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Sage 50 vs Square Appointments

Sage 50 logo

Sage 50

Software

Powerful desktop accounting for small businesses

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Square Appointments logo

Square Appointments

Software

Free scheduling for beauty businesses

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Square Appointments has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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; Square Appointments the free plan is aimed at solo professionals; booking across multiple staff requires the paid Plus plan
  • They diverge on capability: Sage 50 covers General ledger, Square Appointments covers Online booking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Sage 50 and Square Appointments actually diverge.

Attributes where Sage 50 and Square Appointments differ
AttributeSage 50Square Appointments
Starting price$29/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindowsWeb, Ios, Android
Founded19812009

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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 Sage 50

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

Only in Square Appointments

  • Online booking
  • Client management
  • Point of sale
  • Payment processing
  • Automated reminders
  • Instagram booking
  • Google booking
  • Mobile app

What people use each for

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

Sage 50

  • Desktop accountingnot Square Appointments
  • Job costingnot Square Appointments
  • Inventory trackingnot Square Appointments

Square Appointments

  • Online appointment booking for salons, barbers and personal servicesnot Sage 50
  • Taking card payments and deposits at the time of bookingnot Sage 50
  • Managing staff calendars, waitlists and no-show policiesnot Sage 50

Where each one falls short

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

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

Square Appointments

  • The free plan is aimed at solo professionals; booking across multiple staff requires the paid Plus plan
  • Cancellation policies, no-show fees and waitlists require the Plus plan
  • Resource management, service cost tracking and the future bookings report require the Premium plan
  • Custom processing rates are reserved for Square Pro, which is aimed at businesses processing over $250,000 a year
  • Card processing fees are charged on top of the plan fee on every tier including the free one

Pricing, plan by plan

Sage 50

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

Square Appointments

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited appointments
    • Online booking
    • Client management
  • Plus$29/month
    • Everything in Free
    • Multiple staff calendars
    • No-show protection
  • Premium$69/month
    • Everything in Plus
    • Multi-location
    • Staff management

Which should you pick?

Choose Sage 50 if

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

Choose Square Appointments if

  • You need online booking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want client management.
Square Appointments review

Questions people ask

Is Sage 50 or Square Appointments better?
Neither clearly leads. Sage 50 starts at $29/month and Square Appointments at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Sage 50 or Square Appointments?
Square Appointments has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for Sage 50 and Free for Square Appointments.
Does Sage 50 or Square Appointments run on more platforms?
Sage 50 runs on Windows. Square Appointments runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Square Appointments for free?
Yes. Square Appointments has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Sage 50 starts at $29/month.
What is Sage 50 best used for?
Sage 50 is most often used for desktop accounting, job costing, inventory tracking. Of those, desktop accounting and job costing are not what Square Appointments is typically brought in for.
What can Sage 50 do that Square Appointments cannot?
Sage 50 covers General ledger, Invoicing, Inventory management, Job costing. Square Appointments covers Online booking, Client management, Point of sale, Payment processing.
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