FreshBooks vs Sage 50 Accounting
Verified ratings, feature by feature comparison and real pricing. Everything a North American business needs to pick between these two.
FreshBooks
Invoicing first accounting for people who bill for their time
Sage 50 Accounting
Desktop grade accounting depth with a cloud connection bolted on
Some links here are affiliate links, so we may earn a commission at no cost to you. It never affects a rating or a ranking. How this works.
Ratings
Every score, at a glance
Verified user ratings across every dimension. FreshBooks against Sage 50 Accounting, nothing weighted.
Dimensions won
41FreshBooks 4, Sage 50 Accounting 1
FreshBooks vs Sage 50 Accounting, across 5 rating dimensions
Widest rating gap
+1.7
FreshBooks leads on ease of use
Verified reviews
360
96 for FreshBooks, 264 for Sage 50 Accounting
FreshBooks96 verified reviews
Sage 50 Accounting264 verified reviews
Ratings by dimension
- FreshBooks
- Sage 50 Accounting
Share of verified reviews
Which product reviewers actually write about.
- FreshBooks96
- Sage 50 Accounting264
Cost to get started
Cheapest paid plan, shown per month.
FreshBooks is the cheaper way in. Lower is not automatically better, so weigh it against the ratings above.
Head to head
Where each one wins
Row by row, with the stronger score highlighted. Straight from verified reviews.
| FreshBooks | Sage 50 Accounting | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.3 | 3.8 |
| Reviews | 96 | 264 |
| Ease of use | 4.6 | 2.9 |
| Value for money | 4.3 | 3.4 |
| Customer service | 4.6 | 3.2 |
| Functionality | 4.0 | 4.2 |
| Starting price | $21/mo | $128.67/mo |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Free version | No | No |
Features
Feature by feature, checked off
Everything each product ships, side by side. No marketing gloss.
| Feature | FreshBooks | Sage 50 Accounting |
|---|---|---|
| Invoicing and recurring billing | ||
| Automatic late payment reminders | ||
| Client retainers and deposits | ||
| Time tracking | ||
| Project profitability | ||
| Expense tracking and receipt capture | ||
| Online card and bank payments | ||
| Double entry accounting | ||
| Mileage tracking | ||
| Client portal | ||
| Proposals and estimates | ||
| True double entry general ledger | ||
| Automated bank reconciliation | ||
| Serialized inventory tracking | ||
| Advanced job costing | ||
| Multi company consolidation | ||
| Audit trails | ||
| Role based permissions | ||
| Sales tax tracking by jurisdiction | ||
| Payroll module available separately | ||
| Sage Security Shield fraud protection |
Pricing
Both price lists, side by side
Every plan from both vendors, side by side, priced in US dollars.
FreshBooks plans
Lite
Up to 5 billable clients.
$21/mo
per month
- 5 billable clients
- Unlimited invoices
- Expense tracking
- Online payments
- Sales tax on invoices
Plus
Up to 50 billable clients. Adds recurring billing and retainers.
$38/mo
per month
- 50 billable clients
- Recurring invoices
- Client retainers
- Double entry accounting
- Accountant access
Premium
Unlimited clients and project profitability.
$65/mo
per month
- Unlimited billable clients
- Project profitability
- Accounts payable
- Customized email templates
- Advanced reporting
Get current pricing
These are list prices and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with FreshBooks for the figure you will actually pay.
Sage 50 Accounting plans
Pro Accounting
One user. Essential cloud accounting for a small business.
$128.67/mo
per month
- 1 user
- Invoice and bill tracking
- Purchase orders and approval
- Automated bank reconciliation
- Inventory management
- Job management
- Minimum one year commitment
Premium Accounting
1 to 5 users. Adds consolidation, advanced budgeting and audit trails.
$182.50/mo
per month
- Everything in Pro
- 1 to 5 users
- Multiple companies
- Advanced budgeting
- Serialized inventory tracking
- Advanced job costing
- Audit trails
Quantum Accounting
Up to 40 users. Role based permissions and workflow management.
$271.17/mo
per month
- Everything in Premium
- 1 to 40 users
- Role based user permissions
- Faster processing
- Order process workflow
- Workflow management
- Project management
Get current pricing
These are list prices and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with Sage for the figure you will actually pay.