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: QuickBooks and Sage. (FYI: the answer is no if you find yourself asking, “are QuickBooks and Sage the same?”).
In this QuickBooks vs. Sage guide, we provide information on:
By the end of this guide, we hope you’ll have everything you need to make an informed decision on which option is the best for you. With that – let’s go ahead and dive in!
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.
Sage is an 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 catalogue 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.
TL;DR: In short, QuickBooks is generally better for small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) who use bookkeepers. Sage, on the other hand, is typically suited for larger companies with a Controller or CFO who need more industry-tailored features.
QuickBooks and Sage both offer entry level solutions for small businesses that are affordable and easy-to-use.
The most comparable solution to QuickBooks in Sage’s portfolio is Sage 50cloud, formerly known as Peachtree. Retail pricing for the most affordable option, Sage 50cloud Pro Accounting, currently starts just under $500/year, making it the most similar price point to QuickBooks that Sage offers.
Like most of the QuickBooks editions, the majority of the Sage ERP products are not inherently cloud-based, but can be run from the cloud in a hosted environment through third party hosting.
Both have large ecosystems of third-party integrated solutions such as Expense Management, AP Automation, and Payments, to name just a few.
There are significant differences between Sage and QuickBooks. Beyond Sage 50cloud, that’s where many of the similarities stop. That’s where you see the products being a better fit for established, growing organizations. Many of the companies using Sage products 100 and up have a dedicated Controller or CFO (as opposed to a bookkeeper, which is more common for QuickBooks users).
Also, unlike QuickBooks, Sage offers more tailored industry-specific business management options, like Construction and Real Estate, Manufacturing, Wholesale Distribution, etc.
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:
If you are considering leasing or purchasing QuickBooks, you can feel assured that the program is user friendly and comes with many options for small business owners. However, inventory management can be a weakness, which is problematic for businesses with robust inventory management needs. Users are also limited in the degree of personalization options for invoices, and project management is lacking. Therefore, if your business requires a program with collaboration options between employees, other programs may work better. If you prioritize a program that offers simple ease-of-use, QuickBooks is a great option.
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 is an advanced accounting program that gives users more choices when it comes to personalization and job estimations. It is also suited for project management, allowing collaboration between users. It may not be as easy to master as other programs, but it can grow with your business better than more basic software.
QuickBooks is suited for new and small businesses, offering basic inventory management and introductory accounting solutions. Be prepared to upgrade your system, though, as your business expands or requires inventory management. However, if you don’t have a large inventory or plan to keep your business small, QuickBooks can be ideal. The following are just a few examples of the industries that would benefit greatly from QuickBooks:
When you have a large business or a robust inventory to manage, Sage is a better option than QuickBooks. It offers more options for greater inventory needs and provides an array of project management tools. Although it is not as user friendly to master, it provides greater options for a growing business. The following are the industries that would best benefit from using Sage software:
Sage is a cloud-based program that specializes in project management, offering an array of invoicing features. QuickBooks is easier to use and is best classified as a bookkeeping program that provides several automatic syncing features between your business and your bank accounts. Therefore, they are both applicable for business use, so deciding which one you should purchase depends on your business needs.
When deciding between QuickBooks and Sage, there are multiple things to consider. We recommend that you answer the following questions as you make a decision between the two:
Q: Do you have more than one employee collaborate on a project?
A: If you answer yes, Sage is better suited for you.
Q: Do you carry a large inventory and need to track many products?
A: If you answer yes, Sage is better suited to handle a robust inventory.
Q: Do you want your invoices and estimates personalized with your business logo?
A: If you answer yes, then Sage offers more options for you.
Q: Do you need a program that can easily be learned by your employees?
A: If you answer yes, then QuickBooks is best suited as its user-friendly style and synchronization with bank accounts make using and picking this system up easier than more advanced programs.
Q: Do you have a small business?
A: If you answer yes, then QuickBooks is likely best suited for your needs but Sage 50 may also do.
All in all, both QuickBooks and Sage are wonderful options, and which is right for you depends on your needs. To decide which program is better for your business, you must determine what you need your accounting software to do. If you need basic bookkeeping services, QuickBooks usually wins. If you need more advanced project management options, Sage pushes ahead.
Over the years, Intuit has fine-tuned their software and has released multiple versions with more specialized tools and reporting depending on the needs for most growing businesses.
From start-ups to Enterprise-level organizations and everywhere in between, Sage has a solution for you at any stage in your business.
It should be noted that the products listed below with the word “cloud” in them are not cloud-based. Rather they are “hybrid” solutions that can be hosted in the cloud by a third party such as Summit Hosting. The “cloud” in the names references the fact that they are “cloud connected”, meaning that they can be installed locally (or in a hosted environment) but can be connected to other applications that are cloud-based.
Financial Management & ERP software:
No matter the version of Sage Desktop or QuickBooks Desktop you choose, cloud hosting is an excellent way to enjoy more perks and features, such as..
Decreased IT and Hardware Costs: You’ll be able to significantly reduce IT and hardware costs when you when you host your Sage or QuickBooks software off-premise with a cloud hosting provider. How? They take over the maintenance, updates and upgrades – more than likely, these costs are all bundled into your service – so you don’t have to worry about it.
Remote Access: In a traditional setting, QuickBooks Desktop and Sage are typically installed onto a desktop or laptop that stays at the office – this means your ease of remote access is severely limited. When you host your accounting software in the cloud with Summit Hosting, you’ll have 100% secure remote access to Sage or QuickBooks from anywhere using any device, and you will be able to use your software just like you would normally from your computer in the office.
Custom-Built Dedicated Servers: At Summit Hosting, we only use dedicated server environments! You’ll never share resources with others in a shared environment here and you’ll be able to customize your server with the resources you need, when you need them.
Integrated Hosted Applications: When you choose a cloud hosted environment for your software, depending on the hosting provider, you’ll be able to integrate the 3rd-party applications you need so you can get the most out of your QuickBooks or Sage accounting software.
Just like each employee has unique skills and interests, each business is equally as different. So, ultimately it’s up to you to browse through each catalogue of products, consider what tools you need to run your business more efficiently and see which options will be the best fit to help you reach your goals.
If you have any QuickBooks or Sage product-specific questions, we recommend speaking with a representative at Intuit (QuickBooks) or contacting Sage directly.
You can also always reach out to a cloud hosting specialist at Summit Hosting with any questions you have about our cloud hosted Sage and QuickBooks solutions – contact us here or give us a call today: 888-244-6559.
