QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise vs. Sage 500 ERP

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 500
Score 6.7 out of 10
N/A
Sage 500 ERP includes accounting and finance, distribution and supply chain, and manufacturing operations support modules. The latest Sage 500 release includes accounts payable enhancements, credit card processing, and general updates, as well as updates to the solution's modules.N/A
Pricing
QuickBooks Desktop EnterpriseSage 500 ERP
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 500
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional Details——
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
QuickBooks Desktop EnterpriseSage 500 ERP
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
QuickBooks Desktop EnterpriseSage 500 ERP
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
8.0
108 Ratings
7% above category average
Sage 500 ERP
7.4
1 Ratings
3% above category average
Pay calculation8.7104 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Benefit plan administration7.861 Ratings6.01 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.090 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management7.882 Ratings00 Ratings
Reimbursement management7.583 Ratings00 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
7.4
73 Ratings
5% above category average
Sage 500 ERP
4.5
2 Ratings
47% below category average
API for custom integration7.856 Ratings7.02 Ratings
Plug-ins7.168 Ratings2.02 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
8.2
155 Ratings
4% above category average
Sage 500 ERP
5.0
2 Ratings
48% below category average
Single sign-on capability8.3117 Ratings2.02 Ratings
Role-based user permissions8.2153 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
8.3
172 Ratings
9% above category average
Sage 500 ERP
8.3
2 Ratings
18% above category average
Dashboards8.3147 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Standard reports8.5170 Ratings7.02 Ratings
Custom reports8.1165 Ratings10.02 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
8.0
176 Ratings
8% above category average
Sage 500 ERP
6.6
2 Ratings
14% below category average
Accounts payable8.8169 Ratings7.02 Ratings
Accounts receivable8.9168 Ratings7.02 Ratings
Cash management8.4154 Ratings00 Ratings
Bank reconciliation8.9167 Ratings00 Ratings
Expense management8.3154 Ratings00 Ratings
Time tracking6.577 Ratings00 Ratings
Fixed asset management8.0114 Ratings00 Ratings
Multi-currency support7.757 Ratings00 Ratings
Multi-division support7.992 Ratings00 Ratings
Regulations compliance8.064 Ratings00 Ratings
Electronic tax filing8.086 Ratings00 Ratings
Self-service portal6.566 Ratings00 Ratings
Global Financial Support6.332 Ratings2.01 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers8.060 Ratings00 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting8.074 Ratings00 Ratings
Localizations8.145 Ratings00 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations8.9125 Ratings6.01 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting8.485 Ratings00 Ratings
Configurable Accounting8.282 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework8.049 Ratings00 Ratings
Standardized Processes8.693 Ratings6.01 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 500 ERP
6.5
2 Ratings
19% below category average
Inventory tracking8.1100 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Automatic reordering7.353 Ratings3.02 Ratings
Location management8.266 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Manufacturing module6.850 Ratings00 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
8.3
128 Ratings
11% above category average
Sage 500 ERP
8.2
1 Ratings
5% above category average
Pricing8.595 Ratings8.21 Ratings
Order entry8.6101 Ratings8.21 Ratings
Credit card processing7.689 Ratings8.21 Ratings
Cost of goods sold8.2113 Ratings8.21 Ratings
Order Orchestration8.255 Ratings00 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility8.352 Ratings00 Ratings
Order exception Resolution8.639 Ratings00 Ratings
Subledger and Financial Process
Comparison of Subledger and Financial Process features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
-
Ratings
Sage 500 ERP
5.4
1 Ratings
31% below category average
Billing Management00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Cash and Asset Management00 Ratings6.01 Ratings
Travel & Expense Management00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Budgetary Control & Encumbrance Accounting00 Ratings2.01 Ratings
Period Close00 Ratings5.01 Ratings
Project Financial Management
Comparison of Project Financial Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
-
Ratings
Sage 500 ERP
6.9
1 Ratings
10% below category average
Budgeting and Forecasting00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Project Costing00 Ratings3.01 Ratings
Cost Capture00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Capital Project Management00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Customer Contract Compliance00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Project Revenue Recognition00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Project Execution Management
Comparison of Project Execution Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
-
Ratings
Sage 500 ERP
4.5
1 Ratings
41% below category average
Task Insight for Project Managers00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Project Mobile Functionality00 Ratings5.01 Ratings
Grants Management
Comparison of Grants Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
-
Ratings
Sage 500 ERP
7.5
1 Ratings
1% below category average
Award Lifecycle Management00 Ratings6.01 Ratings
Procurement
Comparison of Procurement features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
-
Ratings
Sage 500 ERP
6.0
1 Ratings
15% below category average
Contract Authoring00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Contract Repository00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Requisitions-to-Purchase Orders Integrated00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Supplier Management00 Ratings4.01 Ratings
Risk Management
Comparison of Risk Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
-
Ratings
Sage 500 ERP
4.3
1 Ratings
41% below category average
Risk Repository00 Ratings3.01 Ratings
Control Management00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Control Efficiency Assessments00 Ratings4.01 Ratings
Remediation and Certification00 Ratings3.01 Ratings
Supply Chain
Comparison of Supply Chain features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
