Sage Software vs QuickBooks
While you work toward building up or growing your business, it’s easy to get a little overwhelmed by all of the weeds you have to sort through, especially those relating to your financial-related practices.
Luckily, there are different types of financial and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software options out there to help streamline your bookkeeping, accounting, and overall business management processes. But, which is right for you? Which will help support you in the areas you need?
Although we can’t answer those questions for you, we can give insight into the most popular software options: Sage Software vs QuickBooks.
What is QuickBooks?
Intuit QuickBooks is a business accounting platform that has ruled the financial management software industry over the 20 years – it’s been a go-to classic for keeping books straight and businesses organized since the turn of the New Millennium.
So… How does QuickBooks work? QuickBooks takes your financial records, reports, business data, etc. and organizes them for you so all of this information is easier to digest, study and manage. It also allows you to easily keep up with payroll and other financial aspects of your business, like sales, expenses and purchases. This software is an ideal solution for people who need a management tool to help them run their small to mid-sized businesses more easily and efficiently.
There are numerous advantages to choosing QuickBooks as your go-to accounting software. As you’d guess, the features and benefits you’ll experience vary depending on the edition of QuickBooks you choose to work in. However, no matter the version you go with it, you’ll discover it’s easy-to-use and there are a few universal perks, like financial reporting, money management, billing and invoicing capabilities and more.
What is a Sage System?
Sage is accounting software that facilitates, organizes and simplifies a variety of accounting tasks. Over the last 20+ years, Sage has become the third-largest accounting software worldwide for financial management and boasts over six million users today.
Generally, Sage is a superb tool for creating financial reports, record keeping and overall business management. Sage offers a little something for every company, no matter the size or industry, which are available at a variety of price points. After you move past Sage 50, other products in its extensive catalog differ greatly in their capabilities since these solutions are more customized. Depending on which version of this software you choose, Sage can be used for virtually anything – from handling easy jobs to managing more complicated financial systems and practices.
QuickBooks Pros and Cons
As with any other management tool, QuickBooks has its pros and cons. According to a user survey, people reported the following advantages and disadvantages to using QuickBooks:
QuickBooks Pros
1. Efficient
2. Easy-to-use
3. Flexible with third-party applications
4. Good accounting options
5. Affordable price
6. Money management and financial reporting features
7. Automatic synchronization with bank accounts
8. Full suite of bookkeeping tools
9. Cloud support options
QuickBooks Cons
1. System occasionally crashes
2. Lacks certain key reports for outside accounting
3. Lacks some business and industry-specific features, such as barcode scanning, eCommerce and lot tracking
4. File-size issues
5. Limited number of users allowed
6. Limited personalization options
Sage Pros and Cons
Sage is a more advanced form of accounting software than QuickBooks, and it goes beyond basic bookkeeping features. The following are the notable pros and cons of using this program:
Sage Pros
1. Expense tracking
2. Cloud-based project management
3. Personalized invoices and quotes
4. Collaboration between multiple users on a single project
5. A variety of plans, addressing basic accounting needs to advanced project management services
Sage Cons
1. Not as user friendly as other accounting programs
2. Difficult to set up and not as easy to incorporate into your business as other programs
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Allen Bernier commented
I’ve hopped between QuickBooks and Sage, and honestly the best fit really depends on where your business is at.
QuickBooks is kind of the “default” for a reason. It’s simple to get started with, good for everyday bookkeeping, payroll, and invoicing, and you don’t need to be an accountant to figure it out. The flip side is, once you start needing deeper reporting or industry-specific features like advanced inventory or job costing, it can feel like you’re stretching it beyond what it was built for.
Sage is more heavy-duty. It’s great if you’re managing bigger teams, more complex projects, or need really detailed financial tracking. The trade-off is the steeper learning curve and setup headaches. I’ve seen it work really well for construction and manufacturing, but for service businesses it can feel like overkill.
Another thing to think about is whether you want cloud access. QuickBooks Online makes that easy, but some people still prefer the desktop version because of the advanced features. In that case, there are providers who can host it in the cloud for you so you get the best of both worlds: the desktop functionality with the convenience of logging in from anywhere.
So if your focus is straightforward bookkeeping and staying lean, QuickBooks will probably make life easier. If you’re looking ahead at more complicated operations with multiple users and projects, Sage might be worth the extra effort.
Have you thought about whether your business is more service-oriented or inventory and project heavy? That’s usually the deciding factor I’ve seen.