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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    FreeAgent

    Score5.6 out of 10
    N/AFreeAgent is an cloud-based accounting system designed for small businesses and freelancers. FreeAgent supports many core accounting features and bank reconciliation, payroll, tax management, project level accounting, and multiple currency support. It is mobile-accessible, and integrates with many apps.

    $13.50

    per month

    Sage Accounting

    Score7.5 out of 10
    N/ASage 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
    FreeAgentSage Accounting
    Editions & Modules
    FreeAgent
    $13.50
    per month
    FreeAgent
    $135
    per year
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    FreeAgentSage Accounting
    Free Trial
    YesYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level 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
    FreeAgentSage Accounting
    Considered Both Products
    FreeAgent
    Chose FreeAgent
    As a free software for Mettle users it is excellent choice and great value for money especially for micro businesses. It does the needed bank imports and reconciliations, however compared to more advanced products like Xero or QuickBooks it lacks the flexibility of those …
    Incentivized
    Sage
    Chose Sage Accounting
    The free version is not as good as FreeAgent, but it’s free! However, if you have a NatWest or Mettle business bank account, FreeAgent is free, so if you’re willing to move, that could be better.
    Incentivized
    Chose Sage Accounting
    Sage Accounting has wider functionality and superior HMRC integration
    Incentivized
    Chose Sage Accounting
    I think Sage Accounting is much better than their competitors; Clients have found the 24/7 support invaluable for when our office is closed, including the Help videos on the Sage website and YouTube
    Incentivized
    Chose Sage Accounting
    Sage Accounting produces better-quality reports and is more user-friendly.
    Incentivized
    Chose Sage Accounting
    I'd personally put Sage Accounting on a par with Xero but significantly ahead of Quickbooks. I'd say the choice falls down to individual needs and choice. Sage Accounting offers a fair and not substantial monthly cost, with this being a monthly cost that's helpful particularly …
    Incentivized
    Chose Sage Accounting
    Its far more flexible, much better value for money, UK based with accessible and intelligent support. Unlike the other software providers Sage is low on gimmicks and high on usable content. It does what it needs to do exceptionally well and it is constantly evolving.
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    85%
    Would buy again
    163 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    85%
    Delivers good value for the price
    145 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    85%
    Happy with the feature set
    162 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    83%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    119 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    82%
    Implementation went as expected
    130 Answers
    Features
    FreeAgentSage Accounting
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of FreeAgent and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    FreeAgent
    8.6
    13 Ratings
    13% above category average
    Sage Accounting
    9.3
    19 Ratings
    21% above category average
    Pay calculation8.012 Ratings10.015 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration8.56 Ratings9.312 Ratings
    Direct deposit files8.92 Ratings8.812 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management8.86 Ratings9.410 Ratings
    Reimbursement management8.78 Ratings9.112 Ratings
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of FreeAgent and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    FreeAgent
    6.7
    13 Ratings
    12% below category average
    Sage Accounting
    8.6
    23 Ratings
    13% above category average
    API for custom integration4.59 Ratings9.120 Ratings
    Plug-ins8.912 Ratings8.017 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of FreeAgent and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    FreeAgent
    8.5
    14 Ratings
    4% above category average
    Sage Accounting
    9.7
    42 Ratings
    17% above category average
    Single sign-on capability9.013 Ratings9.931 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions8.013 Ratings9.539 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of FreeAgent and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    FreeAgent
    6.4
    23 Ratings
    20% below category average
    Sage Accounting
    9.3
    44 Ratings
    18% above category average
    Dashboards7.121 Ratings8.340 Ratings
    Standard reports7.621 Ratings9.844 Ratings
    Custom reports4.410 Ratings9.735 Ratings
    General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
    Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of FreeAgent and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    FreeAgent
    8.7
    25 Ratings
    13% above category average
    Sage Accounting
    8.8
    200 Ratings
    14% above category average
    Accounts payable8.020 Ratings8.1187 Ratings
    Accounts receivable8.522 Ratings9.945 Ratings
    Cash management8.520 Ratings8.3159 Ratings
    Bank reconciliation9.020 Ratings7.9190 Ratings
    Expense management8.924 Ratings9.934 Ratings
    Time tracking9.018 Ratings6.611 Ratings
    Fixed asset management8.611 Ratings8.428 Ratings
    Multi-currency support8.110 Ratings10.018 Ratings
    Multi-division support9.05 Ratings9.918 Ratings
    Regulations compliance8.78 Ratings9.529 Ratings
    Electronic tax filing9.120 Ratings7.3102 Ratings
