Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Cashflow
Score 0.0 out of 10
N/A
N/A
$18
per month
QuickBooks Online
Score 8.1 out of 10
N/A
QuickBooks Online is a SaaS version of the QuickBooks product. It contains all of the features found in the local version. Higher-priced plans include greater automation, payment management, inventory and time tracking, and analytics features.
$38
per month
Sage Accounting
Score 7.6 out of 10
N/A
Sage Accounting is online accounting software made to simplify life for small business owners, entrepreneurs, and freelancers by providing the functions needed to take care of daily business to-dos. Users can create and send professional quotes and invoices, track income and expenses and know where the business' financials stand. Every Sage Business Cloud Accounting subscription includes unlimited access to support as well as automatic backups and product updates.
$19
per month
Pricing
CashflowQuickBooks OnlineSage Accounting
Editions & Modules
Basic
$18
per month
Simple Start
$38
per month
Essentials
$75
per month
Plus
$115
per month
Advanced
$275
per month
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
CashflowQuickBooks OnlineSage Accounting
Free Trial
YesYesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsVersions and pricing listed are for CA products. Versions available and pricing may vary by country. * 2 months free to start, or free for 1 month to try, then $19/$43/$62 +tax/mo (tier depending). Offer valid for new customers only on monthly subscriptions of Sage Business Cloud Accounting. After the promotional period, the monthly subscription rate will renew at the then current rate. May not be combined with any other offers or discounts. To ensure continuous service the subscription plan is an automatically renewing plan. Subsequent months will automatically be billed to the same credit card each month on the anniversary date of purchase. Plans can be terminated at any time prior to the renewal data and not charged for renewal.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
CashflowQuickBooks OnlineSage Accounting
Considered Multiple Products
Cashflow

No answer on this topic

QuickBooks Online
Chose QuickBooks Online
QuickBooks is the best overall as it is intuitive and easy to use, whilst meeting the needs of a CFO. Xero is very popular for IFRS reporting standards and the English-speaking countries internationally. MYOB is the most popular in Australia. SAGE is very strong for …
Chose QuickBooks Online
Sage excells at more complex accounting, but clients do not find the app on the move as easy to use as QuickBooks Online
Chose QuickBooks Online
I truly hated Sage as a bookkeeper. I know that accountants don't have the same experience, but from a day to day perspective, it was not user friendly.
Chose QuickBooks Online
Easier to use and setup. More accountants are familiar with it so that also made the selection easier. Other software was also more expensive and had features that we weren't going to utilize at our current growth stage.
Chose QuickBooks Online
Sage has more features. However, the cost is more, not as stable of a program and have had issues with transactions.
Sage Accounting
Chose Sage Accounting
The first integration we had created for our product was with QuickBooks Online. There was a fair amount of work put in to create this solution, and a huge amount of testing to make sure it works properly.
Once Sage Accounting had an API available for integration, we included …
Chose Sage Accounting
I got lost in QB the reconciliations the story of the business went wrong and it was difficult to trace the error so move back to Sage cloud
Chose Sage Accounting
I find Sage Accounting a much more enjoyable experience over quickbooks, and it feels like a much more mature product over Wave Accounting. Sage Accounting has some aspects of the best of both worlds.
Chose Sage Accounting
Sage Accounting has a worse mobile app in my opinion. Sage Accounting has very poor multi currency support I feel.
Chose Sage Accounting
Sage Accounting is definitely more 'professional' and much more rigid. QB is much more user friendly.
Chose Sage Accounting
It's more affordable, which is great. But the biggest difference is how we found Quickbooks to be overly complex, whereas Sage Accounting is easy to use and easy to understand!
Chose Sage Accounting
We actually prefer Sage Accounting due to lower initial cost and all the features that we need already included. Also the initial setup is much easier.
Chose Sage Accounting
Sage Accounting is my preferred accounting software as it meets and fulfilling our legal and regulatory requirements. The software is also preferred by our external auditors [...].
Some other software, compare to Sage Accounting are good for non-accountants. They can also use …
Chose Sage Accounting
The reporting function in QBO is convoluted. Pulling reports for either basic business management or for Accounting/Bookkeeping functions are much easier in Sage Accounting.
