Brightpearl by Sage vs. QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Brightpearl
Score 9.3 out of 10
N/A
Brightpearl’s retail operations platform is designed to handle peak trading, integrates with the full retail tech ecosystem, and is omni-channel native. Additionally, the vendor says their solution is the system of record for key trading data, provides real-time trading insights and is automated so users can stay in control and manage by exception. According to the vendor key differentiators include: Software and Service. Service is an integral part of Brightpearl's offer. The…N/A
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
Score 8.0 out of 10
N/A
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise is a widely-used accounting package designed for small to mid-sized businesses. It is the top of the QuickBooks line. Pricing starts at $3,000 for five users, and goes up depending on the number of additional users. They also offer an Advanced Inventory module for $999 / year.
$1,261
per year
Pricing
Brightpearl by SageQuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Gold
1,261
per year
Platinum
1,522
per year
Gold with Remote Access
1,785.60
per year
Platinum with Remote Access
2,083.20
per year
Diamond
3,060.34
per year
Diamond with Remote Access
3,600.36
per year
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
BrightpearlQuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredOptional
Additional DetailsBrightpearl is for merchants trading $1M or above, or those that expect to be in the next 12 months. Pricing is designed to suit the needs of fast-growth and larger merchants.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Brightpearl by SageQuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
Considered Both Products
Brightpearl
Chose Brightpearl by Sage
[Brightpearl is] The worst.
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise

No answer on this topic

Features
Brightpearl by SageQuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Brightpearl by Sage
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
8.1
118 Ratings
9% above category average
Pay calculation00 Ratings9.0112 Ratings
Benefit plan administration00 Ratings7.466 Ratings
Direct deposit files00 Ratings8.598 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings7.688 Ratings
Reimbursement management00 Ratings7.890 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
Brightpearl by Sage
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
7.2
79 Ratings
6% below category average
API for custom integration00 Ratings7.662 Ratings
Plug-ins00 Ratings6.872 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
Brightpearl by Sage
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
8.5
167 Ratings
4% above category average
Single sign-on capability00 Ratings8.7129 Ratings
Role-based user permissions00 Ratings8.2165 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Brightpearl by Sage
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
8.2
184 Ratings
5% above category average
Dashboards00 Ratings8.2157 Ratings
Standard reports00 Ratings8.7182 Ratings
Custom reports00 Ratings7.8177 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
Brightpearl by Sage
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
8.0
188 Ratings
6% above category average
Accounts payable00 Ratings8.6181 Ratings
Accounts receivable00 Ratings8.6181 Ratings
Cash management00 Ratings8.6166 Ratings
Bank reconciliation00 Ratings9.3179 Ratings
Expense management00 Ratings8.1165 Ratings
Time tracking00 Ratings6.686 Ratings
Fixed asset management00 Ratings7.4125 Ratings
Multi-currency support00 Ratings7.463 Ratings
Multi-division support00 Ratings7.5102 Ratings
Regulations compliance00 Ratings7.572 Ratings
Electronic tax filing00 Ratings7.795 Ratings
Self-service portal00 Ratings6.473 Ratings
Global Financial Support00 Ratings5.937 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings8.368 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings7.784 Ratings
Localizations00 Ratings8.050 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings9.3138 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting00 Ratings8.695 Ratings
Configurable Accounting00 Ratings8.693 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework00 Ratings8.458 Ratings
Standardized Processes00 Ratings8.6105 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
Brightpearl by Sage
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
7.5
112 Ratings
1% above category average
Inventory tracking00 Ratings7.9108 Ratings
Automatic reordering00 Ratings7.358 Ratings
Location management00 Ratings7.871 Ratings
Manufacturing module00 Ratings6.956 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
Brightpearl by Sage
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
8.1
138 Ratings
6% above category average
Pricing00 Ratings8.1102 Ratings
Order entry00 Ratings8.5108 Ratings
Credit card processing00 Ratings7.697 Ratings
Cost of goods sold00 Ratings8.6123 Ratings
Order Orchestration00 Ratings7.860 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings8.058 Ratings
Order exception Resolution00 Ratings8.045 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Brightpearl by SageQuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
Small Businesses
Lightspeed Retail
Lightspeed Retail
Score 8.0 out of 10
QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
Score 9.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Epicor Eagle
Epicor Eagle
Score 8.0 out of 10
Zoho Books
Zoho Books
Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprises

No answers on this topic

Oracle Fusion Cloud Enterprise Performance Management
Oracle Fusion Cloud Enterprise Performance Management
Score 8.8 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Brightpearl by SageQuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
Likelihood to Recommend
10.0
(158 ratings)
8.2
(199 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.2
(12 ratings)
8.6
(26 ratings)
Usability
4.7
(8 ratings)
9.3
(12 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(4 ratings)
Performance
9.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(3 ratings)
Support Rating
8.1
(135 ratings)
6.0
(5 ratings)
In-Person Training
1.0
(1 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
Online Training
7.0
(1 ratings)
9.1
(3 ratings)
Implementation Rating
6.5
(104 ratings)
8.8
(9 ratings)
Configurability
8.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(3 ratings)
Ease of integration
7.0
(1 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Product Scalability
6.9
(5 ratings)
10.0
(3 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.0
(1 ratings)
2.9
(4 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(3 ratings)
User Testimonials
Brightpearl by SageQuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
Likelihood to Recommend
Sage
Brightpearl is very well suited for small-medium companies that are growing quickly and need a way to improve their operational systems and functionality to handle increasing volume of orders. Particularly if you use multiple SKUs, sales channels, and/or warehouses, the features offered by Brightpearl are excellently well suited to handle these types of needs. I don't believe Brightpearl would be very applicable for very small companies with a small number of SKUs, as many of the features offered would be unnecessary and underutilized.