-
Ratings
Sage 500 ERP
1.3
1 Ratings
139% below category average
Forecasting00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Inventory Planning00 Ratings2.01 Ratings
Performance Monitoring00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Product Lifecycle Management
Comparison of Product Lifecycle Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
-
Ratings
Sage 500 ERP
5.3
1 Ratings
31% below category average
Proposal Management00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Product Master Data Management00 Ratings4.01 Ratings
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QuickBooks Desktop EnterpriseSage 500 ERP
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Score 9.1 out of 10
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Score 8.7 out of 10
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Accounting Seed
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Score 8.3 out of 10
Infor VISUAL
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Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Score 8.2 out of 10
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User Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop EnterpriseSage 500 ERP
Likelihood to Recommend
8.4
(187 ratings)
2.0
(4 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.8
(17 ratings)
6.3
(2 ratings)
Usability
9.1
(11 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
10.0
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
6.0
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
7.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
9.1
(3 ratings)
6.0
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.0
(8 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Configurability
10.0
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.1
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
10.0
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.0
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
10.0
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
QuickBooks Desktop EnterpriseSage 500 ERP
Likelihood to Recommend
Intuit
When I first started using QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise for my non-profit 7 years ago, there were some struggles, but updates they have made to the product have been great and improved a lot of the functions that were a struggle. It is super helpful for handling specific non-profit needs where the normal QuickBooks, while great, is set up for for-profit businesses. The ability to enter donations and allocate them by classes that I set up is an invaluable tool.
Read full review
Sage
Sage 500 ERP is great for companies with core accounting needs, distributors, and discrete manufacturers. Some areas, such as process manufacturing, would require a companion product from an ISV for the software to be truly functional. Some areas, such as construction or retail apparel, may simply not be well-served.
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
  • Sage is the one-stop-shop for all of our needs. We're able to control contracts, subcontracts, and field reports from the program.
  • Another strength is the ability to database all the information and export it to excel. This makes data-based investigations a breeze.
  • The ability for Timberscan to be imported to Sage is a huge help with invoice management. Prior to this it all had to be done manually and slowed the process to an essential halt as there are thousands of invoices per month.
Read full review
Cons
Intuit
  • The software becomes "cranky" more often than I would like. A quick data scan on the server usually helps, but if I am out the staff get pretty stressed.
  • Record Retention is not working with QuickBooks. Should there be legal action requesting records for 20 years ago the records will be there - not advisable.
  • Upgrades are quite time consuming as I have to "touch" every computer using the software.
Read full review
Sage
  • The biggest concern/complaint of Sage 500 users is speed. Some of the screen take a while to load.
  • The user interface needs some refreshing. Screens need to be updated to take advantage of shortcuts and to be more intuitive.
Read full review
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
It's too pricey for our size of company.
Read full review
Usability
Intuit
I like the QuickBooks Enterprise edition so much I moved my company to it this year. I like the overall functionality of the program and I am very familiar with the user interface which makes my job easier. One of the things I dislike about the online version it is not modeled after the desktop edition and I have a hard time getting around in the program.
Read full review
Sage
No answers on this topic
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.
Read full review
Sage
No answers on this topic
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.
Read full review
Sage
No answers on this topic
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
Read full review
Sage
No answers on this topic
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
Read full review
Sage
No answers on this topic
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.
Read full review
Sage
The online training courses are not up to date. We experienced technical issues with two of the classes.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
Sage
Keep your database and application in different servers.
Install Microsoft Office on your application server so you can use some of the data analysis tools in Sage.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
Sage
500 seems much smoother at handling some of the basic accounting tasks, for example both issuing and later reconciling checks in Dynamics AX seems a little tedious.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
Sage
No answers on this topic
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.
Read full review
Sage
  • Positive: The program allows for a lot of data entry and splitting of information. It has the capability of replacing multiple programs and therefore saving cost.
  • Negative: The modules are cumbersome and not user friendly at all. As a result not many user are comfortable using it. This means that the program is not being used to its capacity.
  • Negative: Although the program has the capacity to be great, the user interface destroys that potential. Sage needs to seriously work on their program to simplify it. It's as if it still uses Command-line entries from 1995. Needs to be updated ASAP.
Read full review
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