Evolution Payroll vs. Sage Accounting

We have a small company with very simple needs. This software meets those needs, but it looks like it is capable of doing so much more than what we use it for. I typically use only a few screens and a few reports. It is very well suited for our needs, but I don't know the full functionality of the system due to our limited needs.

Incentivized

My experience comes from the integration and development level, and Sage Accounting has been overall great to work with. The tools provided and support offered have been extremely useful for our implementations, and they continue to update and improve at a quick pace. Any issues we've encountered with integrations have either been resolved by Sage Accounting through updates, or different methods brought to us from support to handle those issues from a different angle.

Incentivized

• Payroll management
• Provides accurate employees' reports
• Helps us in tracking payroll taxes

Incentivized

• Bank integration - being able to extract banking transaction into Sage Accounting.
• Allocation rules - transactions are auto-allocated once allocation rules have been set up. This is a great time-saver.
• Flexibility - the ability to view transactions, click on them to the allocation point and rectifying if required saves having to create journals, and therefore time. General ledgers therefore stay cleaner and more user-friendly.

Incentivized

• One problem it has is if you try to cut multiple checks for a person (sometimes) it creates an error which requires assistance from the processor to get it straightened out.
• You need to pay close attention when reviewing prior to submitting. Sometimes if you think you saved something it might not have saved it and if you don't catch it before you submit, it requires assistance to get corrected up to and including voiding a check and re-issuing.
• In my opinion, it's somewhat expensive. I have been looking at other providers who would use a different system, and they seem to be significantly cheaper. That may not be a direct correlation to the software but to the provider.
• I don't know if it is capable of allowing a user to create new reports, but if it doesn't, that would be something to consider as a missing functionality.
• I haven't found an area that allows for tracking pay increases. We simply overwrite a persons rate of pay when we give a raise, so there is no tracking of the date a raise was given or a comparison showing what they made prior to or when the last raise was given. (That I am aware of).

Incentivized

• I find it difficult to record journals in cloud accounting. Maybe I just don’t have the knowledge.
• It’s important to export all unrecorded sync bank transactions to Excel to send to clients to explain the payment receipts before being posted. This function is not available on the cloud and makes life harder, having to call out the transactions to clients over the phone.

Incentivized

Evolution is provided by our current third party payroll processor. We are currently considering changing processors, because of increased prices and competition is priced significantly lower.

Incentivized

We're very happy with the functionality and overall experience of using Sage Accounting for our accounting needs. Currently, we are not even considering whether we would need to look around for a different option. The only things that would make us consider changing would be a significant increase in price or changes to the software which reduce it's ease of function.

There is so much on pastel that if you do not really take the time to learn, you might never completely utilize the software effectively. Software setup is not something you can really do on your own; however, there is always an active pastel team that makes sure you get all you need set up until you are good to go.

Incentivized

Sage has been always available when I want it. If there is any maintenance work to be done by the Sage team, you are told well in advance. Maintenance is generally carried out late at night or before the day begins for most of us. It continues to be the most reliable software I use.

Performance is top notch, if it is not, it is probably your wi-fi connection. It has happened that pages load slowly because of an error on Sage side but almost never. Overall reports load fine, the site is fast, navigation is fine. I have a client that has so many invoices, it is slow or gets stuck when you try to load a report for a whole year but it is just too many invoices, it makes sense. Just take 2 report for 6 months and combine them, its not an issue for me. I am happy with Sage Accounting's performance.

Incentivized

Sage Accounting are easy to contact and have knowledgeable and helpful staff. Whenever I've encountered a problem I've always been able to get assistance and guidance and it feels like the person at the end of the phone/screen knows the product well.

Staff are always friendly, and patient, always work at a speed that suits you. You are never rushed, and In only a short time they seem to be able to help you make great strides. It has been a pleasure not a chore, learning how SAGE Accounting works and benefits me and the company.

I find the online training was very informative and they answered all my questions. I am also certified in Sage One and provided online training in the program which I have set up several people on and they love how it keeps them organized.

The clients' business owner worked with Sage on implementation before I began working for them. After consultation with them it is clear the process was quickly performed and without complication. The key takeaway was that Sage is seen as a partner to the business. That said, it was always necessary to engage with an accountant such as myself to extract the best out of the software.

The ease of integration of Evolution Payroll with other essential platforms makes it a reliable and unique software for us. This software also distinguishes itself from others because it is easy to use and affordable. It has high-quality features that work very well for us when it comes to payroll management.

Incentivized

Sage was just easier for me to use and more familiar for my staff, who had some experience with enterprise versions of Sage in the past. It became a no-brainer when I made the final decision about which package to go with.

Incentivized

The pricing structure is fair and offers good value for money. The billing is done through their online system and you can access your bills at any time. Most contacts only require 30 days' notice, so no need to feel tied in, although I can't imagine why you would want to leave Sage.

You can use Sage in your company for various aspects/positions such as bookkeepers, invoicing clerks, accountant, purchasing etc. Everyone can have their own user login and permissions can be set that specific people can do specific jobs without being able to access other peoples progress or accounts of the company.

Incentivized

Do not use

Incentivized

• Accuracy is one amazing thing I love about Evolution Payroll.
• It collects data from other systems to make payroll management excellent
• It is affordable and reliable

Incentivized

• Being cloud-based, meaning I can work from anywhere, has had a massive ROI, as I am no longer tied to the office.
• CoPilot has meant we can spend more hours creating work for our business than chasing for payments.
• Statement Runs mean we do not have to spend half a day carrying out the tasks individually.

Incentivized