Customer service for QBO is very difficult to access. Reaching and getting customer support with Sage …
Chose Sage Accounting
Sage Accounting is good, but Xero is even more beginner friendly. And more affordable and also incorporates Hubdoc. I use Sage Accounting because that's what work is already using, and also for my own clients, I already have the old Desktop version which works just as fine.
Chose Sage Accounting
Comparing Sage Accounting to QuickBooks is comparing apples to oranges. Sage Accounting is very straightforward to use, and users can pick up the basics very quickly. Entering invoices, for example, resembles the actual paper copy of the invoice, as it does with purchases and …
Chose Sage Accounting
I would rank Sage Accounting as the lowest of the 3.
Chose Sage Accounting
Sage Accounting is great for invoicing clients who are abroad and can see any outstanding invoices at a glance.
Chose Sage Accounting
Wave offers free package which is good enough for small company like me.
Quickbook offers more customization, yet offers no after sale support.
Jobber is really expensive, even if with a corporate discount.
Company Cam offers more functionality that may suit our company better. …
Chose Sage Accounting
I like Sage better, being an accountant, the approach is accounting focused. Whereas Quickbooks tries to make the user experience easier, but messes up the accounting, its easy in Quickbooks to create accounts and post expense items for example to a balance sheet account. …
Chose Sage Accounting
QuickBooks Accounting
You're a small business or sole trader: seeking straightforward easy accounting features. You want a user-friendly interface: that's easy to learn and use even by the non accounting persons
Sage online accounting
Chose Sage Accounting
While Sage Accounting (at least the version I am familiar with), lacks more involvement with the owner (features like Xero's hubdoc encourage owner use of accounting software) I generally prefer the layout, design and overall product that is Sage Accounting. I find that the …
Chose Sage Accounting
Quickbooks is not for me i don't like anything about it, the terminology they use is not clear and the layout is not user friendly. Xero i use in my practice as some clients prefer it. If i have the choice i do use Sage but if the client prefers Xero i will use. It can be …
Chose Sage Accounting
Sage Accounting has wider functionality and superior HMRC integration
Chose Sage Accounting
Sage Accounting allows for better customization and setup
Features
CashflowQuickBooks OnlineSage Accounting
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Cashflow
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
8.0
115 Ratings
6% above category average
Sage Accounting
9.3
19 Ratings
21% above category average
Pay calculation00 Ratings8.3105 Ratings10.015 Ratings
Benefit plan administration00 Ratings7.456 Ratings9.312 Ratings
Direct deposit files00 Ratings8.596 Ratings8.812 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings8.269 Ratings9.410 Ratings
Reimbursement management00 Ratings7.976 Ratings9.112 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
Cashflow
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
7.2
104 Ratings
5% below category average
Sage Accounting
8.6
23 Ratings
13% above category average
API for custom integration00 Ratings7.286 Ratings9.120 Ratings
Plug-ins00 Ratings7.286 Ratings8.017 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
Cashflow
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
8.5
176 Ratings
4% above category average
Sage Accounting
9.7
42 Ratings
17% above category average
Single sign-on capability00 Ratings8.6141 Ratings9.931 Ratings
Role-based user permissions00 Ratings8.4166 Ratings9.539 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Cashflow
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
8.3
202 Ratings
6% above category average
Sage Accounting
9.2
44 Ratings
17% above category average
Dashboards00 Ratings8.4189 Ratings8.240 Ratings
Standard reports00 Ratings8.6196 Ratings9.844 Ratings
Custom reports00 Ratings8.1180 Ratings9.735 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
Cashflow
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
7.9
219 Ratings
4% above category average
Sage Accounting
8.7
119 Ratings
14% above category average
Accounts payable00 Ratings8.8185 Ratings7.7104 Ratings
Accounts receivable00 Ratings8.8202 Ratings9.945 Ratings
Cash management00 Ratings8.1185 Ratings7.793 Ratings
Bank reconciliation00 Ratings9.0208 Ratings7.2112 Ratings
