Sage 50cloud vs QuickBooks Online: Features, Comparisons & Alternatives

Sage 50cloud and QuickBooks Online have many similar features, such as banking, invoicing, and inventory management. However, we found some significant differences worth noting. For instance, Sage 50cloud is more difficult to use than QuickBooks Online, making it more suitable for businesses working with experienced bookkeepers. Meanwhile, QuickBooks Online is ideal for business owners managing their own books.

Sage 50cloud vs QuickBooks Online at a Glance

	Sage 50cloud	QuickBooks Online
Monthly Pricing	$57.17 to $152.42 for one user	$30 to $200
Users Included	1 (all plans)	1 to 25
Maximum Number of Users	40	25
Support Network of Independent Bookkeepers	Very limited	Outstanding
Mobile App Accessibility	iOS and Android	iOS and Android
Send Estimates	✓	✓
Issue Invoices & Track Collections	✓	✓
Calculate Sales Tax Rate Based Automatically on Address	✕	✓
Manage Unpaid Bills	✓	✓
Manage & Track Inventory	✓	✓
Print Checks	✓	✓
Capture & Organize Receipts	✓	✓
GPS Mileage Tracker	✕	✓
Track 1099 Payments	✓	✓
Track Activity by Class and Location	✓	✓
Compare Actual Project Costs to Estimates	✓	✕
Multicompany Support	✓	✕
Overall Ease of Use	Difficult	Moderate
	Visit Sage 50cloud	Visit QuickBooks Online

When To Use Each

Experienced bookkeepers: While Sage 50cloud contains many great features, there’s a certain level of difficulty involved in using this software. Small business owners and managers will have a hard time learning how to use it, and we recommend it only if you have an experienced bookkeeper helping you maintain your books.
Project accounting: Sage 50cloud’s project accounting features are outstanding, even though the user interface is quite difficult to learn. With the solution, you can create projects, assign project costs, and prepare budget-to-actual comparisons for monitoring. QuickBooks Online doesn’t let you compare actual and projected costs.
Multicompany accounting: Sage 50cloud is a good choice for consolidating multiple companies. You can generate consolidated financial statements, and Sage 50cloud will take care of intercompany accounts and transactions. With QuickBooks Online, you have to pay a separate subscription fee for each company file and can’t consolidate companies. If you want to explore other options for multicompany accounting, check out our list of the best multicompany accounting software.

Read our in-depth review of Sage 50cloud to learn more about its features and uses.

Visit Sage 50cloud

Do-it-yourself (DIY) accounting: QuickBooks Online offers an easy-to-use interface intended for small business accounting. If you’re a business owner or manager planning to manage the books on your own, you won’t find the platform difficult to use. Although it’ll take you a little while to learn everything, it is easier to use than Sage 50cloud.
Businesses that need to track business mileage: QuickBooks Online’s mobile app can track business mileage with GPS, which can benefit businesses like delivery companies. Aside from that, QuickBooks Online’s mobile app does some things that the Sage 50cloud mobile doesn’t, including the ability to enter bills and accept payments online, making it one of our best mobile accounting apps.
Businesses often needing bookkeeping support: If you need professional bookkeeping support, you can sign up for QuickBooks Live, QuickBooks Online’s assisted bookkeeping add-on, or find a QuickBooks ProAdvisor in your area. Sage also offers assisted bookkeeping services through independent Sage-certified experts, but it can be difficult to find one in the United States.

QuickBooks Online is our overall best small business accounting software. Read our QuickBooks Online review to see why.

Visit QuickBooks Online

When To Use an Alternative

Free accounting and invoicing: Sage 50cloud and QuickBooks Online are both premium accounting software that come at a cost. If you want a free accounting solution with a decent feature set, we recommend Lendio Accounting (formerly Sunrise).
Outstanding customer support: FreshBooks is one of the best providers in terms of customer support. You can call its support hotline, which is something you can’t do with Sage 50cloud and QuickBooks Online.
Businesses with large accounting teams: If you work with an accounting team with many members, then you may prefer Xero. You can add as many users as needed at no additional cost, making it our best QuickBooks alternative for businesses that want unlimited user access.