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Intuit
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise is a suitable option for companies with 1 to 100 employees. It is an efficient way to keep track of your books for managerial reasons and tax purposes. It is generally the go-to software for accounting. It does take some skill to get things set up and to know what to do for specific accounting transactions. You will most likely need an accountant who knows what they are doing to keep track of your books. Preferably someone or an honest team. For large companies, they will want to consider a comprehensive ERP system that integrates departmental systems.
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Pros
Sage
  • Brightpearl tracks order changes and communications very well. It documents all activity in a feed that anyone can see, including status changes, notes made, emails sent, etc.
  • Brightpearl makes it incredibly easy to find orders fitting certain criteria through the use of statuses that you can customize. For example, as a multichannel seller, we can easily create statuses for each channel that we sell from, where our orders will (oftentimes automatically) land in. We also deal often with things like back ordered items; we can also create statuses for certain brands, so that when we expect a shipment in from that company, our back order specialist can easily sort through her orders that are waiting on that shipment.
  • Brightpearl makes it easy to take orders over the phone. Everything I need is right there on one screen; not often do I find myself needing to deviate to other tabs. The steps I take (from "new order" to finish) are straightforward and understandable, and go in steps that make sense.
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Intuit
  • Generally, a mouse is not needed!
  • Updating as each transaction is posted means, in the event of a crash, power failure, whatever; all the posted transactions are securely in the data file and can be pulled up on another computer, if the computer being used crashes.
  • Reporting is generally user friendly, in that one can see the desired results by setting a few parameters for the report.
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Cons
Sage
  • Supports only a small number of marketplaces and in a limited way only. When I signed up with Brightpearl they claimed that you could list directly onto eBay from within Brightpearl but this turned out to be untrue as Brightpearl did not support eBay postage policies (eBay's semi literate way of saying shipping tables).
  • Not only can you not list directly onto eBay, you cannot list directly from within Brightpearl to any marketplaces whatsoever. With other software you can list directly to all the marketplaces they integrate with.
  • Brightpearl is abysmal at VAT. Brightpearl calculates VAT on Channel Islands and Canary Islands orders even though there is no Vat in either of them. So when you pay HMRC you will be paying them a bit extra unless you check all your orders which makes the software somewhat redundant.
  • When I signed up they advertised Brightpearl as the software to automate your online selling. But it didn't really do that. A couple of years later at considerable extra cost they released an add-on app called Brightpearl Automation that does seem to deliver on automation. However other software offers that at no extra cost.
  • Brightpearl claims that it integrates with Amazon, but this is only partially true as they have completely ignored the new marketplaces that Amazon have opened. If you list on those marketplaces you have to input the orders manually and Brightpearl will not update the stock, putting you at risk of negative feedback. Other software integrates fully with all Amazon marketplaces.
  • Now that I am leaving it was suggested that I might benefit from read-only access so that we could easily double check things like warranty claims. They offered me a year's read-only access for £10,080 which is more than double my yearly contract for full use of the software. Now, if that isn't taking the mickey, I don't know what is!!!
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Intuit
  • Wish we had the ability to track gallons. We are a truck stop and need to know how many gallons we buy and sell.
  • Matching up credits in Pay Bills can be challenging, especially if you make a mistake.
  • Wish in some of the reporting that it would automatically total some columns.
  • Downloading from the bank wish it would tell you the last time you downloaded and the dates you put in so you don't download the same information twice.
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Likelihood to Renew
Sage
Brightpearl has proved to work out for our company and we have no need or intention to let it go. Rather we intend to build on what we've accomplished and it will no doubt help us scale our business and meet our ambitions.