Expense management00 Ratings8.4192 Ratings9.934 Ratings
Time tracking00 Ratings7.087 Ratings6.611 Ratings
Fixed asset management00 Ratings8.087 Ratings8.328 Ratings
Multi-currency support00 Ratings7.441 Ratings10.018 Ratings
Multi-division support00 Ratings7.370 Ratings9.918 Ratings
Regulations compliance00 Ratings7.870 Ratings9.529 Ratings
Electronic tax filing00 Ratings8.1105 Ratings6.464 Ratings
Self-service portal00 Ratings7.5115 Ratings10.025 Ratings
Global Financial Support00 Ratings6.933 Ratings9.28 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings8.062 Ratings9.515 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings7.963 Ratings8.011 Ratings
Localizations00 Ratings7.847 Ratings8.39 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings8.5132 Ratings9.033 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting00 Ratings7.051 Ratings7.010 Ratings
Configurable Accounting00 Ratings7.977 Ratings9.318 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework00 Ratings7.651 Ratings8.98 Ratings
Standardized Processes00 Ratings8.896 Ratings9.520 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
Cashflow
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
7.0
81 Ratings
5% below category average
Sage Accounting
6.9
17 Ratings
6% below category average
Inventory tracking00 Ratings6.876 Ratings6.717 Ratings
Automatic reordering00 Ratings7.142 Ratings8.36 Ratings
Location management00 Ratings7.447 Ratings5.87 Ratings
Manufacturing module00 Ratings6.832 Ratings7.05 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
Cashflow
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
7.8
133 Ratings
4% above category average
Sage Accounting
8.2
28 Ratings
9% above category average
Pricing00 Ratings7.983 Ratings9.917 Ratings
Order entry00 Ratings7.779 Ratings7.615 Ratings
Credit card processing00 Ratings8.3101 Ratings8.118 Ratings
Cost of goods sold00 Ratings8.3100 Ratings7.520 Ratings
Order Orchestration00 Ratings7.241 Ratings7.56 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings7.844 Ratings7.67 Ratings
Order exception Resolution00 Ratings7.337 Ratings8.85 Ratings
Best Alternatives
CashflowQuickBooks OnlineSage Accounting
Small Businesses
QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
Score 6.4 out of 10
QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
Score 6.4 out of 10
QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
Score 6.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Zoho Books
Zoho Books
Score 9.1 out of 10
Zoho Books
Zoho Books
Score 9.1 out of 10
Zoho Books
Zoho Books
Score 9.1 out of 10
Enterprises
SAP Cloud ERP
SAP Cloud ERP
Score 8.6 out of 10
SAP Cloud ERP
SAP Cloud ERP
Score 8.6 out of 10
SAP Cloud ERP
SAP Cloud ERP
Score 8.6 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
CashflowQuickBooks OnlineSage Accounting
Likelihood to Recommend
-
(0 ratings)
8.3
(230 ratings)
7.8
(100 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
9.4
(27 ratings)
8.2
(11 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
8.4
(146 ratings)
8.1
(68 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
8.9
(6 ratings)
9.0
(7 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
1.0
(5 ratings)
8.9
(7 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.7
(70 ratings)
9.3
(21 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
9.2
(2 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
9.2
(4 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.8
(7 ratings)
7.2
(6 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
1.0
(2 ratings)
8.6
(6 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
-
(0 ratings)
5.0
(1 ratings)
9.3
(2 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
1.3
(2 ratings)
3.4
(3 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
2.0
(3 ratings)
6.3
(7 ratings)
Professional Services
-
(0 ratings)
5.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
5.0
(3 ratings)
7.3
(5 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
5.0
(3 ratings)
7.3
(5 ratings)
User Testimonials
CashflowQuickBooks OnlineSage Accounting
Likelihood to Recommend
Pulsar Tech
No answers on this topic
Intuit
QBO is a great solution for small and midsize companies. If the goal is to record all transactions and pull reliable financial reports, QBO is a great option. QBO is also a great solution if most operations are run in a system like Ramp. It syncs well with systems like that and turns the data into something management can use to make decisions. QBO is great because so many people use it. It is easy to find training online, and many people have experience with it.
