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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    QuickBooks Online

    Score8 out of 10
    N/AQuickBooks Online is a SaaS version of the QuickBooks product. It contains all of the features found in the local version. Higher-priced plans include greater automation, payment management, inventory and time tracking, and analytics features.

    $38

    per month

    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 OnlineSage 50
    Editions & Modules
    Simple Start
    $38
    per month
    Essentials
    $75
    per month
    Plus
    $115
    per month
    Advanced
    $275
    per month
    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 OnlineSage 50
    Free Trial
    YesYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsAnnual billing plans also available for all products.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    QuickBooks OnlineSage 50
    Considered Both Products
    Intuit
    Chose QuickBooks Online
    Much simpler program and easy to use for the accounting staff for their work.
    Incentivized
    Chose QuickBooks Online
    QuickBooks Online is a market leader relative to many of the solutions named above. However, there are a wide variety of capable solutions in the market. Many of them focus on industry specific solutions that strengthen their position. I selected QuickBooks Online as a fast …
    Incentivized
    Chose QuickBooks Online
    Sage support knocked the socks off QBO support, but it came at a price.
    Incentivized
    Chose QuickBooks Online
    Quick and easy to set up. QuickBooks Online has a full suite of bookkeeping tools and pricing is affordable. QBO is best suited for Small Businesses and it's cloud-based, which is also well suited for the owners who work remotely. It is flexible and integrates well with …
    Incentivized
    Chose QuickBooks Online
    Zuora was not as user-friendly as QB Online and the pricing was fair for what we needed it for.
    Incentivized
    Chose QuickBooks Online
    I like QuickBooks better. Its updated and online version makes it so so much easier.
    Incentivized
    Chose QuickBooks Online
    We have clients who have used Sage/Peachtree and Quicken. QuickBooks Online seems a little more user-friendly for the average user, as well as offering a better interface. There seems to be more training and help available for the common person with QuickBooks than with other …
    Incentivized
    Chose QuickBooks Online
    I have used JDE, Peachtree, and Timberline. It is a lot easier to get a view of the big picture with QuickBooks compared to the others, but I have never used as much data with QuickBooks as I have with the other systems.
    Incentivized
    Sage
    Chose Sage 50
    Among the competitors, Sage 50 was the easiest to start working right off the bat and logical to build our payment and reconciliation process. Some competitors were difficult to set up in multi-computer mode, and it was challenging to obtain support that acknowledged …
    Incentivized
    Chose Sage 50
    More robust, less opportunity for errors and accidental deletion of data.
    Incentivized
    Chose Sage 50
    Offers a greater range of features, available on different platforms, more integration and cheaper than Sage but less popular and not a lot of accountants prefer it.
    Incentivized
    Chose Sage 50
    I have used mainframe type programs with more bells and whistles than Sage 50. For what we do, that expensive software is a waste of money. Sage 50 is a solid program. I have used QuickBooks and they have online software that is an advantage. But it's not as good in ways an …
    Incentivized
    Chose Sage 50
    Sage One and QuickBooks Online can only support a micro-business. Microsoft Dynamics is too hard to use. Sage 50 is just right. Sage 100 is the big brother for the larger business needing more depth in the modules.
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    83%
    Would buy again
    129 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    15 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    87%
    Delivers good value for the price
    124 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    10 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    83%
    Happy with the feature set
    129 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    15 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    82%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    10 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    85%
    Implementation went as expected
    117 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    10 Answers
    Features
    QuickBooks OnlineSage 50
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of QuickBooks Online and Sage 50
    Feature
    QuickBooks Online
    7.7
    125 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Sage 50
    8.5
    19 Ratings
    12% above category average
    Pay calculation8.0114 Ratings8.318 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration6.962 Ratings8.013 Ratings
