QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise vs. Sage Accounting

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise is a widely-used accounting package designed for small to mid-sized businesses. It is the top of the QuickBooks line. Pricing starts at $3,000 for five users, and goes up depending on the number of additional users. They also offer an Advanced Inventory module for $999 / year.
$1,261
per year
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.
$10
per month
Pricing
QuickBooks Desktop EnterpriseSage Accounting
Editions & Modules
Gold
1,261
per year
Platinum
1,522
per year
Gold with Remote Access
1,785.60
per year
Platinum with Remote Access
2,083.20
per year
Diamond
3,060.34
per year
Diamond with Remote Access
3,600.36
per year
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
QuickBooks Desktop EnterpriseSage Accounting
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional DetailsVersions and pricing listed are for US products. Versions available and pricing may vary by country.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
QuickBooks Desktop EnterpriseSage Accounting
Considered Both Products
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
Sage is offline, very cumbersome to work with and does not have the type of features that quickbooks has. Sage was pretty horrible to work with. Trying to find reports was awful and running payroll was difficult. Quickbooks is far superior to Sage and would never recommend Sage …
Sage Accounting
Chose Sage Accounting
Its far more flexible, much better value for money, UK based with accessible and intelligent support. Unlike the other software providers Sage is low on gimmicks and high on usable content. It does what it needs to do exceptionally well and it is constantly evolving.
Chose Sage Accounting
We used to do everything manually with sage one accounting software everything becomes easy and saved lots of time for daily tasks. Easy to use features for all age groups. All Ap, AR, Bank reconciliations, Journal Entries, Cash Management everything becomes so easy to …
Chose Sage Accounting
Although I've used a number of other accounting systems, Sage is really comparable to Xero and QuickBooks Online, as it is competing in the same basic accounting software category. Sage One Accounting has been selected in certain client situations where they were already using …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
QuickBooks Desktop EnterpriseSage Accounting
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
7.9
108 Ratings
6% above category average
Sage Accounting
9.1
14 Ratings
20% above category average
Pay calculation8.7104 Ratings9.212 Ratings
Benefit plan administration7.861 Ratings9.18 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.090 Ratings9.19 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management7.782 Ratings9.18 Ratings
Reimbursement management7.583 Ratings9.19 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
7.5
74 Ratings
6% above category average
Sage Accounting
8.3
17 Ratings
16% above category average
API for custom integration7.857 Ratings9.814 Ratings
Plug-ins7.168 Ratings6.813 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
8.3
156 Ratings
4% above category average
Sage Accounting
9.0
35 Ratings
12% above category average
Single sign-on capability8.3118 Ratings8.624 Ratings
Role-based user permissions8.2154 Ratings9.332 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
8.3
173 Ratings
9% above category average
Sage Accounting
6.5
37 Ratings
15% below category average
Dashboards8.4148 Ratings2.034 Ratings
Standard reports8.6171 Ratings8.837 Ratings
Custom reports8.1166 Ratings8.728 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
8.1
177 Ratings
9% above category average
Sage Accounting
7.8
40 Ratings
5% above category average
Accounts payable8.8170 Ratings9.436 Ratings
Accounts receivable8.9169 Ratings9.438 Ratings
Cash management8.4155 Ratings9.331 Ratings
Bank reconciliation9.0168 Ratings9.237 Ratings
Expense management8.3155 Ratings9.829 Ratings
Time tracking6.577 Ratings6.89 Ratings
Fixed asset management8.1115 Ratings2.523 Ratings
Multi-currency support7.757 Ratings7.214 Ratings
Multi-division support8.093 Ratings4.013 Ratings
Regulations compliance8.265 Ratings8.422 Ratings
Electronic tax filing8.187 Ratings8.819 Ratings
Self-service portal6.667 Ratings8.622 Ratings
Global Financial Support6.432 Ratings8.27 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers8.161 Ratings8.110 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting8.175 Ratings6.98 Ratings
Localizations8.145 Ratings7.87 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations8.9126 Ratings8.426 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting8.586 Ratings8.39 Ratings
Configurable Accounting8.383 Ratings8.013 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework8.150 Ratings7.66 Ratings
Standardized Processes8.794 Ratings8.113 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
7.6
104 Ratings
8% above category average
Sage Accounting
8.2
15 Ratings
15% above category average
Inventory tracking8.1100 Ratings6.615 Ratings
Automatic reordering7.353 Ratings9.15 Ratings
Location management8.366 Ratings8.26 Ratings
Manufacturing module6.850 Ratings9.04 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
8.3
129 Ratings
12% above category average
Sage Accounting
6.8
23 Ratings
8% below category average
Pricing8.695 Ratings8.814 Ratings
Order entry8.6101 Ratings8.211 Ratings
Credit card processing7.790 Ratings7.814 Ratings