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Intuit
While QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise has been an amazing tool for many years, it seems it is getting phased out for QuickBooks Online. Intuit is decreasing the level of support it offers for QuickBooks Desktop in lieu of stronger support for QuickBooks Online. Although the desktop version is robust and helpful, it seems QBO is the way of the future for bookkeeping with QuickBooks.
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Usability
Sage
Brightpearl can be a little confusing to begin with, there are a lot of options to look through and working out the intricacies takes some time depending on what you would like to be able to do on it and what your account is set up to do. It is however very thorough and once you can work your way around it most of the functions are fairly simple to use and very detailed.
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Intuit
QuickBooks provides all staff immediate access to the data in whatever form each person wants it. The balancing on entries prevents incorrect data entry on payables/receivables. Reports are easy to customize and save for future use. The records are easy to audit.
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Reliability and Availability
Sage
Brightpearl is always easily accessibly anywhere that you can find an internet source. I have checked our stock levels when we have been off site at Ham Rally's at home and on my way home or to work if needs be. That is probably one of the best features of this system.
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Intuit
Rating: 7 out of 10
We rate QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise's availability a 7 out of 10. For the most part, the software is dependable and available when we need it. When hosted on a properly managed local server or through a reputable third-party cloud provider, uptime is generally consistent, and routine day-to-day operations run smoothly.
However, availability challenges do arise, particularly when accessing QuickBooks remotely or during periods of high system demand. Because it's a desktop-based solution, availability is highly dependent on our internal IT infrastructure. If our network goes down, a server needs maintenance, or if there’s an issue with a remote desktop connection, access to QuickBooks can be temporarily disrupted. These outages aren’t necessarily caused by QuickBooks itself, but they do impact our experience with availability.
Additionally, we’ve occasionally experienced application errors, especially after updates or when working with large company files. While Intuit support is usually helpful in resolving these issues, they can still lead to frustrating delays—especially during critical periods like month-end closing or grant reporting deadlines.
Planned maintenance, while infrequent, also affects availability, especially when using a hosted environment. Coordination with IT or hosting providers is sometimes needed to minimize downtime.
Overall, QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise is a reliable tool, but its dependence on local infrastructure introduces more potential points of failure compared to cloud-native solutions. Enhancements in cloud-based access or hybrid models could significantly improve both accessibility and uptime. That said, with strong internal IT support or a reliable cloud hosting provider, the availability can easily rise to an 8 or 9.
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Performance
Sage
Brightpearl performs very well and integrates very well with our Metapak packing and despatch system. IT also intergrates very well with Amazon and we have used Ebay although there have been complications with Ebay and stock levels. We use Ebay mostly for second hand items of which we only have one so have skipped using Brighpearl for these products.
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Intuit
I rate QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise's performance a 5 out of 10, mainly because while it’s functional for most routine tasks, it can lag significantly when handling complex operations, large data files, or during multi-user sessions. As our organization has grown, we’ve noticed that report generation—especially for customized or multi-dimensional reports—can be slow, sometimes taking several minutes to load or refresh. This impacts productivity, particularly during key financial cycles like audits, monthly closings, or grant reporting.
Performance degradation is especially noticeable when multiple users are active in the system at the same time. Even with a solid server setup, there’s often a drop in responsiveness when more than a handful of users are generating reports or entering transactions concurrently.
We’ve also experienced some slowdowns in third-party integrations, particularly when syncing with Vena Solutions or exporting data for use in external tools. While the integrations are valuable, they occasionally stall or require workarounds, adding friction to our workflows.
In short, QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise delivers the basics well, but its performance limitations become more apparent in high-volume or complex use cases. It would benefit from better optimization for large datasets and faster processing for advanced reporting. Upgrades in system architecture—such as deeper support for cloud hosting or more efficient data handling—could significantly improve the user experience and move this rating closer to an 8.
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Support Rating
Sage
Brightpearl was ALWAYS great at responding to us. Their customer service was quick and responsive. Unfortunately, the responses were often that "engineers were working on it" but nothing seemed to ever come of that. I realize that Brightpearl is a large company that a lot of businesses rely on. But when you can't hit "enter" when trying to search in the front-end POS, that type of behavior should be changed very quickly and it never was. Admittedly, small things, but those annoyances tend to ultimately affect the overall experience.
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Intuit
It takes a long time to get through to customer support. And sometimes you have to explain the situation multiple times before the rep actually understands the issue, but that's usually because the issue is complex and out of the ordinary. However, the rep is always patient, and will take as much time and effort as necessary to resolve whatever issue you're having. It's nice that they can "take over" your computer rather than having to talk you through the solution over the phone.
