Fishbowl vs Sage Intacct - 2024 Comparison

Fishbowl and Sage Intacct are some of the leading financial software solutions. But which one is better and how to compare? We have a comprehensive guide on Fishbowl vs Sage Intacct - 2024 Comparison to better understand the difference between the two financial systems. But first, let us take a look at each of them individually:

Fishbowl Warehouse

Fishbowl Warehouse is an inventory management software for small to medium-sized distributors and manufacturers. It assists in tasks such as managing orders, integrating with e-commerce platforms, and tracking inventory. Fishbowl mainly targets those organizations that deal with manufacturing, retail industries, and distribution and have between 5-250 employees.

• Advanced inventory tracking - Fishbowl features lot tracking, bin locations, and serial number tracking to acquire accurate tracking of inventory locations and quantities.
• Order management - The software focuses on purchase orders, sales orders, and work orders to streamline order fulfillment.
• Accounting integration - Fishbowl can also integrate with QuickBooks Desktop and Online for smooth accounting and inventory synchronization.

Most of the user’s reviews for Fishbowl are mainly positive. Users prefer the user-friendly interface along with the robust features. There are some users, who have felt that some advanced configurations like barcode scanning could be simpler to execute. Most of the reviews originate from small business owners and operations managers within the manufacturing and distribution industries.

Sage Intacct and its market position

Sage Intacct is mainly a cloud-based financial management platform that has been designed for small to medium businesses. It offers specialization for core accounting processes like general ledger, accounts payable, and financial reporting. Sage Intacct aims at growing companies dealing in services, technology, wholesale, manufacturing, and nonprofit industries with about 20-250 employees.

• Multi-dimensional general ledger - Comprises a customizable general ledger structure that features flexibility to capture transaction data.
• Automated workflows - Features the rules-based workflows that streamline approvals meant for expenses, invoices, purchase orders, and more.
• Real-time dashboards and reporting - Comprise of interactive reports that offer insights into financial and operational metrics.

Most users like the user-friendly interface of Sage, customizability, and excellent customer support. However, some users felt that the product had a steep learning curve. Nevertheless, most of the reviews were from controllers and CFOs in technology and services companies.

Fishbowl vs Sage Intacct - 2024 Comparison

Let us now discuss the level of support offered by the Fishbowl Warehouse and Sage Intacct through the key modules and capabilities mainly found within the accounting software solutions. This also comprises analyzing the number of weighted support scores, features supported, and coverage of critical business processes.
The data available is based on the thousands of software selection processes over 30+ years in the enterprise software market. It includes the requirements gathering, RFP creation, vendor RFI evaluation, and scripted software demos.

General Ledger Management: Sage Intacct - Winner

The general ledger is the core of the accounting system, responsible for core financial transactions and reporting. The key capabilities comprise journal entries, account and chart of accounts management, and trial balance.

• The General Ledger Management module comprises 31 total features and selection criteria.
• Fishbowl Warehouse supports 26 of them to some extent, with a weighted support percentage score of 67.24%. 
• Here, 2 criteria are currently unrated. 
• On the other hand, Sage Intacct supports all 31 criteria to some extent, earning a perfect weighted support score of 100%.

Verdict: Sage Intacct has a very strong coverage here, whereas the Fishbowl Warehouse lacks support for some common requirements. This gives Sage Intacct a better advantage.

Accounts Receivable & Payable: Sage Intacct- Winner

The Accounts Receivable & Payable module includes a total of 32 features and selection criteria.

• Fishbowl Warehouse supports 27 of them for a weighted percentage score of 67.74%, with 1 criterion currently unrated.
• Sage Intacct supports 32 criteria for a 92.19% weighted score.

This module manages critical processes like collections, billing, payments, and cash flow management. Key features are dependent on invoices, payments, customer/vendor accounts, credits/refunds, and reporting. 

Verdict: With broader and deeper support, Sage Intacct is slightly ahead of Fishbowl Warehouse in being able to meet requirements.

Also Checkout -> Sage Intacct Connector Integration

Expense Tracking & Reporting: Sage Intacct-Winner

There are a total of 37 features and selection criteria for Expense Tracking & Reporting.

