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Accounting & Finance · head to head

Sage 50 vs TaxAct

Sage 50 logo

Sage 50

Accounting & Finance

Powerful desktop accounting for small businesses

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
T

TaxAct

Accounting & Finance

Get your maximum refund, guaranteed

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only TaxAct 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; TaxAct free Edition is limited to eligible filers such as W-2 employees and students; anyone with investment income needs Premier starting at $99.99

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Sage 50 and TaxAct differ
AttributeSage 50TaxAct
Starting price$29/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindowsWeb
Founded1981Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Accounting & Finance).

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 TaxAct

Nothing recorded that Sage 50 does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Sage 50

  • Desktop accountingnot TaxAct
  • Job costingnot TaxAct
  • Inventory trackingnot TaxAct

TaxAct

No use cases recorded yet. See the TaxAct review.

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

TaxAct

  • Free Edition is limited to eligible filers such as W-2 employees and students; anyone with investment income needs Premier starting at $99.99
  • Self-Employed tier for gig workers and business owners starts at $109.99, with state filing typically billed as an additional charge

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

TaxAct

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the TaxAct review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Sage 50 if

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

Choose TaxAct if

  • You want to start without paying.
TaxAct review

Questions people ask

Is Sage 50 or TaxAct better?
Neither clearly leads. Sage 50 starts at $29/month and TaxAct at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Sage 50 or TaxAct?
TaxAct has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for Sage 50 and Free for TaxAct.
Does Sage 50 or TaxAct run on more platforms?
Sage 50 runs on Windows. TaxAct runs on Web.
Can I use TaxAct for free?
Yes. TaxAct 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 TaxAct is typically brought in for.
What can Sage 50 do that TaxAct cannot?
Sage 50 covers General ledger, Invoicing, Inventory management, Job costing.
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