AccountEdge vs. Sage Accounting

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
AccountEdge
Score 6.0 out of 10
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
AccountEdge is a small business accounting software for Mac and Windows users. AccountEdge allows business owners to organize, process, and report on their financial information. Its features include accounting, integrated payroll, sales and purchases, contact management, inventory, and time billing. It was acquired by Priority Software in January 2018 to expand that company's small business portfolio.
$20
per month
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.
$19
per month
Pricing
AccountEdgeSage Accounting
Editions & Modules
AccountEdge Pro
$20
per month
AccountEdge Network Edition
$30
per month
AccountEdge Hosted
$50
per month
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
AccountEdgeSage Accounting
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
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
AccountEdgeSage Accounting
Features
AccountEdgeSage Accounting
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
AccountEdge
6.6
6 Ratings
13% below category average
Sage Accounting
9.3
19 Ratings
21% above category average
Pay calculation10.06 Ratings10.015 Ratings
Benefit plan administration8.04 Ratings9.312 Ratings
Direct deposit files5.04 Ratings8.812 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management6.05 Ratings9.410 Ratings
Reimbursement management4.03 Ratings9.112 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
AccountEdge
9.0
7 Ratings
9% above category average
Sage Accounting
9.7
42 Ratings
17% above category average
Role-based user permissions9.07 Ratings9.539 Ratings
Single sign-on capability00 Ratings9.931 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
AccountEdge
9.0
7 Ratings
14% above category average
Sage Accounting
9.2
44 Ratings
17% above category average
Dashboards9.04 Ratings8.040 Ratings
Standard reports9.07 Ratings9.844 Ratings
Custom reports9.06 Ratings9.735 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
AccountEdge
7.2
8 Ratings
6% below category average
Sage Accounting
8.7
104 Ratings
13% above category average
Accounts payable9.08 Ratings8.290 Ratings
Accounts receivable9.08 Ratings9.945 Ratings
Cash management8.12 Ratings8.080 Ratings
Bank reconciliation6.08 Ratings7.298 Ratings
Expense management6.06 Ratings9.934 Ratings
Time tracking6.04 Ratings6.611 Ratings
Multi-currency support9.03 Ratings9.918 Ratings
Multi-division support9.02 Ratings9.918 Ratings
Regulations compliance7.02 Ratings9.529 Ratings
Electronic tax filing7.04 Ratings6.557 Ratings
Self-service portal2.71 Ratings10.025 Ratings
Fixed asset management00 Ratings8.228 Ratings
Global Financial Support00 Ratings9.18 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings9.515 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings8.011 Ratings
Localizations00 Ratings8.29 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings9.033 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting00 Ratings7.110 Ratings
Configurable Accounting00 Ratings9.218 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework00 Ratings8.88 Ratings
Standardized Processes00 Ratings9.520 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
AccountEdge
8.0
6 Ratings
7% above category average
Sage Accounting
7.0
17 Ratings
6% below category average
Inventory tracking8.06 Ratings6.717 Ratings
Automatic reordering8.01 Ratings8.36 Ratings
Location management8.03 Ratings5.97 Ratings
Manufacturing module8.02 Ratings7.05 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
AccountEdge
8.0
7 Ratings
6% above category average
Sage Accounting
8.1
28 Ratings
7% above category average
Pricing8.05 Ratings9.917 Ratings
Order entry9.05 Ratings7.615 Ratings
Credit card processing6.05 Ratings8.218 Ratings
Cost of goods sold9.06 Ratings7.520 Ratings
Order Orchestration00 Ratings7.46 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings7.67 Ratings
Order exception Resolution00 Ratings8.65 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
AccountEdge
5.0
3 Ratings
42% below category average
Sage Accounting
8.5
23 Ratings
11% above category average
Plug-ins5.03 Ratings7.917 Ratings
API for custom integration00 Ratings9.120 Ratings
Best Alternatives
AccountEdgeSage Accounting
Small Businesses
QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
Score 7.0 out of 10
QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
Score 7.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Zoho Books
Zoho Books
Score 9.2 out of 10
Zoho Books
Zoho Books
Score 9.2 out of 10
Enterprises
SAP S/4HANA Cloud
SAP S/4HANA Cloud
Score 8.5 out of 10
SAP S/4HANA Cloud
SAP S/4HANA Cloud
Score 8.5 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
AccountEdgeSage Accounting
Likelihood to Recommend
6.0
(18 ratings)
8.0
(100 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.8
(10 ratings)
8.3
