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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    QuickBooks Desktop for Mac

    Score8 out of 10
    N/AQuickbooks Desktop for Mac is an accounting software designed for Mac users. It is designed to integrate with Apple iCloud. It provides core accounting features in line with the rest of the Quickbooks Desktop product line.N/A

    Sage 50

    Score7.7 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
    QuickBooks Desktop for MacSage 50
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    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
    QuickBooks Desktop for MacSage 50
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    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
    QuickBooks Desktop for MacSage 50
    Considered Both Products
    Intuit
    Chose QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
    QuickBooks for Mac definitely outshines other competitors mainly due to its ability to sync seamlessly with all mac products, which other programs have continual problems with. Although the Mac version isn't quite as powerful as the Microsoft counterpart, it is still one of the …
    Incentivized
    Sage
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    80%
    Would buy again
    4 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    15 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    80%
    Delivers good value for the price
    4 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    10 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    80%
    Happy with the feature set
    4 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    15 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    10 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    10 Answers
    Features
    QuickBooks Desktop for MacSage 50
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of QuickBooks Desktop for Mac and Sage 50
    Feature
    QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
    8.9
    13 Ratings
    16% above category average
    Sage 50
    8.5
    19 Ratings
    12% above category average
    Pay calculation8.411 Ratings8.318 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration7.98 Ratings8.013 Ratings
    Direct deposit files10.010 Ratings10.014 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management8.47 Ratings8.014 Ratings
    Reimbursement management10.09 Ratings8.014 Ratings
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of QuickBooks Desktop for Mac and Sage 50
    Feature
    QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
    7.5
    12 Ratings
    1% below category average
    Sage 50
    6.8
    14 Ratings
    11% below category average
    API for custom integration7.08 Ratings7.311 Ratings
    Plug-ins8.011 Ratings6.313 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of QuickBooks Desktop for Mac and Sage 50
    Feature
    QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
    10.0
    22 Ratings
    20% above category average
    Sage 50
    7.8
    29 Ratings
    5% below category average
    Single sign-on capability10.022 Ratings6.924 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions10.019 Ratings8.626 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of QuickBooks Desktop for Mac and Sage 50
    Feature
    QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
    6.7
    24 Ratings
    15% below category average
    Sage 50
    8.2
    32 Ratings
    5% above category average
    Dashboards5.121 Ratings8.430 Ratings
    Standard reports7.924 Ratings8.932 Ratings
    Custom reports7.024 Ratings7.231 Ratings
    General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
    Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of QuickBooks Desktop for Mac and Sage 50
    Feature
    QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
    7.6
    26 Ratings
    0% below category average
    Sage 50
    7.3
    35 Ratings
    4% below category average
    Accounts payable8.126 Ratings8.934 Ratings
    Accounts receivable7.625 Ratings8.633 Ratings
    Cash management5.520 Ratings7.933 Ratings
    Bank reconciliation9.526 Ratings8.433 Ratings
    Expense management8.622 Ratings8.531 Ratings
    Time tracking7.514 Ratings7.115 Ratings
    Fixed asset management7.016 Ratings7.122 Ratings
    Multi-currency support5.011 Ratings4.012 Ratings
    Multi-division support6.012 Ratings5.816 Ratings
    Regulations compliance10.011 Ratings6.215 Ratings
    Electronic tax filing10.017 Ratings8.218 Ratings
    Self-service portal7.615 Ratings5.513 Ratings
    Global Financial Support5.08 Ratings5.76 Ratings
    Primary and Secondary Ledgers8.615 Ratings6.89 Ratings
    Intercompany Accounting8.116 Ratings7.610 Ratings
    Localizations8.07 Ratings7.58 Ratings
    Journals and Reconciliations9.519 Ratings8.822 Ratings
    Enterprise Accounting8.67 Ratings7.69 Ratings
    Configurable Accounting6.511 Ratings8.111 Ratings
    Centralized Rules Framework6.511 Ratings6.67 Ratings
    Standardized Processes6.915 Ratings7.916 Ratings
    Inventory Management
    Comparison of Inventory Management features of QuickBooks Desktop for Mac and Sage 50
    Feature
    QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
    7.4
    17 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Sage 50
    8.4
    21 Ratings
    14% above category average
    Inventory tracking9.516 Ratings8.121 Ratings
    Automatic reordering6.512 Ratings7.912 Ratings
    Location management6.911 Ratings8.010 Ratings
    Manufacturing module6.510 Ratings9.09 Ratings
    Order Management
    Comparison of Order Management features of QuickBooks Desktop for Mac and Sage 50
    Feature
    QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
    9.1
    20 Ratings
    21% above category average
    Sage 50
    7.5
    25 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Pricing9.019 Ratings8.420 Ratings
    Order entry9.518 Ratings8.422 Ratings
    Credit card processing9.119 Ratings7.014 Ratings
    Cost of goods sold9.118 Ratings7.421 Ratings
    Order Orchestration9.07 Ratings7.58 Ratings
