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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Planful

    Score8.4 out of 10
    Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
    Planful is a cloud-based enterprise performance management (EPM) suite. It includes financial applications for modeling, planning, consolidation, reporting and analytics.N/A

    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
    PlanfulSage Accounting
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    PlanfulSage Accounting
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsPricing is highly dependent on the complexity and scope of the implementation.Versions 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
    Features
    PlanfulSage Accounting
    BI Standard Reporting
    Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Planful and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    Planful
    6.1
    64 Ratings
    21% below category average
    Sage Accounting
    -
    Ratings
    Pixel Perfect reports6.933 Ratings00 Ratings
    Customizable dashboards5.057 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report Formatting Templates6.555 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ad-hoc Reporting
    Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Planful and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    Planful
    7.5
    104 Ratings
    3% below category average
    Sage Accounting
    -
    Ratings
    Drill-down analysis8.4103 Ratings00 Ratings
    Formatting capabilities7.0104 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report sharing and collaboration7.197 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report Output and Scheduling
    Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Planful and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    Planful
    7.4
    86 Ratings
    7% below category average
    Sage Accounting
    -
    Ratings
    Publish to Web8.433 Ratings00 Ratings
    Publish to PDF6.477 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report Versioning6.555 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report Delivery Scheduling8.566 Ratings00 Ratings
    Data Discovery and Visualization
    Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Planful and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    Planful
    6.1
    51 Ratings
    19% below category average
    Sage Accounting
    -
    Ratings
    Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)5.040 Ratings00 Ratings
    Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization6.42 Ratings00 Ratings
    Predictive Analytics6.044 Ratings00 Ratings
    Pattern Recognition and Data Mining7.33 Ratings00 Ratings
    Access Control and Security
    Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Planful and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    Planful
    8.9
    103 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Sage Accounting
    -
    Ratings
    Multi-User Support (named login)8.496 Ratings00 Ratings
    Role-Based Security Model8.894 Ratings00 Ratings
    Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)8.595 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report-Level Access Control8.855 Ratings00 Ratings
    Single Sign-On (SSO)9.778 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile Capabilities
    Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Planful and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    Planful
    2.3
    42 Ratings
    104% below category average
    Sage Accounting
    -
    Ratings
    Responsive Design for Web Access2.540 Ratings00 Ratings
    Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile2.230 Ratings00 Ratings
    Budgeting, Planning, and Forecasting
    Comparison of Budgeting, Planning, and Forecasting features of Planful and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    Planful
    8.7
    156 Ratings
    8% above category average
    Sage Accounting
    -
    Ratings
    Long-term financial planning8.7139 Ratings00 Ratings
    Financial budgeting9.0155 Ratings00 Ratings
    Forecasting9.0146 Ratings00 Ratings
    Scenario modeling7.8131 Ratings00 Ratings
    Management reporting9.0149 Ratings00 Ratings
    Consolidation and Close
    Comparison of Consolidation and Close features of Planful and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    Planful
    8.0
    118 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Sage Accounting
    -
    Ratings
    Financial data consolidation9.3107 Ratings00 Ratings
    Journal entries and reports7.886 Ratings00 Ratings
    Multi-currency management7.470 Ratings00 Ratings
    Intercompany Eliminations7.673 Ratings00 Ratings
    Minority Ownership6.939 Ratings00 Ratings
    Local and consolidated reporting7.789 Ratings00 Ratings
    Detailed Audit Trails9.187 Ratings00 Ratings
    Financial Reporting and Compliance
    Comparison of Financial Reporting and Compliance features of Planful and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    Planful
    7.6
    152 Ratings
    7% below category average
    Sage Accounting
    -
    Ratings
    Financial Statement Reporting8.8133 Ratings00 Ratings
    Management Reporting8.8143 Ratings00 Ratings
    Excel-based Reporting7.0141 Ratings00 Ratings
    Automated board and financial reporting6.5114 Ratings00 Ratings
    XBRL support for regulatory filing7.13 Ratings00 Ratings
    Analytics and Reporting
    Comparison of Analytics and Reporting features of Planful and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    Planful
    5.9
    104 Ratings
    24% below category average
    Sage Accounting
    -
    Ratings
    Personalized dashboards5.191 Ratings00 Ratings
    Color-coded scorecards2.555 Ratings00 Ratings
    KPIs7.476 Ratings00 Ratings
    Cost and profitability analysis6.975 Ratings00 Ratings
    Key Performance Indicator setting6.963 Ratings00 Ratings
    Benchmarking with external data6.410 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integration
    Comparison of Integration features of Planful and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    Planful
    8.9
    140 Ratings
    10% above category average
    Sage Accounting
    -
    Ratings
    Flat file integration9.5105 Ratings00 Ratings
    Excel data integration7.8130 Ratings00 Ratings
    Direct links to 3rd-party data sources9.596 Ratings00 Ratings
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of Planful and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    Planful
    -
    Ratings
    Sage Accounting
    9.3
    19 Ratings
    21% above category average
    Pay calculation00 Ratings10.015 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration00 Ratings9.312 Ratings
    Direct deposit files00 Ratings8.812 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings9.410 Ratings
