QuickBooks Online vs Sage Accounting

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Our analysts compared QuickBooks Online vs Sage Accounting based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Accounting Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Sage Accounting Software Tool

Product Basics

QuickBooks Online is a cloud-based accounting software designed for small and medium-sized businesses. It simplifies bookkeeping tasks like tracking income and expenses, managing invoices and payments, and generating financial reports. Its user-friendly interface and mobile accessibility make it ideal for entrepreneurs and non-accountants. Key benefits include automated data entry, real-time financial insights, and seamless collaboration with other online tools. Popular features include inventory management, payroll integration, and tax preparation assistance. Compared to similar products, QuickBooks Online shines in ease of use and scalability, offering tiered plans with varying features and pricing. Costs typically range from monthly subscriptions based on the number of users to additional fees for payroll and advanced features.

Pros
  • Easy to use
  • Mobile access
  • Automated tasks
  • Scalable plans
  • Integrates well
Cons
  • Limited customization
  • Costly add-ons
  • Customer support
  • Reporting restrictions
  • Learning curve
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Sage Accounting is a robust software solution designed to streamline financial management tasks such as invoicing, expense tracking, and cash flow management. It is particularly well-suited for small to medium-sized businesses across various industries, including retail, services, and manufacturing, due to its user-friendly interface and comprehensive features. Users benefit from real-time financial insights, automated bank reconciliation, and seamless integration with other business tools. Unique features like customizable dashboards and multi-currency support enhance its appeal. Compared to similar products, users often praise its intuitive design and reliable customer support. Pricing details can vary based on the specific needs and scale of the business, so it is advisable to contact SelectHub for a tailored quote. Sage Accounting stands out for its ability to simplify complex accounting tasks, making it an invaluable asset for businesses seeking efficiency and accuracy in their financial operations.
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$25 Monthly
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$62/User, Monthly
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Small
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Large
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Windows
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Linux
Android
Chromebook
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile

Product Assistance

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Videos
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Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
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Product Insights