(11 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(3 ratings)
8.2
(68 ratings)
Availability
9.1
(1 ratings)
9.0
(7 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
8.9
(7 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(3 ratings)
9.6
(21 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.3
(2 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.2
(4 ratings)
Implementation Rating
7.0
(1 ratings)
7.3
(6 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
8.6
(6 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
-
(0 ratings)
9.4
(2 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
4.5
(3 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
6.6
(7 ratings)
Professional Services
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
7.6
(5 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
7.6
(5 ratings)
User Testimonials
AccountEdgeSage Accounting
Likelihood to Recommend
Priority Software
If you are handling a large client list, and are selling services, it is dead easy. If you are managing/selling a physical inventory, it seems like it has great options to do that quite well (disclaimer, I do not use those functions, but I have paid attention as that functionality was built into the software). If you want to link your bank account to a bookkeeping platform, this is not the software for you (at least so far).
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Sage
I wish Sage Accounting had an option to pay for a full year all at once and receive a discount like Series XM does. It was not clear that the yellow dot in customer contacts meant it was NOT default email. Everyone should clearly see who the default email and contact is.
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Pros
Priority Software
  • AccountEdge has a robust report menu that allows a user to slice and dice data for analysis. Report on projects for the life of the project across fiscal years. Report on different departments with segregated income statements.
  • For users who want to run payroll in house that is easily done through the payroll module. Print physical checks or direct deposit to employee's account, process payroll taxes and file year end W2s.
  • My personal favorites are time billing and retainers. As a service based business I can at my fingertips review how much money a client has on deposit with me and how much of that will be billed out at the end of the month. The integration with AccountEdge Mobile rounds it all out with being able to log my time on-site.
  • Last but not least AccountEdge Mobile in general, as the companion app for the desktop software is invaluable. My heaviest use is the spend money feature. Excellent for logging travel receipts & cash expenses while they are fresh on the brain. Really cuts back the data entry at the end of a trip and trying to recall what something may have been for.
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Sage
  • Bank integration - being able to extract banking transaction into Sage Accounting.
  • Allocation rules - transactions are auto-allocated once allocation rules have been set up. This is a great time-saver.
  • Flexibility - the ability to view transactions, click on them to the allocation point and rectifying if required saves having to create journals, and therefore time. General ledgers therefore stay cleaner and more user-friendly.
Read full review
Cons
Priority Software
  • My biggest frustration, and one that I've mentioned to Acclivity for many years, is that it only permits opening nine windows at a time (plus the home window). I hit that limit almost daily, and then I have to decide what do I close so I can complete the transaction that needed the "9th" window.
  • The Accounts section includes two quick reports, "Analyze Profit and Loss" and "Analyze Balance Sheet. These can be filtered for the current month or any prior month in the current fiscal year. And that's fine most of the year, but at the beginning of the next year, when I haven't yet started the new fiscal year, these only go to December of the prior year. The regular reports for these can select "next year;" why can't these?
  • It would be helpful if the journal entry number would have one or two additional digits available. For example, when I am entering journal entries for a client, I would like to use a number such as CPA2014001, CPA2014002, etc. to distinguish what I enter from the "automatic" entries that AccountEdge does. But that's one more digit than AccountEdge allows, so if I had over 100 adjustments, I would run out of entry numbers.
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Sage
  • The packages for integrating with Sage50 desktop application files are not backwards compatible, so we must store many copies in order to support multiple versions of the Sage50 application that our customers use, in case they aren't immediately updating to the latest version at all times.
