QuickBooks vs Sage

[Onthebrightside]

Good morning everyone,

I would be grateful for your opinions on QuickBooks and Sage. At the moment we are using an accountant that uses QuickBooks - there's no available training and the accountant charges us if we ask too many questions (it's easy enough to womble around but I confess I probably don't know the half of it). We are thinking of moving to another accountant - they use Sage.

The overall costs are about the same for each accountant so the two variables are 'help and advice' and 'QuickBooks/Sage'.

I'd like any advice anyone has on QuickBooks or Sage - which is the best and easiest package to use - as it might make a difference on what we do next.

Grateful for opinions, advice, previous experience.

With thanks

 

[johndon68]

Cloud or desktop based as, certainly in the case of Sage, their cloud based system is completely different to the desktop software...

 

[The Byre]

Neither. Assuming that you are doing your own bookkeeping, there really is no reason to have the same software as your accountant.

 

[Onthebrightside]

Cloud or desktop based as, certainly in the case of Sage, their cloud based system is completely different to the desktop software...

I think it would be Cloud, because we work remotely.

 

[Onthebrightside]

Neither. Assuming that you are doing your own bookkeeping, there really is no reason to have the same software as your accountant.

Well, that is an interesting point, since the company is about 400,000 in turnover a year with paperwork that would fit in an A4 ringbinder and details that would fit on an A3 spreadsheet.

I am assuming it's keeping the costs down? OR gives us access to quickly see where we are in terms of forcasting?

 

[johndon68]

Well, that is an interesting point, since the company is about 400,000 in turnover a year with paperwork that would fit in an A4 ringbinder and details that would fit on an A3 spreadsheet.

I am assuming it's keeping the costs down? OR gives us access to quickly see where we are in terms of forcasting?

I think what The Byre meant was there are many other options for accounting software that those used by any given accountant, not that a spreadsheet would be a alternative which, of course, it may be but it is far to easy to get a formula wrongs and your figures get screwed up without realising.

In terms of cloud software, I'm familiar with both Sage Business Cloud and Xero although I've used both more as a developer of software that integrates with them rather than using them day to day for accounts.

I've found them both to be much of a muchness to be honest and don't find either to be any easier to use than the other. Xero has been around for longer but I really don't get why so many people fall over to recommend it while there is no doubt that in the cloud arena Sage have been playing catch up for quite some time but are edging ever closer. A lot of people don't like QBO and just because you've used the desktop version it doesn't necessarily follow that you'll find the cloud version as easy to use, I certianly didn't find that with Sage Cloud having used their desktop software for 20+ years.

Ultimately your decision should be based on which has the features that you are looking for rather than the one that your accountant would prefer you use...

John

 

[The Byre]

I would definitely stay clear of spreadsheets as getting things wrong is far too easy!

There are all sorts of considerations such as number of entries, number of people making those entries, the need for stock control, integration with ERP, CRM, etc., multiple currencies, and so on - and on!

For example, we only do about one project a year, but that one is going to be very complex, so all those off-the-shelf packages are of little use and we have to have something bespoke.

Once a company gets to a certain size or is doing something unusual and different, Sage, Xero and all the other packages targeting the run-of-the-mill SME market fail on many counts and one has to look for something from people like SAP and Oracle.

 

[Onthebrightside]

Sorry,

I should have made myself clearer:

The current accountant makes us use QuickBooks to input our data and the accountants we are considering uses SAGE.

It is a question of staying with our current accountant who is - tbh a tad unhelpful or moving to a new accountant - the software could sway our decision in some respects. So I wondered if, between the two, people had a view, or reason why would be be better than the other.

 

[johndon68]

The current accountant makes us use QuickBooks to input our data and the accountants we are considering uses SAGE.

Which is all well and good but does Sage Cloud meet YOUR feature requirements?

I could tell you that Sage is much better than QBO but, if Sage doesn't meet your requirements and is missing something that you need as 'must have' then regardless of how Sage (or any other software is for that matter) it makes it useless for you...

John

 

[BigDreamer]

Personally, I have never used QB, but started my business doing my own Bookkeeping using Sage as that is what my current accountant said he uses. I am now looking to change my accountant as my current one is quite unreliable and I'd be surprised if he wasn't late to his own wedding or if he remembers his own birthday.

I would only look for a new accountant that uses Sage as I find it quite easy to use, has all the functionality I need for importing and recording basic invoices, but most importantly, has fantastic customer support. I have never run a business before nor done any accounting but managed to record all my invoices, submit my VAT returns, apply Postponed VAT accounting to my imports, all without even speaking to my accountant.

Sage is great imo, but as others have said, you should ask for a trial from them to make sure it meets all your requirements.

 

[Rawlinson Pryde]

An accountant should not force you to use one software. They may have a favourite but they should be able to still help you. As others have mentioned it is good to have at least an awareness of what is out there, as some are a better fit for clients.

For example we have clients that use various ones SAGE 50, SAGE 200, SAGE, Quickbooks desktop, Quickbooks cloud, Xero, FreeAgent, Kashflow, plus others with different staff knowing more about one software than another.

We’re not Quickbooks fans (but still use it) and do not like their advertising campaigns that make it sound like they can do everything and the accountant is no longer required, which is misleading.

If you are used to Quickbooks and get on with it well in the most part then you may be better off finding an accountant happy to use Quickbooks rather than learn to use a new one.

 

[Socio South West]

I haven't done the exercise for a few years now, but on the couple of occasions I looked at different accounting packages I always found QB's Management reporting more flexible and easier to work with than Sage.
As others have said, an accountant should be able to handle the output of any accounts package: It's what the package does for you that should be the primary driver in your decision.