Sage vs Ember: Which Is Better Accounting Software?

We compare them based on real user reviews, prices and what features they both offer.

Sage vs Ember Basics

	Sage	Ember
Software Website	Sage Website	Ember Website
HMRC MTD Status	Approved	Not Included
Who Can Use It?	Agents and businesses	Businesses and Self-employed
HMRC Listed Features	Digital record keeping, Updates to HMRC for self-employment, Tax estimates from HMRC based on provided updates	None
Platforms	Web-based application, Mobile application, iPhone, iPad, iOS	Web-based application, Android, and iOS

Note data for this section comes from HMRC here and here

Wondering if Sage or Ember has better user reviews. We compared them below.

	Sage	Ember
Trustpilot Rating	4.4	4.8
Number of Trustpilot Reviews	17020	213
iPhone App Rating	4.5	4.3
Number of iPhone Reviews	1600	37
Android App Rating	2.9	2.9
Number of Android Reviews	308	42

Please note ratings we’re accurate at the time of writing but may have since changed

Which is cheaper Sage or Ember? Here are their prices compared.

Data taken from each company’s website at the time of writing but may have since changed.

Data taken from each company’s website at the time of writing but may have since changed.

	Sage	Ember
Payroll Software Integration	Yes	Yes
Track VAT	Yes	Yes
VAT Filing	Yes	Yes
Real-Time Financial Reports	Yes	Yes
Prepare Self Assessment	Yes	Yes
Income Tax Estimates	Yes	Yes
Manage Income & Expenses	Yes	Yes
Create Invoices	Yes	Yes
Forecast Cash Flow	Yes	Yes
Accept and Make Payments In Different Currencies	Yes	Yes
Employee Time Tracking	Yes	No
Projects	Yes	No
Bank Feed Integration	Yes	Yes
End of Year Filings	Yes	Yes
Capture Bills And Receipts	Yes	Yes
Bulk Reconcile Transactions	Yes	Yes
Track Inventory & Stock Levels	Yes	Yes

	Sage	Ember
Pros	User Friendly Cloud Based Meets Business Needs User Interface Customer Service	Ember offers its free account to both sole traders and limited companies. Emberâ€™s Pro plan for sole traders is one of the cheaper paid accounts on the market. The Pro and Unlimited plans are Making Tax Digital-compliant. Ability to submit VAT tax returns directly to HMRC with the Pro and Unlimited plans. Every Ember plan comes with discounts on other business tools and services.
Cons	Room for Improvement Learning Curve	The free Starter plans are not MTD-compliant, and you will not be able to sign up for that plan if your business is VAT-registered. This means you cannot submit your VAT returns directly to HMRC if you are on a free plan. There is currently no multi-user access, regardless of which plan you are on. Emberâ€™s full payroll function is only available to limited companies paying for the Unlimited plan and as a paid extra There is no built-in cash-flow forecasting function, regardless of your plan.