    Direct deposit files8.1105 Ratings10.014 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management7.778 Ratings8.014 Ratings
    Reimbursement management7.784 Ratings8.014 Ratings
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of QuickBooks Online and Sage 50
    Feature
    QuickBooks Online
    7.0
    116 Ratings
    8% below category average
    Sage 50
    6.8
    14 Ratings
    11% below category average
    API for custom integration6.996 Ratings7.311 Ratings
    Plug-ins7.198 Ratings6.313 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of QuickBooks Online and Sage 50
    Feature
    QuickBooks Online
    8.2
    191 Ratings
    0% above category average
    Sage 50
    7.8
    29 Ratings
    5% below category average
    Single sign-on capability8.3156 Ratings6.924 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions8.1181 Ratings8.626 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of QuickBooks Online and Sage 50
    Feature
    QuickBooks Online
    8.0
    217 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Sage 50
    8.2
    32 Ratings
    5% above category average
    Dashboards8.1204 Ratings8.430 Ratings
    Standard reports8.3211 Ratings8.932 Ratings
    Custom reports7.7195 Ratings7.231 Ratings
    General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
    Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of QuickBooks Online and Sage 50
    Feature
    QuickBooks Online
    7.8
    234 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Sage 50
    7.3
    35 Ratings
    4% below category average
    Accounts payable8.6200 Ratings8.934 Ratings
    Accounts receivable8.6217 Ratings8.633 Ratings
    Cash management7.9198 Ratings7.933 Ratings
    Bank reconciliation9.0223 Ratings8.433 Ratings
    Expense management8.2206 Ratings8.531 Ratings
    Time tracking6.998 Ratings7.115 Ratings
    Fixed asset management7.798 Ratings7.122 Ratings
    Multi-currency support7.549 Ratings4.012 Ratings
    Multi-division support7.180 Ratings5.816 Ratings
    Regulations compliance7.979 Ratings6.215 Ratings
    Electronic tax filing8.0118 Ratings8.218 Ratings
    Self-service portal7.3126 Ratings5.513 Ratings
    Global Financial Support6.541 Ratings5.76 Ratings
    Primary and Secondary Ledgers7.972 Ratings6.89 Ratings
    Intercompany Accounting7.672 Ratings7.610 Ratings
    Localizations7.855 Ratings7.58 Ratings
    Journals and Reconciliations8.5146 Ratings8.822 Ratings
    Enterprise Accounting7.062 Ratings7.69 Ratings
    Configurable Accounting7.789 Ratings8.111 Ratings
    Centralized Rules Framework7.560 Ratings6.67 Ratings
    Standardized Processes8.6108 Ratings7.916 Ratings
    Inventory Management
    Comparison of Inventory Management features of QuickBooks Online and Sage 50
    Feature
    QuickBooks Online
    6.8
    90 Ratings
    7% below category average
    Sage 50
    8.4
    21 Ratings
    14% above category average
    Inventory tracking6.685 Ratings8.121 Ratings
    Automatic reordering6.947 Ratings7.912 Ratings
    Location management7.254 Ratings8.010 Ratings
    Manufacturing module6.537 Ratings9.09 Ratings
    Order Management
    Comparison of Order Management features of QuickBooks Online and Sage 50
    Feature
    QuickBooks Online
    7.7
    144 Ratings
    4% above category average
    Sage 50
    7.5
    25 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Pricing7.991 Ratings8.420 Ratings
    Order entry7.787 Ratings8.422 Ratings
    Credit card processing8.3111 Ratings7.014 Ratings
    Cost of goods sold8.0110 Ratings7.421 Ratings
    Order Orchestration7.347 Ratings7.58 Ratings
    End-to-end order visibility7.750 Ratings6.69 Ratings
    Order exception Resolution7.443 Ratings7.28 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    QuickBooks OnlineSage 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 OnlineSage 50
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.3
    (252 ratings)
    8.4
    (45 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.6
    (27 ratings)
    9.1
    (14 ratings)
    Usability
    8.2
    (167 ratings)
    8.6
    (15 ratings)
    Availability
    9.0
    (6 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    1.0
    (5 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.9
    (70 ratings)
    10.0
    (7 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    10.0
    (7 ratings)
    9.1
    (5 ratings)
    Configurability
    1.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    CPA Rating
    7.4
    (18 ratings)
    8.2
    (4 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    1.3
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    2.0
    (3 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    Professional Services
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    5.0
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    5.0
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    QuickBooks OnlineSage 50
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Intuit
