FreeAgent vs. Sage Accounting

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
FreeAgent
Score 8.1 out of 10
N/A
FreeAgent 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.N/A
Sage Accounting
Score 7.7 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.
$10
per month
Pricing
FreeAgentSage Accounting
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
FreeAgentSage Accounting
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsVersions and pricing listed are for US products. Versions available and pricing may vary by country.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
FreeAgentSage Accounting
Considered Both Products
FreeAgent

No answer on this topic

Sage Accounting
Chose Sage Accounting
Sage Accounting produces better-quality reports and is more user-friendly.
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 …
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.
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
FreeAgentSage Accounting
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
FreeAgent
8.6
13 Ratings
14% above category average
Sage Accounting
9.1
14 Ratings
20% above category average
Pay calculation8.012 Ratings9.212 Ratings
Benefit plan administration8.56 Ratings9.18 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.92 Ratings9.19 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.86 Ratings9.18 Ratings
Reimbursement management8.78 Ratings9.19 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
FreeAgent
5.5
11 Ratings
25% below category average
Sage Accounting
8.3
17 Ratings
16% above category average
API for custom integration4.59 Ratings9.814 Ratings
Plug-ins6.410 Ratings6.813 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
FreeAgent
8.5
14 Ratings
8% above category average
Sage Accounting
8.9
34 Ratings
12% above category average
Single sign-on capability9.013 Ratings8.624 Ratings
Role-based user permissions8.013 Ratings9.131 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
FreeAgent
7.8
20 Ratings
3% above category average
Sage Accounting
6.5
36 Ratings
15% below category average
Dashboards10.018 Ratings1.933 Ratings
Standard reports9.018 Ratings8.836 Ratings
Custom reports4.410 Ratings8.727 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
FreeAgent
9.3
22 Ratings
23% above category average
Sage Accounting
7.8
39 Ratings
5% above category average
Accounts payable10.017 Ratings9.335 Ratings
Accounts receivable10.019 Ratings9.237 Ratings
Cash management10.017 Ratings9.131 Ratings
Bank reconciliation10.018 Ratings9.036 Ratings
Expense management10.021 Ratings9.829 Ratings
Time tracking10.016 Ratings6.89 Ratings
Fixed asset management8.611 Ratings2.523 Ratings
Multi-currency support9.17 Ratings7.214 Ratings
Multi-division support9.05 Ratings3.513 Ratings
Regulations compliance8.78 Ratings8.422 Ratings
Electronic tax filing9.018 Ratings8.819 Ratings
Self-service portal9.011 Ratings8.622 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations8.01 Ratings8.225 Ratings
Global Financial Support00 Ratings8.27 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings8.110 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings6.98 Ratings
Localizations00 Ratings7.87 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting00 Ratings8.39 Ratings
Configurable Accounting00 Ratings8.013 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework00 Ratings7.66 Ratings
Standardized Processes00 Ratings8.113 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
FreeAgent
7.4
4 Ratings
5% above category average
Sage Accounting
8.1
14 Ratings
14% above category average
Inventory tracking7.72 Ratings6.214 Ratings
Automatic reordering8.21 Ratings9.15 Ratings
Location management4.51 Ratings8.26 Ratings
Manufacturing module9.11 Ratings9.04 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
FreeAgent
8.1
13 Ratings
9% above category average
Sage Accounting
6.7
22 Ratings
10% below category average
Pricing8.19 Ratings8.713 Ratings
Order entry6.82 Ratings7.710 Ratings
Credit card processing8.25 Ratings7.814 Ratings
Cost of goods sold9.13 Ratings6.817 Ratings
Order Orchestration00 Ratings4.14 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings7.05 Ratings
Order exception Resolution00 Ratings5.04 Ratings
Best Alternatives
FreeAgentSage Accounting
Small Businesses
Dext Prepare (with Receipt Bank)
Dext Prepare (with Receipt Bank)
Score 9.1 out of 10
Dext Prepare (with Receipt Bank)
Dext Prepare (with Receipt Bank)
Score 9.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Accounting Seed
Accounting Seed
Score 8.3 out of 10
Accounting Seed
Accounting Seed
Score 8.3 out of 10
Enterprises
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Score 8.2 out of 10
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Score 8.2 out of 10
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User Ratings
FreeAgentSage Accounting
Likelihood to Recommend
10.0
(22 ratings)
9.5
(45 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
9.4
(4 ratings)
Usability
9.1
(4 ratings)
9.2
(16 ratings)
Availability
8.9
(5 ratings)
8.4
(2 ratings)
Performance
9.1
(1 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.2
(16 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.4
(3 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
9.2
(2 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.2
(1 ratings)
7.2
(2 ratings)
Professional Services
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
9.6
(2 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
9.6
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
FreeAgentSage Accounting
Likelihood to Recommend
FreeAgent
FreeAgent is really suited to the financial management of a small business. Especially an owner managed business as it provides all the tools to keep on top of finances. It can reduce the need for a bookkeeper as it is easy to add expenses and reconcile them with the linked bank accounts. The integrated payroll would also reduce the need for third-party management of such processes. Would still recommend the use of an accountant to advise on more complex financial requirements.
Read full review
Sage
VAT returns are so simple to do. Just a click of a button and it produces a report for the period in concern. Submitting the return is then just a single click. The only thing I wish it would do is remind me when my VAT submissions are coming up so that I can avoid penalties.
