Fishbowl Warehouse vs. Unleashed Software

Looking for inventory management software? Here's how Fishbowl Warehouse and Unleashed Software stack up.

Mark Hammersley

Mark Hammersley

Last updated 12o July 2020


Fishbowl Warehouse

4.2  Stackupp rating


Pricing from

Price on application

Free Plan?

Trial


Best for

small and medium-sized retailers that are looking for a cost-effective desktop solution with a large feature-set.

Unleashed Software

3.7  Stackupp rating


Pricing from

$ 259.00 / month

Free Plan?

Trial


Best for

small and medium-sized retailers and manufacturers.

Fishbowl Warehouse or Unleashed Software: Which is best?

Can't decide between Fishbowl Warehouse and Unleashed Software?

Find the best platform for you with our side by side comparison of Fishbowl Warehouse and Unleashed Software. See how each platform stacks up across ease of use, features, integrations, support and value for money.

Let the comparison begin. Don't worry, we'll guide you.

Is Fishbowl Warehouse right for you?

Fishbowl Warehouse is a popular inventory management solution. A few things set it apart from the majority of its competitors and, depending on what you need, it could be exactly the solution you’re looking for.

It should be stated at the outset that Fishbowl Warehouse is a desktop application. If you prefer cloud-based platforms, then it’s not for you. Equally, Fishbowl offers a separate product for manufacturers called “Fishbowl Manufacturing”, with tools that aren’t included in its inventory-management-focused counterpart.

Fishbowl is also one of the few software developers to offer lifetime licences, instead of working on a subscription model. If you’re looking to minimize costs, you will likely find this appealing. But remember that you will have to pay for support and updates after the first year.

Advantages

  • Excellent set of features and integrations.
  • Cost-effective lifetime software licence.
  • Good customer support.

Drawbacks

  • The app runs on your servers, so you’ll have to take care of backend maintenance.
  • Clunky interface.
  • Limited reporting options.

you’re a small or medium-sized retailer looking for a relatively inexpensive solution with a brilliant set of features. You also need to be happy to run Fishbowl on your own servers.

Is Unleashed Software right for you?

Unleashed is a popular inventory management solution for small and medium-sized retailers and manufacturers in the UK. If you’re looking for access to a UK support team and a library of integrations tailored to British ecommerce companies, then Unleashed is well worth considering.

In terms of features, Unleashed has everything you would expect in an inventory management app, including stock, reorder, and delivery management tools, analytics, automation tools, barcode scanning, materials and assembly tracking, and more. Features are spread pretty evenly to cover retail and manufacturing functionality, so it’s definitely suitable for both camps.

All of that said, there are a few downsides. Not all ecommerce platforms are supported and native integrations with third-party marketplaces like Etsy and eBay are lacking (although you can make up for this to an extent with the OneSaaS integration).

Advantages

  • Overall, the platform is well-priced.
  • Excellent set of features.
  • Unlimited warehouses, currencies, and transactions.

Drawbacks

  • Not all ecommerce platforms are supported.
  • There are hidden costs, such as compulsory onboarding assistance for the first three months at £119/month and an extra monthly charge for premium support.
  • Support is only via email and community if you don’t want to pay extra

you’re a UK-based retailer or manufacturer that needs a comprehensive inventory management solution with access to a UK support team.

Ease of Use

Our first comparison criteria, ease of use. Why? Because it’s the most important.

Think about it. You don’t want to invest a lot of your precious time setting up an online store and tweaking the design only to find out that it’s a pain in the butt to manage day to day.

We take a look at how simple the Fishbowl Warehouse and Unleashed Software platforms are to run.

How easy is Fishbowl Warehouse to use?

Rated 3.5/5 for Ease of Use

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.

What Fishbowl Warehouse customers are saying...

“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.”

How easy is Unleashed Software to use?

Rated 4.5/5 for Ease of Use

Unleashed is a cloud-hosted solution and access is through a browser app. It’s a good option for companies that don’t want the hassle of maintaining desktop software.

All in all, the Unleashed dashboard is fairly intuitive and easy to use. It follows a traditional format, with a left-hand menu providing access to the management areas for order processing, customer details, production processes, integrations, and analytics.

What Unleashed Software customers are saying...

“Using Unleashed I finally have a process for everything inventory related in my business from purchasing, manufacturing, through to pick/pack/dispatch/invoice and everything in between.”
“Unleashed is a necessity for small businesses growing in the e-commerce industry.”
"Outstanding. We went live with Xero and Unleashed on October 1, 2018. We chose both on the basis of their respective features, and the tight integration."
Unleashed Software is our winner for ease of use

Fishbowl Warehouse Features

Rated 4.5/5 for Features

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.

Unleashed Software Features

Rated 4/5 for Features

Unleashed has a very large set of features and is suitable for both manufacturers and retailers. The platform has everything users need to run a store efficiently. Main features include inventory, reorder, and management tools, analytics, POS, barcode scanning, materials and production tracking, warehouse connectors, and a reasonably extensive library of integrations. The one big downside is that native integrations with third-party marketplaces like Etsy and eBay aren’t available.

