Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central vs. Sage 50

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Score 8.0 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (formerly Dynamics NAV) is one of the ERP products in the Dynamics family. The technology is based on the Navision product acquired by Microsoft in 2002. This product is the best-selling Microsoft ERP platform, and is often used by companies in the manufacturing and distribution verticals.
$8
per month per user
Sage 50
Score 7.7 out of 10
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
Sage 50cloud Accounting (formerly Sage 50 Accounting) is accounting software designed for small businesses. Sage 50cloud Accounting (formerly Sage 50, and formerly Peachtree) lets businesses invoice customers, pay bills, manage inventory, control costs, and pay employees. The solution includes high-level dashboards and in-depth reports.
$61.92
per month per user
Pricing
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralSage 50
Editions & Modules
Dynamics 365 Business Central Team Members
$8
per month (billed annually) per user
Dynamics 365 Business Central Essentials
$70
per month (billed annually) per user
Dynamics 365 Business Central Premium
$100
per month (billed annually) per user
Sage 50 Pro Accounting
$61.92
per month
Sage 50 Premium Accounting
$103.92
per month per user
Sage 50 Quantum Accounting 3 User
$177.17
per month per user
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralSage 50
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsAnnual billing plans also available for all products.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralSage 50
Features
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralSage 50
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
6.8
10 Ratings
8% below category average
Sage 50
8.6
19 Ratings
13% above category average
Pay calculation7.010 Ratings8.918 Ratings
Benefit plan administration6.18 Ratings8.013 Ratings
Direct deposit files7.09 Ratings10.014 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings8.014 Ratings
Reimbursement management00 Ratings8.014 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.6
23 Ratings
2% above category average
Sage 50
7.6
14 Ratings
0% above category average
API for custom integration7.522 Ratings8.211 Ratings
Plug-ins7.720 Ratings7.013 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.8
27 Ratings
5% above category average
Sage 50
8.0
29 Ratings
2% below category average
Single sign-on capability8.823 Ratings7.324 Ratings
Role-based user permissions8.926 Ratings8.726 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.6
28 Ratings
4% above category average
Sage 50
8.5
32 Ratings
9% above category average
Dashboards7.424 Ratings8.730 Ratings
Standard reports7.728 Ratings9.132 Ratings
Custom reports7.827 Ratings7.831 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.4
28 Ratings
9% above category average
Sage 50
7.5
35 Ratings
1% below category average
Accounts payable8.827 Ratings9.134 Ratings
Accounts receivable8.626 Ratings8.933 Ratings
Global Financial Support7.715 Ratings5.56 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers8.214 Ratings7.09 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations8.317 Ratings8.922 Ratings
Configurable Accounting7.717 Ratings8.211 Ratings
Standardized Processes8.618 Ratings7.916 Ratings
Cash management00 Ratings8.133 Ratings
Bank reconciliation00 Ratings8.733 Ratings
Expense management00 Ratings8.531 Ratings
Time tracking00 Ratings7.015 Ratings
Fixed asset management00 Ratings7.022 Ratings
Multi-currency support00 Ratings4.012 Ratings
Multi-division support00 Ratings6.416 Ratings
Regulations compliance00 Ratings6.715 Ratings
Electronic tax filing00 Ratings8.618 Ratings
Self-service portal00 Ratings6.513 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings7.710 Ratings
Localizations00 Ratings7.88 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting00 Ratings7.89 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework00 Ratings7.07 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.6
24 Ratings
8% above category average
Sage 50
8.5
21 Ratings
15% above category average
Inventory tracking8.424 Ratings8.121 Ratings
Automatic reordering7.916 Ratings8.012 Ratings
Location management8.320 Ratings8.310 Ratings
Manufacturing module00 Ratings9.09 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.9
26 Ratings
1% above category average
Sage 50
7.7
25 Ratings
3% above category average
Pricing8.323 Ratings8.520 Ratings
Order entry8.623 Ratings8.522 Ratings
Credit card processing6.715 Ratings7.014 Ratings
Cost of goods sold8.921 Ratings7.421 Ratings
Order Orchestration8.512 Ratings7.88 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings7.09 Ratings
Order exception Resolution00 Ratings7.48 Ratings
Subledger and Financial Process
Comparison of Subledger and Financial Process features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.1
18 Ratings
8% above category average
Sage 50
-
Ratings
Billing Management8.116 Ratings00 Ratings
Cash and Asset Management8.317 Ratings00 Ratings
Travel & Expense Management7.212 Ratings00 Ratings
Budgetary Control & Encumbrance Accounting8.114 Ratings00 Ratings
Period Close8.017 Ratings00 Ratings