• Fishbowl Warehouse only supports 12 criteria, earning a low weighted percentage score of 16.22%. None are currently unrated.
• On the other hand, Sage Intacct supports all 37 criteria for a strong 86.49% weighted score.

As the name implies, this module allows organizations to track employee expenses, enforce policies, integrate payments, and generate insightful expense analytics. 

Verdict: With significantly better coverage of key expense management capabilities, Sage Intacct is the clear choice here over the very basic expense features in Fishbowl Warehouse.

Sage Intacct Leads the Way in Payroll Management

Payroll is a mission-critical module for businesses in any industry. Key features such as paycheck processing, tax calculations, labor distribution, and compliance need to be handled accurately and efficiently. 
Sage Intacct is great at automated tax calculations and filings across multiple states and countries. It also offers flexible pay types, schedules, and integration with HR systems. This way the employees can access self-service portals to manage payments and view earnings statements.
On the other hand, Fishbowl Warehouse does not have breadth and depth in payroll functionality. With nearly 20% of criteria unrated, it likely needs third-party software or services to meet full payroll needs. While Fishbowl can easily suffice for the basic payroll requirements of smaller companies. Also, Sage Intacct is best suited for midsize to large enterprises with more complex requirements and global operations.

• Out of 33 total payroll features and selection criteria tracked, Sage Intacct supports 33 with a weighted support percentage score of 84.85%.
• Fishbowl Warehouse only supports 17 out of 33, with 8 features unrated and a lower support percentage of 48%.

Verdict: When it comes to Payroll Management, Sage Intacct is the clear winner over Fishbowl Warehouse

Fishbowl Warehouse and Sage Intacct Neck and Neck for Inventory & Asset Control

Fishbowl Warehouse and Sage Intacct consist of robust inventory and asset management capabilities, which results in a close race between the two solutions.

• Of 36 total features, Fishbowl Warehouse supports 31 with a weighted support percentage score of 68.57%.
• Sage Intacct is a close second, supporting 30 out of 36 features for a 62.86% score. Only 1 criterion is unrated for each vendor.

As an inventory-centric solution, Fishbowl offers a deep functionality for traceability, bins, lot tracking, and warehouse workflows. In this manner, the users can easily manage inventory valuations, cycle counts, and reporting with ease. However, Fishbowl lacks native fixed assets or advanced purchasing capabilities found in Sage Intacct.

Verdict: Sage Intacct highlights when it comes to fixed assets such as buildings, equipment, and vehicles. It also automates depreciation calculations, maintenance schedules, transfers, and disposals. Also, it offers flexible item, vendor, and purchase order management. However, while Sage Intacct matches up to Fishbowl in inventory, it does not specialize in warehouse operations the way Fishbowl does.

Tax Compliance and Reporting: Sage Intacct: Winner

Tax compliance is non-negotiable for every business. However, when comparing Fishbowl Warehouse and Sage Intacct's tax management capabilities, Sage Intacct is the clear winner with more comprehensive support.

• Sage Intacct supports 29 out of 32 total tax features, earning a 75% weighted support percentage score. 
• On the other hand, Fishbowl Warehouse only supports 16 features for a 37.93% score. 3 criteria are unrated for Fishbowl, representing almost 10% of features.

Tax reporting requires flexible general ledger posting rules, automated sales tax calculations, and multi-entity consolidations to handle local, state, federal, and international filings. This way Sage Intacct allows the users to define granular GL posting rules, entity hierarchies, and report definitions. Custom reports and returns can be configured without reliance on IT resources.
While Fishbowl Warehouse offers some basic sales tax tools, it lacks the enterprise-grade tax engine required for complex global businesses. Nearly 30% of Fishbowl's tax capabilities are unknown, suggesting it needs third-party add-ons to achieve compliance. 

Verdict: For advanced tax automation, Sage Intacct is the superior choice.

Budgeting & Financial Planning: Winner: Sage Intacct

The data shows that the Budgeting & Financial Planning module has 35 total features and selection criteria.

• Fishbowl Warehouse supports 17 of those features to some extent, giving it a weighted support percentage score of 24.29%.
• Sage Intacct, on the other hand, supports 34 out of 35 features for an impressive weighted support percentage score of 82.86%.

