QuickBooks Desktop for Mac vs. Sage Accounting

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
Score 7.5 out of 10
N/A
Quickbooks 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 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 for MacSage Accounting
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
QuickBooks Desktop for MacSage Accounting
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details—Versions and pricing listed are for US products. Versions available and pricing may vary by country.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
QuickBooks Desktop for MacSage Accounting
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
QuickBooks Desktop for MacSage Accounting
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
10.0
11 Ratings
29% above category average
Sage Accounting
9.1
14 Ratings
20% above category average
Pay calculation10.09 Ratings9.212 Ratings
Benefit plan administration10.06 Ratings9.18 Ratings
Direct deposit files10.08 Ratings9.19 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management10.05 Ratings9.18 Ratings
Reimbursement management10.07 Ratings9.19 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
6.0
11 Ratings
16% below category average
Sage Accounting
8.3
17 Ratings
16% above category average
API for custom integration6.07 Ratings9.814 Ratings
Plug-ins6.010 Ratings6.813 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
10.0
20 Ratings
22% above category average
Sage Accounting
8.9
34 Ratings
11% above category average
Single sign-on capability10.020 Ratings8.624 Ratings
Role-based user permissions10.017 Ratings9.331 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
10.0
22 Ratings
27% above category average
Sage Accounting
6.5
36 Ratings
15% below category average
Dashboards10.019 Ratings1.933 Ratings
Standard reports10.022 Ratings8.836 Ratings
Custom reports10.022 Ratings8.827 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
5.8
24 Ratings
24% below category average
Sage Accounting
7.8
39 Ratings
5% above category average
Accounts payable8.124 Ratings9.435 Ratings
Accounts receivable8.123 Ratings9.437 Ratings
Cash management6.218 Ratings9.331 Ratings
Bank reconciliation8.824 Ratings9.236 Ratings
Expense management6.220 Ratings9.829 Ratings
Time tracking6.212 Ratings6.89 Ratings
Fixed asset management6.214 Ratings2.523 Ratings
Multi-currency support1.010 Ratings7.214 Ratings
Multi-division support6.211 Ratings4.013 Ratings
Regulations compliance6.210 Ratings8.422 Ratings
Electronic tax filing8.115 Ratings8.819 Ratings
Self-service portal6.213 Ratings8.622 Ratings
Global Financial Support1.07 Ratings8.27 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers6.213 Ratings8.110 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting6.214 Ratings6.98 Ratings
Localizations1.06 Ratings7.87 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations6.217 Ratings8.425 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting6.25 Ratings8.39 Ratings
Configurable Accounting6.29 Ratings8.013 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework6.29 Ratings7.66 Ratings
Standardized Processes6.213 Ratings8.113 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
7.7
15 Ratings
9% above category average
Sage Accounting
8.1
14 Ratings
14% above category average
Inventory tracking6.214 Ratings6.214 Ratings
Automatic reordering7.810 Ratings9.15 Ratings
Location management7.09 Ratings8.26 Ratings
Manufacturing module10.08 Ratings9.04 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
8.3
18 Ratings
12% above category average
Sage Accounting
6.7
22 Ratings
10% below category average
Pricing10.017 Ratings8.713 Ratings
Order entry10.016 Ratings7.710 Ratings
Credit card processing10.017 Ratings7.814 Ratings
Cost of goods sold10.016 Ratings6.817 Ratings
Order Orchestration5.76 Ratings4.14 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility6.77 Ratings7.05 Ratings
Order exception Resolution5.66 Ratings5.04 Ratings
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QuickBooks Desktop for MacSage Accounting
Small Businesses
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Score 9.1 out of 10
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Score 9.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Accounting Seed
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Score 8.3 out of 10
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Score 8.3 out of 10
Enterprises
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Score 8.1 out of 10
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User Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop for MacSage Accounting
Likelihood to Recommend
8.8
(32 ratings)
9.6
(45 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.0
(9 ratings)
9.4
(4 ratings)
Usability
5.4
(6 ratings)
9.3
(16 ratings)
Availability
9.0
(1 ratings)
8.4
(2 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
Support Rating
6.9
(4 ratings)
9.4
(16 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
Implementation Rating
5.0
(1 ratings)
9.4
(3 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
9.2
(2 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
7.2
(2 ratings)
Professional Services
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
9.6
(2 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
9.6
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
QuickBooks Desktop for MacSage Accounting
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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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
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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
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!
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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
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.
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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
No answers on this topic
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
Fortunately, I haven't had to reach out much for support.
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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
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
Intuit
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
Intuit
No answers on this topic
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
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.
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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
No answers on this topic
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
  • The ROI was good for when we were a smaller company because it is a lot cheaper than other more sophisticated programs.
  • The negative impact is that it caused a lot of extra manual entering and data entry that too often resulted in mistakes.
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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