Fit Small Business Case Study

We created a case study to help us assess the performance of Sage 50cloud and QuickBooks Online across 11 key areas of accounting. The graph below sums up the results.

Touch the graph above to interact Click on the graphs above to interact

Sage 50Cloud: Starting at $50/ month; $88 as tested
Quickbooks Online: Starting at $30/month; $85 as tested

FSB case study comparing Sage 50cloud and QuickBooks Online

Sage 50cloud vs QuickBooks Online: Pricing

	Sage 50cloud	QuickBooks Online
Monthly Pricing*	$57.17 (Pro Accounting) $92 (Premium Accounting) $152.42 (Quantum Accounting)	$30 (Simple Start) $55 (Essentials) $85 (Plus) $200 (Advanced)
Number of Users Included	1 (Pro Accounting) 1 (Premium Accounting) 1 (Quantum Accounting)	1 (Simple Start) 3 (Essentials) 5 (Plus) 25 (Advanced)
Maximum Users Allowed	1 (Pro Accounting) 5 (Premium Accounting) 40 (Quantum Accounting)	1 (Simple Start) 3 (Essentials) 5 (Plus) 25 (Advanced
Free Demo	✓	✕
Free Trial	✕	✓
	Visit Sage 50cloud	Visit QuickBooks Online

*All users are included in the price of each QuickBooks Online plan, while only one user is included in the base price of each Sage 50cloud tier—and you have to pay an additional fee for each seat. For instance, Premium Accounting costs $92 for one user, $115.58 for two, and $211.67 for five.

QuickBooks Online is more affordable than Sage 50cloud, especially if you require multiple users to work on your accounting files. If you require access for up to five users, then you’ll only pay $80 per month with QuickBooks Online Plus, whereas with Sage 50cloud, you’ll have to pay more than $200 per month for five users with Premium Accounting.

Tip:

To help you decide which version of QuickBooks Online to purchase, check out our comparison of QuickBooks Online plans.

Sage 50cloud vs QuickBooks Online: Features

Banking & Cash Management

	Sage 50cloud	QuickBooks Online
Connect to Bank & Credit Card Accounts	✓	✓
Upload Bank Statements	✓	✓
Reconcile Bank Statements With Bank Feeds	✓	✓
Reconcile Bank Statements Without Bank Feeds	✓	✓
Print Checks	✓	✓
Group Multiple Checks Into a Single Deposit	✕	✓
Enter Monthly Service Fee During Reconciliation	✕	✓
Accounts Receivable (A/R) Module Ease of Use	Difficult	Moderate

Sage 50cloud and QuickBooks Online both have the essential bank reconciliation features we look for, but QuickBooks Online is much easier to use. QuickBooks Online allows you to group multiple customer checks into a single deposit slip. This is a great feature as it makes it easy for you to trace and match transactions in your check register to your bank statement.

Accounts Payable

	Sage 50cloud	QuickBooks Online
Manage & Track Unpaid Bills	✓	✓
Capture Expense Receipts	✓	✓
Generate Transactions From Uploaded Receipts	✕	✓
Set Up Recurring Expenses	✓	✓
Enter Purchase Orders (POs)	✓	✓
Enter a Vendor Credit	✓	✓
Track Payments to Independent Contractors	✓	✓
Short-pay an Invoice	✓	✓
Accounts Payable (A/P) Module Ease of Use	Difficult	Moderate

QuickBooks Online is better than Sage 50cloud as it can read an uploaded receipt and match the receipt to a transaction automatically. However, this isn’t a big deal for many businesses. A huge factor to consider is the ease of use—Sage 50cloud’s A/P module interface is crowded with too many features, making it overwhelming for users with no or little knowledge of accounting software and accounting principles.

