Sage 300 vs Sage Intacct

Choosing the right finance and business software for your company is never an easy task. There are so many options out there, each with features that will appeal to different types and sizes of businesses. Even when looking at one software manufacturer, things can get confusing.  

Sage, one of the biggest producers of business software, has a wide range of solutions, each designed to help your business work better, but with differences in how. Sage 300 and Sage Intacct are two popular choices, and it can be hard to figure out what’s the best pick for your business. 

There are some similarities and crossover between the two in terms of functionality, but ultimately, they are intended as unique solutions, serving different customers. Let’s dive into some of the key differences between the two platforms so you can better decide which one is right for your needs.  

Target users 

Probably the most significant difference between Intacct and 300 is in who they’re aimed at. Sage 300 is designed for small to medium-sized businesses, with reasonably basic financial requirements, who are looking for a complete ERP solution that can help tie together all aspects of their business. 

Sage Intacct is more aimed at larger companies looking for a dedicated best-in-class financial solution to cater to their more advanced and complex accounting and finance tasks. When companies start to get frustrated with the lack of real-time insights or reliance on manual processes in their current ERP system, they may consider making the switch to a more advanced financial solution such as Intacct 

The type of business you are in also makes a big difference as to which will be a better fit for you. Sage 300 works well for companies in the manufacturing and distribution sector due to its functionality for logistics and operations teams, while Intacct is often better suited to ‘white collar’ businesses such as professional services. 

Features 

Both Sage 300 and Sage Intacct are business software packages that give you a range of tools and access to real-time financial data. There are a lot of crossovers in the feature set of Intacct and 300, as both feature a general ledger; accounts receivable and payable; reconciliations; reporting and close integrations with other apps. 

However, as they’re intended to fulfil different roles for different companies, there are plenty of significant variations in their features and functionality.  

Intacct is a finance-first software package, so features extra tools to help with accounting. This includes real-time reporting with dimensions, a project accounting module, automated revenue recognition and advanced analytics and automation powered by AI. 

Sage 300, however, is more of a complete end-to-end ERP system. This means that while you have a more limited range of finance tools, you can manage a broader array of requirements often found in a distribution or product-focused business such as sales orders and inventory from within the same platform. 

User experience 

The way in which you interact with these platforms is also a notable difference. Sage 300 has its own dedicated desktop app, and the interface is more traditional than that of Intacct. 

Intacct, on the other hand, is browser-based and gives you a sleek modern interface. Its user dashboard is also more customisable and offers interactive reporting capabilities where users can click on reports to drill into details. 

Pricing 

Sage 300 has three pricing edition tiers: Standard, Advanced and Premium. The price you end up paying will vary on the tier you go for, the number of users you need and any customisations you request but is likely to cost around £15-20,000 per year. 

Like 300, Sage Intacct is priced on a per-user subscription. You get the core set of financials as standard and then have to pay for any additional modules that give you extra functionality. As it’s a more advanced system, aimed at larger companies, Sage Intacct comes in at a significantly higher price than 300. 

For both 300 and Intacct, you’ll also have to pay an extra on-off cost for implementation as well as ongoing fees for support. For this, we charge by the hour and can take 20-50 days and cost around £19,000 to £48,000. 

Implementation 

Sage 300 is not a cloud-based system as it needs to be installed as a desktop app and requires a server on which it is hosted. This is either on the local network or in a private cloud. Intacct, on the other hand, is a true cloud-native solution and can be accessed from any internet browser. That means that everything runs entirely on the cloud, without any need for managing hardware.  

Neither Sage 300 nor Intacct can be purchased directly from Sage. Instead, you need to go through an approved partner who’ll also implement the system in your business and offer the support you need to get the most out of it.  

Third-party integration 

Intacct and 300 both give you options to integrate extra add-ons from third-party vendors. These give you power to add extra functionality, including niche industry tools, extra payment options or expanded reporting and data analysis.  

The range of integrations available for Sage 300 is much more limited than what you get through Intacct, which gives you access to the Sage Intacct Marketplace, with hundreds of different industry-specific solutions. 

Choosing the right solution for your business 

Both Sage 300 and Intacct are great solutions that help drive your company forward and ultimately the choice between the two comes down to your business’ size, requirements and budget.  

If you want more information about the best fit for your business, get in touch with one of our certified Sage experts for a no-obligation chat to explore your options and get your custom pricing quote.