Softwr

Software · head to head

Brex vs Sage 50

Brex logo

Brex

Software

The financial stack for growing businesses

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Sage 50 logo

Sage 50

Software

Powerful desktop accounting for small businesses

From
$29/month
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Brex the free Essentials tier is limited to two legal entities; Sage 50 sage 50 tiers as captured in 2022: Pro Accounting $595/year for 1 user, Premium Accounting $970/year for 1-5 users with multi-company support, Quantum Accounting $1,610/year for larger teams
  • They diverge on capability: Brex covers Corporate cards, Sage 50 covers General ledger.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Brex and Sage 50 actually diverge.

Attributes where Brex and Sage 50 differ
AttributeBrexSage 50
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWindows
Founded20171981

Identical on both: starting price ($29/month), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Brex

  • Corporate cards
  • Business accounts
  • Expense management
  • Bill pay
  • Travel
  • QuickBooks
  • NetSuite
  • Xero

Only in Sage 50

  • General ledger
  • Invoicing
  • Inventory management
  • Job costing
  • Budgeting
  • Microsoft 365
  • Salesforce
  • Local encryption

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Brex

  • Corporate cards with spend controls for startupsnot Sage 50
  • Expense management and reimbursementsnot Sage 50
  • Travel booking inside the spend platformnot Sage 50
  • Bill pay and accounting system syncnot Sage 50
  • Multi-entity spend management on the paid tiersnot Sage 50

Sage 50

  • Desktop accountingnot Brex
  • Job costingnot Brex
  • Inventory trackingnot Brex

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Brex

  • The free Essentials tier is limited to two legal entities
  • Premium is $12 per user per month, so cost scales with headcount using the card
  • Enterprise and Smart Card pricing is not published
  • Eligibility criteria are not stated anywhere on the pricing page, which matters for a product that extends credit

Sage 50

  • Sage 50 tiers as captured in 2022: Pro Accounting $595/year for 1 user, Premium Accounting $970/year for 1-5 users with multi-company support, Quantum Accounting $1,610/year for larger teams

Pricing, plan by plan

Brex

$29/month
  • EssentialsFree
    • Corporate cards
    • Expense management
    • Bill pay
  • Premium$12/month
    • Advanced controls
    • Custom approvals
    • Travel booking

Sage 50

$29/month
  • Pro Accounting$50/month
    • Core accounting
    • 1 user
    • Basic reports
  • Premium Accounting$85/month
    • 5 users
    • Job costing
    • Inventory

Which should you pick?

Choose Brex if

  • You need corporate cards.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want business accounts.

Choose Sage 50 if

  • You need general ledger.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want invoicing.

Questions people ask

Is Brex or Sage 50 better?
Neither clearly leads. Brex starts at $29/month and Sage 50 at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Brex or Sage 50?
Brex starts at $29/month and Sage 50 at $29/month.
Does Brex or Sage 50 run on more platforms?
Brex runs on Web, Ios, Android. Sage 50 runs on Windows.
What is Brex best used for?
Brex is most often used for corporate cards with spend controls for startups, expense management and reimbursements, travel booking inside the spend platform, bill pay and accounting system sync. Of those, corporate cards with spend controls for startups and expense management and reimbursements are not what Sage 50 is typically brought in for.
What can Brex do that Sage 50 cannot?
Brex covers Corporate cards, Business accounts, Expense management, Bill pay. Sage 50 covers General ledger, Invoicing, Inventory management, Job costing.

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