    Self-service portal9.011 Ratings10.025 Ratings
    Journals and Reconciliations8.01 Ratings9.033 Ratings
    Global Financial Support00 Ratings9.38 Ratings
    Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings9.515 Ratings
    Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings8.111 Ratings
    Localizations00 Ratings8.49 Ratings
    Enterprise Accounting00 Ratings6.910 Ratings
    Configurable Accounting00 Ratings9.318 Ratings
    Centralized Rules Framework00 Ratings8.98 Ratings
    Standardized Processes00 Ratings9.520 Ratings
    Inventory Management
    Comparison of Inventory Management features of FreeAgent and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    FreeAgent
    7.4
    4 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Sage Accounting
    6.9
    17 Ratings
    5% below category average
    Inventory tracking7.72 Ratings6.717 Ratings
    Automatic reordering8.21 Ratings8.36 Ratings
    Location management4.51 Ratings5.77 Ratings
    Manufacturing module9.11 Ratings7.05 Ratings
    Order Management
    Comparison of Order Management features of FreeAgent and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    FreeAgent
    8.1
    13 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Sage Accounting
    8.2
    28 Ratings
    10% above category average
    Pricing8.19 Ratings9.917 Ratings
    Order entry6.82 Ratings7.615 Ratings
    Credit card processing8.25 Ratings8.118 Ratings
    Cost of goods sold9.13 Ratings7.620 Ratings
    Order Orchestration00 Ratings7.66 Ratings
    End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings7.57 Ratings
    Order exception Resolution00 Ratings8.95 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    FreeAgentSage Accounting
    Small Businesses
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Score4.3 out of 10
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Score4.3 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    MYOB
    Score8.3 out of 10
    MYOB
    Score8.3 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Microsoft Dynamics GP
    Score5.3 out of 10
    Microsoft Dynamics GP
    Score5.3 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    FreeAgentSage Accounting
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.0
    (25 ratings)
    7.4
    (218 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.0
    (27 ratings)
    Usability
    8.5
    (6 ratings)
    7.9
    (185 ratings)
    Availability
    8.9
    (5 ratings)
    8.5
    (12 ratings)
    Performance
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    7.7
    (12 ratings)
    Support Rating
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.6
    (30 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (3 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.8
    (5 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.7
    (10 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (10 ratings)
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.5
    (6 ratings)
    CPA Rating
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.0
    (4 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    6.9
    (11 ratings)
    Professional Services
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.2
    (3 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.5
    (9 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.7
    (9 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    FreeAgentSage Accounting
    Likelihood to Recommend
    FreeAgent
    For micro and small business it is a great solution. The new requirements for MTD for landlords could also be met with this software. Groups and more complex businesses could not use the accounts and tax returns features, however they still could use it for bookkeeping and then export the data to other tax and accounts production software.
    Read full review
    Sage
    Sage Accounting seems appropriate for a small business that has basic accounting needs and is just starting from the beginning to set up its accounting software. It is less appropriate for businesses that have been using Sage 50, as Sage Accounting Standard does not successfully transfer important data from Sage 50.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    FreeAgent
    • Accounting! As you'd expect. Makes it much simpler andmore cost effective. In-coming and out-goings are recorded and assigned to projects and accounts. My accountant can access my books and reconcile so much more easily than trawling through spreadsheets.
    • Time billing - time spent on projects/client work is recorded and is ready to be invoiced as required. Saves so much time and prevents inaccuracies.
    • Invoicing - again, it should do this well and it does. Non payment reminders are automatic and clients have no excuses for not knowing the status of their account.
    • Account dashboard - gives me an instant overview of the health of the business (am I on track to meet my yearly targets) and my accounts.
    Read full review
    Sage
    • Cloud Based - I work from different offices so I can access anywhere.
    • Whether paying a bill or receiving a payment it's done similarly. The consistency makes it easy to get in workflow.
    • I appreciate the setup of the statements - easy to read.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    FreeAgent
    • Reporting on financials, time tracking and project status is a little poor. It's adequate for what what we need, but would be great to see more advanced features.
    • API is quite closed so cannot integrate with our other project management tools.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Sage
    • Sorting reports - I want to sort my projects by what has and has not been paid, and this is unavailable.
    • Print preview.
