Sage Accounting vs FreshBooks
Verified ratings, real UK pricing and the compliance detail, weighed side by side — with a written verdict at the end.
Sage Accounting
Accounting Software
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- Phone
- Live Chat
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
FreshBooks
Accounting Software
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Canada
- Phone
- Knowledge Base
FreshBooks leads on verified reviews by 0.2 of a point — 4.1 against 3.9 for Sage Accounting.
The short version
What each one costs and how each one rates, side by side. Only the rows where leading means something are marked; vendor and availability are in the overview above.
| Detail | Sage Accounting | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | £20/mo | £16/mo |
| Free version | NoNo | NoNo |
| Free trial | YesYes | YesYes |
| How it rates | ||
| Overall ratingMean of verified Assaylist reviews | 3.9 | 4.1 |
| Verified reviewsVolume is evidence, not a score — this row is not a contest | 206 reviews | 261 reviews |
Highlighted where one clearly leads. Rows without a highlight are not a contest.
How reviewers score them
Across the four dimensions we ask every reviewer about. The widest gap is ease of use, at 0.2 of a point.
- Sage Accounting
- FreshBooks
| Dimension | Sage Accounting | FreshBooks | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 3.8 | 4.0 | 0.2 to FreshBooks |
| Value for money | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to FreshBooks |
| Customer support | 3.8 | 4.0 | 0.2 to FreshBooks |
| Functionality | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to FreshBooks |
What each average is made of
Two products can share an average and not share a reputation. These bars show the star split behind each score.
| Product | 5 star | 4 star | 3 star | 2 star | 1 star |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sage Accounting | 39% (80 reviews) | 34% (70 reviews) | 14% (28 reviews) | 10% (21 reviews) | 3% (7 reviews) |
| FreshBooks | 42% (109 reviews) | 36% (95 reviews) | 14% (36 reviews) | 7% (18 reviews) | 1% (3 reviews) |
Feature by feature
Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.
- Both products
- 14%
- Only Sage Accounting
- 1357%
- Only FreshBooks
- 939%
23 features listed across both products.
What only one of them does
Sage Accounting
13- Assisted VAT submissions
- Bank reconciliation
- Budgets and custom reports
- Carbon footprint tracking
+ 9 more in the table below
FreshBooks
9- Automated payment reminders
- Client portal
- Expense and mileage tracking
- Mobile app
+ 5 more in the table below
Showing 23 of 23 features
| Detail | Sage Accounting | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 22 | ||
| Assisted VAT submissions | YesYes | NoNo |
| Bank reconciliation | YesYes | NoNo |
| Budgets and custom reports | YesYes | NoNo |
| Carbon footprint tracking | YesYes | NoNo |
| Cash flow forecasting | YesYes | NoNo |
| CIS management and submission | YesYes | NoNo |
| Multi currency banking | YesYes | NoNo |
| Pension auto enrolment | YesYes | NoNo |
| Quotes and estimates | YesYes | NoNo |
| Receipt capture | YesYes | NoNo |
| Sage Copilot AI assistant | YesYes | NoNo |
| Stock and inventory management | YesYes | NoNo |
| Unlimited sales invoices | YesYes | NoNo |
| Automated payment reminders | NoNo | YesYes |
| Client portal | NoNo | YesYes |
| Expense and mileage tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| Mobile app | NoNo | YesYes |
| Online payments | NoNo | YesYes |
| Professional invoicing | NoNo | YesYes |
| Project profitability | NoNo | YesYes |
| Recurring invoices | NoNo | YesYes |
| Time tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| Where they match · 1 | ||
| Making Tax Digital for VAT | YesYes | YesYes |
A dash means the vendor has not published a feature list — which is not the same as the feature being unavailable.
How they handle UK obligations
Checked against the vendor's own documentation or HMRC's published list. A dash means we have not verified it — never that it is missing.
| Detail | Sage Accounting | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|
| Verified against vendor documentation | ||
| HMRC-recognised for MTD for VAT | YesYes | YesYes |
| Making Tax Digital ready | YesYes | YesYes |
| RTI-compliant payroll | YesYes | Not listedNot listed |
| Pension auto-enrolment | YesYes | Not listedNot listed |
| CIS support | YesYes | Not listedNot listed |
| Open Banking bank feeds | YesYes | Not listedNot listed |
| UK-based support | Telephone support from Sage UK | Not stated |
What each tier costs
Both line-ups on one ladder, so the middle tier on one side sits next to the middle tier on the other.
Sage Accounting
FreshBooks
Start
£20/mo
- 1 user
- Payroll for 1 employee
- Sage Copilot included
Lite
£16/moLower
- Unlimited invoices
- Up to 5 billable clients
- Expense tracking
Standard
£43/mo
- 3 users
- Payroll for 1 employee
- 30 receipt captures included
Plus
£30/moLower
- Up to 50 billable clients
- Recurring invoices
- Project profitability
Plus
£59/mo
- Unlimited users
- Payroll for 5 employees
- 100 receipt captures included
Premium
£42/moLower
- Unlimited billable clients
- Advanced reporting
- Everything in Plus
Rungs are matched by position in each vendor’s own line-up, not by what the tiers include — an entry plan on one side may cover more than the other. Prices exclude VAT unless stated, and per-seat plans are quoted per seat. Always confirm on the vendor’s own site.
Which should you choose?
Two answers, because there are two right ones depending on what you need.
Choose Sage Accounting if
- It lists 13 features FreshBooks does not, including assisted vat submissions.
- It covers more of the UK obligations we check — 6 of them against 1.
Choose FreshBooks if
- It costs less to get started — £16/mo against £20/mo.
- Reviewers score it higher on ease of use — 4.0 against 3.8.
- It lists 9 features Sage Accounting does not, including automated payment reminders.
On verified Assaylist reviews, FreshBooks currently rates 4.1 against 3.9 for Sage Accounting. That gap is not the whole story: Sage Accounting starts at £20/mo and FreshBooks at £16/mo, so the right answer depends on the tier you actually need and on which one handles your UK obligations. Read both profiles before you commit, and confirm current pricing on the vendor's own site.
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