Softwr

Professional Services · head to head

FreshBooks vs Sage 50

FreshBooks logo

FreshBooks

Professional Services

Accounting software that makes you look good

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sage 50 logo

Sage 50

Accounting & Finance

Powerful desktop accounting for small businesses

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only FreshBooks has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: FreshBooks lite tier limited to 5 clients maximum; 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: FreshBooks covers Expense tracking, Sage 50 covers General ledger.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where FreshBooks and Sage 50 differ
AttributeFreshBooksSage 50
Starting priceFree$29/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWindows
CategoryProfessional ServicesAccounting & Finance
Founded20031981

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 FreshBooks

  • Expense tracking
  • Time tracking
  • Project management
  • Payments
  • Financial reporting
  • Proposals
  • Mileage tracking
  • Stripe

Only in Sage 50

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

Both cover

  • Invoicing

What people use each for

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

FreshBooks

  • Invoicing and payment processingnot Sage 50
  • Time tracking and expense managementnot Sage 50
  • Multi-client project accountingnot Sage 50

Sage 50

  • Desktop accountingnot FreshBooks
  • Job costingnot FreshBooks
  • Inventory trackingnot FreshBooks

Where each one falls short

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

FreshBooks

  • Lite tier limited to 5 clients maximum
  • E-signatures, proposals, and client retainers unavailable on Lite and Plus tiers
  • Advanced payment processing fee of £20/month on Plus tier (extra cost)
  • Email customization and project profitability tracking restricted to Premium tier and above
  • Offline mode not available; web-based only

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

FreshBooks

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the FreshBooks review.

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 FreshBooks if

  • You need expense tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want time tracking.
FreshBooks review

Choose Sage 50 if

  • You need general ledger.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want inventory management.
Sage 50 review

Questions people ask

Is FreshBooks or Sage 50 better?
Neither clearly leads. FreshBooks starts at Free and Sage 50 at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, FreshBooks or Sage 50?
FreshBooks has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for FreshBooks and $29/month for Sage 50.
Does FreshBooks or Sage 50 run on more platforms?
FreshBooks runs on Web, iOS, Android. Sage 50 runs on Windows.
Can I use FreshBooks for free?
Yes. FreshBooks has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Sage 50 starts at $29/month.
What is FreshBooks best used for?
FreshBooks is most often used for invoicing and payment processing, time tracking and expense management, multi-client project accounting. Of those, invoicing and payment processing and time tracking and expense management are not what Sage 50 is typically brought in for.
What can FreshBooks do that Sage 50 cannot?
FreshBooks covers Expense tracking, Time tracking, Project management, Payments. Sage 50 covers General ledger, Inventory management, Job costing, Budgeting. Both handle Invoicing.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on FreshBooks

More on Sage 50

Keep looking

Other head to heads