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Intuit Online Payroll (discontinued) vs. Sage Accounting

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Intuit Online Payroll (discontinued)

    Score8 out of 10
    N/AIntuit Online Payroll was a small business payroll option available as a standalone SaaS solution, that Intuit announced it was discontinuing in favor of Quickbooks Online Payroll, available via Quickbooks.

    $22.50

    per month

    Sage Accounting

    Score9.1 out of 10
    N/ASage Accounting is online accounting software made to simplify life for small business owners, entrepreneurs, and freelancers by providing the functions needed to take care of daily business to-dos. Users can create and send professional quotes and invoices, track income and expenses and know where the business' financials stand. Every Sage Business Cloud Accounting subscription includes unlimited access to support as well as automatic backups and product updates.

    $19

    per month

    Pricing
    Intuit Online Payroll (discontinued)Sage Accounting
    Editions & Modules
    Core
    22.50 + $4 per employee
    per month
    Premium
    37.50 + $8 per employee
    per month
    Elite
    62.50+ $10 per employee
    per month
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Intuit Online Payroll (discontinued)Sage Accounting
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details—Versions and pricing listed are for CA products. Versions available and pricing may vary by country. * 2 months free to start, or free for 1 month to try, then $19/$43/$62 +tax/mo (tier depending). Offer valid for new customers only on monthly subscriptions of Sage Business Cloud Accounting. After the promotional period, the monthly subscription rate will renew at the then current rate. May not be combined with any other offers or discounts. To ensure continuous service the subscription plan is an automatically renewing plan. Subsequent months will automatically be billed to the same credit card each month on the anniversary date of purchase. Plans can be terminated at any time prior to the renewal data and not charged for renewal.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Intuit Online Payroll (discontinued)Sage Accounting
    Considered Both Products
    Intuit
    No answer on this topic
    Sage
    Chose Sage Accounting
    Although I've used a number of other accounting systems, Sage is really comparable to Xero and QuickBooks Online, as it is competing in the same basic accounting software category. Sage One Accounting has been selected in certain client situations where they were already using …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    50%
    Would buy again
    4 Answers
    94%
    Would buy again
    46 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    50%
    Delivers good value for the price
    4 Answers
    92%
    Delivers good value for the price
    44 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    63%
    Happy with the feature set
    5 Answers
    94%
    Happy with the feature set
    46 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    57%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    4 Answers
    93%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    39 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    71%
    Implementation went as expected
    5 Answers
    93%
    Implementation went as expected
    38 Answers
    Features
    Intuit Online Payroll (discontinued)Sage Accounting
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of Intuit Online Payroll (discontinued) and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    Intuit Online Payroll (discontinued)
    7.3
    10 Ratings
    12% below category average
    Sage Accounting
    9.3
    19 Ratings
    18% above category average
    Pay calculation8.99 Ratings10.015 Ratings
    Support for external payroll vendors2.26 Ratings00 Ratings
    Off-cycle/On-Demand payment9.33 Ratings00 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration8.95 Ratings9.312 Ratings
    Direct deposit files3.89 Ratings8.812 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management9.27 Ratings9.410 Ratings
    Reimbursement management8.78 Ratings9.112 Ratings
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of Intuit Online Payroll (discontinued) and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    Intuit Online Payroll (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    Sage Accounting
    8.6
    23 Ratings
    12% above category average
    API for custom integration00 Ratings9.120 Ratings
    Plug-ins00 Ratings8.017 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of Intuit Online Payroll (discontinued) and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    Intuit Online Payroll (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    Sage Accounting
    9.7
    42 Ratings
    15% above category average
    Single sign-on capability00 Ratings9.931 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions00 Ratings9.539 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Intuit Online Payroll (discontinued) and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    Intuit Online Payroll (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    Sage Accounting
    9.3
    44 Ratings
    16% above category average
    Dashboards00 Ratings8.340 Ratings
    Standard reports00 Ratings9.844 Ratings
    Custom reports00 Ratings9.735 Ratings
    General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
    Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Intuit Online Payroll (discontinued) and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    Intuit Online Payroll (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    Sage Accounting
    9.1
    64 Ratings
    16% above category average
    Accounts payable00 Ratings9.857 Ratings