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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
  • Traceability - where you are spending. I started with a spreadsheet which had a column for 'electronics & computing' this captured everything from monthly software subscriptions to hardware and from light bulbs to dash cams. Sage has helped me streamline the spending.
  • MTD - I am MTD compliant, although I do not need to be as my accountant is and they complete my HMRC submissions. It does mean that I have a contingency plan if I have to change this service.
  • Debtor's - It is easy to be a busy fool and not realise that accounts are overdue. For a small business, the restriction in cash flow due to late paying clients is a killer. The dashboard feature helps with this.
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.
Read full review
Sage
  • I find it difficult to record journals in cloud accounting. Maybe I just don’t have the knowledge.
  • It’s important to export all unrecorded sync bank transactions to Excel to send to clients to explain the payment receipts before being posted. This function is not available on the cloud and makes life harder, having to call out the transactions to clients over the phone.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
FreeAgent
No answers on this topic
Sage
I could not live without Sage Accounting, it has become an integral part of my everyday. The more I have used Sage Accounting the more I have fallen in love with it. I am excited to be part of this ever-evolving accounting system that has grown from strength to strength, making life easier is something Sage does so well.
Read full review
Usability
FreeAgent
I spent nearly two decades in IT and am happy to say that FreeAgent's user interface is one of the best interfaces I have ever used.
Read full review
Sage
Sage Accounting is built for the business owner/user and not the accountant, it therefore guides the user and thus detailed accounting knowledge and experience is not a necessarily a prerequisite . It offers a monthly price and therefore no significant up front spend and it tailorable to your business with useful dashboards that again you can tailor to instantly see what's important to you.
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Reliability and Availability
FreeAgent
Based in a cloud and never had any issues with down time. I can access from any device
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Sage
Sage Accounting availability is generally very good. They post messages which appear on users screen time to time, highlighting where functionality in a particular area is undergoing maintenance. More often than not, maintenance is completed in a timescale quicker than initially estimated by Sage. Where significant maintenance is required, Sage usually perform it overnight.
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Performance
FreeAgent
No answers on this topic
Sage
Sage Accounting work quickly and performs well, I have never had an issue with it running slow. It integrates with other software swiftly, so no waiting for the screen to load. Error messages are only something I have had when I have done something wrong.
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Support Rating
FreeAgent
No answers on this topic
Sage
The support is world class - never ever during 30 plus years in business I have received such helpful, knowledgeable and genuine support as I have from Sage. At Sage people matter and i can chat to someone safe in the knowledge that they will actually listen and assist. This also backed up by huge online portfolio of help and resources
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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.
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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.
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Implementation Rating
FreeAgent
No answers on this topic
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.
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Alternatives Considered
FreeAgent
I used Fresh Books for about three years prior to switching to FreeAgent. It was the accounting functionality that made the difference - in the past two years I've not regretted the switch. Fresh Books is good, but its the UK accounting features that make FreeAgent indispensable to my business.
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Sage
Sage Accounting is a simpler, more streamlined version of the more complex Sage 50cloud Accounting. For a small, simpler company Sage Accounting is a much more cost-effective option. There are a few features that Sage 50cloud Accounting has that Sage Accounting does not have (such as making e-payments and a few reports are unavailable) but it is still a very good product.
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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.
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Scalability
FreeAgent
No answers on this topic
Sage
I do not consider Sage Accounting to be Sage's best product for scaling up business as its functionality for doing so is limited. Sage 50 Accounts or Sage Intaact are far more suited for this. I would evaluate very carefully the possible need in the future for scalability in the first instance before selecting software.
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Professional Services
FreeAgent
No answers on this topic
Sage
Sage has always been extremely professional, and they continue to be professional in their dealings with me.
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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.
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Sage
  • Sage One has allowed us to provided better customer service to all our clients. It has allowed us to provide a reasonable price accounting product to our customer who typically just have handwritten invoices, or Excel spreadsheets.
  • Sage One has reduced the manual data entry that my team does on a monthly basis, which in turn allows us to have more time for our customers.
Read full review
ScreenShots

Sage Accounting Screenshots

Screenshot of The financial dashboard, with business insightsScreenshot of View of paid and unpaid invoicesScreenshot of Invoice designer, to add a logo, company info, and terms