BooksTime vs Sage Accounting Comparison
Compare BooksTime vs Sage Accounting features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
BooksTime
5.9/10
Outsourced bookkeeping service that gives small businesses and nonprofits a dedicated bookkeeper who works in QuickBooks, Xero, or other accounting software.
Sage Accounting
6/10
Cloud accounting software from Sage for UK sole traders and small businesses, covering invoicing, bank feeds, VAT returns, payroll and reporting.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 5.9/10 | 6/10 |
| Scalability | 6/10 | 4/10 |
| Analytics | 6/10 | 5/10 |
| Compliance | 5/10 | 8/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Security | 4/10 | 6/10 |
| Support | 7/10 | 4/10 |
| Cost | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Customization | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | $320/mo Essentials | £20/mo Start |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | $320/mo Essentials | £59/mo Plus |
| Features | ||
| Accountant Access | ||
| Bank Reconciliation | ||
| Budgeting and Forecasting | ||
| Financial Reporting | ||
| General Ledger | ||
| Inventory Accounting | ||
| Invoicing | ||
| Multi-currency | ||
| Payroll | ||
| Tax Compliance | ||
| Accounts Payable | Not listed | |
| Multi-entity Consolidation | Not listed | |
BooksTime vs Sage Accounting cost by team size
| Team size | BooksTime | Sage Accounting |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | $320/moEssentials | £20/moStart |
| 5 users | $320/moEssentials | £59/moPlus |
| 10 users | $320/moEssentials | £59/moPlus |
| 25 users | $320/moEssentials | £59/moPlus |
| 50 users | $320/moEssentials | £59/moPlus |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose BooksTime
- Higher Support score (7/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Scalability score (6/10 vs 4/10)
Why choose Sage Accounting
- Higher Compliance score (8/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Security score (6/10 vs 4/10)
Pros & Cons
BooksTime
Pros
- Bookkeepers work in the client's existing software, and BooksTime says it supports more than 25 options including QuickBooks and Xero, so clients are not locked in.
- Essentials pricing is public, and it does not cap transactions or connected accounts.
- Monthly contracts can be cancelled at any time with no cancellation fees.
- It offers nonprofit-specific services such as Form 990 preparation and restricted fund tracking.
- All nine Trustpilot reviews give 5 stars and praise its accuracy and on-time work, including for books with several entities.
Cons
- It is not a CPA firm, so tax returns are handed to referred CPAs and quoted separately.
- There is no public security or compliance documentation.
- Essentials pricing rises with monthly expenses, and the Complete plan has no public price.
- It has few independent reviews; Trustpilot shows only 9.
- The pricing page does not say which services come with Essentials and which need Complete.
Sage Accounting
Pros
- Payroll is bundled into every plan, so very small employers do not need a separate payroll subscription.
- Built-in Making Tax Digital VAT filing, plus CIS submissions on Standard and Plus, cover UK compliance needs.
- Monthly billing with no commitment, and introductory discounts that often run for six months.
- Reviewers praise the customisable invoices and the bank and HR integrations.
- Plus allows unlimited users, which reviewers single out.
Cons
- Reviewers report yearly price rises and say support can be slow or unhelpful.
- Users report bank-feed connection problems and occasional lag with large data sets.
- Budgeting, multi-currency and stock management are only on the top Plus tier.
- There are no employee expense claims or time tracking, and receipt capture is capped with per-receipt charges above the cap.
- Role permissions are limited, so duties cannot be cleanly separated between staff.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Sage Accounting scores higher on our Finance Software criteria: 6/10 against 5.9/10 for BooksTime. The largest gap is in Compliance: 5/10 for BooksTime and 8/10 for Sage Accounting.
No, neither BooksTime nor Sage Accounting lists a free plan.