    Accounts receivable00 Ratings9.945 Ratings
    Cash management00 Ratings9.853 Ratings
    Bank reconciliation00 Ratings9.561 Ratings
    Expense management00 Ratings10.034 Ratings
    Time tracking00 Ratings6.611 Ratings
    Fixed asset management00 Ratings8.428 Ratings
    Multi-currency support00 Ratings10.018 Ratings
    Multi-division support00 Ratings9.918 Ratings
    Regulations compliance00 Ratings9.529 Ratings
    Electronic tax filing00 Ratings9.735 Ratings
    Self-service portal00 Ratings10.025 Ratings
    Global Financial Support00 Ratings9.38 Ratings
    Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings9.515 Ratings
    Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings8.111 Ratings
    Localizations00 Ratings8.49 Ratings
    Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings9.033 Ratings
    Enterprise Accounting00 Ratings6.810 Ratings
    Configurable Accounting00 Ratings9.318 Ratings
    Centralized Rules Framework00 Ratings8.98 Ratings
    Standardized Processes00 Ratings9.520 Ratings
    Inventory Management
    Comparison of Inventory Management features of Intuit Online Payroll (discontinued) and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    Intuit Online Payroll (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    Sage Accounting
    6.9
    17 Ratings
    6% below category average
    Inventory tracking00 Ratings6.717 Ratings
    Automatic reordering00 Ratings8.26 Ratings
    Location management00 Ratings5.77 Ratings
    Manufacturing module00 Ratings7.05 Ratings
    Order Management
    Comparison of Order Management features of Intuit Online Payroll (discontinued) and Sage Accounting
    Feature
    Intuit Online Payroll (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    Sage Accounting
    8.2
    28 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Pricing00 Ratings9.917 Ratings
    Order entry00 Ratings7.615 Ratings
    Credit card processing00 Ratings8.118 Ratings
    Cost of goods sold00 Ratings7.620 Ratings
    Order Orchestration00 Ratings7.66 Ratings
    End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings7.57 Ratings
    Order exception Resolution00 Ratings8.95 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Intuit Online Payroll (discontinued)Sage Accounting
    Small Businesses
    OnPay
    Score9.9 out of 10
    Zoho Books
    Score8.9 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    APS
    Score1.4 out of 10
    MYOB
    Score7.7 out of 10
    Enterprises
    ADP Streamline Payroll
    Score6.4 out of 10
    Microsoft Dynamics GP
    Score6.8 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Intuit Online Payroll (discontinued)Sage Accounting
    Likelihood to Recommend
    3.0
    (17 ratings)
    9.9
    (71 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.5
    (7 ratings)
    Usability
    3.8
    (2 ratings)
    9.9
    (38 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.7
    (4 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.2
    (4 ratings)
    Support Rating
    1.5
    (5 ratings)
    9.9
    (18 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (4 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.5
    (3 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.2
    (3 ratings)
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.3
    (2 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.3
    (2 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.8
    (4 ratings)
    Professional Services
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.3
    (3 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.3
    (3 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Intuit Online Payroll (discontinued)Sage Accounting
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Intuit
    I believe the ideal scenario is when you are already using the Intuit family of products and the payroll bolts on to your existing QuickBooks infrastructure. Payroll software products have been around a long time, and this is a very competitive niche. Most of the companies do a good job of filing taxes promptly, reporting W-2 items properly, providing good reports, etc. Where you might really get some extra efficiency and benefit is the fact that the payroll is woven into the accounting system, creating one seamless enterprise solution. Also, where it might be less appropriate is in a really simple use case such as a one person company where there aren't complex fringe benefits to deal with. In that scenario, you can set up the ACH debits directly with the state agency and the IRS and possibly file your own 941, 940, W-2/W-3 and state equivalent forms. Of course, if you're willing to do this and are good with details, you can save yourself some money.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Sage
    I'll say that Sage Accounting is great for small to mid-sized businesses that need simple, cloud-based bookkeeping and invoicing. It’s perfect when you want to track multiple clients or projects, get real-time updates, and make bank reconciliations easier. Generating financial reports or preparing tax/SR&ED info is straightforward too. But it’s not the best fit for really big companies with tons of transactions or complex multi-entity setups. Also, if you need advanced inventory or manufacturing features, it can feel a bit limited
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Intuit
    • Integration with QuickBooks Desktop. This is the key strength of IP... it is a complete, native integration and let's you maintain all employee records and time keeping in QuickBooks
    • Job Costing. Another key differentiation -- some payroll outsources say they do true job costing (by work or item code). Don't believe them. If its' not integrated with your accounting system, you will not get "TRUE" job costing. You can get costs ASSIGNED to jobs (which may be fine), but you won't get item level detail in QuickBooks from anyone but Intuit.