    Reimbursement management00 Ratings9.112 Ratings
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of Planful and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    Planful
    -
    Ratings
    Sage Accounting
    8.6
    23 Ratings
    13% above category average
    API for custom integration00 Ratings9.120 Ratings
    Plug-ins00 Ratings8.017 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of Planful and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    Planful
    -
    Ratings
    Sage Accounting
    9.7
    42 Ratings
    17% above category average
    Single sign-on capability00 Ratings9.931 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions00 Ratings9.539 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Planful and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    Planful
    -
    Ratings
    Sage Accounting
    9.3
    44 Ratings
    17% above category average
    Dashboards00 Ratings8.340 Ratings
    Standard reports00 Ratings9.844 Ratings
    Custom reports00 Ratings9.735 Ratings
    General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
    Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Planful and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    Planful
    -
    Ratings
    Sage Accounting
    8.8
    200 Ratings
    14% above category average
    Accounts payable00 Ratings8.1187 Ratings
    Accounts receivable00 Ratings9.945 Ratings
    Cash management00 Ratings8.3159 Ratings
    Bank reconciliation00 Ratings7.9190 Ratings
    Expense management00 Ratings9.934 Ratings
    Time tracking00 Ratings6.611 Ratings
    Fixed asset management00 Ratings8.428 Ratings
    Multi-currency support00 Ratings10.018 Ratings
    Multi-division support00 Ratings9.918 Ratings
    Regulations compliance00 Ratings9.529 Ratings
    Electronic tax filing00 Ratings7.3102 Ratings
    Self-service portal00 Ratings10.025 Ratings
    Global Financial Support00 Ratings9.38 Ratings
    Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings9.515 Ratings
    Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings8.111 Ratings
    Localizations00 Ratings8.49 Ratings
    Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings9.033 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 Planful and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    Planful
    -
    Ratings
    Sage Accounting
    6.9
    17 Ratings
    5% below category average
    Inventory tracking00 Ratings6.717 Ratings
    Automatic reordering00 Ratings8.26 Ratings
    Location management00 Ratings5.77 Ratings
    Manufacturing module00 Ratings7.05 Ratings
    Order Management
    Comparison of Order Management features of Planful and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    Planful
    -
    Ratings
    Sage Accounting
    8.2
    28 Ratings
    10% above category average
    Pricing00 Ratings9.917 Ratings
    Order entry00 Ratings7.615 Ratings
    Credit card processing00 Ratings8.118 Ratings
    Cost of goods sold00 Ratings7.620 Ratings
    Order Orchestration00 Ratings7.66 Ratings
    End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings7.57 Ratings
    Order exception Resolution00 Ratings8.95 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    PlanfulSage Accounting
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Score4.2 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    IBM Planning Analytics
    Score8.5 out of 10
    MYOB
    Score8.3 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Oracle Fusion Cloud Enterprise Performance Management
    Score7.2 out of 10
    Microsoft Dynamics GP
    Score5.4 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    PlanfulSage Accounting
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.8
    (164 ratings)
    7.4
    (218 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.7
    (23 ratings)
    9.0
    (27 ratings)
    Usability
    8.2
    (21 ratings)
    7.9
    (185 ratings)
    Availability
    8.2
    (4 ratings)
    8.5
    (12 ratings)
    Performance
    9.1
    (3 ratings)
    7.7
    (12 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.0
    (22 ratings)
    7.6
    (30 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    9.1
    (3 ratings)
    9.1
    (3 ratings)
    Online Training
    9.1
    (3 ratings)
    9.8
    (5 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    7.3
    (9 ratings)
    7.7
    (10 ratings)
    Configurability
    8.2
    (2 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
    5.3
    (4 ratings)
    5.0
    (4 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    8.2
    (2 ratings)
    6.9
    (11 ratings)
    Professional Services
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.2
    (3 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    7.4
    (4 ratings)
    7.5
    (9 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    7.7
    (9 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    PlanfulSage Accounting
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Planful
    Planful is initially easy to setup and if a company is already using a mid layer to transform and standardise GL data, management reports can be set up in days, not weeks or months. Budgeting template setup does get some getting used to but the training provided by Planful is sufficient to get going and learn along the way. Building custom reports is straightforward and the interface is user-friendly, therefore the accounting team can get going without the need for technical specialists getting involved. Budget and forecasting is flexible and drivers of revenue and cost can be created in Planful and customised by Unit or Geography.
    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
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    Pros
    Planful
    • It aggregates data from different sources well, allowing me to report on a wide variety of metrics that interrelate.
    • I can build detailed reports so that my monthly and weekly reporting is done more efficiently
    • I like the tools that I am using to create dedicated models for forecasting and budgeting purposes
    Incentivized
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    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
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    Cons
    Planful
    • Dashboarding could be more flexible and easier to use.
    • Dynamic Reporting has room for flexibility with nesting, dimension names showing up instead of “All,” and overall flexibility.
    • Make Analyze view in Spotlight more intuitive.
    • A high-level onboarding guide to understanding the different components of Planful, data flows, and tips & tricks.
    Incentivized
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    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
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    Likelihood to Renew