  • Streamline Processes: Input, revise and deliver numerous invoices, expenses, checks and bills in just a few clicks with the batch invoicing module. Users may also cut and paste invoices and data from Excel into QuickBooks. 
  • Establish Permissions: Govern who may or may not review sensitive data as well as adjust custom permissions for deposits, sales, transactions and expense reports among other things with the user permissions functionality.  
  • Diminish Errors: Alleviate hazards, modify reminders and triggers, save time and initiate prompt reminders to obtain greater cash flows with the workflows accessory. 
  • Effortlessly Restore Data: Promptly back up any changes made in QuickBooks Online in addition to reviewing version histories with all changes made in its handy time log. 
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  • Streamlined Financial Management: Sage Accounting simplifies complex financial tasks, allowing businesses to manage invoices, track expenses, and reconcile bank transactions efficiently.
  • Real-Time Financial Insights: Gain immediate access to up-to-date financial data, enabling informed decision-making and strategic planning without waiting for end-of-month reports.
  • Improved Cash Flow Management: By automating invoicing and payment reminders, Sage Accounting helps businesses maintain a healthy cash flow and reduce the risk of late payments.
  • Enhanced Collaboration: Multiple users can access the system simultaneously, facilitating teamwork and ensuring everyone is on the same page with financial data.
  • Scalability: As your business grows, Sage Accounting can easily scale to accommodate increased transactions and additional users, ensuring continuity and efficiency.
  • Compliance Assurance: Stay compliant with tax regulations and financial reporting standards through automated updates and built-in compliance checks.
  • Time Savings: Automating routine accounting tasks frees up valuable time for business owners and accountants to focus on strategic initiatives and growth opportunities.
  • Cost Efficiency: Reduce the need for extensive manual bookkeeping and minimize errors, leading to cost savings in both time and resources.
  • Data Security: Protect sensitive financial information with robust security measures, including encryption and regular backups, ensuring peace of mind.
  • Customizable Reporting: Generate tailored financial reports that meet specific business needs, providing insights into performance and areas for improvement.
  • Seamless Integration: Connect Sage Accounting with other business tools and applications, such as CRM systems and payment processors, for a unified workflow.
  • Accessibility: Access your financial data from anywhere with cloud-based functionality, allowing for flexibility and remote work capabilities.
  • Reduced Human Error: Automated calculations and data entry minimize the risk of mistakes, ensuring accuracy in financial records.
  • Enhanced Customer Relationships: Professional invoicing and timely payment reminders improve customer interactions and satisfaction.
  • Environmental Impact: Digital record-keeping reduces the need for paper, contributing to environmentally sustainable business practices.
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  • Income and Expense Tracking: Import bank, credit card, PayPal, Square and other transactions as well as promptly sort them into the right tax categories with the income and expense tracking module. Users may also take pictures of receipts with their smartphones and link them directly to expenses. 
  • Invoicing: Trace invoice statuses, deliver payment reminders to patrons, immediately match payments to invoices, accept credit cards and complete free bank transfers directly from an invoice with the invoicing attribute. 
  • Estimations: Transform estimates into invoices, validate mobile signatures, review estimate statuses and modify estimates to align with business requirements via the estimations appliance. 
  • Reporting: Create a variety of reports, including product profit and loss, expense, balance sheet, inventory, enhanced sales, profitability and other reports, through this attribute. Users may also oversee crucial financial metrics including cash flow and revenue on one dashboard. 
  • Organize Receipts: Expeditiously arrange and associate expense receipts with transactions, keeping them all in one place. 
  • Inventory Tracking: Receive alerts when inventory is running low as well as monitor products and the cost of goods with the inventory tracking system. Users may even evaluate popular items, draft purchase orders and superintend vendors.  
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  • Cloud-Based Access: Access your financial data from anywhere with an internet connection, ensuring flexibility and convenience for remote work.
  • Automated Bank Feeds: Automatically import bank transactions to save time on manual data entry and reduce errors.
  • Invoicing Capabilities: Create, send, and track professional invoices with customizable templates to maintain brand consistency.
  • Expense Management: Easily record and categorize expenses, helping you keep track of where your money is going.
  • Multi-Currency Support: Handle transactions in multiple currencies, ideal for businesses dealing with international clients or suppliers.
  • Real-Time Reporting: Generate up-to-date financial reports to gain insights into your business's performance and make informed decisions.
  • VAT Compliance: Automatically calculate VAT and generate VAT returns, ensuring compliance with tax regulations.
  • Integration with Third-Party Apps: Seamlessly connect with other business tools like payment processors and CRM systems to streamline operations.
  • Inventory Management: Track stock levels and manage inventory efficiently to prevent overstocking or stockouts.
  • Project Tracking: Monitor project costs and profitability, helping you stay on budget and assess project performance.
  • Role-Based Access Control: Assign different access levels to team members, ensuring data security and privacy.
  • Mobile App Availability: Manage your accounting tasks on the go with a mobile app that offers core functionalities.
  • Customizable Dashboards: Tailor your dashboard to display key metrics and insights that matter most to your business.
  • Recurring Invoices and Payments: Set up recurring billing for regular clients to automate invoicing and payment collection.
  • Customer and Supplier Management: Maintain detailed records of customers and suppliers, facilitating better relationship management.
  • Audit Trail: Keep a comprehensive log of all transactions and changes for transparency and accountability.
  • Data Import and Export: Easily import and export data to and from other systems, ensuring seamless data migration and backup.
  • Multi-User Collaboration: Allow multiple users to work simultaneously, enhancing team collaboration and productivity.
  • Custom Financial Reports: Create tailored financial reports to meet specific business needs and reporting requirements.
  • Payment Processing Integration: Integrate with payment gateways to facilitate smooth and secure payment processing.
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Product Ranking

#1

among all
Accounting Software

#43

among all
Accounting Software

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Analyst Rating Summary

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Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

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Accounts Payable Accounts Receivable Banking And Cash Management Budget And Expense Management Financial Statements And Revenue Management General Ledger And Chart Of Accounts Integration And Extensibility Inventory Management Journal Entries Mobile Support Multi-company Accounting And Asset Management Platform Capabilities Project Accounting Reporting And Analytics Tax Management 97 100 100 91 93 100 100 100 82 92 65 100 100 96 100 0 25 50 75 100
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User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 9426 reviews
Great User Sentiment 890 reviews
84%
of users recommend this product

QuickBooks Online has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 84% when considering 9426 user reviews from 6 recognized software review sites.

85%
of users recommend this product

Sage Accounting has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 85% when considering 890 user reviews from 3 recognized software review sites.

4.8 (23)
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4.0 (2386)
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4.4 (594)
4.2 (382)
4.3 (5581)
4.2 (382)
4.5 (26)
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4.1 (816)
4.4 (126)

Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated QuickBooks Online and concluded it deserves the award for the Best Overall Accounting Software available today and earns best-in-class honors for Accounts Receivable, Integration and Extensibility, Inventory Management, Platform Capabilities and Reporting and Analytics.

Analysts' Pick Award
Accounts Receivable Award
Integration and Extensibility Award
Inventory Management Award
Platform Capabilities Award
Reporting and Analytics Award

No awards.