Project Financial Management
Comparison of Project Financial Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.7
8 Ratings
14% above category average
Sage 50
-
Ratings
Budgeting and Forecasting10.08 Ratings00 Ratings
Project Costing10.07 Ratings00 Ratings
Cost Capture10.08 Ratings00 Ratings
Capital Project Management8.05 Ratings00 Ratings
Customer Contract Compliance10.06 Ratings00 Ratings
Project Revenue Recognition8.04 Ratings00 Ratings
Project Execution Management
Comparison of Project Execution Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.5
10 Ratings
6% above category average
Sage 50
-
Ratings
Project Planning and Scheduling7.29 Ratings00 Ratings
Task Insight for Project Managers6.89 Ratings00 Ratings
Project Mobile Functionality6.88 Ratings00 Ratings
Definable Resource Pools6.69 Ratings00 Ratings
Grants Management
Comparison of Grants Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.9
7 Ratings
19% above category average
Sage 50
-
Ratings
Award Lifecycle Management6.77 Ratings00 Ratings
Procurement
Comparison of Procurement features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.8
14 Ratings
11% above category average
Sage 50
-
Ratings
Bids Analyzed and Compared6.88 Ratings00 Ratings
Contract Authoring6.68 Ratings00 Ratings
Contract Repository7.08 Ratings00 Ratings
Requisitions-to-Purchase Orders Integrated7.912 Ratings00 Ratings
Supplier Management7.211 Ratings00 Ratings
Risk Management
Comparison of Risk Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.2
10 Ratings
21% above category average
Sage 50
-
Ratings
Risk Repository6.89 Ratings00 Ratings
Control Management6.99 Ratings00 Ratings
Control Efficiency Assessments6.89 Ratings00 Ratings
Issue Detection7.29 Ratings00 Ratings
Remediation and Certification7.57 Ratings00 Ratings
Logistics
Comparison of Logistics features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.5
8 Ratings
9% above category average
Sage 50
-
Ratings
Transportation Planning and Optimization6.76 Ratings00 Ratings
Transportation Execution Management6.76 Ratings00 Ratings
Trade and Customs Management7.36 Ratings00 Ratings
Fulfillment Management7.18 Ratings00 Ratings
Warehouse Workforce Management8.56 Ratings00 Ratings
Manufacturing
Comparison of Manufacturing features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.8
8 Ratings
5% above category average
Sage 50
-
Ratings
Production Process Design8.56 Ratings00 Ratings
Production Management8.27 Ratings00 Ratings
Configuration Management6.76 Ratings00 Ratings
Work Execution8.56 Ratings00 Ratings
Manufacturing Costs7.98 Ratings00 Ratings
Supply Chain
Comparison of Supply Chain features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.6
10 Ratings
6% above category average
Sage 50
-
Ratings
Forecasting6.710 Ratings00 Ratings
Inventory Planning7.710 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance Monitoring7.010 Ratings00 Ratings
Product Lifecycle Management
Comparison of Product Lifecycle Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.9
7 Ratings
21% above category average
Sage 50
-
Ratings
Proposal Management7.26 Ratings00 Ratings
Product Master Data Management7.96 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralSage 50
Small Businesses
Zoho One
Zoho One
Score 9.5 out of 10
QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
Score 6.8 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Infor VISUAL
Infor VISUAL
Score 7.5 out of 10
Zoho Books
Zoho Books
Score 9.1 out of 10
Enterprises
24SevenOffice
24SevenOffice
Score 9.0 out of 10
Oracle Fusion Cloud Enterprise Performance Management
Oracle Fusion Cloud Enterprise Performance Management
Score 7.6 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralSage 50
Likelihood to Recommend
8.3
(29 ratings)
9.1
(44 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(1 ratings)
9.1
(14 ratings)
Usability
8.5
(9 ratings)
8.7
(15 ratings)
Availability
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
10.0
(2 ratings)
10.0
(7 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(5 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralSage 50
Likelihood to Recommend
Microsoft
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is well suited for inventory management in all aspects. Its accessibility, along with my other apps, when out of the office is unparalleled. I find it easy to work with on a desktop or laptop; however, it could use some work on a mobile device.
Read full review
Sage
Sage 50 Accounts is well-suited for small to medium-sized enterprises, where there is a moderate number of expenses and invoices that need processing, typically by a company with a smaller finance team. Sage 50 is probably less suitable for a large organisation that needs to handle a higher volume of transactions and manage significant stock levels.
Read full review
Pros
Microsoft
  • Automate the creation of bills of materials for production. We can now generate a BoM from a sales order.
  • Organization of all data pertaining to thousands of parts, assemblies, and finished goods. Engineering and purchasing have a common portal.
  • We can create sales orders from quotations instead of re-entering them (this did require some bolt-on software). Less redundant work with fewer entry errors.