    QBO is a great solution for small and midsize companies. If the goal is to record all transactions and pull reliable financial reports, QBO is a great option. QBO is also a great solution if most operations are run in a system like Ramp. It syncs well with systems like that and turns the data into something management can use to make decisions. QBO is great because so many people use it. It is easy to find training online, and many people have experience with it.
    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
    • Workflows for accounts payable invoice review are terrific.
    • Bill payment allows you to pay vendors online via ACH or check without having to write a physical check, which reduces admin time.
    • The cloud based login lends well to a remote or hybrid work environment for staff.
    • QuickBooks Online allows you to pre-configure vendors' general ledger expense accounts. This helps with general ledger coding accuracy and consistency.
    • QuickBooks Online integrates with Rippling HRIS, Coast, Capital One, JPMorgan Chase, etc., which lends well to an efficient month-end closing and reduced administrative time.
    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
    • I dislike that the online bill pay option through QuickBooks is required for their invoicing.
    • The auto-fill portion of the customer setup, specifically the company name, is listed, but it also auto-fills in the name portion, which is inconvenient and time-consuming to remove.
    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
    It like the product 'right out of the box' and I trust Intuit will continually improve it over the years based on my experience with their desktop products. The large providers of Apps makes customizing the entire package relatively easy and seamless for a wide variety of business types.
    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
    Beyond being overkill for a small org's needs, QBO is constantly stealing screen real estate and attention by hammering users for account upgrades, connecting to one of their approved consultants or buying add-ons. The idea of using a simple configurable bookeeping and light accounting interface is completely missing. At the very least, we should be able to hide functions like inventory that we will never use.
    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
    We have rarely had outages in the last 10 years. I can only recall 2 times in the last 10 years where we were not able to access our client files.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Sage
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    Intuit
    Everything process has its bugs lately with the new interface. Nothing has worked smoothly since this all began last month.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Sage
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Intuit
    In my experience, most representatives keep me on the phone for hours, literally, for a single issue and then usually cannot resolve it satisfactorily. I have 10 open cases that need resolution and, in my experience, there has been NO follow-up communication on any of them.
    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
    The person in charge of QB needs to be very accurate with record keeping and is recommended to stay on top of tasks. The biggest issue we have is reconciliation, and those issues occur only when too much time has occurred between reconciliations
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Intuit
    As a freelance bookkeeper, the Desktop version of QuickBooks Online doesn't allow for ease of access from any device. Having to be on a computer with the software downloaded creates additional work to gain access to all required filings etc. Also, I personally find the linking functionality on the Online version to be much more streamlined and user friendly.
    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
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Intuit
    As we have grown along our professional path, we have also expanded our use of QB. The scalability is easy and features seem to be waiting for you until you need them. We have increased profits by over 10x from our first year in business to the current and have yet to find a reason to look elsewhere
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    • QuickBooks has given us a useful portal by which to get an overview of our financials.
    • QuickBooks has given us a relatively easy way to send out invoices quickly and efficiently.
    • Due to the customization limitations on QuickBooks, we've had to get creative in third-party implementations to better represent our brand and to track financials.
    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
    ScreenShots

    QuickBooks Online Screenshots

    Screenshot of the accounting and bank transactions interfaceScreenshot of an overview of the accounting inventoryScreenshot of book marksScreenshot of the business tax overviewScreenshot of the customer hubScreenshot of the dashboard