Sage vs FreshBooks: Best Accounting Software in 2025

Are you a small business owner feeling overwhelmed by managing your finances?

Do you struggle with invoicing, expense tracking, and keeping your books in order?

You’re not alone!

In 2025, two popular options stand out: Sage and FreshBooks.

Both promise to simplify your financial life, but which one is truly the best fit for your business?

This article will break down Sage vs FreshBooks. 

Let’s dive in!

Overview

We tried both Sage and FreshBooks ourselves.

We used them to handle invoices, track money, and see what they were really like.

This hands-on test helped us compare them fairly.

What is Sage?

Let’s talk about Sage.

It’s been around for a while.

Lots of businesses use it.

It helps keep track of money.

Think of it like a digital notebook for your business stuff.

Also, explore our favorite Sage alternatives…

Key Benefits

Sage shines with its 3 main strengths:

• It offers over 50 different reports. These help you see how your business is doing.
• You can manage invoices and get paid up to 2x faster. This means less waiting for money.
• It has strong inventory management. Keep track of your products easily.

Pricing

Sage has different plans. The most basic one starts at $10 per month. With this, you can:

• Pro Accounting: $61.92/month
• Premium Accounting: $103.92/month
• Quantum Accounting: $177.17/month

What is FreshBooks?

Okay, so let’s talk about FreshBooks.

Think of it like a helper for your money stuff.

It’s made for people who run small businesses and do freelance work.

It helps you send bills (invoices), keep track of your money coming in, and see where your money is going.

It’s like having a simple way to manage your business finances.

Also, explore our favorite Freshbooks alternatives…

Key Benefits

FreshBooks has some really cool things it does well:

• It makes sending professional-looking invoices super easy. You can even set up automatic payment reminders!
• Keeping track of your time is a breeze with its built-in time tracking tools. This is great if you bill clients by the hour.
• You can easily see how much money you’re making and what you’re spending with its clear reports.
• It lets you work with your team and share information easily.
• FreshBooks can connect with over 100 other apps to make your work smoother.

Pricing

FreshBooks has different plans depending on what you need:

• Lite: $10.50/month
• Plus: $19/month
• Premium: $32.50/month
• Select: Talk to a consultant

Feature Comparison

Let’s look at what each software can do.

We will compare them side-by-side on key features.

This will help you see which one has what you need.

1. Invoicing

• FreshBooks: This software is really strong for invoicing. You can make nice-looking invoices easily. It helps you send them fast and even set up automatic reminders so you get paid on time. You can also get paid online.
• Sage: Sage also lets you create and send invoices. It has good tools for tracking if invoices are paid. Some basic plans might have fewer options for making invoices look special compared to FreshBooks.

2. Expense Tracking

• FreshBooks: FreshBooks makes tracking expenses simple. You can connect your bank account or credit card. It will then pull in your spending. It can even guess what category your spending falls into, which saves you time.
• Sage: Sage helps you keep track of your money going out too. It allows you to log expenses and tie them to projects. It’s a solid tool for general expense management.

3. Time Tracking

• FreshBooks: If you bill clients by the hour, FreshBooks is great. It has built-in tools to track how much time you spend on different jobs or projects. You can even set up timers.
• Sage: Sage generally focuses more on overall accounting. While it can track time, it’s not as central to its design as it is in FreshBooks, which is made for service-based businesses.

4. Reporting

• FreshBooks: FreshBooks offers good reports like profit and loss statements. These reports help you see how your business is doing financially. They are usually easy to understand.
• Sage: Sage offers more detailed and advanced reports. If you need deep insights into your money or have a bigger business, Sage might give you more types of reports to look at.

5. Ease of Use

• FreshBooks: Many people find FreshBooks very easy to use. Its design is simple and clear, even if you don’t know much about accounting. It’s often praised for being intuitive.
• Sage: Sage can be a bit more complex to learn at first. It has many features, which can make it feel a bit harder to get started with. However, once you learn it, it’s powerful.

6. Integrations

• FreshBooks: FreshBooks connects with many other popular apps. This means you can link it to tools you already use for payments (like PayPal or Stripe) or other business needs.
• Sage: Sage also offers integrations. It can connect with many different business tools. Sometimes, its integrations might be more for bigger systems.

7. Customer Support

• FreshBooks: FreshBooks generally has good customer support. They offer help through email, chat, and phone. They also have many helpful articles and guides online.
• Sage: Sage also offers support through various ways like phone and email. Users often find their support helpful, though sometimes it might take a bit longer to get a response compared to FreshBooks.