    End-to-end order visibility9.19 Ratings6.69 Ratings
    Order exception Resolution9.18 Ratings7.28 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    QuickBooks Desktop for MacSage 50
    Small Businesses
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Score4.3 out of 10
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Score4.3 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    MYOB
    Score8.3 out of 10
    MYOB
    Score8.3 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Microsoft Dynamics GP
    Score5.5 out of 10
    Microsoft Dynamics GP
    Score5.5 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    QuickBooks Desktop for MacSage 50
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.1
    (34 ratings)
    8.4
    (45 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.0
    (9 ratings)
    9.1
    (14 ratings)
    Usability
    6.1
    (8 ratings)
    8.6
    (15 ratings)
    Availability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    7.0
    (4 ratings)
    10.0
    (7 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.1
    (5 ratings)
    CPA Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.2
    (4 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    QuickBooks Desktop for MacSage 50
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Intuit
    If you're a freelancer or running a very small business where you do your own bookkeeping I think this is a great option, especially if you're familiar with accounting and bookkeeping in general. If you're not so familiar with bookkeeping, I would say that the learning curve is too steep and you might want to look elsewhere for a more intuitive solution
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Intuit
    • The program is very easy to learn, the interface is incredibly user-friendly and there are tons of free resources and tutorials available
    • It makes managing payroll really easy for the employee and accountant on staff. No more lost time sheets or late paychecks!
    • Managing bills and paying them has become streamlined and it's great having everything in one place so we don't lose track of things.
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Intuit
    • The #1 complaint is that setting it up right is a challenge. People waste time trying to figure it out only to realize that they don't know accounting so of course they don't know how an accounting program should be set up. Like any time you are in over your head, reach out to your network and find someone who can log onto your computer and walk you through it.
    • If you need to track the cost of wages to jobs you can't do it with the online payroll, but check for yourself because it's a function that landscaping companies and construction businesses usually need, so maybe they have added it by now. That would really help!
    • It's premise-based software and that means you take on the role of hardware admin, and it's a lot of work for what is increasingly becoming a smaller gap in the functionality between QuickBooks for Mac and QuickBooks Online.
    • QuickBooks for Mac 2015 has been updated consistently over the last 3 years and continues to provide for the bookkeeping needs of small companies using Macs in their offices. However, it has limited job costing functionality. It is similar in functionality to the 2010 version of QuickBooksPro which runs on Windows.
    Incentivized
    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
    Intuit
    I haven't spent that much time with the newer versions of QuickBooks for Mac, but I think I'm seeing it make the much-needed improvements. For example, something as simple as undoing the previous reconciliation was a terrible chore, and I'm glad that feature has been included in the newer versions of QuickBooks for Mac
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Intuit
    The Mac version is OK overall. I find the Windows versions to be much more robust but Mac is quite good for Mac users. Though I think die hard Mac users should consider QuickBooks Online instead as there is a new QB for Mac app that makes using QBO much better!
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Intuit
    I've been using the QuickBooks online version for a little over 6 months now (upgraded from Mac desktop) and I haven't had any access issues. There have been times when it was down for service/upgrade however there is always plenty of notification time given by the Quick Books Online Support team. These upgrade maintenance time frames are always over night hours and on the weekends so everything can be worked around very easily.
    Read full review
    Sage
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Intuit
    Fortunately, I haven't had to reach out much for support.
    Incentivized
    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
    Intuit
    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
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    Intuit
    I love using Quickbooks compared to other software we've tried. QuickBooks Online and TSheets interface. Customer service and problem resolution are generally excellent, with well-trained and proficient agents taking calls or on chat. Ease of use and accessibility via the mobile app. Great courses were available to help with learning the basics and some advanced accounting background. I love learning! Online accessibility - it can work anywhere with an internet connection. Linking to bank and credit card accounts is handy.
    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
    Incentivized
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    Scalability
    Intuit
    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
    Intuit
    • It has allowed us to offer multiple bookkeeping softwares for clients that do not want to change from what they have been using.
    • Payroll filing has given us ease of mind because we can physically make the filings rather than waiting on payroll software to make them for us.
    Incentivized
    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
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