Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central vs. Sage 50cloud Accounting

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Score 7.9 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.N/A
Sage 50cloud Accounting
Score 7.8 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.
$299
per year
Pricing
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralSage 50cloud Accounting
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Sage 50 Pro Accounting
$299
per year
Sage 50 Premium Accounting
$449
per year
Sage 50 Quantum Accounting 3 User
Starting at $1,499
per year
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralSage 50cloud Accounting
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsAnnual traditional plan with license, monthly, and annual subscription plans available.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralSage 50cloud Accounting
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralSage 50cloud Accounting
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.6
6 Ratings
5% above category average
Sage 50cloud Accounting
9.0
14 Ratings
23% above category average
Pay calculation7.86 Ratings9.014 Ratings
Benefit plan administration7.04 Ratings9.011 Ratings
Direct deposit files9.35 Ratings9.011 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings9.013 Ratings
Reimbursement management00 Ratings9.013 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.0
16 Ratings
9% above category average
Sage 50cloud Accounting
9.0
10 Ratings
27% above category average
API for custom integration8.015 Ratings9.08 Ratings
Plug-ins8.013 Ratings9.09 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
9.0
20 Ratings
10% above category average
Sage 50cloud Accounting
9.0
19 Ratings
14% above category average
Single sign-on capability9.016 Ratings9.017 Ratings
Role-based user permissions9.020 Ratings9.017 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
5.1
21 Ratings
31% below category average
Sage 50cloud Accounting
9.0
21 Ratings
19% above category average
Dashboards5.117 Ratings9.020 Ratings
Standard reports5.121 Ratings9.021 Ratings
Custom reports5.120 Ratings9.020 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
8.8
21 Ratings
14% above category average
Sage 50cloud Accounting
8.7
24 Ratings
19% above category average
Accounts payable9.020 Ratings9.023 Ratings
Accounts receivable8.419 Ratings9.022 Ratings
Global Financial Support9.08 Ratings9.04 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers10.07 Ratings6.95 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations10.010 Ratings9.011 Ratings
Configurable Accounting10.010 Ratings9.06 Ratings
Standardized Processes9.011 Ratings9.09 Ratings
Cash management00 Ratings9.022 Ratings
Bank reconciliation00 Ratings9.022 Ratings
Expense management00 Ratings9.022 Ratings
Time tracking00 Ratings9.012 Ratings
Fixed asset management00 Ratings9.013 Ratings
Multi-currency support00 Ratings8.910 Ratings
Multi-division support00 Ratings9.010 Ratings
Regulations compliance00 Ratings9.09 Ratings
Electronic tax filing00 Ratings9.08 Ratings
Self-service portal00 Ratings9.07 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings9.06 Ratings
Localizations00 Ratings6.95 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting00 Ratings9.06 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework00 Ratings7.34 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.7
16 Ratings
10% above category average
Sage 50cloud Accounting
9.0
16 Ratings
29% above category average
Inventory tracking9.016 Ratings9.016 Ratings
Automatic reordering6.79 Ratings9.010 Ratings
Location management9.013 Ratings9.07 Ratings
Manufacturing module00 Ratings9.08 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.9
19 Ratings
2% above category average
Sage 50cloud Accounting
8.4
17 Ratings
17% above category average
Pricing7.117 Ratings9.014 Ratings
Order entry8.016 Ratings9.016 Ratings
Credit card processing10.011 Ratings9.011 Ratings
Cost of goods sold8.015 Ratings9.015 Ratings
Order Orchestration8.05 Ratings7.85 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings7.35 Ratings
Order exception Resolution00 Ratings7.85 Ratings
Subledger and Financial Process
Comparison of Subledger and Financial Process features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.4
11 Ratings
12% above category average
Sage 50cloud Accounting
-
Ratings
Billing Management8.39 Ratings00 Ratings
Cash and Asset Management9.010 Ratings00 Ratings
Travel & Expense Management7.86 Ratings00 Ratings
Budgetary Control & Encumbrance Accounting8.37 Ratings00 Ratings
Period Close10.010 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
13% above category average
Sage 50cloud Accounting
-
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
7.7
4 Ratings
12% above category average
Sage 50cloud Accounting
-
Ratings
Project Planning and Scheduling8.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Task Insight for Project Managers8.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Project Mobile Functionality8.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Definable Resource Pools7.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Grants Management
Comparison of Grants Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
9.7
3 Ratings
25% above category average
Sage 50cloud Accounting
-
Ratings
Award Lifecycle Management10.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Procurement
Comparison of Procurement features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.0
6 Ratings
14% above category average
Sage 50cloud Accounting
-
Ratings
Bids Analyzed and Compared8.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Contract Authoring8.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Contract Repository7.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Requisitions-to-Purchase Orders Integrated7.55 Ratings00 Ratings
Supplier Management8.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Risk Management
Comparison of Risk Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
9.6
3 Ratings
38% above category average
Sage 50cloud Accounting
-
Ratings
Risk Repository9.32 Ratings00 Ratings
Control Management9.43 Ratings00 Ratings
Control Efficiency Assessments9.32 Ratings00 Ratings
Issue Detection10.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Remediation and Certification9.72 Ratings00 Ratings
Logistics
Comparison of Logistics features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.7
3 Ratings
12% above category average
Sage 50cloud Accounting
-
Ratings
Transportation Planning and Optimization8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Transportation Execution Management8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Trade and Customs Management8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Fulfillment Management7.93 Ratings00 Ratings
Warehouse Workforce Management8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Manufacturing
Comparison of Manufacturing features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.1
3 Ratings
6% below category average