Accounts Receivable

	Sage 50cloud	QuickBooks Online
Create & Issue Invoices	✓	✓
Customize Invoices	✓	✓
Email & Print Invoices	✓	✓
View Outstanding Invoices	✓	✓
Create Recurring Invoices	✓	✓
Accept Short Payments From Customers	✓	✓
Calculates Sales Tax Rate Based on Customer Address	✕	✓
Issue a Refund Check	✕	✓
Ease of Use	Difficult	Moderate

QuickBooks Online is slightly better in terms of accounts receivable due to its ability to issue checks for customers with credit balances. Another advantage is that it calculates the total tax rate for each sale automatically based on the customers’ address, which is useful if you sell products or services out of your state.

Inventory Management

	Sage 50cloud	QuickBooks Online
Create an Inventory Item	✓	✓
Track the Cost of Goods Available	✓	✓
View Inventory Available	✓	✓
Track Total Units & Costs	✓	✓
Adjust the Cost & Quantity of Inventory	✓	✓
View Inventory on PO	✓	✓
Record Inventory Returned Back Into Inventory	✓	✓
View Total Cost of Inventory on Hand	✓	✓
Add Inventory to an Invoice	✓	✓
Inventory Module Ease of Use	Difficult	Moderate

Sage 50cloud nearly has the same inventory capabilities as QuickBooks Online, but some of its features are limited. For instance, it can be difficult to enter a partial receipt of inventory on purchase orders. However, despite the minor weaknesses, Sage 50cloud has the important features we want to see, such as the ability to track the cost of goods sold (COGS) and calculate ending inventories. QuickBooks Online is slightly better, as its inventory module is easier to use than Sage 50cloud’s.

Sage 50cloud vs QuickBooks Online: Ease of Use

	Sage 50cloud	QuickBooks Online
Accessibility	Cloud	On-premise (remote access through cloud hosting)
Shortcut buttons	✓	✓
Ease of Setup	Moderate	Easy
Intuitive dashboard	✕	✓
Customer Support	Fair	Extensive
Overall Ease of Use	Difficult	Moderate

One of QuickBooks Online’s biggest trump cards against Sage 50cloud is the ease of use. As a complete cloud-based accounting software, it’s easier for you and your accountant to access your files. Sage 50cloud offers remote data access—through cloud hosting—but for an additional price.

QuickBooks Online also has a more streamlined user interface than Sage 50cloud. Sage 50cloud is crowded with too many buttons and drop-down menus, which makes it difficult to navigate the program.

Sage 50cloud vs QuickBooks Online: Integrations

Sage 50cloud has fewer than 100 integrations available, as compared to 825 for QuickBooks. While Sage 50’s are mainly focused on the apps associated with Microsoft 365, QuickBooks offers a wide range, including QuickBooks Payroll, Shopify by OneSaas, Service Trade, and Fathom.

Sage 50cloud leverages the power of Microsoft 365 to make your data accessible via the cloud and a range of integrated apps. It integrates with Microsoft 365 Business Standard and the full Microsoft Small Business Productivity Suite, which will save time and money while boosting productivity.

Here’s a sample of the integrations that are currently available for Sage 50cloud:

Microsoft apps: Microsoft 365, Microsoft OneDrive, MileIQ, One Drive, SharePoint, Teams, and Outlook Customer Manager
Time tracking: Sage Timeslips and Journyx
Manage expenses: SnapAP
Process payroll: PayClock
Ecommerce and brick-and-mortar stores: ProShop and Shopfront
Payment management: Sage Payment Solutions, Credit Hound, Stripe, and PayPal

For businesses with employees or needing to track time, you can access QuickBooks Payroll and QuickBooks Time directly through QuickBooks. There are also many third-party apps that integrate with the software:

QuickBooks Payroll: Click on QuickBooks Payroll from within QuickBooks and access full payroll functionality.
QuickBooks Time: Use the mobile app to track time and then bill customers or use it for payroll within QuickBooks Online. Time has many advanced features, which include GPS tracking of employees and timeclock terminals with facial recognition.
QuickBooks Payments: This built-in payment processor lets QuickBooks Online users accept in-person, check, cash, and credit card payments.

