Difference Between Sage 50 and Sage 100

Credit: Israel Andrade

Accounting software, like Sage products, can give small and medium-sized businesses a competitive edge while improving daily productivity. However, it can be challenging to find software solutions that go beyond basic reporting and sales orders and can be customized to fit your individual needs.

A Sage accounting system will streamline your finance and ensure you’re not wasting valuable time on unnecessary tasks.

In this article, we’ll answer:

• What is the difference between Sage 50 and Sage 100?
• Is Sage an ERP system?
• Which Sage product is right for me?

Three Key Differences Between Sage 50 and Sage 100

For any business looking to improve its financial efficiency beyond reporting, Sage is a great product. Don’t automatically assume that Sage 50 is a first-step accounting solution. While both Sage 50 and Sage 100 offer benefits to any business, including a Sage intelligence report, there are three main differences to keep in mind when doing a Sage software comparison:

• Functionality
• Scalability
• Customization

Ensure you outline your financial needs for right now, as well as your long-term business goals when you compare Sage 50 and Sage 100.

Functionality for Sage 50 and Sage 100

What Is Sage 50 Software?

Small businesses with fewer than ten Sage 50 users who operate out of a single office and don’t require complex business processes will likely find Sage 50 sufficient. It’s offered as a plug-and-play, cost-effective solution for new and small businesses that need greater functionality than off-the-shelf brand software but don’t require the high-end features that Sage 100 can provide.

However, historically, users have had frustrations trying to implement Sage 50’s multi-user capabilities, resulting in a loss of functionality and daily productivity.

Additionally, after a certain point, the lack of extensive data capture and processing has forced businesses to rely on manual entry and organization to track transactions. Although there are a few integration options to expand Sage 50’s functionality, additional solutions may be required to complete needed daily financial tasks.

What Is Sage 100 Software?

Sage also offers an enhanced solution for greater functionality with a proper Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. Sage 100 provides a fully-equipped Sage ERP solution for industrial operations, manufacturing, distribution, professional services, and even retail companies.

Benefits include external and internal processes, purchasing and payroll actions, and a custom reports function, giving users an enhanced experience and your business the functionality it requires to be successful in the long-term.

Scalability

One of the biggest reasons companies choose Sage over similar accounting software solutions is the ability to scale as your business grows. Sage 50, while it does offer a limited functionality such as the ability to work in tandem with other software, can still scale to a certain point.

For instance, if your business growth stays small and you never need more than ten users at one time, Sage 50 will work. However, once your business moves past the ten-user maximum for your initial license, you’ll end up purchasing licenses per user, which could get costly as you add more and more users. In other words, successful businesses will inevitably outgrow Sage 50.

In addition to enhanced flexibility and better user performance, Sage 100 offers more options for scalability and operational processes. You also have better pricing and customization opportunities that Sage 50 doesn’t provide. While your upfront Sage 100 cost may be higher than Sage 50, you may find yourself overspending if your business grows beyond Sage 50’s capabilities. At that point, upgrading would be the best option.

If you’re looking for a complete ERP system, Sage 100 can give you full functionality and enhanced services for dozens of users without sacrificing usability.