Read full review
Sage
Sage is frustrating to work with, and the only way I seem to be able to communicate with them is by chatbot, which never knows the answer to my questions. I always have to wait days for an answer. It is not well-suited for small businesses or non-accounting professionals.
Read full review
Pros
Pulsar Tech
No answers on this topic
Intuit
  • Workflows for accounts payable invoice review are terrific.
  • Bill payment allows you to pay vendors online via ACH or check without having to write a physical check, which reduces admin time.
  • The cloud based login lends well to a remote or hybrid work environment for staff.
  • QuickBooks Online allows you to pre-configure vendors' general ledger expense accounts. This helps with general ledger coding accuracy and consistency.
  • QuickBooks Online integrates with Rippling HRIS, Coast, Capital One, JPMorgan Chase, etc., which lends well to an efficient month-end closing and reduced administrative time.
Read full review
Sage
  • Sage Accounting makes it easy to pay my invoices with an automated QR code that opens a payment portal.
  • Sage Accounting automatically shows my bank account balance and that's pretty neat.
  • Sage Accounting has excellent security with 2 factor authentication and I trust my money is kept safe.
Read full review
Cons
Pulsar Tech
No answers on this topic
Intuit
  • I dislike that the online bill pay option through QuickBooks is required for their invoicing.
  • The auto-fill portion of the customer setup, specifically the company name, is listed, but it also auto-fills in the name portion, which is inconvenient and time-consuming to remove.
Read full review
Sage
  • The packages for integrating with Sage50 desktop application files are not backwards compatible, so we must store many copies in order to support multiple versions of the Sage50 application that our customers use, in case they aren't immediately updating to the latest version at all times.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Pulsar Tech
No answers on this topic
Intuit
It like the product 'right out of the box' and I trust Intuit will continually improve it over the years based on my experience with their desktop products. The large providers of Apps makes customizing the entire package relatively easy and seamless for a wide variety of business types.
Read full review
Sage
We're very happy with the functionality and overall experience of using Sage Accounting for our accounting needs. Currently, we are not even considering whether we would need to look around for a different option. The only things that would make us consider changing would be a significant increase in price or changes to the software which reduce it's ease of function.
Read full review
Usability
Pulsar Tech
No answers on this topic
Intuit
Beyond being overkill for a small org's needs, QBO is constantly stealing screen real estate and attention by hammering users for account upgrades, connecting to one of their approved consultants or buying add-ons. The idea of using a simple configurable bookeeping and light accounting interface is completely missing. At the very least, we should be able to hide functions like inventory that we will never use.
Read full review
Sage
We have been using Sage Accounting ever since the original Simply Accounting versions. All through the versions, we've noticed that the app has remained consistent with its screen usage; therefore, retraining of staff is not necessary between versions. As well as the ability to have staff members put down and pick up the use of Sage Accounting
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Pulsar Tech
No answers on this topic
Intuit
We have rarely had outages in the last 10 years. I can only recall 2 times in the last 10 years where we were not able to access our client files.
Read full review
Sage
Sage has been always available when I want it. If there is any maintenance work to be done by the Sage team, you are told well in advance. Maintenance is generally carried out late at night or before the day begins for most of us. It continues to be the most reliable software I use.
Read full review
Performance
Pulsar Tech
No answers on this topic
Intuit
Everything process has its bugs lately with the new interface. Nothing has worked smoothly since this all began last month.
Read full review
Sage
Performance is top notch, if it is not, it is probably your wi-fi connection. It has happened that pages load slowly because of an error on Sage side but almost never. Overall reports load fine, the site is fast, navigation is fine. I have a client that has so many invoices, it is slow or gets stuck when you try to load a report for a whole year but it is just too many invoices, it makes sense. Just take 2 report for 6 months and combine them, its not an issue for me. I am happy with Sage Accounting's performance.
Read full review
Support Rating
Pulsar Tech
No answers on this topic
Intuit
In my experience, most representatives keep me on the phone for hours, literally, for a single issue and then usually cannot resolve it satisfactorily. I have 10 open cases that need resolution and, in my experience, there has been NO follow-up communication on any of them.
