The Problem We're Solving
We need a manufacturing system that can:
- Receive Shopify orders and auto-create manufacturing orders
- Track raw material inventory across 500+ parts
- Handle BOMs for ~275 products with up to 39 finish/color variants each
- Support our powder coat batching workflow
- Connect to ShipStation and QuickBooks
Our Specific Pain Points with Fishbowl
Pain Point 1 — Constant Freezes, Server Restarts & Backup Deletion
Fishbowl is a Windows desktop application that runs on a dedicated server. It must stay running in interactive login mode (it cannot run as a background Windows service) or QuickBooks integration breaks. In practice this means:
- The server requires frequent manual restarts to stay functional
- Backup files accumulate and must be manually purged to free space
- After updates, some teams report 4-minute response times or daily hangs
- Shipping functions are described as “very buggy” with inaccurate packing lists
- Buggy releases are pushed without adequate testing — multiple reviewers confirm this pattern
MRPeasy on Pain Point 1
No server. No restarts. No backup management. MRPeasy is fully browser-based SaaS — it runs in any browser on any device. There is no software to install, no server to maintain, no backup files to delete. Updates happen silently in the background. No documented stability or crash issues from users.
Pain Point 2 — Part Code Explosion for Color Variants
In Fishbowl, every combination of part × finish must be created as a separate inventory item with its own code. If a canopy comes in 13 colors and size –L, you need 13 separate part records. Then you need a separate BOM for each of the 39 product variants. For 275 products × 39 variants, this is potentially 10,000+ BOMs and thousands of duplicated part entries — all entered and maintained by hand.
“Not suitable for highly customized products or non-standard operations.” — SoftwareConnect on Fishbowl
MRPeasy on Pain Point 2 — Matrix BOM (Partially Solves This)
What it eliminates: Instead of 39 BOMs per product, you create one BOM template per product with a “Finish” parameter. The color→part mapping is defined once globally as a “Relation” — e.g., “Canopy generic → CA5-MB when Finish = Matte Black.” That mapping applies to every product automatically. 275 products × 39 variants becomes 275 BOMs total.
What it doesn’t eliminate: The individual part codes still need to exist as inventory items (CA5-MB, CA5-CO, etc. still need to be in the system). But you define each color→part mapping only once, not once per product. The BOM data entry burden drops by roughly 97%.
Net result: The up-front setup is still real work — but it’s a one-time mapping exercise, not an endless multiplication of records every time you add a product or color.
True Ongoing Cost Comparison
Fishbowl’s cost has three separate layers that keep accumulating. MRPeasy has one flat monthly fee.
| Cost item |
Fishbowl |
MRPeasy |
Server / hosting
Dedicated server running 24/7 in interactive login mode |
$50–$200+/mo |
$0 |
User licenses
Named seats, not shared or concurrent |
$329/user/mo
(5 users = $1,645/mo) |
$149/user/mo
(3 users = $447/mo) |
Shop floor workers
Production team logging work |
$329/user/mo each |
$0
(free kiosk mode) |
Support
Access to help when something breaks |
$225/hr or $2,947/day
+ mandatory annual contract $1,500–$10K |
Included
ticket-based, no hour blocks |
| Custom reports |
$150–$2,000 each |
Included
+ Power BI integration |
| Contract obligation |
Annual required
Dropping it disables QB & integrations |
Month-to-month
no contracts |
| Actual monthly (ongoing, per QB) |
~$200–$290/mo
$200 hosting + support contract as needed; ~$2,400–$3,500/yr actual |
~$475/mo |
Note: The $14,000–$36,000 year-one estimate applies to new Fishbowl customers (licenses + implementation + training + hardware). Dutton Brown already owns licenses — actual QB spend has been $3,449 (2024) and $2,787 (2025), consisting of a support/maintenance contract and $200/mo hosting. Extra hours and custom reports are available at $225/hr but have not been billed to date.
MRPeasy year one: ~$5,700. No implementation fees. No training fees. No hour blocks. No server.
Pros & Cons
Fishbowl — Cons
- Server required — Windows desktop app, must run 24/7, frequent restarts and backup purges
- Freezes and crashes — daily hangs reported; 4-min response times after updates
- No matrix BOMs — one BOM per variant = 10,000+ BOMs for our catalog
- Part code explosion — every color × every size must be a separate inventory item, repeated manually
- Expensive and layered — server + per-seat + support hours + annual contract + custom report fees
- Shopify connector is “Unsupported” by Shopify (plugin-based, not native)
- QB sync breaks constantly — one-way only, known to break every few days, has caused $700K discrepancies
- Dated UI — “looks from the 90s,” 1–2 weeks to reach basic proficiency
- Not for custom manufacturers — explicitly flagged as “not suitable for highly customized or non-standard operations”
“We can no longer recommend Fishbowl due to the persistent decline in product quality, misleading sales practices, and substandard support.”