Sage 50cloud Accounting
-
Ratings
Production Process Design9.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Production Management5.83 Ratings00 Ratings
Configuration Management1.32 Ratings00 Ratings
Work Execution9.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Manufacturing Costs8.63 Ratings00 Ratings
Supply Chain
Comparison of Supply Chain features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
9.5
5 Ratings
27% above category average
Sage 50cloud Accounting
-
Ratings
Forecasting9.05 Ratings00 Ratings
Inventory Planning10.05 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance Monitoring10.05 Ratings00 Ratings
Product Lifecycle Management
Comparison of Product Lifecycle Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
9.3
2 Ratings
25% above category average
Sage 50cloud Accounting
-
Ratings
Proposal Management9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Product Master Data Management9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralSage 50cloud Accounting
Small Businesses
Acumatica
Acumatica
Score 8.8 out of 10
Dext Prepare (with Receipt Bank)
Dext Prepare (with Receipt Bank)
Score 9.2 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Infor VISUAL
Infor VISUAL
Score 7.1 out of 10
Accounting Seed
Accounting Seed
Score 8.3 out of 10
Enterprises
SAP Business ByDesign
SAP Business ByDesign
Score 7.4 out of 10
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Score 8.0 out of 10
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User Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralSage 50cloud Accounting
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(21 ratings)
9.0
(34 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(1 ratings)
9.6
(12 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(3 ratings)
10.0
(8 ratings)
Availability
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
10.0
(2 ratings)
10.0
(7 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(4 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralSage 50cloud Accounting
Likelihood to Recommend
Microsoft
It addresses well some integration and connectivity issues with other software and adapted technologies: formulation and manufacturing batching software, scanners and bar codes, inventory, financials, emailing of invoices and statement, sales and purchasing... etc. I believe it to be better suited to a medium to large company. Not as simple and seamless as we expected for migrating from another Microsoft Dynamics software product (we moved from GP to NAV). Our staff is going through a tougher time than we thought to learn some procedures. Normal growing pains?!
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Sage
Sage is great for portability and exchange with external accountants as it is widely used and people will be able to read your data in. It's a very good and complete solution for a little business where one person can handle all of the accounting. I doubt that it scales well to large companies with several in-house accountants working at the same time.
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
  • It has the capability of "Single Click" processes that allows you to turn Quotes into orders, instant invoicing and track A/R in the Order Screen
  • I can email Sales Orders directly to my Customer and also remind them of past due from a single screen. I can track Project, Closeouts, Over Seas order by setting up Jobs and clicking the job name in Order Entry.
  • You can use recurring entries and copy and paste on the P&L, using masking for department reporting and budgeting
  • You can use the BI feature and export into Excel in Pivot format and utilize Timeline and Slicer to see the company overall performance by months, day or years
Read full review
Cons
Microsoft
  • The version of software that we currently use isn't compatible with Windows 7, therefore we had to install it using the virtual computer under Windows XP. This created a few additional steps that the users had to go through in order to access the software which generated more calls to our IT Helpdesk.
  • We did research how much it would cost to upgrade the software so that we could get a version compatible with Windows 7, but the cost was way too expensive for our organization. Also, when we need to make updates or changes to the software, there are very few consultants who are familiar with the software so we are limited in who we can use for consulting services. Since we are limited in choosing consultants who can make updates and changes to the software the fees are usually really expensive for their services.
  • There is a .zup file that we constantly have to delete in order for the database to work properly and update. Users get a pop-up about once a week asking if they want to replace the .zup file and if the file is not deleted then the opening page for the software will not show up correctly and the database will not have the most up to date information.
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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.
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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
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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.
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Usability
Microsoft
It has simplified all processes and reduces turnaround time for month end processes. You can easily navigate through the dashboard which is very user friendly and easily guides you to different functionalities. Duplications of Invoices is avoided because NAV rejects posting of an invoice number already in the system so you increase accuracy.
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Sage
Sage delivers what it promises. The whole accounting package is user friendly and can be easily picked up by a novice. The support is second to none. They always keep us abreast of new technologies and/or changes to accounting that would impact us. The range of reports fits both small and large companies.,
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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.
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Sage
Although I have only needed to call tech support on three occasions through out the entire time of usage, each time my problem was quickly resolved by people who were obviously well trained and easy to understand. Sage 50 Premium Accounting is a reliable and "bug-free" product that is regularly improved upon.
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Implementation Rating
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Sage
Sage 50 is a strong accounting software package. It will work efficiently if it is installed correctly. If one puts garbage in, one will get garbage out. Also it is important to train the staff to use Sage 50 properly. It is also important to set up security for each user.
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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