Sage vs. QuickBooks: Side-by-Side Comparison

The accounting software you use shapes how you manage your company’s finances. Among the most widely recognized options are Sage and QuickBooks. While both are excellent tools, they tend to serve different sizes and types of businesses, with the former geared toward larger enterprises and the latter serving small and medium-sized businesses. Here’s a comparison of Sage vs. QuickBooks to help you choose the best fit for your business.

What is Sage?

Sage is a maker of cloud-based and desktop accounting software for businesses of various sizes, from startups to larger corporations. For Shopify users, Sage offers integrations to synchronize your store’s financial data, such as the Sage Business Cloud Accounting app.

Sage accounting features include:

• Invoicing. Sage 50 and Sage Intacct can create invoices and track customer payments.
• Expense tracking. Sage 50 and Sage Intacct let you easily record business expenses to accurately categorize transactions, or you can integrate another expense management system with Sage.
• Bank reconciliation. With Sage 50, Sage 100, Sage 300, and Sage Intacct, you can connect bank accounts to automatically import transactions and reconcile accounts.
• Financial reporting. Several Sage products let you create financial reports such as profit and loss (P&L), balance sheets, and statements of cash flow to analyze business performance.
• Inventory management. Brightpearl by Sage can track inventory, monitor movement of stock, and show product costs.
• Payroll processing. Sage Payroll can help with payroll processing, calculate salaries, and ensure compliance.
• Multi-currency support. Several Sage products support multi-currency transactions, which is helpful if you operate internationally.
• Advanced modules. Some Sage products offer advanced features, such as customer relationship management (CRM) systems. These can be especially helpful if your business has more complex accounting processes or industry-specific requirements.

What is QuickBooks?

QuickBooks by Intuit is a brand of user-friendly accounting software designed to help small to medium-sized businesses manage everyday financial tasks. QuickBooks offers cloud-based versions (QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Solopreneur) and a desktop edition (QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise). Each platform offers multiple tiers of features. All plans include Intuit Assist (for automating everyday tasks), bookkeeping support, and tax preparation support.

The following features are available through the main QuickBooks platforms, supplemental products—such as QuickBooks Payroll, QuickBooks Payments, QuickBooks Time (for time tracking)—or others.

• Invoicing and payments. Create and send invoices (including recurring invoices) and accept payments with QuickBooks Payments.
• Payroll solutions. Use QuickBooks Online Payroll to pay employees and file tax forms.
• Bank reconciliation. Connect bank and credit card accounts through QuickBooks Online for automatic transaction downloads and easy reconciliation.
• Financial reporting. Several QuickBooks editions can help you generate a variety of reports, including P&L statements, sales reports, and balance sheets.
• Receipt capture and mileage tracking. With QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Self-Employed, you can snap photos of receipts and categorize them on the go. It also automatically tracks mileage for deductions using the mobile app.
• Inventory management. Multiple QuickBooks editions can track items, manage costs, and create purchase orders. QuickBooks Enterprise includes the most powerful inventory management plans.
• Third-party apps. QuickBooks platforms can communicate with many third-party apps for expanded functionality. For Shopify store owners, QuickBooks provides integrations to manage sales and expenses. Users can automatically sync store data using an app like QuickBooks Sync.

Sage vs. QuickBooks: What’s the difference?

While both Sage and QuickBooks are powerful accounting software solutions that provide financial management, they differ in target audience and pricing. Choosing between the two comes down to the complexity of your business and your accounting knowledge. Here are the key differences:

Sage: available products

• Sage 50
• Sage Intacct
• Sage X3
• Sage 100
• Sage 300

Sage designed its accounting software to create invoices and quotes, track expenses, generate reports, reconcile accounts, and deal with multiple currencies. Here are the company’s key products.

Sage 50

This is a popular desktop accounting software for small to mid-sized businesses. Key features include invoicing, tracking expenses, inventory management, bank reconciliation, and payroll preparation. It offers three tiers (Pro, Premium, and Quantum) with varying user limits and features. Prices range from $62 to $189 per month.

Sage Intacct

Sage Intacct is a leading cloud financial management software designed for growing businesses with complex financial needs. It excels in multi-entity accounting, advanced automation, real-time reporting, and planning. Sage Intacct is ideal for large service-based businesses, SaaS companies, and nonprofits. Contact Sage for a pricing quote.

Sage X3

Sage X3 is a powerful solution for mid-sized enterprises, especially in manufacturing, distribution, and services. It has functionalities beyond accounting, including production planning, supply chain management, and CRM. Sage X3 is very customizable and supports multicurrency and multilanguage operations. Contact Sage for a pricing quote.

Sage 100

Sage 100 is a mid-range solution automating accounting, operations, and payroll. Small to medium-sized businesses in manufacturing, distribution, and retail often choose it because it focuses on inventory management. It offers both on-premise and hybrid deployment options. Contact Sage for a pricing quote.

Sage 300

Sage 300 is an ERP solution for medium-sized businesses requiring more advanced functions, especially for multicurrency, multientity accounting and inventory management. Sage 300 has modules for accounting, distribution, manufacturing, project management, and CRM. Contact Sage for a pricing quote.

QuickBooks: available products

• QuickBooks Online
• QuickBooks Desktop
• QuickBooks Solopreneur

QuickBooks offers solutions for a wide range of businesses, from freelancers to growing and larger enterprises.

QuickBooks Online

Intuit’s cloud-based accounting software—accessible anywhere—is available in four tiers (Simple Start, Essentials, Plus, and Advanced), and handles core accounting tasks like expense tracking, invoicing, payments, and reporting. Higher tiers add features like inventory tracking, profit and loss insights, budgeting, a custom report builder, and forecasting.

Prices range from $38 (Simple Start) to $275 (Advanced) per month. Additional services, such as QuickBooks Online Payroll, are available at an additional cost.

QuickBooks Desktop

QuickBooks Desktop, also referred to by the brand as QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise, is a traditional, installed accounting software solution for businesses that prefer an on-premise setup. Desktop offers deeper functionality, like integrated inventory management, advanced reporting and pricing, job costing, built-in payroll, and time tracking.

QuickBooks Desktop costs $2,210 at the Gold level, $2,717 at the Platinum level, and $5,364 at the Diamond level. All prices are for the first year only. Gold and Platinum levels allow for up to 30 users, while Diamond allows up to 40.

While all three include advanced reporting and multi-company management features, Platinum and Diamond add more complex approval workflows and advanced inventory and pricing features. With Gold and Platinum, the Enhanced Payroll features are included for per employee. Diamond, however, incorporates Assisted Payroll for a fee of $1.50 per employee per pay period, and a fee of $5 per employee per month for QuickBooks Time Elite time tracking capabilities.

QuickBooks Solopreneur

Tailored specifically for freelancers and sole proprietors, QuickBooks Solopreneur simplifies separating business and personal finances. Use it to track your income, expenses, and mileage; create invoices; and integrate with TurboTax Self-Employed to assist with your quarterly tax estimations. Solopreneur is $20 per month.