Sage Business Cloud Accounting vs Xero Comparison

It’s an old cliche to say that the very last thing business owners want is to spend most of their time with is accounting, but thanks to the advancements of online accounting technology managing the books has become so easy that even less tech-savvy users can handle this previously tedious task – alongside many other added benefits for business accounting.

Both Sage Business Cloud Accounting and Xero are more than capable of handling virtually anything related to accounting – but they do so in different ways. The question comes down to this: can the younger, simpler solution beat the company that basically laid the foundations for accounting programs as we know it?

To make things better – and to prove that Sage Business Cloud Accounting is, indeed, an enterprise-grade solution – the software also sports an incredibly detailed inventory, as well as being capable of creating and printing checks as well, even with check templates that are provided by other companies. And to top it all, Sage Business Cloud Accounting provides simple iOS and Android apps for invoice and expense management on the go, as well as many integration options – Google Drive included – alongside each subscription by default.

Speaking of which, the basic subscription plan is available for as low as $10 per month, but even the top plan, Accounting, won’t cost you more than $25 each month. And if that’s not convincing enough, both pricing plans offer a 30-day free trial.

However, it’s the most basic features that are a pleasure to use, such as recurring invoicing with fast payment option, real-time tracking, and expense management. Looking after your expenses, in fact, is further enhanced by the app’s receipt capturing and processing feature.

Additionally, Xero provides some truly enterprise-grade features as well, including project management with time tracking, inventory admin that automatically updates each item’s quantity and profitability, a dedicated page for handling 1099s, and various business reports that the software prepares automatically. And if that’s not enough, Xero has an ace in the hole with the option to integrate with more than 600 third party business applications.

Although the company’s cheapest pricing plan Starter is a bit limited, it’s more than enough for enjoying all of Xero’s basic features for just $9 per month. However, it’s possible to make use of the extra features – including payroll and multi-currency invoicing – by trying out the other two subscription plans for free for the first 30 days.

Conclusion

Deciding between Sage Business Cloud Accounting and Xero seems like an impossible task, since both accounting solutions offer enterprise-grade features for affordable prices. So, in the end, it comes down to your personal preferences and the extras that you want to be included in your subscription.

Sage Business Cloud Accounting is a real behemoth of a service that has proven its worthiness over many decades. By becoming a subscriber, all its accounting features become available, meaning access to an insanely detailed inventory, fully customizable invoices, check printing, and built-in integration with Google Drive.

Xero, on the other hand, is the accounting software that is both powerful and simple, regardless of the features being used. All basic features related to accounting are available in advanced versions too, not to mention the program includes such extras as project management with time tracking, an unrestricted standalone software program, and hundreds of integration options with other tools and solutions.