Read full review
Sage
Sage Accounting are easy to contact and have knowledgeable and helpful staff. Whenever I've encountered a problem I've always been able to get assistance and guidance and it feels like the person at the end of the phone/screen knows the product well.
Read full review
In-Person Training
Pulsar Tech
No answers on this topic
Intuit
No answers on this topic
Sage
Staff are always friendly, and patient, always work at a speed that suits you. You are never rushed, and In only a short time they seem to be able to help you make great strides. It has been a pleasure not a chore, learning how SAGE Accounting works and benefits me and the company.
Read full review
Online Training
Pulsar Tech
No answers on this topic
Intuit
No answers on this topic
Sage
I find the online training was very informative and they answered all my questions. I am also certified in Sage One and provided online training in the program which I have set up several people on and they love how it keeps them organized.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
Pulsar Tech
No answers on this topic
Intuit
The person in charge of QB needs to be very accurate with record keeping and is recommended to stay on top of tasks. The biggest issue we have is reconciliation, and those issues occur only when too much time has occurred between reconciliations
Read full review
Sage
The clients' business owner worked with Sage on implementation before I began working for them. After consultation with them it is clear the process was quickly performed and without complication. The key takeaway was that Sage is seen as a partner to the business. That said, it was always necessary to engage with an accountant such as myself to extract the best out of the software.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Pulsar Tech
No answers on this topic
Intuit
As a freelance bookkeeper, the Desktop version of QuickBooks Online doesn't allow for ease of access from any device. Having to be on a computer with the software downloaded creates additional work to gain access to all required filings etc. Also, I personally find the linking functionality on the Online version to be much more streamlined and user friendly.
Read full review
Sage
All Sage products work together, and the systems are set up in similar ways, making training/learning easier. Sage is used by many companies locally and internationally, making managing accounts for both providers and clients/customers easier. It is a complete package for macro enterprises.
Read full review
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
Pulsar Tech
No answers on this topic
Intuit
No answers on this topic
Sage
The pricing structure is fair and offers good value for money. The billing is done through their online system and you can access your bills at any time. Most contacts only require 30 days' notice, so no need to feel tied in, although I can't imagine why you would want to leave Sage.
Read full review
Scalability
Pulsar Tech
No answers on this topic
Intuit
As we have grown along our professional path, we have also expanded our use of QB. The scalability is easy and features seem to be waiting for you until you need them. We have increased profits by over 10x from our first year in business to the current and have yet to find a reason to look elsewhere
Read full review
Sage
You can use Sage in your company for various aspects/positions such as bookkeepers, invoicing clerks, accountant, purchasing etc. Everyone can have their own user login and permissions can be set that specific people can do specific jobs without being able to access other peoples progress or accounts of the company.
Read full review
Professional Services
Pulsar Tech
No answers on this topic
Intuit
No answers on this topic
Sage
Do not use
Read full review
Return on Investment
Pulsar Tech
No answers on this topic
Intuit
  • QuickBooks has given us a useful portal by which to get an overview of our financials.
  • QuickBooks has given us a relatively easy way to send out invoices quickly and efficiently.
  • Due to the customization limitations on QuickBooks, we've had to get creative in third-party implementations to better represent our brand and to track financials.
Read full review
Sage
  • Being cloud-based, meaning I can work from anywhere, has had a massive ROI, as I am no longer tied to the office.
  • CoPilot has meant we can spend more hours creating work for our business than chasing for payments.
  • Statement Runs mean we do not have to spend half a day carrying out the tasks individually.
Read full review
ScreenShots

QuickBooks Online Screenshots

Screenshot of the accounting and bank transactions interfaceScreenshot of an overview of the accounting inventoryScreenshot of book marksScreenshot of the business tax overviewScreenshot of the customer hubScreenshot of the dashboard

Sage Accounting Screenshots

Screenshot of the All-in-One DashboardScreenshot of the Accounting DashboardScreenshot of an Invoicing Quote EstimateScreenshot of the Purchases TrackerScreenshot of Stock InventoryScreenshot of a VAT Returns List