Softwr

Accounting & Finance · head to head

Sage 50 vs TaxJar

Sage 50 logo

Sage 50

Accounting & Finance

Powerful desktop accounting for small businesses

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
TaxJar logo

TaxJar

Accounting & Finance

Sales tax, simplified

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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; TaxJar both published plans include only 200 orders per month, so higher volume costs more
  • They diverge on capability: Sage 50 covers General ledger, TaxJar covers Tax calculation.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Sage 50 and TaxJar differ
AttributeSage 50TaxJar
PlatformsWindowsWeb, Api
Founded19812013

Identical on both: starting price ($29/month), pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), 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 TaxJar

  • Tax calculation
  • AutoFile returns
  • Economic nexus tracking
  • Exemption certificates
  • Multi-channel support
  • Shopify
  • Amazon
  • WooCommerce

What people use each for

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

Sage 50

  • Desktop accountingnot TaxJar
  • Job costingnot TaxJar
  • Inventory trackingnot TaxJar

TaxJar

  • Calculating US sales tax at checkoutnot Sage 50
  • Reporting sales tax liability by state and jurisdictionnot Sage 50
  • Automatically filing state sales tax returnsnot 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

TaxJar

  • Both published plans include only 200 orders per month, so higher volume costs more
  • The Starter plan at $39 per month allows only 3 data import integrations
  • AutoFile state filings are metered: Starter includes 2 credits a year and each extra filing costs $50, Professional includes 4 and each extra costs $55
  • Real time tax calculation API access requires the Professional plan at $99 per month
  • Phone support, a Customer Success Manager and a dedicated onboarding specialist require the Professional plan
  • The developer sandbox requires the Professional plan
  • The 10% saving requires annual billing

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

TaxJar

$29/month
  • Starter$19/month
    • Sales tax calculation
    • Reporting
    • 1 state filing

Which should you pick?

Choose Sage 50 if

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

Choose TaxJar if

  • You need tax calculation.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want autofile returns.
TaxJar review

Questions people ask

Is Sage 50 or TaxJar better?
Neither clearly leads. Sage 50 starts at $29/month and TaxJar at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Sage 50 or TaxJar?
Sage 50 starts at $29/month and TaxJar at $29/month.
Does Sage 50 or TaxJar run on more platforms?
Sage 50 runs on Windows. TaxJar runs on Web, Api.
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 TaxJar is typically brought in for.
What can Sage 50 do that TaxJar cannot?
Sage 50 covers General ledger, Invoicing, Inventory management, Job costing. TaxJar covers Tax calculation, AutoFile returns, Economic nexus tracking, Exemption certificates.
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