Sage 50 Accounting vs. QuickBooks Online: Cost, Pros, Cons

Both Sage 50 Accounting and QuickBooks Online are powerful accounting software solutions for most small businesses. Even so, there are a few factors worth considering so you can feel confident about your decision now and down the road.

QuickBooks Online is the stronger candidate for business owners who prioritize customer support availability and the option to work on a mobile app. And if they want to gain deeper insight into the logistics behind their business as it grows, QuickBooks Online’s reporting capabilities scale up with each plan level. However, Sage 50 Accounting's 40-user maximum (under the Quantum plan) renders it a winner among larger businesses and well-established small businesses that require more than the 25 users QuickBooks Advanced allows. Sage is more expensive, though.

Extra note on ease of use: If you want to get the most out of your accounting software product, regardless of whether you choose Sage, QuickBooks Online or something else, you’ll have to invest some time learning accounting basics. The information on Sage and QuickBooks dashboards can be overwhelming if you don’t brush up on basic accounting principles and essential accounting formulas.

Maximum users: Sage wins

If you need to give accounting access to more than 25 people, Sage could be the better option for you. Sage’s highest-tier Quantum plan is far more expensive than QuickBooks’ Advanced plan (which allows up to 25 users), but it enables up to 40 users, though you’ll need to request a quote for more than 10 users. All things considered, however, user limits shouldn't be a primary determining factor unless you have a larger business.

Reporting complexity: Sage wins

As business owners learn more about accounting, they might want to run more detailed reports, and that capability increases with each of QuickBooks Online’s four plan tiers. Sage 50 Accounting, however, provides over 150 reports, including industry-specific reports that cater to construction, manufacturing and distribution businesses. Sage reports can be customized, grouped, filtered and combined.

» MORE: Best construction accounting software

Dashboard: Tie

When you finally decide on an accounting software product, the hope is that you’ll be comfortable using it. Before making any decisions, it’s worth taking a test drive of each software product to check out its dashboard and shortcuts. While both Sage and QuickBooks Online are user-friendly and have a clean look, you might find you prefer one layout over the other.

Integrations: QuickBooks Online wins

QuickBooks Online gives you access to an impressive marketplace of over 750 apps — including third-party tools as well as QuickBooks add-ons. Sage 50 Accounting touts 40+ software integrations.

Mobile app: QuickBooks Online wins

QuickBooks Online’s mobile app for iOS and Android receives more than 4 stars on both Google Play and Apple app stores. Notable features include report generation and access, invoicing, receipt capture, expense tracking and more. Sage 50 Accounting is a desktop product and therefore is not available as a mobile app.

Free trial: Tie

Both providers offer generous free trials. QuickBooks Online offers a free 30-day trial for new customers or 50% off of a 30-day subscription, your choice. Sage 50 Accounting also offers a free 30-day test-drive.

Support: QuickBooks Online wins

Business owners who prefer working through a hiccup on the phone will favor QuickBooks Online, which has longer hours during the week (6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific time) and is available on Saturdays; Advanced plan owners get 24/7 support. Sage offers phone support from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern, Monday through Friday.

» MORE: NerdWallet's best small-business apps

Read more about how QuickBooks Online stacks up against the competition:

• QuickBooks Online vs. Desktop.

• QuickBooks Online vs. Wave.

• QuickBooks Online vs. Xero.

• QuickBooks Online vs. FreshBooks.