# Sage 50 vs Wave

| Attribute | Sage 50 | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 69.6 (16% (low)) | 63.2 (63% (medium)) |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | Cloud-based accounting software for small businesses with inventory tracking, project management, real-time collaboration, and automated reconciliation. Over 40 years of experience serving 2+ million customers. | A unified platform combining bookkeeping, invoicing, payment processing, and reporting in one dashboard. Helps small business owners track income and expenses, manage cash flow, and maintain organized financial records year-round. |
| features.capabilities | `{"inventory":true,"deployment":"cloud","ar_invoicing":true,"project_accounting":true}` | `{"api_access":"full","bank_feeds":"aggregator","deployment":"cloud","ar_invoicing":true,"tax_compliance":"Tax-ready bookkeeping with organized records and reporting","double_entry_gl":true,"payments_capture":true,"accountant_collab":true,"project_accounting":true}` |
| integrations.count | - | 8 |
| integrations.list | - | `[{"name":"Plaid"},{"name":"Zapier"},{"name":"Shopify"},{"name":"Square"},{"name":"ADP"},{"name":"RBC"},{"name":"Block Advisors"},{"name":"Apple Pay"}]` |
| market.availability | `{"hqCountry":"GB","primaryMarkets":["GB","US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":["US","CA"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"ios":true,"web":true,"android":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Pro Accounting","summary":"$128.67/mo","features":["Cloud-based","Invoice and bill tracking","Purchase order and approval","Expense management","Automated bank reconciliation","Reporting","Inventory management","Cash flow management","Job management","Fraud protection with Sage Security Shield","Automatic updates and backups","Real-time collaboration","Access anytime, anywhere","Payroll subscription available"],"minSeats":1,"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":128.67,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Essential cloud accounting for one user","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Premium Accounting","summary":"$182.50/mo (1-5 users)","features":["1-5 users","Purchase orders and change orders","Multiple companies","Advanced budgeting","Advanced reporting","Serialized inventory tracking","Advanced job costing","Audit trails"],"minSeats":1,"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":182.5,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Everything in Pro, plus advanced budgeting, inventory, multi-company consolidation, and more","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Quantum Accounting","summary":"$271.17/mo (1-40 users)","features":["1-40 users","Role-based user permissions","Faster processing","Order process workflow","Workflow management","Project management"],"minSeats":1,"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":271.17,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Full Sage 50 experience for seamless collaboration between larger accounting teams","contactSales":false}],"summary":"From $128.67/mo. Minimum one-year commitment required. Free trial available.","currency":"USD","freeTier":false,"sourceUrl":"https://www.sage.com/en-us/products/sage-50/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-03T12:18:42.581Z","startingPrice":{"amount":128.67,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Starter","summary":"Free","features":["Unlimited invoices, estimates, bills","Unlimited bookkeeping records","Mobile app access","Dashboard and reports","Payment processing available"],"description":"Basic accounting and invoicing for new businesses","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Pro","summary":"$16/month billed monthly, or $190/year billed annually","features":["Everything in Starter","Auto-import bank transactions via Plaid","Auto-merge and auto-categorize transactions","Unlimited receipt capture and tracking","Add multiple users/collaborators","Payment processing at discounted rates"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":16,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Enhanced accounting with bank automation and transaction categorization","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Wave Advisors","summary":"$149/month or $199/month depending on tier","features":["Everything in Pro","Dedicated bookkeeper management","Monthly financial statements","Expert bookkeeping support","Transition assistance from other software","Optional one-on-one accounting coaching"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":149,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Hands-off bookkeeping with dedicated bookkeeper and financial expert support","contactSales":false}],"addOns":[{"name":"Payment Processing","components":[{"of":"transaction","kind":"percentage","plus":{"amount":0.6,"currency":"USD"},"rate":2.9}]},{"name":"Payroll"},{"name":"Receipts"}],"summary":"Free Starter plan with unlimited invoicing and bookkeeping. Pro from $16/month includes bank automation. Wave Advisors from $149/month for managed bookkeeping. Payment processing fees: 2.9% + $0.60 per Visa/Mastercard transaction.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.waveapps.com/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T15:29:13.788Z","startingPrice":{"amount":16,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | no | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | unknown | mid |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| reliability.status_page | - | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | - |

## Capabilities (Accounting Software)

| Capability | Sage 50 | Wave |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Double-entry GL | - | ✓ |
| Multi-entity | - | - |
| Multi-currency | - | - |
| Bank feeds | - | Aggregator |
| **Modules** |  |  |
| AP automation | - | - |
| AR / invoicing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Inventory | ✓ | - |
| Fixed assets | - | - |
| Project accounting | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Compliance** |  |  |
| Tax compliance | - | Tax-ready bookkeeping with organized records and reporting |
| **Workflow** |  |  |
| Accountant collaboration | - | ✓ |
| **Payments** |  |  |
| Payments capture | - | ✓ |
| **Ecosystem** |  |  |
| API access | - | Full |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T17:05:47.453Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*