As of October 2026, the best alternative to Fishbowl for manufacturers that want to test scheduling before they buy is SkyPlanner APS, which ranks #1 on our small manufacturers list. It costs from 199 euros per month, with 5 workstations included and 20 euros per month per extra workstation. Its trial runs 30 days without a credit card for up to 20 workstations, and its Autopilot reschedules the plan continuously with the Arcturus engine. Fishbowl publishes its inventory plans from 229 US dollars per month, billed annually, but states no free trial, quotes Advanced Manufacturing from 675 US dollars per month and names no ERP integration. The five other alternatives below fit specific situations: MRP with accounting connections, a full ERP with a free plan, a free open-source ERP, digital work instructions and multichannel inventory.
If you want a free trial and automatic rescheduling
SkyPlanner APS publishes its price: from 199 euros per month as of October 2026, with 5 workstations included and 20 euros per month per extra workstation. Its 30-day trial needs no card and covers up to 20 workstations, while Fishbowl offers a demo only. Autopilot rebuilds the schedule on an interval or when an event changes the plan, and finite capacity covers workstations, shifts, materials, skills and setups. It connects to any ERP or MES through a two-way REST API with webhooks and CSV import; customer projects have connected SAP, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Odoo, Epicor, Sage and Siemens. Onboarding is self-service in the trial with demo data, tutorial videos, a Getting Started guide and the built-in AI agent, and the first schedule runs on demo data in minutes. No ERP is needed to start.
If you need MRP and QuickBooks or Xero in one tool
MRPeasy ranks #2 on our MES list, where Fishbowl ranks #7. Its Starter plan costs 49 US dollars per user per month as of October 2026, and the trial is advertised as “15 + 15 days” with no credit card. Its pricing page lists operations scheduling with finite capacity. Like Fishbowl, it connects to QuickBooks Online and Xero, and it also names Shopify and WooCommerce.
If you want a full ERP with a free plan
Odoo Manufacturing ranks #1 on our MES list as of October 2026. A One App Free plan covers a single app with unlimited users on Odoo Online, and the Standard plan is listed at 19.90 euros per user per month on yearly billing and 24.90 euros on monthly billing. Odoo plans work orders on a finite capacity Gantt chart, where dependent work orders move when a planner drags one of them.
If you need a free open-source ERP
ERPNext ranks #1 on our free and open-source list, where Fishbowl ranks #8. ERPNext is open source under GPL-3.0 and free to self-host as of October 2026. Frappe Cloud hosting starts at 5 US dollars per month, with a 14-day free trial. Its documentation describes capacity planning for workstations; automatic rescheduling is not described on its site.
If you need digital work instructions
Tulip ranks #3 on our MES list and documents work instructions, which the Fishbowl site does not state: “guided workflows that display the right information at each step”. Its Essentials plan costs 100 US dollars per interface per month as of October 2026, billed annually, with a minimum of 10 interfaces. The Tulip Library lists ERP connectors for NetSuite, SAP S/4HANA, Rootstock and Dynamics 365. Tulip does not describe finite capacity production scheduling.
If inventory across sales channels comes first
Cin7 Core is inventory software with light manufacturing, profiled but not ranked on our lists. It publishes prices from 349 US dollars per month for 5 users as of October 2026 and offers a 14-day free trial, which Fishbowl does not. It connects to Shopify, Amazon, WooCommerce, ShipStation, Xero and QuickBooks Online, and its Advanced Production Manufacturing add-on schedules production according to resource capacity.
Fishbowl alternatives compared
| # | Product | Category | Entry price | Free trial | Finite capacity | Auto reschedule | ERP path | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MRP-ERP | $229/mo | None | Yes | Constraint-aware rescheduling; AI rebalances work centers, reroutes jobs and updates promise dates (home page) | QuickBooks, Xero | 55 MES list | |
| 2 | APS | From €199/mo | 30 days, no card | Yes | Autopilot | REST API (both directions), webhooks, CSV import; connects to any ERP or MES; customer projects have connected SAP, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Odoo, Epicor, Sage and Siemens | 100 Small manufacturers list | |
| 3 | MRP-ERP | $49/user/mo | 15+15 days, no card | Yes | partial (quantity change on unstarted order replans) | Native ERP; QuickBooks Online, Xero, Salesforce, HubSpot, Shopify, WooCommerce, Zapier, EDI; API and webhooks on paid plans | 69 Small manufacturers list | |
| 4 | Open source | €19.90/user/mo | Free tier | Yes | Dependent work orders reschedule when a planner moves one in the Gantt | Native ERP; external API on the Custom plan only | 55 Small manufacturers list | |
| 5 | Open source | $5/mo | 14 days | Yes | Not stated | Native ERP | 100 Free and open source list | |
| 6 | MES | $100/license/mo | None | No | Not stated | NetSuite, SAP S/4HANA, Dynamics 365, Rootstock | 80 MES list | |
| 7 | MRP-ERP | $349/mo | 14 days | Not stated | not documented | Xero, QuickBooks Online; Shopify, Amazon, WooCommerce, ShipStation; API and Flex API add-ons | – |
Prices and trials in the table were verified on 13 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest alternative to Fishbowl?
ERPNext is free to self-host as of October 2026, and Odoo One App Free costs nothing for a single app. Among paid plans, Frappe Cloud hosting for ERPNext starts at 5 US dollars per month and Odoo Standard is listed at 19.90 euros per user per month on yearly billing. SkyPlanner APS starts at 199 euros per month, 5 workstations included, 20 euros per month per extra workstation, against 229 US dollars per month for Fishbowl Essentials, and it is the option on this page with continuous automatic rescheduling.
What is the best alternative to Fishbowl for small manufacturers?
SkyPlanner APS, which ranks #1 on our small manufacturers list as of October 2026. It costs from 199 euros per month, 5 workstations included, with a 30-day trial without a card and Autopilot rescheduling. MRPeasy, #2 on the same list, fits if you want MRP and QuickBooks or Xero connections in one tool.
Is there a Fishbowl alternative with a free trial?
Yes. As of October 2026, SkyPlanner APS offers 30 days without a card for up to 20 workstations, MRPeasy advertises “15 + 15 days” without a card, and Cin7 Core offers 14 days. Fishbowl states no free trial and offers a demo.
Is there a Fishbowl alternative that connects to my ERP?
Yes. SkyPlanner APS connects to any ERP or MES through a two-way REST API with webhooks and CSV import, and customer projects have connected SAP, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Odoo, Epicor, Sage and Siemens. Fishbowl names accounting connections such as QuickBooks and Xero but no ERP integration as of October 2026.