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In-Person Training
Sage
No in house training was given.
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Intuit
It is a very easy system to learn, so with the help it was even easier. QB is a good solid system, but it lacks some of the complexity other systems have. with QB you need to get additional modules to get the same functionality that other systems offer standard
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Online Training
Sage
The online training was very helpful in the areas we were shown and was implemented very well via a Skype call and an presentation done via the internet. However it was not thorough enough for all of our needs in certain areas. More training in person on site would have been very helpful.
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Intuit
easy to learn system, specially with some kind of support. Just like with any other system, things get lot easier if you have guidance to lead you in your search for answers. having said that, QB is very easy to use and very easy to teach. you wont spend much time memorizing where to click.
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Implementation Rating
Sage
Implementation was generally perfect, but if you are coming across from Sage I personally would recommend doing this as baby steps.
We tried to import our entire Sage history in one batch and that was a bad idea hence the 9/10. That was mainly our fault and nothing on Brightpearl.
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Intuit
If you're loading QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions onto a computer that you're going to directly log into, you should be able to do it yourself. If you are going to connect to a server through a network or remote connection, you should probably have a professional IT person set it up for you.
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Alternatives Considered
Sage
Initially we went with Brightpearl because it was an all in one solution. Salesforce CRM capabilities right out of the box far surpass Brightpearl's, but there's no inventory or accounting system pre-built in. We are currently moving away from Brightpearl for both CRM and accounting functions however.
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Intuit
We have selected this product as it is affordoable in terms of pricing and features too. Our clients is geeting lots of benefits by using this product. By using QuickBooks desktop client also manage the information realted to financials and also get the clear picture for the future by using the accounting information from this product.
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Scalability
Sage
Brightpearl's ability to increase or expand its capacity and retain its performance levels to accommodate growth were acceptable but not fantastic. The program was constantly making changes which can be useful, but was also confusing & hard to keep up with since we were never updated that changes were about to be made or had been made.
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Intuit
I would rate QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise a 7 out of 10 for overall scalability. The product offers solid scalability features, particularly for small to mid-sized organizations like ours that are growing and need reliable multi-user access, enhanced data capacity, and cross-departmental functionality. It handles increasing transaction volumes and user growth quite well, especially with its support for up to 40 users and the ability to manage large lists (customers, vendors, accounts, etc.)—a significant improvement over QuickBooks Pro or Premier.
Its role-based permissions system also allows us to assign tailored access by department or user level, which is essential for maintaining control and security across teams like finance, HR, and program management. Additionally, features like advanced reporting, inventory management, and class tracking have helped us better manage multiple programs or sites within one system.
That said, the scalability still has some limits. For example, deploying the software across multiple physical locations or for remote teams requires additional IT infrastructure—such as hosting it on a third-party cloud server or setting up a VPN—which introduces cost and complexity. Also, while QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise can technically handle a high volume of data, performance can decline as the file size grows over time unless regular maintenance and optimization are done.
In summary, QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise scales well within its designed range, particularly for growing nonprofits and NGOs. However, organizations with distributed teams or very large, complex operations may eventually find the system’s desktop-based architecture less agile compared to cloud-native ERP platforms. With enhancements to cloud integration and remote accessibility, this rating could easily increase.
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Return on Investment
Sage
  • It's really difficult to say. While everything is now in one place, we've spent a ton of time with support and figuring things out on our own.
  • We've also had to spend a ton of money with our CPAs fixing our financials every month.
  • However, the sales piece has streamlined our process for shipping orders out in a timely basis.
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Intuit
  • Good value for the price. The initial setup was quick and easy.
  • When properly set up and processes are followed it's decent at managing inventory which is something we had problems with. Have to have a dedicated employee to builds.
  • Rolling up costs in multi-level BOM's is a project each time we have to review costs, it's very time consuming to manually update all assemblies.
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ScreenShots

Brightpearl Screenshots

Screenshot of Customer timeline giving you insight into pending orders, previous purchases and potential marketing opportunitiesScreenshot of Deep insight in your customers, product and sales channel through Brightpearl's Minubo integrationScreenshot of Fully integrated POS for access to all product inventory information at the tillScreenshot of Managing suppliers and purchasing inventory is quick and easy, says the vendorScreenshot of Provide top-notch service by having access to your customers’ full interaction history and personalize your marketing communication with product-interest tagging.Screenshot of Brightpearl’s flexible inventory management has all of the features you need to stay in control of your inventory and make fast, effective business decisions. Redistribute your staff towards growth strategies and reduce the time spent on costly admin overheads.