    Planful
    Our new Comptroller understands the value of Planful, and we plan to utilize it further in the organization to enhance external reporting. Strangely enough, Planful had not previously been embraced by the former CFO, who argued that we were running two sets of books (of course, we were not). Fortunately, the before mentioned reconciliation of EBITDA to Net Income demonstrated that to the banks.
    Incentivized
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    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
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    Usability
    Planful
    The tool is extremely adaptable, and it enables very quick querying to give us opportunity to gain live insights into the business. Given its adaptability, we are also able to create scenario analyses very quickly in rapidly changing environments. The formatting also enables us to provide this information in a very consumable manner.
    Incentivized
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    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
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    Reliability and Availability
    Planful
    I only give a 9 rating rather than a 10 rating because it seems that every day around 2pm we see a slowdown in the use of Planful. I have requested our internal IT department verify that it is not an internal issue and have been assured it is the tool. We have not yet reached out to Planful to do extensive research to solve this issue.
    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.
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    Performance
    Planful
    Again, the system is very reliable and, for the most part, runs very quick and smooth. When running larger queries, it does take some time, and during budgeting season our users experienced slower loading times, but nothing that raises concerns outside of normal network issues. Occasionally, as with any software we use, it will crash and you have to restart, but that does not happen very often.
    Read full review
    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
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    Support Rating
    Planful
    Sometimes we get great help when using Planful's support team and other times we don't. In particular, there is one person that often responds to our support tickets who is less than helpful, hence the reason for the 5 out of 10 rating. As a result, most of the time we reach out to our Planful consulting group as they provide faster and better support
    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
    Planful
    My team has attended training offered several times before/during the Planful Perform conference. This training has been extremely useful and we always learn something we didn't know prior to the training. The trainers are always very knowledgeable and more than willing to help each and every user after the training with specific questions regarding their environment. Planful also offers training and certifications on their training hub. I have completed a couple of the certifications. The courses are easy to follow along with and very informative. Additionally, Planful schedules webinars pretty regularly. They'll email their customers and allow you to register to participate live. They also record these sessions so you can refer back to them at a later date or if you are unable to attend at the time the webinar is offered, you can register anyway and get access to the recording. Their training has improved year over year!
    Incentivized
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    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
    Planful
    Planful provides a lot of online training support. There's so many options for training. Admin Learning Courses, User Learning Courses. Plus they have several webinars devoted to the tool and the new features they release. New Releases can be practiced in a Sandbox Environment prior to going live in Production
    Incentivized
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    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
    Planful
    After going through the initial implementation with Host Analytics and a re-implementation with Cervello (due to an ERP change, not due to a poor initial implementation), I've learned that you really must rely on your internal staff to bear most of the implementation burden. Use the vendor or partners for ideas and best-practice suggestions, and some of the easy-but-time-consuming work. Since you will ultimately be using and maintaining the application, you should be able to do most of it yourself.
    Incentivized
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    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
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    Alternatives Considered
    Planful
    Prior to joining the company, we tried to implement Vena but were unsuccessful. There we're a few reasons it didn't work out, but a lot of it related to the implementation team they provided. In just the first week with Planful, we achieved more progress than we did in several months with Vena.
    Incentivized
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    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
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    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    Planful
    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
    Planful
    From our experience, Planful is only used in 2 overhead departments in our organization. We easily added another overhead department, but they decided against using Planful for their workforce and financial planning. Removing them from our environment was extremely easy.
    Incentivized
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    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
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    Professional Services
    Planful
    No answers on this topic
    Sage
    Do not use
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Planful
    • Has allowed users to view a real-time P&L in a way they weren't able to do with Qlik.
    • Budget to Actual analysis has become much more streamlined and actionable
    • Long-range plan process has been significantly streamlined and a lot of time has been cut out of the process.
    Incentivized
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    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
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    ScreenShots

    Planful Screenshots

    Screenshot of the Planful Planform DashboardScreenshot of Planful for FinanceScreenshot of Planful for MarketingScreenshot of ReportsScreenshot of a Capacity Planning TemplateScreenshot of Integrations

    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