Pleo vs Sage Accounting Comparison
Compare Pleo vs Sage Accounting features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
Pleo
6.8/10
Pleo is a European spend management platform that gives small and mid-sized businesses company cards, receipt capture, reimbursements and supplier invoice payments.
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 | 6.8/10 | 6/10 |
| Analytics | 6/10 | 5/10 |
| Compliance | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Cost | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Customization | 6/10 | 5/10 |
| Ease of Use | 9/10 | 7/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Scalability | 6/10 | 4/10 |
| Security | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 4/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | £8/user/mo Start | £20/mo Start |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | £80/mo Start | £59/mo Plus |
| Features | ||
| General Ledger | ||
| Payroll | ||
| Budgeting and Forecasting | ||
| Multi-currency | ||
| Accountant Access | Not listed | |
| Accounts Payable | Not listed | |
| Bank Reconciliation | Not listed | |
| Corporate Cards | Not listed | |
| Expense Management | Not listed | |
| Financial Reporting | Not listed | |
| Inventory Accounting | Not listed | |
| Invoicing | Not listed | |
| Tax Compliance | Not listed | |
Pleo vs Sage Accounting cost by team size
Pleo costs less up to 5 users; Sage Accounting costs less from 10 users.
| Team size | Pleo | Sage Accounting |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | £8/moStart | £20/moStart |
| 5 users | £40/moStart | £59/moPlus |
| 10 users | £80/moStart | £59/moPlus |
| 25 users | £200/moStart | £59/moPlus |
| 50 users | £400/moStart | £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 Pleo
- Higher Ease of Use score (9/10 vs 7/10)
- Higher Scalability score (6/10 vs 4/10)
- Better fit for mid-market (7/10 vs 3/10)
Why choose Sage Accounting
- Lower estimated cost for 10 users: £59/mo vs £80/mo
- Higher Compliance score (8/10 vs 7/10)
- Includes General Ledger, which Pleo lacks
- Includes Payroll, which Pleo lacks
Pros & Cons
Pleo
Pros
- G2 reviewers praise the card and receipt-capture app as easy for employees to use, and Pleo holds a 4.7 rating across roughly 1,400 G2 reviews.
- Per-user list prices are published, starting at £8 per user per month.
- Native accounting integrations cover Xero, QuickBooks, NetSuite, FreeAgent, Xledger and Twinfield.
- SAML SSO is included even on the entry Start plan.
- The UK entity is authorised by the FCA, and cards are issued under a Mastercard licence.
Cons
- Build and Optimise are billed yearly and require at least three users.
- Transaction charges such as FX fees of up to 2 percent and per-payment fees add to the subscription cost.
- Live chat support is only included on Optimise, and Trustpilot reviewers complain about slow support.
- Some reviewers report weak coverage and support in the US.
- It is not an accounting system and has no general ledger, customer invoicing or payroll.
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
Pleo scores higher on our Finance Software criteria: 6.8/10 against 6/10 for Sage Accounting. The largest gap is in Ease of Use: 9/10 for Pleo and 7/10 for Sage Accounting.
Sage Accounting costs less for 10 users: about £59/mo on its Plus plan, against about £80/mo on its Start plan for Pleo, billed monthly.
No, neither Pleo nor Sage Accounting lists a free plan.
Pleo is the better fit for mid-market: we rate it 7/10 for them, against 3/10 for Sage Accounting.
Sage Accounting has General Ledger and Payroll, which Pleo lacks.
