Sage Business Cloud Accounting review: Solutions for the small business owner
Moneywise.com / Moneywise.com
3.5
3.5
Cost4
Customer service3.5
Ease of use3.5
Tools and resources3.5
Reporting4
Accessibility5
Sage Business Cloud Accounting (formerly Sage One) is accounting software geared toward the financial needs of startups, small businesses and solopreneurs. It's an offering from Sage, a global accounting software and business services company helping everyone from solopreneurs to large corporations. It offers a number of accounting and business software solutions, including several cloud-based solutions.
The company's goal is to offer increased capabilities in accounting and other business management areas to support the needs of small business growth all the way to large corporations. Its recently announced partnership with Intacct offers state-of-the-art cloud-based services that interact with systems like SalesForce, ADP, and others.
Sage was founded in 1981 in the U.K. and remains the dominant accounting software company in Europe. However, here in the United States, competitors such as Intuit's QuickBooks have eclipsed it in popularity.
Is this justified? Let's take a look at Sage's solution for the small business owner and decide.
What is Sage Business Cloud Accounting?
As mentioned, Sage is geared to meet the accounting and financial needs of startups, small businesses and solopreneurs.
There are two versions: Sage Business Cloud Accounting Start costs $10 per month and is similar to programs such as FreshBooks and QuickBooks, which are geared to small businesses and solo entrepreneurs. Sage Business Cloud Accounting costs $25 per month and includes everything you'll find with Start, plus a few extras. We'll touch on them in just a moment.
Both versions are cloud-based. This allows access from virtually anywhere, including the mobile app. And there is also a free 30-day trial version of each so you can take Sage for a test drive.
Sage Business Cloud Accounting features
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Price | $10.00 - $25.00/month |
| Invoicing | ✅ |
| Estimates | ❌ |
| Bank reconciliation | ✅ |
| Access | Web Based, iPhone App, Android App |
| Expense tracking | ✅ |
| Payroll | ❌ |
| Inventory management | ❌ |
| Client portal | ❌ |
| Contact management | ❌ |
| Bill pay | ❌ |
| Point of sale | ❌ |
| Third party integration | ❌ |
| Currency support | Multiple |
| Two-factor auth. | ❌ |
| Import QFX, QIF Files | ❌ |
| Customer service |
Statement and form generation — Sage can help you generate in-depth statements including balance sheets and other important accounting reports. You can also use it to create IRS 1099 forms for contract employees.
Check register — Sage will take care of managing, generating and printing any checks that you need to write.
Invoicing — The service can create custom-designed invoices and allows you to record when they've been paid.
In addition to the features of Start, the Accounting edition includes the following:
- The ability to choose cash or accrual-based accounting.
- The ability to integrate the software with your e-commerce business.
- The ability to confirm payments from vendors.
- The ability to issue credit notes to customers for returned items.
- Unlimited user collaboration.
- Cash flow forecasting.
- Quoting and estimating capabilities.
- Vendor bills.
Alternatives
| Highlights | Quickbooks | Freshbooks | Sage Business Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.5/5 | 4.5/5 | 3.5/5 |
| Invoicing | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Bank Reconciliation | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
How Sage Business Cloud Accounting works
Setting up an account with Sage is straightforward. The system will walk you through every step. You'll need to supply basic information about your company, such as the official name and the day it was founded. It also collects information about your physical location, so that from the get-go it can calculate your local tax rates.
Once you've signed up, Sage Business Cloud Accounting will walk you through linking your accounts, importing the contact information for your clients and vendors, and generating reports.
Your Sage dashboard will display five tabs, all of which are pretty self-explanatory: Cash Flow Forecast, Cash Flow Statement, Expenses, Getting Started and Sales. (Getting Started is where you can change your basic information.)
Sage divides your company's important information into logical groups that can be accessed through drop-down menus from the toolbar across the top. It certainly hasn't invented the wheel here. If you are a fan of flashy, you might think Sage's user interface is a bit out of date. However, if you want functional basics, you'll appreciate its no-nonsense design.
Mobile app
If you're like many business owners and are constantly on the go, Sage offers apps for both iOS and Android. (Note that the iOS version is called “Sage Expenses & Invoices.”) These apps allow Sage subscribers to access much of the program's functionality at their fingertips. If you're a contractor on the job and need to send an invoice to a client or order from a vendor right on site, this would very much come in handy.
Pros and cons
- Automatic report generation
- Customization
- Account synchronization
- Easy setup
- Multi-currency
- No payroll
- Basic design
Summary
Sage Business Cloud Accounting is a solid accounting system for solo and small businesses. However, it just doesn't stand out as a spectacular solution. And larger enterprises will want features that are lacking here, such as payroll services.
Although Sage Business Cloud Accounting gets the job done, there's other accounting software that does it with a slicker look and feel. Until relatively recently, Start was offered for free. And Sage Business Cloud Accounting cost only $10 per month. Some users might find this pricing model more appropriate. But we still find $10 and $25 reasonable.
If you want a no-frills accounting service for your micro-business, both versions of Sage are worth a look. Take advantage of the free trials to see if Sage Business Cloud Accounting might meet your needs.
Further Reading: Best business checking accounts
Roger Wohlner is an experienced financial advisor, finance blogger and freelance writer based in Arlington Heights, Ill. His expertise includes providing financial planning and investment advice to individual clients, 401(k) plan sponsors, foundations and endowments.
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