Sage 50 Premium Accounting 2016 [OLD VERSION]

Have used since it was Peachtree DOS version. My favorite accounting program. I am not thrilled with all the changes like needing to subscribe but there is a work around to that.

Although they advertise 1 year of support and upgrades, there is an additional charge through sage that will will double your cost.

This is not a good "upgrade" from the predecessor, Peachtree. It is more cumbersome to navigate and be aware, tax tables come at a high (extra) cost - something that was not made clear in the product description. Yes, it performs all of the functions you'd most likely require but begs the a question we all know the answer to. Namely, "Why (so call) improve something that functioned very well before"? Of course the answer is: "To make the old version obsolete and sell more product.All in all, I am sorry I "upgraded".

I have used both Peachtree and QuickBooks in the past, so I didn't have any difficulty using this newest offering from Peachtree. My biggest complaint is that it does not work with Windows 10. Talk about a pain in the rear. Since this software is for 2016, I incorrectly thought that Peachtree would have addressed this and made sure that program played well with Windows 10 when its users upgraded to 10 or tried to install Sage 50 on their computers with 10 already on them. I know that there are still plenty of users out there running the prior versions of Windows, but with the release of Windows 10 on the horizon, it seems odd that Sage/Peachtree wouldn't have made this program compatible.Pros:- Very easy to install regardless if it's a single laptop or network.- If you purchase the disc version of this software and not the direct to PC download, you don't have to have any existing Sage/Peachtree software as it will be a complete program and not just an update.- Current Sage/Peachtree users will have little difficulty using this latest offering.- The interface is very clean and easy to use. Inputting data doesn't require constantly flipping between different screens or tabs, and pulling that data into easily readable charts/graphs requires little effort as well.- If you aren't happy with Sage 50 and are a new, first time customer, you are eligible for a full refund of the purchase price within 60 days of purchase.- Sage offers pretty darn good support services for their users.- If you choose to use Sage for your payroll services, their costs run about the same as QuickBooks. I'm not positive how they compare to others like ADP or PayChex, and based on our queries it will depend on the size of your business.- Like QuickBooks, there a several help books to choose from.- The administrator can add users and decide what access/permissions they are allowed to have.Cons:- As mentioned above, this will not run on a PC that has been upgraded to Windows 10. It will also not install if you are running Windows 2003 or XP.- There is still NO ability to do payroll which is incredibly frustrating. I want one financial program that takes care of all my business's needs. With Sage 50, you either have to purchase another program to run payroll, pay additional money and sign up with Sage's payroll services, or else hire an accountant or payroll company like ADP or PayChex to do it for you. Still, this is also the case with QuickBooks.- If you are a current Sage user or have used a Sage product in the past and are unhappy with the product, you will not qualify for the refund. When you register with Sage, you have to provide them with a credit card so they can bill you yearly for the maintenance agreement and software updates.- The $429 you pay for this disc is NOT all you will pay. After one year, you will be charged again $249. With QuickBooks if you purchase the Premium version for $349, it is a one time fee (if you order the desktop version).- QuickBooks offers a mobile app, but I have yet to find one for Sage (or Peachtree). QuickBooks also works with PayPal, Square, Bill.com, Boomr, and a few dozen others but Sage 50 doesn't appear to.- If you choose not to replace an older version of Sage you have, but convert your data into the 2016 release, you will not be able to use the data with the older release.- Not all of your settings will be kept when you upgrade, so extra time will be needed to go in and make changes to preferences that have been set back to "default" settings.- If you use an accountant and/or payroll service, make sure that they will be able to access/open anything you send them from Sage. If your accountant uses QuickBooks, and you use Sage, there could be problems getting them your data.For me, there isn't enough difference between Sage 50 and QuickBooks for one to be a clear winner. I've used both, and I like and dislike things about each. Both offer good customer service. Both need to offer a better payroll solution for small businesses that want to do their own payroll and not hire someone else to do it for them. Both require new and unfamiliar user(s) to learn how to properly use in order to get the most out of all the features offered, and both offer help via book, online chat, email, and phone. The biggest factor for many users is likely going to be the cost. Here, QuickBooks is the clear winner as long as you purchase the desktop version. If you choose to purchase the direct to PC download, both require a yearly fee though the initial download cost is a good deal cheaper for QuickBooks.My suggestion - If you are on the fence, go out and download free trials of both QuickBooks and Sage 50 (you get at least 30 days for both) or even some of the smaller, less well known programs out there. Spend some time playing around in them to get a good feeling of what you like and don't like about each. This is a big purchase and you don't want to rush in to buying an accounting program you end up loathing in a few weeks. Many community colleges and adult education centers offer short, non-credit programs to teach people how to use Quickbooks for personal and business use, but I have yet to see any offer the same programs for Sage/Peachtree or any other program for that matter with the exception of Quicken. QuickBooks is generally higher rated and more recommended than Sage 50 among new users and those without accounting backgrounds, and it offers a ton of add-ons to meet specific needs and customization. Sage 50 rates higher with users that understand the finer points of accounting and are able use Sage's many customization features, especially if their business has stock (inventory) to manage. It is these features that are part of the reason for the higher cost of Sage. In the end, pick the program that you feel comfortable with. If you aren't comfortable with the program, you won't use the program, and that's a lot of money to waste. If it turns out you hate every accounting program you try and absolutely cannot see yourself using one even if your life depended on it, that's the time to save your sanity and find a good accountant :)

This accounting soft ware is comprehensive with much to offer. I selected it for my business but it is not compatible with Windows Ten. So I took it home with the intent to use for a small and as of yet not profitable business venture and household accounting. It installed seamlessly on the Windows 7 computer. The software itself is attractive. I especially liked the invoicing by email. It is very helpful if you must manage inventory. that being said, it is not for novices and it does not do payroll. While the company offers payroll and payment processing compatible with this suite it requires subscription to one of their subscription services. They do have a tiered schedule of service plans ranging from Basic where you own the software and receive a year of free updates to and auto subscribe monthly service. The Basic plan cannot be used with payroll.Before committing to this or for that matter any accounting software, it is wise to carefully assess your needs and try a free trial. I am working my way through the program and learning a lot. However, it is more than I actually need , If your accounting skills are intermediate to advanced and you manage significant inventory and are interested in strategic planning and metrics, this program would most likely satisfy you. But for my business needs at this time, less is more.

Like the product. Support and upgrades will end in 1-yr. I like the fixed assets and reporting features

It will not pick up a little piece of straw after very very little vacuuming

We transitioned from Peachtree to SAGE ... that was the first step towards making a problematic software harder to use. The death nail was taking it to a networked system that does not reside in your network, but the cloud. I have no time to write up what is terrible about it ... but this is a snapshot: difficult to: keep updated and installed, open up the program, closing it (usually have to "end task" and that often does not work), does not work properly on multi screens, difficult to make changes to defaults ... not possible to change address fields long enough for large companies that have long and multi line address fields ... let alone foreign addresses ... there is no knowledgeable consultant in the Charlotte NC area (the one they suggest is a waste of money!) and support is terrible. I am stuck, as we cannot find something that we KNOW is better for a smaller size company.