    • Variety of Payment options. Use Direct Deposit or manual checks... or whatever you want. Since its in QB, you can make payments any way you want.
    • Cash Flow. This is both good and bad, but IP will not take taxes out of your bank account until they are due. That's different than some other providers that want assurance that you have the tax payments available at the moment you push "SUBMIT."
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Sage
    • 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
    Read full review
    Cons
    Intuit
    • My biggest issue is that they do continue to raise their prices on a regular basis and it makes people feel stuck when there are so many clients already using the system.
    • They do not support roaming employees, so employees that cross over into various tax jurisdictions in one pay period pose a challenge for calculating taxes and pay.
    • The setup can be a bit daunting still if you are not familiar with the system or the various taxes and requirements for reporting.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Sage
    • The packages for integrating with Sage50 desktop application files are not backwards compatible, so we must store many copies in order to support multiple versions of the Sage50 application that our customers use, in case they aren't immediately updating to the latest version at all times.
    Incentivized
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    Likelihood to Renew
    Intuit
    Works perfectly as advertised. Our simple needs are well taken care of.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Sage
    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.
    Read full review
    Usability
    Intuit
    I would rate it a 0. It gets worse and worse all the time. It seems like every time I go into IOP to run a payroll for one of my clients, I have one more problem.
    Read full review
    Sage
    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
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    Reliability and Availability
    Intuit
    No answers on this topic
    Sage
    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.
    Read full review
    Performance
    Intuit
    No answers on this topic
    Sage
    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
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    Support Rating
    Intuit
    The customer support personnel have always walked me through the steps they need to take to assist me. Never rushed through anything. Always exceptionally thorough, answering all my questions and even sharing my screen visually (I have control, not them). It actually helps me to resolve future issues and questions, if they should arise.
    Incentivized
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    Sage
    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.
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    Intuit
    No answers on this topic
    Sage
    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.
    Read full review
    Online Training
    Intuit
    No answers on this topic
    Sage
    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.
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Intuit
    No answers on this topic
    Sage
    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.
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Intuit
    It's a payroll software with decent customer support readily available and direct integration with my accounting tools. This made it a prime fit for me, and made payment and tax reporting relatively simple, and errors readily correctable. It does not have time tracking, and I still believe that this software is overpriced, but it's the best fit for me right now.
    Incentivized
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    Sage
    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
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    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    Intuit
    No answers on this topic
    Sage
    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.
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Intuit
    No answers on this topic
    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
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    Professional Services
    Intuit
    No answers on this topic
    Sage
    Do not use
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Intuit
    • Positive: Less of a learning curve to train payroll accountants, as they are already familiar with using Intuit. Also, in general there are a larger pool of candidates who know this system than many of the other "niche" lesser known payroll products.
    • Positive: More options to choose from depending on the level of service needed. For example, there is a Full Service offering if needed. This might apply to an organization that doesn't have the resources available or an internal person who has the time/bandwidth to handle the entire company's payroll. Thus, it is possible to cherry pick the level of service needed depending on the type of company/situation.
    • Positive: Good audit trail. This can be extremely important and cost efficient when a business is going through an external audit by an outside CPA firm and the payroll accounting function is undergoing testing (ie. less time required by the external auditor would likely lower their bill for their services).
    Incentivized
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    Sage
    • 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
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Sage Accounting Screenshots

    Screenshot of the All-in-One DashboardScreenshot of the Accounting DashboardScreenshot of an Invoicing Quote EstimateScreenshot of the Purchases TrackerScreenshot of Stock InventoryScreenshot of a VAT Returns List