Sage Accounting vs Zoho Books
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
Zoho Books
Accounting Software
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- United States
- Canada
- Australia
- India
- Phone
- Live Chat
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
Zoho Books 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 | Zoho Books |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | £20/mo | Free |
| Free version | NoNo | YesYes |
| 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 | 240 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 0.3 of a point.
- Sage Accounting
- Zoho Books
| Dimension | Sage Accounting | Zoho Books | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 3.8 | 4.1 | 0.3 to Zoho Books |
| Value for money | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to Zoho Books |
| Customer support | 3.8 | 4.0 | 0.2 to Zoho Books |
| Functionality | 3.9 | 4.1 | 0.2 to Zoho Books |
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) |
| Zoho Books | 48% (114 reviews) | 29% (69 reviews) | 15% (36 reviews) | 7% (17 reviews) | 2% (4 reviews) |
Feature by feature
Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.
- Both products
- 13%
- Only Sage Accounting
- 1345%
- Only Zoho Books
- 1552%
29 features listed across both products.
What only one of them does
Sage Accounting
13- Assisted VAT submissions
- Budgets and custom reports
- Carbon footprint tracking
- Cash flow forecasting
+ 9 more in the table below
Zoho Books
15- 50+ reports
- API access
- CIS contractor tracking
- Customer portal
+ 11 more in the table below
Showing 29 of 29 features
| Detail | Sage Accounting | Zoho Books |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 28 | ||
| Assisted VAT submissions | YesYes | NoNo |
| Budgets and custom reports | YesYes | NoNo |
| Carbon footprint tracking | YesYes | NoNo |
| Cash flow forecasting | YesYes | NoNo |
| CIS management and submission | YesYes | NoNo |
| Making Tax Digital for VAT | 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 |
| 50+ reports | NoNo | YesYes |
| API access | NoNo | YesYes |
| CIS contractor tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| Customer portal | NoNo | YesYes |
| File CT600 Corporation Tax | NoNo | YesYes |
| File SA100 Self Assessment | NoNo | YesYes |
| Final Accounts filing | NoNo | YesYes |
| Inventory management | NoNo | YesYes |
| Mileage tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| MTD for Income Tax | NoNo | YesYes |
| MTD for VAT | NoNo | YesYes |
| Projects and time tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| Property tracking for landlords | NoNo | YesYes |
| Receipt autoscans | NoNo | YesYes |
| Recurring invoices | NoNo | YesYes |
| Where they match · 1 | ||
| Bank reconciliation | 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 | Zoho Books |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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
Zoho Books
Start
£20/mo
- 1 user
- Payroll for 1 employee
- Sage Copilot included
Free
FreeLower
- 1 user plus 1 accountant
- File SA100 with HMRC
- MTD for Income Tax
Standard
£43/mo
- 3 users
- Payroll for 1 employee
- 30 receipt captures included
Standard
£12/moLower
- 3 users
- Connect bank feeds
- Final Accounts filing
Plus
£59/mo
- Unlimited users
- Payroll for 5 employees
- 100 receipt captures included
Professional
£24/moLower
- Projects and time tracking
- Inventory management
- Purchase orders
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 Zoho Books does not, including assisted vat submissions.
- It covers more of the UK obligations we check — 6 of them against 4.
Choose Zoho Books if
- It costs less to get started — Free against £20/mo.
- There is a free tier you can stay on, which Sage Accounting does not offer.
- Reviewers score it higher on ease of use — 4.1 against 3.8.
- It lists 15 features Sage Accounting does not, including 50+ reports.
Zoho Books offers remarkable value, including a free plan that files Self Assessment and Corporation Tax filing from its Standard tier. Sage Accounting counters with bundled payroll, decades of UK compliance experience and far wider accountant familiarity. Choose Zoho for value, Sage if you want payroll included and an accountant who already knows the software.
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