    • FONT SIZE: This should be an option directly available to increase screen font sizes. Also, report font adjustments are incredibly difficult.
    • Understanding all options and the performance the program can do, I would much prefer an in-person session or scheduled webinar because it is far too overwhelming to search forums/help centers. Just a useless vortex to get sucked into.
    • Updates are easier than they used to be, but there’s still a big communication barrier. E.g., I install updates and restart programs, and then the next day or two it tells me to restart again because there have been updates. I know, I installed them already! It’s frustrating.
    • Removing inactive vendors or clients - why is this so difficult? Can I not just delete and move to the next one? Every time I try it, it just defaults back to the top of the report… It’s fine for the first couple of letters in the alphabet, but that’s about all. Multi-select would be nice!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    FreeAgent
    We have used Freeagent for many years now and it serves us well for our needs. To change it would mean a lot of work, and this would most likely only happen if the cost became prohibitive to us.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Sage
    Because we don't have time to migrate to a new system. So, we are kind of stuck with this system until our company grows or we are in a better financial position to afford the larger expense of moving to a new platform and doing what it should be doing in the first place.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    FreeAgent
    It is a great software that does everything we need for small business clients. It allows to keep the books in a cloud from bookkeeping to accounts production and tax returns, all in one software. There are no major drawbacks and I would highly recommend it for most of our clients.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Sage
    I find Sage's usability very intuitive. Everything from data entry to high level reporting it easy to navigate. Some of the other accounting software programs I have used have not had adequate forms or menus to help navigate the program. Sage does a good job of balancing providing the proper forms without being overly difficult to understand or use
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    FreeAgent
    Based in a cloud and never had any issues with down time. I can access from any device
    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
    FreeAgent
    No answers on this topic
    Sage
    The day-to-day performance is very good. Items such as transactions or reports load and process quickly. You never feel like you're waiting in Sage. I have never seen Sage Accounting affect the speed or performance of any integrated system. However, I do think when you are bringing very old files up to date the updates are slow but that'll be a rare occurrence and not reflective of the day-to-day usage.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    FreeAgent
    I have never personally used support
    Incentivized
    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
    FreeAgent
    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
    FreeAgent
    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
    FreeAgent
    Did not participate
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Sage
    This was generally a very straightforward process. I have previously implemented other software which required considerable external support. I implemented Sage Accounting with only a minimal amount of reference to the Sage support desk. I was extremely pleased with the implementation process.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    FreeAgent
    I have used and tested out many other systems. I was looking at Xero for my accounting system but at the time I chose FreeAgent because of the way it handles the recording of dividends and the inbuilt time recording. The others I trialed were good and many of them cheaper. FreeAgent best suited my requirements at the time.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Sage
    I also like Quickbooks Desktop, however, they are forcing customers to switch to Quickbooks Online. I will be moving forward with SAGE in this case, unless there is a valid reason the client would like to use QBO instead. I have not used the version of SAGE where the client doesn't need to purchase the full version, themselves, in order to access their file so this is something that I may consider looking into, in the near future, for this reason.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    FreeAgent
    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
    FreeAgent
    No answers on this topic
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Professional Services
    FreeAgent
    No answers on this topic
    Sage
    Do not use
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    FreeAgent
    • Professional and uniform offering providing great confident customer service. My clients love it, whether they use it a little or a lot. It's a great piece of software - while sophisticated, it's straightforward to use.
    • Time saving and efficient use of my team's time. Being able to easily share and compare work / tasks.
    Read full review
    Sage
    • Sage has allowed us to be self-supporting and to perform full-cycle accounting up to the point of handing off to the accountant at year-end.
    • We are self-sustaining and do not need outside accounting assistance, such as an independent bookkeeper.
    • Sage has allowed us to save money at year's end, as we can do all the prep internally up until the handoff to the accountant, minimizing the hours he has to spend on our file.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    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