Sage Intacct vs FreshBooks
Verified ratings, real UK pricing and the compliance detail, weighed side by side — with a written verdict at the end.
Sage Intacct
Accounting Software
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- United States
- Canada
- Australia
- South Africa
- Phone
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
FreshBooks
Accounting Software
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Canada
- Phone
- Knowledge Base
Evenly matched on verified reviews — 4.0 against 4.1. Price and fit will decide this one, not the score.
The short version
What each one costs and how each one rates, side by side. Only the rows where leading means something are marked; vendor and availability are in the overview above.
| Detail | Sage Intacct | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | On request | £16/mo |
| Free version | NoNo | NoNo |
| Free trial | YesYes | YesYes |
| How it rates | ||
| Overall ratingMean of verified Assaylist reviews | 4.0 | 4.1 |
| Verified reviewsVolume is evidence, not a score — this row is not a contest | 209 reviews | 261 reviews |
How reviewers score them
Across the four dimensions we ask every reviewer about — and, below, the star split each average is built from.
- Sage Intacct
- FreshBooks
| Dimension | Sage Intacct | FreshBooks | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to FreshBooks |
| Value for money | 4.0 | 4.0 | Level |
| Customer support | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to FreshBooks |
| Functionality | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to FreshBooks |
What each average is made of
Two products can share an average and not share a reputation. These bars show the star split behind each score.
| Product | 5 star | 4 star | 3 star | 2 star | 1 star |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sage Intacct | 45% (94 reviews) | 28% (59 reviews) | 15% (32 reviews) | 7% (14 reviews) | 5% (10 reviews) |
| FreshBooks | 42% (109 reviews) | 36% (95 reviews) | 14% (36 reviews) | 7% (18 reviews) | 1% (3 reviews) |
Feature by feature
Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.
- Only Sage Intacct
- 1255%
- Only FreshBooks
- 1045%
22 features listed across both products.
What only one of them does
Sage Intacct
12- Accounts payable and receivable
- Budgeting and planning
- Cash management
- Dimensional accounting
+ 8 more in the table below
FreshBooks
10- Automated payment reminders
- Client portal
- Expense and mileage tracking
- Making Tax Digital for VAT
+ 6 more in the table below
| Detail | Sage Intacct | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 22 | ||
| Accounts payable and receivable | YesYes | NoNo |
| Budgeting and planning | YesYes | NoNo |
| Cash management | YesYes | NoNo |
| Dimensional accounting | YesYes | NoNo |
| Fixed assets | YesYes | NoNo |
| Multi currency | YesYes | NoNo |
| Multi entity consolidation | YesYes | NoNo |
| Open API | YesYes | NoNo |
| Order management | YesYes | NoNo |
| Project accounting | YesYes | NoNo |
| Real time dashboards and reporting | YesYes | NoNo |
| Revenue recognition | YesYes | NoNo |
| Automated payment reminders | NoNo | YesYes |
| Client portal | NoNo | YesYes |
| Expense and mileage tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| Making Tax Digital for VAT | NoNo | YesYes |
| Mobile app | NoNo | YesYes |
| Online payments | NoNo | YesYes |
| Professional invoicing | NoNo | YesYes |
| Project profitability | NoNo | YesYes |
| Recurring invoices | NoNo | YesYes |
| Time tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
A dash means the vendor has not published a feature list — which is not the same as the feature being unavailable.
How they handle UK obligations
Checked against the vendor's own documentation or HMRC's published list. A dash means we have not verified it — never that it is missing.
| Detail | Sage Intacct | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|
| Verified against vendor documentation | ||
| HMRC-recognised for MTD for VAT | Not listedNot listed | YesYes |
| Making Tax Digital ready | YesYes | YesYes |
What each tier costs
Both line-ups on one ladder, so the middle tier on one side sits next to the middle tier on the other.
Sage Intacct
FreshBooks
Sage Intacct
Contact vendor
- Quoted per organisation
- Dimensional accounting
- Multi entity consolidation
Lite
£16/mo
- Unlimited invoices
- Up to 5 billable clients
- Expense tracking
No comparable tier listed
Plus
£30/mo
- Up to 50 billable clients
- Recurring invoices
- Project profitability
No comparable tier listed
Premium
£42/mo
- Unlimited billable clients
- Advanced reporting
- Everything in Plus
Rungs are matched by position in each vendor’s own line-up, not by what the tiers include — an entry plan on one side may cover more than the other. Prices exclude VAT unless stated, and per-seat plans are quoted per seat. Always confirm on the vendor’s own site.
Which should you choose?
Two answers, because there are two right ones depending on what you need.
Choose Sage Intacct if
- It lists 12 features FreshBooks does not, including accounts payable and receivable.
Choose FreshBooks if
- It lists 10 features Sage Intacct does not, including automated payment reminders.
On verified Assaylist reviews, FreshBooks currently rates 4.1 against 4.0 for Sage Intacct. That gap is not the whole story: Sage Intacct starts at a quoted price and FreshBooks at £16/mo, so the right answer depends on the tier you actually need and on which one handles your UK obligations. Read both profiles before you commit, and confirm current pricing on the vendor's own site.
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