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Likelihood to Renew
Priority Software
Without a doubt, when you need to do accounting use the program that will get the job done in the least amount of time with the least amount of errors. Once you are using a program that works you stay with it year after year and you will find yourself even excited about the updates
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Sage
We're very happy with the functionality and overall experience of using Sage Accounting for our accounting needs. Currently, we are not even considering whether we would need to look around for a different option. The only things that would make us consider changing would be a significant increase in price or changes to the software which reduce it's ease of function.
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Usability
Priority Software
The intuitive interface does all the tasks we need our accounting software to do. Some tasks are slower to process than I would like but overall very usable. Customizable forms let us choose to either go with the easy ready-made out-of-the-box options or retool them to better fit our specific needs.
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Sage
We have been using Sage Accounting ever since the original Simply Accounting versions. All through the versions, we've noticed that the app has remained consistent with its screen usage; therefore, retraining of staff is not necessary between versions. As well as the ability to have staff members put down and pick up the use of Sage Accounting
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Reliability and Availability
Priority Software
One of the finer advantages of desktop software, it's always available. AccountEdge doesn't suffer from outages or sluggish internet like web based applications do. It's always there when you power on your device!
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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
Priority Software
No answers on this topic
Sage
Performance is top notch, if it is not, it is probably your wi-fi connection. It has happened that pages load slowly because of an error on Sage side but almost never. Overall reports load fine, the site is fast, navigation is fine. I have a client that has so many invoices, it is slow or gets stuck when you try to load a report for a whole year but it is just too many invoices, it makes sense. Just take 2 report for 6 months and combine them, its not an issue for me. I am happy with Sage Accounting's performance.
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Support Rating
Priority Software
On the few occasions we have needed tech support over the years, they were responsive and worked to get to the root of the issues. However, even though Checkout POS is a separate application, it was pitched to us as a natural extension of the functionality of our AE software that would integrate seamlessly. The company's support for Checkout has been minimal at best, and now totally abandoned. That colors our view of Priority's support unfortunately. And to be honest, that's why it's a 9 instead of a 10. So to be fair, AccountEdge's support itself has been very good over the years.
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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.
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In-Person Training
Priority Software
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
Priority Software
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
Priority Software
unfortunately no.
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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
Priority Software
For Mac enthusiasts, AccountEdge is the complete installed software solution for small to medium-sized businesses, as it has so many capabilities that QuickBooks for Mac lacks. However, it holds your hand less than QuickBooks for Mac does, so you ought to know what your are doing in keeping business books properly. If your needs are simple, QuickBooks for Mac may be a better solution. QuickBooks Online and Xero are excellent cloud accounting solutions that can be used on the Mac equally well as on Windows. QuickBooks Online offers a similar set of features as QuickBooks for Mac, with the addition of anywhere, anytime access. Xero is a great basic accounting solution in the cloud that can also be used equally well on Macs and WIndows, and offers endless customization and flexibility through its extensive third-party app integration for almost any need.
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Sage
All Sage products work together, and the systems are set up in similar ways, making training/learning easier. Sage is used by many companies locally and internationally, making managing accounts for both providers and clients/customers easier. It is a complete package for macro enterprises.
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Contract Terms and Pricing Model
Priority Software
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
Priority Software
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.
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Professional Services
Priority Software
No answers on this topic
Sage
Do not use
Read full review
Return on Investment
Priority Software
  • Increased employee efficiency - Time is no longer spent switching between programs because all of the information can be found in one place.
  • Customer service has also improved because employees find the program much easier to use, even at the point of sale.
  • Better record keeping - AccountEdge has a very simple invoicing application that allows us to keep track of and balance our accounts.
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Sage
  • Being cloud-based, meaning I can work from anywhere, has had a massive ROI, as I am no longer tied to the office.
  • CoPilot has meant we can spend more hours creating work for our business than chasing for payments.
  • Statement Runs mean we do not have to spend half a day carrying out the tasks individually.
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ScreenShots

AccountEdge Screenshots

Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of

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