Sage Accounting vs QuickBooks Online
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
QuickBooks Online
Accounting Software
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- United States
- Canada
- Australia
- Phone
- Live Chat
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
QuickBooks Online 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 | QuickBooks Online |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | £20/mo | £14.33/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 | 262 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
- QuickBooks Online
| Dimension | Sage Accounting | QuickBooks Online | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 3.8 | 4.0 | 0.2 to QuickBooks Online |
| Value for money | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to QuickBooks Online |
| Customer support | 3.8 | 4.0 | 0.2 to QuickBooks Online |
| Functionality | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to QuickBooks Online |
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) |
| QuickBooks Online | 44% (115 reviews) | 35% (93 reviews) | 13% (34 reviews) | 6% (17 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
- 1348%
- Only QuickBooks Online
- 1348%
27 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
QuickBooks Online
13- Automated bank feeds
- Batch invoicing
- Budgets
- Calculate and submit CIS
+ 9 more in the table below
Showing 27 of 27 features
| Detail | Sage Accounting | QuickBooks Online |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 26 | ||
| 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 bank feeds | NoNo | YesYes |
| Batch invoicing | NoNo | YesYes |
| Budgets | NoNo | YesYes |
| Calculate and submit CIS | NoNo | YesYes |
| Class and location tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| Custom reporting | NoNo | YesYes |
| Inventory management | NoNo | YesYes |
| MTD for Income Tax ready | NoNo | YesYes |
| Multiple currencies | NoNo | YesYes |
| Project profitability tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| Receipt capture and mileage tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| Role based access control | NoNo | YesYes |
| Workflow automation | 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 | QuickBooks Online |
|---|---|---|
| Verified against vendor documentation | ||
| HMRC-recognised for MTD for VAT | YesYes | YesYes |
| HMRC-recognised for MTD for ITSA | Not listedNot listed | YesYes |
| Making Tax Digital ready | YesYes | YesYes |
| RTI-compliant payroll | YesYes | Not listedNot listed |
| Pension auto-enrolment | YesYes | Not listedNot listed |
| CIS support | YesYes | YesYes |
| Open Banking bank feeds | YesYes | YesYes |
| UK-based support | Telephone support from Sage UK | Telephone and chat support |
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
QuickBooks Online
Start
£20/mo
- 1 user
- Payroll for 1 employee
- Sage Copilot included
Simple Start
£14.33/moLower
- 1 user plus accountant
- Making Tax Digital for VAT
- Calculate and submit CIS
Standard
£43/mo
- 3 users
- Payroll for 1 employee
- 30 receipt captures included
Essentials
£34.20/moLower
- 3 users plus accountant
- Multiple currencies
- Employee time tracking
Plus
£59/mo
- Unlimited users
- Payroll for 5 employees
- 100 receipt captures included
Plus
£50.40/moLower
- 5 users plus accountant
- Inventory management
- Budgets
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 QuickBooks Online does not, including assisted vat submissions.
- It covers more of the UK obligations we check — 6 of them against 5.
Choose QuickBooks Online if
- It costs less to get started — £14.33/mo against £20/mo.
- Reviewers score it higher on ease of use — 4.0 against 3.8.
- It lists 13 features Sage Accounting does not, including automated bank feeds.
Both are HMRC recognised and closely matched on features. QuickBooks Online leads on automated bank categorisation and includes CIS from the entry tier, while Sage Accounting bundles payroll into every plan, which can make it cheaper once staff are involved. Compare them on the renewal price and on whether you need payroll included.
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