Read our reviews of QuickBooks Payroll, QuickBooks Time, and QuickBooks Payments to learn more about these QuickBooks Online built-in integrations.

Here are some third–party integrations that are currently available for QuickBooks Online:

Time tracking: ClockShark and eBillity
Inventory tracking: eBay by OneSaas, Shopify by OneSaas, Amazon Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), Seller Fulfilled Accounting by Entriwise, and Katana Inventory and Manufacturing
Pay bills and receive payments: Bill.com, Deluxe eChecks, Plooto, and Veem
Manage customers: Method:CRM, Insightly CRM, WORKetc, and Capsule CRM
Manage projects: BigTime, Service Trade, Jobber, Corecon, and Knowify for Contractors
Perform analytics: Syft Analytics, Qvinci, Fathom, and LivePlan
Process payroll: Gusto, ADP, and Paychex

Sage 50cloud vs QuickBooks Online: Mobile App Functionality

	Sage 50cloud	QuickBooks Online
Accessibility	iOS and Android	iOS and Android
Create & Send Invoices	✓	✓
Accept Payments Online	✕	✓
Capture Expense Receipt	✓	✓
Categorize Expenses From Bank Feeds	✕	✓
View Reports	✕	✓
Enter Bills & Bill Payments	✕	✕
Record Time Worked	✕	✕
Assign Time Worked to a Customer or Project	✕	✕
Track Business Mileage	✕	✓

Sage 50cloud has a mobile app called Sage Capture that’s available for both iOS and Android devices. However, it’s limited to capturing receipts and posting associated transactions. With the QuickBooks Online mobile app, all of your financial data is at your fingertips. You can use your device to accept payments online, track business mileage, and view reports, which are things you can’t do with the Sage 50cloud mobile app.

Sage 50cloud vs QuickBooks Online: Assisted Bookkeeping

QuickBooks Online beats Sage 50cloud in assisted bookkeeping. QuickBooks offers assisted bookkeeping services in the form of QuickBooks Live, where you’ll be assigned a dedicated bookkeeper who’ll work with you to clean up your books and maintain them on a monthly basis. In addition, you can find a local independent QuickBooks ProAdvisor easily to assist you with your bookkeeping. Meanwhile, Sage 50cloud users can seek bookkeeping support in the form of Sage-certified accountants, which can be difficult to find in the US.

Sage 50cloud vs QuickBooks: Customer Support

	Sage 50cloud	QuickBooks Online
Live Chat Support	✓	✓
Chatbot	✓	✓
Email Support	✓	✓
Self-help Resources	✓	✓
Phone Support	✕	✓

While Sage 50cloud and QuickBooks have various options for customers seeking support, you’ll prefer QuickBooks Online if you value telephone support. While it isn’t possible to call support directly, you can submit a request online and wait for an agent to call you. This is useful if you encounter more complicated issues that need personalized answers and solutions.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. When is Sage 50cloud better than QuickBooks Online?

Sage 50cloud is better if your company has multiple business divisions or units that require completely separate bookkeeping, you prefer locally installed software, and you need enhanced project accounting features, including the ability to compare estimated and actual costs.

2. When is QuickBooks Online better than Sage 50cloud?

If you want something that is easier to use and a program that you can access remotely, choose QuickBooks Online. Many small businesses also prefer QuickBooks Online because of the assisted bookkeeping add-on, QuickBooks Live, and the availability of QuickBooks ProAdvisors to support their bookkeeping needs.

3. Are QuickBooks Online and Sage 50cloud free programs?

No, both are paid accounting software. If you need a free alternative to support your basic accounting needs, check out our guide to the best free accounting software for small businesses.

Bottom Line

Both Sage 50cloud and QuickBooks Online are great accounting software programs packed with outstanding features. However, Sage 50cloud is more difficult to use, so we recommend it for businesses with internal accounting departments. QuickBooks Online is more user-friendly and is a great option for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that manage their books on their own.