What to Look for When Choosing Accounting Software?

When picking expense software, consider these points:

• Your Business Size: Are you a small team or a large company? Some tools fit better for different sizes.
• Mobile App Quality: How good is the phone app? You’ll use it a lot for snapping receipts.
• Approval Workflow: Can you set up who needs to approve what? Make sure it matches how your business works.
• Customer Support: Is help easy to get if you have problems? Check their support options.
• Reporting Needs: What kind of reports do you need? Make sure the software can create them.
• Future Growth: Can the software grow with your business? You don’t want to switch again soon.

Final Verdict (Our Pick)

After looking at both, we pick FreshBooks for most small businesses.

Especially those that sell services. 

It’s super easy to use, great for sending invoices, and tracks your time well.

If you want less stress with your money and quick ways to get paid.

FreshBooks is likely your best friend.

Sage is good too, especially if your business is getting bigger and needs very detailed reports.

But for many, FreshBooks just makes things simpler.

We tested both, and FreshBooks truly shines for its ease and focus on what small businesses need most.

Trust us, your books will thank you!

More of Sage

• Sage vs Puzzle IO: Puzzle IO focuses on project accounting, providing tools for detailed cost tracking and client billing.
• Sage vs Dext: Dext automates data capture from receipts and invoices, simplifying expense management and data entry.
• Sage vs Xero: Xero emphasizes a user-friendly cloud platform with a strong app ecosystem and streamlined bank reconciliation.
• Sage vs Synder: Synder specializes in e-commerce accounting, automating sales and payment synchronization across multiple platforms.
• Sage vs Docyt: Docyt uses AI to automate bookkeeping tasks, including document categorization and financial data organization.
• Sage vs Wave: Wave offers free accounting, invoicing, and payroll solutions tailored for freelancers and very small businesses.
• Sage vs Quicken: Quicken focuses on personal finance management, including budgeting, investment tracking, and bill payment.
• Sage vs Hubdoc: Hubdoc automates document collection and data entry, integrating with cloud accounting platforms to streamline bookkeeping.
• Sage vs Expensify: Expensify automates expense reporting with features like receipt scanning, approval workflows, and policy enforcement.
• Sage vs NetSuite: NetSuite is a comprehensive ERP solution for enterprises, offering advanced financials, CRM, and supply chain management.

More of FreshBooks

• FreshBooks vs Puzzle IO: Puzzle IO uses AI for smart financial insights and automated bookkeeping, focusing on real-time data.
• FreshBooks vs Dext: Dext specializes in automated receipt and invoice data capture, streamlining data entry into accounting systems.
• FreshBooks vs Xero: Xero offers comprehensive cloud-based accounting with strong bank reconciliation, suitable for growing small businesses, offering a robust FreshBooks vs Xero choice.
• FreshBooks vs Synder: Synder excels at syncing sales data from multiple platforms directly into accounting software, automating reconciliation.
• FreshBooks vs Docyt: Docyt provides AI-driven bookkeeping automation and real-time financial dashboards, aiming to eliminate manual tasks.
• FreshBooks vs RefreshMe: RefreshMe is designed for personal finance tracking, budgeting, and identity protection, not business needs.
• FreshBooks vs Zoho Books: Zoho Books offers a more comprehensive cloud-based accounting suite, including inventory management and CRM integration.
• FreshBooks vs Wave: Wave provides free bookkeeping, invoicing, and basic reporting, great for freelancers on a budget.
• FreshBooks vs Quicken: Quicken is a personal finance manager focused on budgeting and investment tracking, with basic business features.
• FreshBooks vs Hubdoc: Hubdoc automates the collection and categorization of financial documents for easy integration into accounting software.
• FreshBooks vs Expensify: Expensify is primarily an expense management tool, excellent for receipt scanning and employee credit cards reimbursement.
• FreshBooks vs QuickBooks: QuickBooks is a highly versatile, comprehensive accounting software catering to diverse business needs with extensive features.
• FreshBooks vs AutoEntry: AutoEntry focuses on intelligent data capture from documents, automating data entry for accounting systems.
• FreshBooks vs NetSuite: NetSuite is a full-fledged cloud ERP system, offering integrated financials, CRM, and e-commerce for larger enterprises.

Frequently Asked Questions