Sage Intacct vs Sage 50: is it time to migrate?

You might’ve hit a tipping point with Sage 50 – as small businesses do when they start to grow – and are wondering what Sage product to invest in next. If Sage 50 no longer meets your needs, it might be time to consider Sage Intacct: a scalable alternative with a lot more horsepower.

Sage Intacct vs Sage 50 at a glance

Sage Intacct is a cloud-native financial management solution suited to businesses that are looking to streamline their processes and scale operations. It accommodates complex financial infrastructures, unifies data across departments and business entities, facilitates powerful reporting, and automates core financial processes.

Sage 50 is entry-level accounting software for small businesses and startups. It's a flexible accounting system that provides essential financial management for companies that don't need complex integrations or advanced features.

Who are they for?

Sage Intacct is suitable for any business – from growing, service-based companies to global enterprises. As Sage's flagship financial management software, it’s great if you:

• Are scaling rapidly and/or expecting extensive growth
• Are service-based 
• Want real-time reporting and deeper insights
• Are ready to automate financial processes
• Manage multiple business entities
• Work in multiple currencies

Sage 50 is for small businesses with straightforward accounting needs. It’s fine if you:

• Are a small business
• Need straightforward accounting tools
• Manage low transaction volumes
• Don't anticipate significant long-term growth

Core capabilities

Both solutions handle standard accounting tasks well, with functionality such as multi-ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash management, and spend management. But, Sage Intacct does a lot more – including workflow automation and 24/7 support – and can handle far more data and complexity.

Even the shared features differ slightly per solution. Sage Intacct has AI-enhanced general ledger functionality with real-time transaction posting, automated outlier detection, and multi-dimensional analysis. By contrast, Sage 50’s general ledger is basic double-entry bookkeeping with standard chart of accounts structure and limited customisation options. So, on the surface some capabilities look similar, but you’ll get more flexibility and functionality from Sage Intacct.

Sage Intacct vs Sage 50 benefits

Data management, analytics, and reporting

One of Sage Intacct's biggest strengths is its customisable financial dashboards for analysis and data-driven decision-making. It’s easy to create custom reports, analyse data across entities, and share reports with multiple departments in real time. The dimensional analysis function is particularly beneficial because you can see granular transaction and operational data at any level you like, including department, project, and location. This helps you to understand performance across your organisation, providing strategic insights that enable you to deliver positive change.

With Sage 50, you can only see standard financial reports with basic customisation options. It has limited dashboard functionality, requiring data exports for anything more advanced. For example, if you want multi-company reporting, you need to consolidate the data manually, which is time-consuming and potentially introduces human error.

Ultimately, for efficient, powerful data analysis, nothing beats Sage Intacct.

User experience and accessibility

Sage Intacct is cloud-native, making it easily accessible from any device, anywhere. This is great if you work across locations or in a hybrid working pattern.

Sage Intacct makes it easy to display relevant information to each user. With its various customisation features, it’s easy to create dashboards that are relevant to you, your team, and your goals.

You’ll also get built-in compliance and automatic updates so you’re always prepared for an audit and have the peace of mind of knowing you’re always on the latest version. This isn’t always the case with other solutions, such as on-premises or private cloud systems, who often charge extra for upgrades.

Sage 50 is primarily desktop-based with limited remote accessibility. The interface is less customisable than Sage Intacct, and you need to install updates manually.

Flexibility, scalability, and integrations

Sage Intacct is designed to scale as your business grows, handling growing transaction volumes without performance issues and helping you achieve your goals long after the initial investment. It integrates easily with other business systems, seamlessly unifying data to give you a complete view of your business and providing a joined-up user experience for every user, in every location.

Sage 50 has simple functionality with fewer expansion options and integrations. This makes it easier to learn how to use, but less useful if you want to do more than basic accounting. As transaction volumes increase, you’ll experience slower performance.

If you want to integrate your Sage software with other business systems, Sage Intacct is the stronger solution. While Sage 50 supports APIs, you’ll have to develop them yourself or use a third-party solution. Sage Intacct has native integration capabilities via its marketplace, which offers 350 different integrations.

Security and compliance

Sage Intacct complies with SOC1, SOC2, PCI, HIPAA, GDPR, and IS027001. It undergoes regular security tests, has disaster recovery, and over 99.9% uptime. You can also implement role-based access controls with audit trails and automated backup. Not only does this give you peace of mind, it helps you win business from companies with more stringent data protection requirements, such as those in financial services.

Sage 50 comes with standard security features but fewer compliance certifications. It needs manual backups and has more rigid user permission controls.

Cost considerations

If you’re planning to migrate from Sage 50 to Sage Intacct, or are just considering your options, bear in mind that Sage Intacct does come with additional costs. Don’t let this put you off, though.

It's important to consider lifetime cost versus value when assessing a new software and despite the initial investment, you can achieve significant returns through the improved decision-making and efficiency gains that Sage Intacct offers. According to Sage, companies implementing Sage Intacct typically see a 250% ROI, with many companies seeing payback in 6 months or less. 

You'll also need to budget for professional Sage Intacct implementation services. This covers everything from design to configuration, migration support, and training. Leaning on an implementation partner’s experience will help you get the best configuration for your needs, smooth implementation, and dedicated aftercare from accredited customer success managers. Transitioning in this way takes the stress out of switching and gives you confidence in your new investment.

5 signs it's time to upgrade

It can be difficult to know when it’s time to change software. There’s a lot of pressure behind making these kinds of decisions as change can be disruptive – whether it’s getting budget approved, making time for demos, implementation, or training. But, often, the effort is well worth it.

Here are some useful signs it’s time to upgrade from Sage 50 to Sage Intacct.

1. Slowing system performance with increasing transaction volumes
2. Excessive time spent on manual processes and spreadsheets
3. Limited visibility into real-time performance
4. The need to operate seamlessly across locations or entities
5. Difficulties integrating Sage 50 with other business systems

Migration support

If you’re ready to upgrade to Sage Intacct, then exciting changes are ahead. You’ll be investing in a powerful, future-proof and seriously customisable piece of software. The results speak for themselves. You could experience up to:

• 250% return on investment, with payback in just six months
• 40% improvement in productivity
• 66% decrease in monthly close times

To start planning your migration from Sage 50 to Sage Intacct, you’ll need support from a Sage Intacct partner.

They’ll support you along the way with design, configuration, migration advice, and training. This will help you get a solution that best meets your needs, seamless implementation for a faster transition, and access to a dedicated customer success manager who will ensure you maximise your investment in Sage Intacct.

This makes switching simple, allowing you to focus on your goals and growth rather than getting up and running.

Take the next step

If you’re ready for something more sophisticated than Sage 50 and are thinking of moving to Sage Intacct for its advanced functionality, automation, and scalability, it’s a good idea to speak to a Sage Intacct partner to discuss your options.

Sage partners, like Datel, have deep product knowledge to guide you through each step of exploration, implementation, and aftercare. So, if you want to maximise your Sage success, seek advice from the experts to make a more informed decision.