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Easy to use: Intuitive interface and clear navigation make it accessible for users of various accounting experience levels.
Automated tasks: Streamlines workflows by automatically importing bank transactions, categorizing expenses, creating invoices, and sending reminders.
Real-time insights: Provides up-to-date financial information through customizable dashboards and reports, enabling informed decision-making.
Mobile accessibility: Access and manage finances anytime, anywhere with the mobile app.
Scalability: Grows with your business, offering different plans with varying features to accommodate evolving needs.
Integrations: Connects seamlessly with various business tools, such as bank accounts, payment gateways, and e-commerce platforms.
Payroll: Simplifies payroll processing, including tax calculations and direct deposits.
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Unlimited Invoices: User reviews highlight that Sage Accounting allows for unlimited quotes and invoices, which is a key advantage over some competitors that impose limitations on these features.
Cash Flow Tracking: Users praise Sage Accounting for its effectiveness in managing cash flow, a critical aspect of running a business successfully.
Strong Customer Support: Reviews consistently mention Sage 50 Accounting's excellent customer support, indicating a positive user experience and reliable assistance when needed.
Comprehensive Features: Sage 50 Accounting is lauded for its wide array of features, including invoicing, bill payments, inventory management, cost control, and payroll functions, making it a suitable choice for businesses seeking a complete accounting solution.
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Limited customization: Lacks flexibility in customizing certain features, such as reports and chart of accounts, compared to some alternatives.
Costly add-ons: Essential features like payroll and advanced reporting often require additional fees, increasing the overall cost of ownership.
Customer support: Mixed reviews on the quality and availability of customer support, with some users reporting delays or difficulty reaching knowledgeable representatives.
Reporting restrictions: Certain financial reports and data exports have limitations, potentially requiring workarounds or manual adjustments.
Learning curve: While generally user-friendly, some features and functionalities may have a learning curve for those new to accounting software.
Occasional glitches: Users have reported occasional bugs or glitches that can disrupt workflows, requiring troubleshooting or waiting for fixes.
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Limited Features: User reviews indicate Sage Accounting lacks features like bill pay, which may be a dealbreaker for some businesses.
Potential Performance Issues: Some user reviews mention slowness when handling large data volumes, suggesting potential performance bottlenecks for businesses with high transaction volumes.
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QuickBooks Online remains a popular choice for many users, praised for its user-friendly interface and automated features. "It feels like Intuit took the complexity out of accounting and made it accessible even for someone like me with limited accounting experience," shared a small business owner. However, user reviews also highlight limitations, particularly around customization and cost. "I love the ease of use," stated a freelancer, "but the reporting options feel restrictive. I often have to export data and work with it in Excel to get the insights I need." This sentiment, coupled with complaints about the cost of add-ons like payroll, leads some users to compare QuickBooks Online to competitors. "Xero seems to offer more flexibility and advanced features," mentioned an accountant, "but the learning curve is steeper, and the monthly subscription is higher." Ultimately, the decision comes down to individual needs and priorities. For those seeking a balance of ease of use, automation, and affordability, QuickBooks Online continues to be a strong contender. However, users with more complex accounting needs or a desire for greater customization might find themselves looking towards competitors offering more robust features, even if it comes at a higher cost or with a steeper learning curve.

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How can Sage Accounting help your business grow with the times? Sage Accounting software has garnered a mixed bag of user reviews over the past year, with some users singing its praises while others hit a sour note. Users appreciate Sage Accounting's robust automation capabilities, particularly for tasks like bank reconciliation and financial reporting, which streamline financial operations and reduce manual effort. Its comprehensive add-ons, such as payroll and HR, are also seen as major pluses, transforming it into a comprehensive business management solution. However, the software's steep learning curve and less intuitive interface have left some users feeling like they're stuck in a maze. Users have also pointed out that Sage Accounting's pricing, while not publicly disclosed, is often higher than that of competitors, making it a potential budget buster for smaller businesses or startups. A key differentiator for Sage Accounting is its scalability, making it a good fit for businesses anticipating rapid growth or those with complex accounting needs, such as multi-entity consolidation. This is particularly beneficial for businesses with ambitious expansion plans, as they can avoid the headache of switching software as they grow. However, this strength also underscores a significant weakness: Sage Accounting's complexity can be overwhelming for smaller businesses or those with simpler accounting requirements. In essence, it's like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut – overkill for some. In conclusion, Sage Accounting is most suitable for medium to large businesses with experienced accounting personnel who can navigate its advanced features and leverage its automation capabilities. It's a powerful tool for businesses that need to manage complex financial operations and have the resources to invest in a premium solution. However, smaller businesses or those new to accounting software might find more user-friendly and affordable options on the market.

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