Cost of goods sold8.3114 Ratings6.817 Ratings
Order Orchestration8.255 Ratings4.14 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility8.352 Ratings7.05 Ratings
Order exception Resolution8.739 Ratings5.04 Ratings
Best Alternatives
QuickBooks Desktop EnterpriseSage Accounting
Small Businesses
QuickBooks Self-Employed
QuickBooks Self-Employed
Score 9.1 out of 10
QuickBooks Self-Employed
QuickBooks Self-Employed
Score 9.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Accounting Seed
Accounting Seed
Score 8.3 out of 10
Accounting Seed
Accounting Seed
Score 8.3 out of 10
Enterprises
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Score 8.1 out of 10
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Score 8.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop EnterpriseSage Accounting
Likelihood to Recommend
8.5
(188 ratings)
9.6
(46 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.8
(17 ratings)
9.4
(4 ratings)
Usability
9.2
(11 ratings)
9.4
(16 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(4 ratings)
8.4
(2 ratings)
Performance
10.0
(3 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
Support Rating
6.0
(5 ratings)
9.4
(17 ratings)
In-Person Training
7.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Online Training
9.1
(3 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.0
(8 ratings)
9.4
(3 ratings)
Configurability
10.0
(3 ratings)
9.2
(2 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.1
(2 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
10.0
(3 ratings)
7.2
(2 ratings)
Professional Services
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.0
(3 ratings)
9.6
(2 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
10.0
(3 ratings)
9.6
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
QuickBooks Desktop EnterpriseSage Accounting
Likelihood to Recommend
Intuit
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise is very flexible. When you have made a mistake, most mistakes are fixed easily. This is wonderful if you know what you are doing. If you don't know what you are doing QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise gives the user, the ability to do many things incorrectly. If you are not an accountant, you don't know you are doing it incorrectly. That can be a problem.
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Sage
VAT returns are so simple to do. Just a click of a button and it produces a report for the period in concern. Submitting the return is then just a single click. The only thing I wish it would do is remind me when my VAT submissions are coming up so that I can avoid penalties.
Read full review
Pros
Intuit
  • Detailed organization of financial information
  • Several security measures and double check systems to ensure incorrect entries aren't made. This prevents accidental errors and protects the company from fraud.
  • Ease of overall use
  • Reporting can be as detailed or as general as you prefer. Each report allows you to look at the overall picture or access specific details of each aspect of the company financials.
Read full review
Sage
  • Traceability - where you are spending. I started with a spreadsheet which had a column for 'electronics & computing' this captured everything from monthly software subscriptions to hardware and from light bulbs to dash cams. Sage has helped me streamline the spending.
  • MTD - I am MTD compliant, although I do not need to be as my accountant is and they complete my HMRC submissions. It does mean that I have a contingency plan if I have to change this service.
  • Debtor's - It is easy to be a busy fool and not realise that accounts are overdue. For a small business, the restriction in cash flow due to late paying clients is a killer. The dashboard feature helps with this.
Read full review
Cons
Intuit
  • I would like to see more ways to customize reports and have that process be more user friendly.
  • I would like to see the process of creating year end giving statements be made more user friendly. Since I only do it once a year, I have to figure the process out every year.
Read full review
Sage
  • I find it difficult to record journals in cloud accounting. Maybe I just don’t have the knowledge.
  • It’s important to export all unrecorded sync bank transactions to Excel to send to clients to explain the payment receipts before being posted. This function is not available on the cloud and makes life harder, having to call out the transactions to clients over the phone.
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Likelihood to Renew
Intuit
We've been using QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions from when the business started, 11 years ago. I don't see us changing programs any time soon as it is working pretty well for us now. It would be extremely time consuming to start from scratch with a new accounting or inventory management program.
Read full review
Sage
I could not live without Sage Accounting, it has become an integral part of my everyday. The more I have used Sage Accounting the more I have fallen in love with it. I am excited to be part of this ever-evolving accounting system that has grown from strength to strength, making life easier is something Sage does so well.
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Usability
Intuit
QuickBooks provides all staff immediate access to the data in whatever form each person wants it. The balancing on entries prevents incorrect data entry on payables/receivables. Reports are easy to customize and save for future use. The records are easy to audit.