This module plays an important role for finance teams in financial modeling, budget creation, forecasting, and scenario planning. Key capabilities such as top-down and bottom-up budgeting, driver-based modeling, rolling forecasts, variance analysis, and drill-down reporting allow organizations to plan for the future and make data-driven decisions. Being the market leader in cloud financials, Sage Intacct offers robust and flexible tools to meet the budgeting needs of all types of businesses.
Also,  Sage Intacct provides exceptional reporting and analytics with customizable dashboards, charts, graphs, and dimensions that completely support the budgeting process. Users can easily track budget vs. actuals, analyze performance, and collaborate across departments. With a huge library of pre-built reports and simple ad hoc reporting, Sage Intacct allows finance teams to gain critical insights to guide planning. Fishbowl Warehouse, while strong at inventory management, does not comprise mature budgeting functionality as compared to Sage Intacct.
Verdict: When it comes to budgeting and financial planning capabilities, Sage Intacct is the clear winner over Fishbowl Warehouse.

Multi-Currency & Global Operations: Winner: Sage Intacct

The Multi-Currency & Global Operations module includes 35 total features and selection criteria for evaluating accounting systems.

• For Fishbowl Warehouse, 25 out of 35 features were supported to some extent, with 0 criteria left unrated, resulting in a weighted support percentage score of 48.57.
• On the other hand, Sage Intacct had 33 out of 35 supported features and a weighted support percentage score of 78.57 with 0 unrated criteria.

This module plays a main role for companies operating globally across multiple countries and currencies. Key capabilities include automated currency conversion, configurable exchange rates, currency revaluation, multi-language support, international tax management, and consolidated financial reporting. These tools assist the finance teams in efficiently managing financial data, complying with regulations, and offering visibility into performance across business units. According to the level of support, Sage Intacct has a clear advantage over Fishbowl Warehouse when it comes to enabling robust global financial operations.
Sage Intacct offers deep, flexible support for automated currency conversions, exchange rate tables, currency gain/loss tracking, advanced intercompany accounting, and international tax reporting. Fishbowl Warehouse also covers basic multi-currency requirements but lacks robust support for more complex global requirements. For global businesses, Sage Intacct is a better choice for allowing efficient financial consolidation and reporting across currencies, entities, and countries.

Conclusion

When it comes to Fishbowl vs Sage Intacct - 2024 Comparison there are clear strengths and weaknesses to notice. Sage Intacct dominates in core financial capabilities such as general ledger, accounts receivable/payable, expenses, payroll, tax compliance, budgeting, and global operations. On the other hand, Fishbowl Warehouse cannot match the depth and breadth of Sage Intacct when it comes to these critical finance areas.
Nevertheless,  Fishbowl Warehouse is great at inventory management and warehouse workflows. It offers lot tracking, serial numbers, bin locations, and other traceability tools that are not otherwise found in Sage Intacct. Fishbowl also offers special features customized for manufacturers and distributors that Sage Intacct does not match.
Let us look at some key questions to ask:

• What are your most important modules: core financials or inventory/warehouse management?
• Do you require advanced global consolidations and reporting across entities and currencies?
• Is advanced budgeting and financial planning the main priority?
• Do you need complex tax compliance capabilities?

When the core accounting is most critical, Sage Intacct is likely the preferred choice. On the other hand, when inventory traceability and warehouse operations are top priorities, Fishbowl Warehouse has clear advantages. In the case of complex organizations with global reach, Sage Intacct has broader and deeper capabilities.
Lastly, bear in mind that while feature support coverage is good to consider, nevertheless aligning solutions to your unique business requirements is the main key. No two organizations will have the same requirements and priorities.

FAQs Fishbowl vs Sage Intacct

Q. What is the main function of Sage Intacct?

A. Sage Intacct is a cloud-based accounting and financial management system, it helps to enhance the productivity of the finance team and frees up time of the finance leaders so that they can focus on growing the business.

Q. Is there project management included in Sage Intacct?

A. Sage Intacct is a cloud-based project management accounting software that empowers user to control their projects completely. It offers to accurately track time, materials, personnel costs, revenue, and expenses all from a single platform.

Q. What does Fishbowl software function as?

A. This is one of the best inventory management software for QuickBooks users. It offers solutions such as tracking inventory, managing multiple warehouse locations, and mastering complex manufacturing with one easy-to-use solution.

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