Wave vs Sage 50 Accounting
Verified ratings, feature by feature comparison and real pricing. Everything a North American business needs to pick between these two.
Sage 50 Accounting
Desktop grade accounting depth with a cloud connection bolted on
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Ratings
Every score, at a glance
Verified user ratings across every dimension. Wave against Sage 50 Accounting, nothing weighted.
Dimensions won
41Wave 4, Sage 50 Accounting 1
Wave vs Sage 50 Accounting, across 5 rating dimensions
Widest rating gap
+1.6
Wave leads on ease of use
Verified reviews
407
143 for Wave, 264 for Sage 50 Accounting
Wave143 verified reviews
Sage 50 Accounting264 verified reviews
Ratings by dimension
- Wave
- Sage 50 Accounting
Share of verified reviews
Which product reviewers actually write about.
- Wave143
- Sage 50 Accounting264
Cost to get started
Cheapest paid plan, shown per month.
At least one of these is quoted rather than published, so compare the ratings above and get a real number from each vendor.
Head to head
Where each one wins
Row by row, with the stronger score highlighted. Straight from verified reviews.
| Wave | Sage 50 Accounting | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.3 | 3.8 |
| Reviews | 143 | 264 |
| Ease of use | 4.5 | 2.9 |
| Value for money | 4.8 | 3.4 |
| Customer service | 3.7 | 3.2 |
| Functionality | 3.8 | 4.2 |
| Starting price | Free | $128.67/mo |
| Free trial | No | Yes |
| Free version | Yes | No |
Features
Feature by feature, checked off
Everything each product ships, side by side. No marketing gloss.
| Feature | Wave | Sage 50 Accounting |
|---|---|---|
| Free double entry accounting | ||
| Unlimited invoicing | ||
| Unlimited estimates | ||
| Receipt scanning | ||
| Recurring invoices | ||
| Online card payments | ||
| Canadian payroll with T4 and ROE | ||
| US payroll in supported states | ||
| Multi business support | ||
| 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.
Wave plans
Starter
The accounting and invoicing, at no cost. Not a trial.
Free
no card required
- Unlimited invoices and estimates
- Double entry accounting
- Unlimited customers
- Receipt scanning
- Email support
Pro
Adds bank feeds, reduced card fees and live support.
$16/mo
per month
- Everything in Starter
- Automatic bank feeds
- Lower card processing rate
- Auto categorization
- Live chat support
Get current pricing
These are list prices and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with Wave Financial 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.