access a myriad of metrics, including turnover for specific channels, fulfillment rates, carrying costs, inventory age, and more. There are dedicated features for calculating customer value, keeping on top of accounting tasks, and maintaining a big-picture view across multiple stores.

Finally, all Skubana servers are run using AWS (Amazon Web Servers) and are fully secure. Reviews indicate that software is well-maintained from a technical standpoint and suitable for scaling companies.

Fishbowl doesn’t disappoint on the integrations front. Its library is one of the most comprehensive that we’ve seen, and includes connectors for a range of third-party apps from sales automation to accounting. If we had to find one fault, it would be that there’s only limited support for third-party marketplaces like Etsy and Wish.

Let’s kick off with accounting. Fishbowl is incredibly popular among QuickBooks users, and provides dedicated integrations for both the desktop and online versions. Fishbowl Warehouse is designed to work seamlessly with Quickbooks, filling in many of the functionality gaps that retailers require. Integrations are also available for Xero, Avalara, and Reckon users.

Fishbowl syncs with numerous ecommerce platforms, including Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, 3dcart, Zen Cart, and others. Retailers can also take advantage of marketplace integrations for Amazon and eBay.

So what about shipping? Fishbowl has clearly dedicated a lot of time to building out its shipping tools and provides an extensive array of integrations, with the likes of FedEx, DHL, ShipStation, and UPS covered.

A number of in-house integrations which extend the functionality of the app’s core feature-set are also provided. Even though Fishbowl is a desktop app, “Fishbowl Anywhere” enables users to access the interface using an internet connection from most devices, including Apple and Android phones.

Finally, Fishbowl offers its own POS system, employee time tracking tools, EDI (electronic data interchange), and link-ups for Zoho and Salesforce.

Skubana relies quite heavily on third-party integrations to supplement its core feature-set. Barcode scanning and POS, for example, are only available through connectors. The downside to this approach is that it incurs extra costs because users have to pay for separate services.

While the Skubana integrations library is fairly solid, it’s not the best we’ve seen. Accounting apps for Xero and Quickbooks were notably absent, although Zapier makes up for this to an extent.

Where Skubana really shines, on the other hand, is in relation to omnichannel selling. A variety of EDI tools (SPS, eZCom, B2BGateway, etc.) enable retailers to sync up with practically any third-party marketplace, and native integrations are offered for Amazon, eBay, Groupon, Houzz, Jet, Newegg, Sears, Target, and Walmart. On the shopping cart front, 3dcart, BigCommerce, Magento, Shopify, and Shopify Plus are supported.

Skubana also offers an excellent array of its own integrations with shipping providers, including DHL, Endicia, FedEx, and UPS.

On the whole, while the integrations library might not be the most comprehensive we’ve reviewed, we were left with the impression that it’s been uniquely designed for multichannel retailers. If you sell on various marketplaces, you simply won’t find a more extensive set of connectors.

Evaluating the pricing of Fishbowl Warehouse is a little tricky. It’s one of the few apps that doesn’t operate a subscription or software-as-a-service model, making comparisons with competitors pretty much redundant.

Although Fishbowl does have a high up-front cost - plans start at $4,395 with additional fees for extra users/licenses - once you’ve purchased the software, you own it outright. In the longer-term, this can be significantly more cost-effective than paying a monthly fee.

Just remember that you only get support, training, and updates for one year. You’ll have to pay for a one, two, or three-year package after that.

Skubana is aimed at medium and large sellers dealing with high volumes. Pricing begins at $999/month. At this price-point, we feel that it isn’t suitable for smaller retailers unless they require an inventory management solution designed to sync with multiple marketplaces. For these independent retailers, a number of cheaper options are available.

It’s important to keep in mind that Skubana is the best multichannel platform on the market. The custom pricing model is also very competitive when compared to other providers, and there are no long-term contracts. If you’re considering opting for Skubana, get in touch for a free demo before making a decision.

The help and support package provided by Fishbowl is fairly comprehensive. When you purchase a license, you’ll have access to customer support for one year, after which you’ll need to pay extra, including for software updates.

Support is available via email (6am - 6pm MST), phone (6am - 6pm MST), and online chat (8am - 5pm). It’s possible to make an unlimited amount of phone calls under ten minutes but there is an allowance for calls over ten minutes. Additional support options are also available, such as access to a training assistant for help getting set up.

The documentation and training videos are extensive and straightforward.

Customer support, which is via email (with a turnaround time of twenty-four hours), is generally very good. Users praise both the high level of technical assistance and the responsiveness of the customer service team when alerted to bugs and other backend issues. The FAQs and support documentation is also very extensive.

Skubana provides new users with a dedicated onboarding manager to help them get up and running as quickly as possible. In addition to this, retailers can access a “client success” representative who will help them to take full advantage of the platform.

The one downside is that Skubana doesn’t offer live chat or phone support, which could come in useful when time-sensitive problems arise.

Fishbowl Warehouse fills a unique gap in the market. It’s a desktop solution for small and medium-sized retailers that need access to a powerful array of features. Functionality covers everything you would expect and more. Standout features include the extensive library of integrations, multi-device access, and superb customer support.

If you prefer to own your software outright, then Fishbowl Warehouse is a great option. Over time, you will likely save hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars. Just be prepared to handle the backend side of things yourself. Or you can, of course, always opt to store your data on Fishbowl servers instead for an extra cost.

Skubana isn’t for everybody. If you’re a small online retailer, or if you only sell through one store, then there are other options available with more functionality and better pricing. Skubana also relies quite heavily on integrations.

If, on the other hand, you’re a reasonably high-volume multichannel seller, then Skubana is easily the best solution on the market, and it’s the small details that make the difference. Along with obvious tools like marketplace integrations and multichannel analytics, Skubana also provides less obvious features. These include bundled product options, management of different SKUs for identical products (which can be an issue when using marketplaces), and automation bots for streamlining workflows.

Customer support is excellent, so if you’re thinking about purchasing a subscription, get in touch with the company and ask for a free demo.