Retailers looking for a solution accessible from mobile devices will feel very at home with Unleashed. The Apple and Android apps are suitable for a range of tasks, including displaying online catalogs, checking stock, and making sales (both online and offline). It’s a great tool for sales teams and one of the best inventory management mobile apps we’ve seen.

Training and customer service are also excellent. UK businesses will benefit from fast email support on UK hours, with the option to upgrade to premium phone and live chat support for an extra £119/month. Team members also have access to “Unleashed University”, which is a structured and in-depth set of training materials for new users.

On the reporting front, Unleashed offers a comprehensive collection of twenty-one reports, covering areas like purchases, sales, reorders, and so on. Analytics functionality can further be extended with integrations.

Fishbowl Warehouse is our winner for features

Fishbowl Warehouse Integrations

Rated 4.5/5 for Integrations

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.

Unleashed Software Integrations

Rated 3/5 for Integrations

We were a little disappointed with the Unleashed integrations library. The “App Marketplace” isn’t anywhere near as extensive as some other solutions we’ve reviewed. It’s not terrible - and for many businesses it will be entirely sufficient - but it’s not brilliant either.

Unleashed also relies quite heavily on “connector” integrations like Zapier and OneSaaS, which allow users to link up with third-party apps via an intermediary service, rather than syncing directly. Functionality is sometimes limited by this approach. What’s more, features that retailers may consider essential, such as a point-of-sale system, are only provided through integrations, which often incurs extra costs. It would have been nice to see more in-house Unleashed options for retailers that want to take advantage of additional functionality.

Magento and Shopify are the only ecommerce platforms which are natively supported. Further compatibility, for example with WooCommerce and BigCommerce, is provided through OneSaaS. On the accounting front, both Xero and Intuit Quickbooks are available.

A point-of-sale system is available through Vend or Shopify POS, both well-respected solutions. Shipping is managed with the ShipStation integration. Finally, Unleashed offers an in-house app for building a B2B ecommerce portal, which is a nice extra. Users can also take advantage of a mobile app, downloadable on either Apple or Android.

Fishbowl Warehouse is our winner for integrations

How much do they cost?

Everyone’s favourite topic - pricing. Let's dive in to see if Fishbowl Warehouse or Unleashed Software offers better value for money.

How much does Fishbowl Warehouse cost?

Rated 4/5 for Pricing

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.

How much does Unleashed Software cost?

Rated 3.5/5 for Pricing

We thought that Unleashed was very affordable. Retailers will appreciate the custom pricing model (the monthly cost increases for every extra user), along with annual discounts and a 14-day free trial.

The one downside is that there are the additional “hidden” costs for premium support and a compulsory onboarding fee of £139/month for the first three months.

The entry-level “Medium” plan, which includes three users, costs £149/month when paid annually or £159/month when paid monthly. Every extra user costs approximately £50/month on all plans. The “Large” plan is £299/month and is suitable for between eight and twenty users. The “Large Plus” plan costs £519/month and accommodates upwards of twenty users.

Fishbowl Warehouse is our winner for cost

Help and Support

If things go wrong (and they often do) you need to know someone’s there to help get you back on track. So, how does Fishbowl Warehouse's and Unleashed Software's support measure up?

How good is Fishbowl Warehouse support?

Rated 4.5/5 for Help and Support

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.

How good is Unleashed Software support?

Rated 3.5/5 for Help and Support

On the whole, support is good. Unleashed customer service teams are available from GMT 8 AM to 6 PM, which will be of benefit to retailers based in the UK who might not be able to access direct support from companies based in other countries. Email and community/forum support are included on all plans. For help via phone or live chat, you’ll need to upgrade to the premium support package, which costs an extra £119/month and has a four-month minimum term.

The big downside in the pricing structure is the inclusion of compulsory “managed onboarding”, which essentially hikes up the monthly price by £139 for the first three months.

Fishbowl Warehouse is our winner for support

The Bottom Line

The final say. Let's wrap up our thoughts on each platform.

Fishbowl Warehouse: Our Verdict

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.

Unleashed Software: Our Verdict

On the whole, we were very impressed with Unleashed. It’s definitely not suitable for certain kinds of retailers, especially those that process high volumes of sales on third-party marketplaces and use unsupported ecommerce platforms. But other retailers will find it ideal. If you’re based in the UK, run manufacturing as well as retail, and require a high-quality mobile app to manage sales and orders, then Unleashed is well worth considering. Despite some semi-hidden costs, it’s also one of the best-priced solutions available. Many retailers will appreciate the custom subscription model.

If you’re thinking about giving it a whirl, just make sure that your ecommerce platform is supported first. And don’t forget to take advantage of the free trial.

Overall, we found Fishbowl Warehouse to be the better inventory management platform.

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