A business comparing Odoo and Fishbowl for inventory is comparing two different kinds of thing: a focused inventory tool and a full business suite.
What each one is
Fishbowl is an inventory-focused software tool, aimed specifically at inventory and related warehouse management. Odoo is a full business suite: it has genuine inventory capability, but it also runs sales, purchasing, manufacturing, accounting, and more, as one connected system.
The comparison is about scope
Fishbowl is focused on inventory. Odoo runs inventory as one part of a whole connected business. So the comparison is not simply which does inventory better; it is whether the business wants a focused inventory tool or a connected system that runs the whole business and includes inventory.
Where a focused tool has appeal
A focused inventory tool has the appeal of focus: it is aimed squarely at inventory management, and for a business whose need is principally inventory management, with other operations light or handled elsewhere, a focused tool can be suited to that one job.
Where Odoo is stronger
Odoo's strength is that inventory is part of one connected business. Inventory does not stand alone: it is consumed by sales and production, replenished by purchasing, valued into accounting. With a focused inventory tool, inventory is one system and sales, purchasing, and accounting are others, to be connected. With Odoo, inventory is part of the same system as all of those, so a sale draws on inventory, purchasing replenishes it, its value flows to the accounts, all connected. For a business that does more than manage inventory, and wants inventory joined to the rest of the operation, Odoo's connected design is a real advantage.
Which suits which business
A focused inventory tool suits a business whose need is principally inventory management, with light other operations. Odoo suits a business that wants its inventory connected to the whole operation, sales, purchasing, manufacturing, accounting, in one system, rather than a focused tool standing apart from the rest.
The honest verdict
Odoo and Fishbowl answer different questions: a focused inventory tool, or a connected suite that runs the whole business including inventory. A business whose need is genuinely just inventory management may find a focused tool fits. A business that wants inventory joined to the rest of its operation in one connected system finds Odoo the stronger fit. Decide on whether you want a focused tool or a connected operation. For how we approach Odoo, see our ERP practice.