QuickBooks dominates the small-to-medium business market with 4.6M+ users and superior ease-of-use, while Sage excels for mid-market companies with more robust multi-user capabilities and deeper accounting features at a lower entry price point.
Sage vs QuickBooks — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Enterprise-grade cloud accounting platform with extensive integrations, advanced reporting, and native payroll capabilities.
Flexible cloud-based accounting platform built for mid-market businesses with unlimited multi-user access and advanced controls.
User Base Size. Starting Monthly Price. Multi-User Simultaneous Access. Mobile App Functionality. Learning Curve (Days to Competency). Integration Ecosystem. Advanced Permissioning Levels
Choose QuickBooks if you're a small business owner seeking intuitive design, strong mobile capabilities, and a massive user community with abundant tutorials. Choose Sage if you're a mid-market firm needing unlimited concurrent users, advanced permission controls, lower initial costs, and deeper multi-company accounting management.
QuickBooks Online: $30 (Simple Start) | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: 3+ (scalable) | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: Yes, included | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: Phone, chat, and expert-assisted | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: Yes (Advanced plan) | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: Available via add-ons | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: Enhanced 2026 features | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: Limited (separate subscriptions) | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: Limited USD focus | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: 25 users | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: Strong integration | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: Deepest in market | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: Free (QBO Accountant) | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: Industry-leading recommendation | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: $30 | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: Unlimited per plan tier | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: Unlimited | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: Available in higher tiers | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: 650+ | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: Advanced (Intuit Intelligence, Tax AI beta, batch processing) | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: Supported with advanced workflows | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: 6 | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: 4.3M | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: Built-in | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: 4.5/5 | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: 10 | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: 30 | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: 1 user | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: 80+ | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: No (add-on $10/user/month) | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: Limited/Premium plans only | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: 1-2 hours | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: iOS, Android (full-featured) | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: $540/year | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: Multiple (Online Plus+) | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: Single entity focus | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: 2-4 weeks | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: Up to 500 SKUs | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: $30/month | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: No (14-day trial only) | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: Single currency per company | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: 10,000+ banks | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: 500+ via app marketplace | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: 300,000+ certified | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: iOS & Android | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: 50+ customizable reports | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: Unlimited custom templates | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: Advanced (recurring transactions, bill pay, expense automation) | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: Full accounting, reporting, and transaction management | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: $180-$2400 | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: $15/month | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: $10/month
QuickBooks Online: 4.6 million | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: 1.2 million
QuickBooks Online: 3 users (Essentials plan) | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: Unlimited
QuickBooks Online: 500+ | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: 200+
QuickBooks Online: Full invoicing + real-time sync | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: Expense capture only
QuickBooks Online: 5 standard roles | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: 12 customizable roles
QuickBooks Online: 3-5 days | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: 7-10 days
QuickBooks Online: 99.9% | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: 99.8%
QuickBooks Online: $35 | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: 4.5M+ users | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: 4.2/5 | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: 1 (U.S. primary) | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: 160 (limited real-time conversion) | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: 10,000 | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: 50 (Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm ET) | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: Native (Payroll Plus plan included) | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: 750+ | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: 3 users | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: Automated (SmartMatch AI) | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: Included in plan | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: 16,000+ global institutions | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: 100+ customizable reports | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: 4.6/5 (89,000 reviews) | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: Limited: invoice viewing only | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: Yes, native QuickBooks Payroll | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
QuickBooks Online: 5-7 days | Sage Business Cloud Accounting: N/A
Sage Business Cloud Accounting — Wikipedia
How to choose between QuickBooks Online and Sage Business Cloud Accounting
Compare QuickBooks Online vs Sage Business Cloud Accounting
Sage vs QuickBooks — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Sage vs QuickBooks. Contains 81 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Sage vs QuickBooks — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Sage vs QuickBooks.
Which is better for a 10-person accounting team?
Sage is the clear winner for team environments. It offers unlimited concurrent users at all price tiers, while QuickBooks limits you to 1-3 simultaneous users depending on your plan. For a 10-person team, you'd either need multiple QuickBooks instances or face constant user-switching headaches. Sage's 12 customizable roles also provide far better control over who can access what.
Can I use these offline, or do I need internet?
Both are cloud-only solutions requiring active internet connections. QuickBooks does have a desktop version (QuickBooks Desktop), but it's being phased out. Sage offers cloud-only. Neither provides robust offline capabilities, though QuickBooks mobile app can capture expenses offline and sync when reconnected.
How do these handle multi-company accounting?
Sage significantly outperforms QuickBooks for multi-company scenarios. Sage's single dashboard allows you to consolidate and manage multiple entities simultaneously with unified reporting. QuickBooks requires separate subscriptions per company and manual consolidation, making it expensive and cumbersome for groups.
Which integrates better with my existing tools?
QuickBooks wins decisively with 500+ native integrations vs. Sage's 200+. If you use Shopify, Stripe, PayPal, HubSpot, or Zapier extensively, QuickBooks has pre-built connectors. Sage covers basics but requires more workarounds for niche tools. Check both platforms' integration marketplaces against your specific tech stack.
What's the real cost difference over 3 years?
For a solo user: Sage costs ~$360/year vs. QuickBooks at ~$180-360/year depending on features. For a 5-person team: Sage remains ~$120/person/year (unlimited users), while QuickBooks requires either multiple subscriptions (~$900-1,800/year total) or constant user log-out/log-in cycles. Sage becomes dramatically cheaper at scale.
How to Choose Between QuickBooks Online and Sage Business Cloud Accounting
User Base Size: QuickBooks Online has 4.6 million+ users, while Sage Business Cloud Accounting has 1.2 million+ users.
Starting Monthly Price: QuickBooks Online has $15/month, while Sage Business Cloud Accounting has $10/month.
Consider: Multi-User Simultaneous Access
Multi-User Simultaneous Access: QuickBooks Online has Limited (1-3 users depending on plan), while Sage Business Cloud Accounting has Unlimited concurrent users.
Mobile App Functionality: QuickBooks Online has Full invoicing, expense tracking, real-time sync, while Sage Business Cloud Accounting has Basic reporting and expense capture only.
Consider: Learning Curve (Days to Competency)
Learning Curve (Days to Competency): QuickBooks Online has 3-5 days, while Sage Business Cloud Accounting has 7-10 days.
Integration Ecosystem: QuickBooks Online has 500+ third-party integrations, while Sage Business Cloud Accounting has 200+ third-party integrations.
Advanced Permissioning Levels: QuickBooks Online has 5 role types, while Sage Business Cloud Accounting has 12 customizable role types.