MRPeasy — Pros
- Browser-based SaaS — no server, no install, works from any device, no restarts
- Matrix BOM — one BOM per product, color→part mapping defined once globally, applies everywhere
- Flat, predictable cost — one monthly fee covers everything; no surprise support invoices
- Shop floor kiosk free — production workers clock in/out without a paid seat
- Support included — no hour blocks, no annual contract required
- Native Shopify app — well-reviewed in the Shopify App Store
- Native ShipStation integration
- Month-to-month — cancel anytime, no lock-in
- Purpose-built for small manufacturers — used by 1,500+ companies in our size range
“Highest bang per buck for small manufacturers.” “Everything we need.”
MRPeasy — Cons
- Part codes still multiply — each color variant still needs its own inventory item (Matrix BOM reduces BOM count, not part records)
- Full automation requires Unlimited plan ($149/user/mo) — the Professional plan ($69/user/mo) has only basic Zapier triggers; Make.com and API access require Unlimited
- No native powder coat batch pick list — grouping open orders by color requires a workaround (two-tier MO approach, API export, or CSV filter); it’s not a built-in view
- Shopify sync is hourly, not real-time — the native integration polls on a schedule; real-time requires Make.com via API (Unlimited plan)
- Reporting is adequate, not deep — self-service reports cover the basics; Power BI integration available but adds complexity
- Smaller vendor — ~1,500 customers vs Fishbowl’s much larger install base; fewer third-party consultants and community resources
- UI feels dated — browser-based and functional, but not a modern interface by current standards
- Cloud-only — fully internet-dependent; no offline capability if connectivity goes down
- 30-day trial may not be enough — fully testing Matrix BOMs and automation for a catalog our size realistically takes longer than a month
The Feature That Decided It — Matrix BOM
Instead of creating 39 separate BOMs per product, you create one BOM template with a “Finish” parameter. The color→part mapping is set up once globally, then the system resolves the correct parts automatically on every order.
Aura Pendant — one BOM template:
Fixed parts (20): socket, nipple, wire, crossbar... [same for all finishes]
Parametric parts (5): canopy, globe cap, lamp cup, dome, arms
Global Relations (defined once, apply to all products):
Canopy generic → CA5-MB when Finish = Matte Black
Canopy generic → CA5-CO when Finish = Coral
Canopy generic → CA5-NV when Finish = Navy
... (defined once, not repeated per product)
→ Order comes in for Aura - Matte Black:
MRPeasy auto-resolves all 5 parametric parts to their -MB variants
→ Order comes in for Aura - Coral:
MRPeasy auto-resolves all 5 parametric parts to their -CO variants
→ 39 finishes handled by 1 template + 1 set of global mappings
We evaluated 15 systems. Only MRPeasy and Odoo handle this. Odoo requires significantly more setup and a non-native Shopify integration. MRPeasy is purpose-built for manufacturers our size.
Side-by-Side
| Fishbowl | MRPeasy |
|---|
| Year-one cost |
$3,449 actual (2024)
New customer est: $14,000–$36,000+ |
~$5,700 |
| Ongoing monthly (all-in) |
~$200–$290/mo actual
Per QB: $200 hosting + support contract as needed |
~$475/mo |
| Deployment |
Windows app on server |
Browser-based SaaS |
| Matrix / configurable BOMs |
No |
Yes — standout feature |
| Stability |
Daily crashes; restarts required |
No documented issues |
| Native Shopify integration |
No (plugin; listed as “Unsupported”) |
Yes |
| Native ShipStation integration |
Yes |
Yes |
| QuickBooks integration |
Yes, but fragile & one-way |
Yes |
| Shop floor workers |
$329/user/mo each |
Free kiosk mode |
| Support cost |
$225/hr; annual contract required |
Included; no hour blocks |
| Custom reports |
$150–$2,000 each |
Included + Power BI |
| Contract / lock-in |
Annual; dropping it disables integrations |
Month-to-month |
| Suitable for custom/variant products |
Explicitly not recommended |
Purpose-built for this |
| 30-day free trial |
No |
Yes |
What the Full Stack Looks Like
Shopify orders
→
Make.com
→
MRPeasy (system of record)
↳
Notion
— team dashboards, powder coat queues, SOPs
↳
ShipStation
— fulfillment when MO is complete
↳
QuickBooks
— accounting sync
- MRPeasy: 2–3 licensed users (production leads) at $447/mo — shop floor workers use free kiosk
- Make.com: auto-creates MOs, syncs pick lists to Notion, low stock alerts ($16–29/mo)
- Notion: whole team sees production status and queues — no new logins required
Total new spend: ~$475/mo — vs. Fishbowl’s actual ~$200–$290/mo ongoing (hosting + support contract per QB data)
What We Do Next
- Sign up for the 30-day free trial (free, no credit card required)
- Import 3 products and test Matrix BOMs with real finish variants
- Connect Shopify and run a test order end-to-end
- If it works as expected, migrate from Katana (~$300/mo we’re already paying)
The trial either proves it out or it doesn’t — zero cost to find out.