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Sage
Sage Accounting is built for the business owner/user and not the accountant, it therefore guides the user and thus detailed accounting knowledge and experience is not a necessarily a prerequisite . It offers a monthly price and therefore no significant up front spend and it tailorable to your business with useful dashboards that again you can tailor to instantly see what's important to you.
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Reliability and Availability
Intuit
They have always been available to meet our needs when we need it. We have had zero complaints with getting the assistance we need.
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Sage
Sage Accounting availability is generally very good. They post messages which appear on users screen time to time, highlighting where functionality in a particular area is undergoing maintenance. More often than not, maintenance is completed in a timescale quicker than initially estimated by Sage. Where significant maintenance is required, Sage usually perform it overnight.
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Performance
Intuit
QB is a good and reliable system. We probably should have explore the other modules rather that jump in to the conclusion that we needed a new ERP.
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Sage
Sage Accounting work quickly and performs well, I have never had an issue with it running slow. It integrates with other software swiftly, so no waiting for the screen to load. Error messages are only something I have had when I have done something wrong.
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Support Rating
Intuit
Very rare do I call the Quickbooks Enterprise Solutions support staff and I get a customer service associate quickly. On average, my wait time is near an hour, and at times even longer. After spending the first three minutes discussing my problem, they then begin to poke and prod around, sometimes the questions continue. But 80% of the time, the problem is over their head and they have to escalate the issue. The only problem is this escalation arrives usually after spending forty-five minutes poking and proding around but learning nothing. In short, my experience is rarely all that well, let alone great
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Sage
The support is world class - never ever during 30 plus years in business I have received such helpful, knowledgeable and genuine support as I have from Sage. At Sage people matter and i can chat to someone safe in the knowledge that they will actually listen and assist. This also backed up by huge online portfolio of help and resources
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In-Person Training
Intuit
It is a very easy system to learn, so with the help it was even easier. QB is a good solid system, but it lacks some of the complexity other systems have. with QB you need to get additional modules to get the same functionality that other systems offer standard
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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
Intuit
easy to learn system, specially with some kind of support. Just like with any other system, things get lot easier if you have guidance to lead you in your search for answers. having said that, QB is very easy to use and very easy to teach. you wont spend much time memorizing where to click.
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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
Intuit
If you're loading QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions onto a computer that you're going to directly log into, you should be able to do it yourself. If you are going to connect to a server through a network or remote connection, you should probably have a professional IT person set it up for you.
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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
Intuit
We have selected this product as it is affordoable in terms of pricing and features too. Our clients is geeting lots of benefits by using this product. By using QuickBooks desktop client also manage the information realted to financials and also get the clear picture for the future by using the accounting information from this product.
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Sage
Sage Accounting is a simpler, more streamlined version of the more complex Sage 50cloud Accounting. For a small, simpler company Sage Accounting is a much more cost-effective option. There are a few features that Sage 50cloud Accounting has that Sage Accounting does not have (such as making e-payments and a few reports are unavailable) but it is still a very good product.
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Contract Terms and Pricing Model
Intuit
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
Intuit
It has worked for our small company in every way. We have very little issues with the software and when we have had problems, Intuit has stepped up and resolved in promptly.
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Sage
I do not consider Sage Accounting to be Sage's best product for scaling up business as its functionality for doing so is limited. Sage 50 Accounts or Sage Intaact are far more suited for this. I would evaluate very carefully the possible need in the future for scalability in the first instance before selecting software.
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Professional Services
Intuit
No answers on this topic
Sage
Sage has always been extremely professional, and they continue to be professional in their dealings with me.
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Return on Investment
Intuit
  • Good value for the price. The initial setup was quick and easy.
  • When properly set up and processes are followed it's decent at managing inventory which is something we had problems with. Have to have a dedicated employee to builds.
  • Rolling up costs in multi-level BOM's is a project each time we have to review costs, it's very time consuming to manually update all assemblies.
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Sage
  • Sage One has allowed us to provided better customer service to all our clients. It has allowed us to provide a reasonable price accounting product to our customer who typically just have handwritten invoices, or Excel spreadsheets.
  • Sage One has reduced the manual data entry that my team does on a monthly basis, which in turn allows us to have more time for our customers.
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ScreenShots

Sage Accounting Screenshots

Screenshot of The financial dashboard, with business insightsScreenshot of View of paid and unpaid invoicesScreenshot of Invoice designer, to add a logo, company info, and terms