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Once a business launches, few things are more critical than accounting and financial management. Sage 50 Accounting includes all the small business accounting tools needed for financial tracking. This desktop-based software features cloud connectivity, allowing you to work offline without risking any progress loss. Since most small business owners aren’t accountants or bookkeepers, we appreciate that Sage is intuitive, easy to set up and use, and provides robust customer support.
8.1 / 10
While cloud-based accounting software offers flexibility and accessibility, desktop-based programs provide some advantages. Since the software resides on your local computer, you have complete control over data storage and security. Desktop software may also run faster and doesn’t require an internet connection, allowing uninterrupted work during outages.
Sage 50 Accounting stands out because it combines the reliability of desktop software with the flexibility of cloud connectivity. This hybrid setup gives users the best of both worlds — local control with optional remote access.
As one of the few accounting platforms that still supports desktop use, Sage 50 includes essential small business accounting software features, such as bookkeeping, inventory management and real-time reporting. For these reasons, it’s our top recommendation for desktop users seeking a powerful, feature-rich accounting solution.
During our testing process, we found Sage 50 Accounting relatively straightforward to learn. Although the user interface (UI) is somewhat dated compared to alternatives like QuickBooks Online, Sage’s dashboard is easy to navigate and displays vital business statistics, such as the top 10 customers based on gross profit figures, reports, account balances, aged receivables, inventory and more. A feed from your bank account allows you to see how money is flowing in and out of your business, and you can generate reports automatically based on these key statistics.
We like that you can customize Sage’s dashboard according to your preferences and configure it to display areas of the business you or your employees deal with regularly. For example, you can customize the dashboard for an accounts receivable (AR) manager to display features such as customer lists and invoices. This flexibility is great if you plan to have users in different roles work with the program.
Sage 50 also includes cash flow tracking, expense management, payroll (with a subscription), job management, job costing, inventory management and more, all easily viewable in the software’s various reports.
Sage 50 Accounting offers a wide range of valuable features without requiring a cloud-based setup. When testing the software, the following desktop tools and functions stood out the most to us.
Sage shines when it comes to providing easy access to tools and reports for managing cash flow. The software includes a “what-if” analysis tool to help you project cash flow, as well as detailed breakdowns of how cash is flowing in and out of your business. We like that the program also shows what you’re owed and what bills are due, so you can keep on top of near-term cash needs.
Other helpful tools include cash flow forecasting, customizable reporting dashboards and analytics, platform integration and cloud-based accessibility.
Reconciling a business bank account can be tedious, but Sage streamlines this crucial accounting task. When you connect your business checking account, credit card accounts and business savings account to the software, Sage automatically downloads your transaction statements. Its smart bank reconciliation tool then automatically matches your bank transactions to those you’ve created in the system. This allows you to see whether your accounts are cleared or if any unreconciled differences remain.
A professional invoice is critical to getting paid, so we appreciate that Sage offers an invoicing feature that makes it easy to bill customers. Businesses can use invoicing software to convert quotes to invoices, track invoiced hours, record billable expenses, monitor payments in real time and get actionable reports. The invoicing tools also include automatic payment reminders as well as integrations with Stripe and PayPal to streamline payment acceptance. (See our review of Stripe for more information.)
Sage’s inventory-tracking features are incredibly helpful to businesses that sell tangible products. Set reorder quantities and adjust stock quantities manually as needed. You can enter items into the system manually with a spreadsheet or import them in bulk ― a time-saver if you carry many items or customized products. Sage also lets you set multiple prices for each item and add categories and descriptions.
Organized financial reports make it easier to analyze your business’s data and generate insights about what’s going on under the hood, financially speaking. We were impressed that Sage 50 Accounting offers 150 real-time financial reports to analyze your business’s financial health. These reports include profit and loss statements, trial balance reports, balance sheets, general ledger reports and accounts receivable aging reports. We like that reports can be customized using Sage’s prebuilt options as a starting point.
While still limited compared to rivals, we like that the Sage Marketplace boasts over 350 integrations, including POS systems and some of the best CRM software platforms. Sage also offers add-ons for Sage Payroll as well as Microsoft 365. With the Microsoft integration, you get access to financial reporting in Excel and cloud backups of all your data. Other add-ons include e-filing, HR tasks, direct deposit, checks and forms, data entry, invoice payments, payment processing solutions and time-tracking attendance.
One unique feature we noticed when testing Sage 50 Accounting is its “Jobs” tab, which allows you to assign unique records, labels and cost codes to your business’s jobs. You’ll be able to identify projects that bring in the most revenue and customize job statuses and your business’s contact fields.
Business owners can also manage their expenses by reviewing income and payment information under the “Customer & Sales” tab. Here you can run what-if scenarios as often as you want, view breakdowns of money in and out, and manage sales invoices by customer IDs. Sage 50 also displays the status of outstanding payments while tracking expenses to stay on budget.
Using Sage’s analytics, you can pinpoint which projects generate the most revenue for your business and customize the job status and contact fields. We think cost-conscious business owners will find a lot to like with this tool.
Sage sells three plans for its Sage 50 Accounting software, with subscriptions paid on either a monthly or annual basis:
Plan | Pricing | Ideal for | Features |
---|---|---|---|
Pro Accounting |
| Solopreneurs, entrepreneurs and very small businesses |
|
Premium Accounting |
| Small businesses | Everything in Pro, plus:
|
Quantum Accounting |
| Larger businesses and enterprises | Everything in Premium, plus:
|
Additional pricing considerations include:
When you’re ready to fully implement the software, we love that Sage provides complimentary training and a dedicated Sage Customer Success representative. You’ll receive assistance in migrating your existing accounting data to the Sage 50 Accounting system, ensuring a seamless transition for users switching from another accounting platform.
If you’re transitioning from QuickBooks, Sage support experts will import your data for free so you don’t have to. If you need further assistance while setting up the program, Sage University is a great resource during onboarding and beyond (more on this below).
Many software providers skimp on customer service, but we were impressed by Sage’s many customer support resources:
Although Sage 50 Accounting has many advantages for users who want a desktop accounting solution, we found a few potential drawbacks:
We studied dozens of the best accounting and invoicing software solutions to help small businesses find the right accounting software for their needs. As part of each analysis, we evaluated each program’s software features, including payment and invoicing capabilities, integrations, mobile apps, report generation, supported user count and customer service options. We also assessed pricing and free trial availability and considered user reviews for independent opinions on each product’s pros and cons.
When determining the best accounting software for desktop users, we focused on options for small businesses that weren’t solely cloud-based and still included everything that small business owners expect from modern accounting software.
We recommend Sage 50 Accounting for …
We don’t recommend Sage 50 Accounting for …
Amanda Hoffman contributed to this review.
Check out The Best Accounting Software for Restaurants business.com recommends.