  • Accounting can provide reports based on specific criteria stored in NAV. We can pull better and more detailed intelligence.
Read full review
Sage
  • We can build "templates" for recurrent charges/invoices. This saves some time and also ensures that we always use the right accounting rubric.
  • A lot of additional information can be filled out such as client information (name, address, ...) which makes the software a little more complete.
  • If you don't need an updated version every year (my case) then the software is not too expensive. The pro version that I'm using was just a little over $300.
  • I really like the banking statement consolidation which allows you to ensure you got the right information registered.
Read full review
Cons
Microsoft
  • Some functions could be a bit more user friendly, intuitive.
  • Better migration from previous ERP software (especially other Microsoft products). "Growing pains" associated with change?! Maybe.
  • A few redundancies and procedural missteps on menus and tabs can make the portal a bit crowded.
Read full review
Sage
  • Sage 50 could use some improvement in the Invoicing Module to allow for more flexibility in the design of the Invoice fields. The report customization tools could use some upgrading for easier use.
  • Fixed assets management module needs to be included with unlimited number of fixed assets.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Microsoft
We've already decided to continue using this software. It is too expensive for us to upgrade so we made a workaround by using the virtual computer with Windows XP installed on it. We did research replacing this software, but it was a better financial decision to keep what we had instead
Read full review
Sage
I use this rating simply because I have a thriving Sage 50 consulting practice and will continue to keep my expertise in the product. I have consulted on both Sage 50 and QuickBooks for over 25 years so I have to maintain expertise in the solution as well as accounting and verticals.
Read full review
Usability
Microsoft
Best in terms of reporting or coming up with a great dashboard. Seamlessly collaborated with teams without depending on particular device as its web version is the buddy for people with work flexibility. Licensing price and integrations can be the areas of improvement and can simplify the interface which will be easy for a new user.
Read full review
Sage
I think Sage 50 is a trusted product and is reliable from a product delivery and support perspective. They have deep domain expertise in the non-profit space and should be a consideration for new non-profit startups or existing non-profits looking to migrate from other platforms. Overall, I believe that Sage 50 does many things well with few limitations.
Read full review
Support Rating
Microsoft
It provides one to efficiently be able to manage bookkeeping and inventory without much challenges. One can easily navigate through workflow processes while managing usages and budgets. Being able to produce reports in Word, Excel or PDF means one is able to have a working document to produce trends and graphs or produce pivot tables.
Read full review
Sage
They were very knowledgeable of the product, understood my timeline was limited for a software issue and allowed me to get back to my day to day work. The dial into your computer is great so you can monitor what they are doing and learn some tricks yourself
Read full review
Implementation Rating
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Sage
We implemented Sage 50 Premium Accounting in house, not using any third party or professional service. It was a relatively trouble free process, but can be tricky. Just read all instructions carefully, especially if you need to load the program on a network with more than one user
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Microsoft
I have personally supported all of the Dynamic family of ERP systems and made the decision to concentrate on NAV as the solution of choice. From a support and development standpoint there are few if any packages that can compare. It is not uncommon for most of the companies that I support to only call me once or twice a month after the first year. This is due to the ease of tracking down problems and errors and the ability for a developer to provide the end-user with routines that automatically correct the most basic kind of error
Read full review
Sage
As we did the conversion almost 10 years ago it is hard to answer this question. At the time it was the ease of being able to produce both cash and accrual financial statements and reporting that led us to pick Sage
Read full review
Scalability
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Sage
I define scalable from two perspectives; 1) the scalability to handle more bookkeepers/accountants using the product, and 2) the scalability to handle increasing customer/vendor/employee and transactional data. Sage 50 does a good job on both fronts. From the single users operating a micro-business accounting for customer invoices and bill payments only, to the multi-staff, multi-location, multi-departmental complex transactional operation. Although Sage 50 is quite expensive for that smallest user, it is quite inexpensive for the larger business entity. So, for the new enterprise expecting rapid growth, Sage 50 is the application of choice.
Read full review
Return on Investment
Microsoft
  • Automation processing, including EDI functionality, has increased employee efficiency and prevented the need for adding additional employees.
  • Implementation of the warehouse functionality, including cycle counts, has resulted in better inventory control/less shrinkage.
  • Implementation of e-Ship and e-Receive, has resulted in greater efficiency and order accuracy.
Read full review
Sage
  • Sage definitely needs to do a better job with customer service. I have had to use them only a handful of times and it was not a great experience but not the worse I've seen. They didn't make us a priority and I felt that they didn't have a sense of urgency. They did address my lack of satisfaction and I can see that they are at least aware of the issues and they are trying to correct them.
  • Sage is exactly what we need in my current organization and I wouldn't change it for another system. I have used quite a few in my lifetime and I would say that it fits our needs.
Read full review
ScreenShots