Review · Plans and prices checked in 6 markets, 18–19 October 2026
Sage Accounting Review 2026: UK Plans, Payroll, Prices by Country
Disclosure: We don’t have an affiliate relationship with Sage, so the Sage links in this review go straight to Sage’s site. Other products mentioned may have partner links. Learn more.
Our take
Sage Accounting is at its strongest in the UK. Every business plan includes payroll for at least one employee, it’s Making Tax Digital ready, and sole traders get a genuinely free MTD for Income Tax option in Sage Sole Trader Free. It’s also sold in Ireland, Canada, South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria, but it’s no longer available in the US. The main limits are a single user on Start, receipt capture that isn’t on the entry plan, and inventory and multi-currency only on the top plan.
How this review works: every price, limit and feature comes from Sage’s official pricing pages for each country, read on 18–19 October 2026. We haven’t run a hands-on test, so there’s no star rating here. See how Sage compares with other accounting software for small businesses, in the UK and elsewhere.
Sage Accounting at a glance
| Best for | UK sole traders and small businesses that want MTD, VAT and payroll in one subscription |
|---|---|
| Price (UK, excl. VAT) | Sole Trader Free £0 · Sole Trader £7 · Start £20 · Standard £43 · Plus £59 a month |
| Users | Start 1 · Standard 3 · Plus unlimited |
| Free plan | Sole Trader Free, for non-VAT-registered sole traders: 5 invoices a month, 1 bank account |
| Offer when checked (UK) | 90% off for 6 months, or a 30-day free trial of Accounting Standard |
| Markets | UK, Ireland, Canada, South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria. No longer sold in the US |
| Contract | Monthly; Sage says you can upgrade or cancel any time |
UK plans: Sole Trader, Start, Standard, Plus
Sage splits the UK range in two. Sage Sole Trader is for self-employed people who aren’t VAT-registered, and Sage Accounting is for VAT-registered sole traders and small businesses.
- Sole Trader Free (£0): 1 user, 5 sales invoices a month, 1 bank account, 25 auto-categorised transactions, landlord income and expenses, and a Self Assessment summary (SA103S). It’s MTD ready.
- Sole Trader (£7): unlimited invoices, multiple bank accounts, CIS calculations, receipt scanning, unlimited auto-categorisation, and webchat support.
- Start (£20): 1 user. Unlimited sales invoices, VAT calculation and MTD submission, bank reconciliation and payroll for 1 employee.
- Standard (£43): 3 users. Sage pitches it at businesses working with suppliers, CIS or accrual accounting. It adds 30 receipt captures a month.
- Plus (£59): unlimited users, inventory, multi-currency banking, payroll for 5 employees and 100 receipt captures.
Every Accounting plan includes Sage Copilot, Sage’s AI assistant, and telephone support. Prices exclude 20% VAT.
Sole traders facing MTD for Income Tax should also compare Xero Simple (£7), QuickBooks Sole Trader Plus (£10) and FreeAgent. Our UK MTD guide lines them up.
Payroll and receipt capture costs
The payroll is what sets Sage apart in the UK. From Sage’s plan comparison:
| UK plan | Payroll included | Receipt and invoice capture |
|---|---|---|
| Start (£20) | 1 employee, then £1.85 per employee a month | Not included |
| Standard (£43) | 1 employee, then £1.85 per employee a month | 30 a month, then £0.20 each |
| Plus (£59) | 5 employees, then £1.85 per employee a month | 100 a month, then £0.20 each |
Worked example from those prices: a limited company paying 4 staff on Standard costs £43 + (3 × £1.85) = £48.55 a month before VAT. On Xero UK, payroll arrives with Grow (£39, payroll for 1 person). Sage includes pension auto-enrolment, HMRC submissions and self-serve payslips in its payroll.
Sage pricing in other countries
| Market | Plans and regular monthly prices | Offer when checked |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (excl. VAT) | Sole Trader Free £0 · Sole Trader £7 · Start £20 · Standard £43 · Plus £59 | 90% off for 6 months, or 30-day trial |
| Ireland (excl. VAT) | Accounting Start €19 (1 user) · Accounting €37 (unlimited users) | 90% off for 3 months, or 1 month free |
| Canada (excl. tax) | Accounting Start C$23 · Standard C$50 · Plus C$72 | 75% off for 6 months (new monthly customers) |
| South Africa (incl. VAT) | Start R270 (1 user) · Standard R490 (extra users R85/month) | 30-day free trial |
| Kenya, Nigeria (USD) | Start $12.33 · Standard $23.67 | 30-day free trial |
| United States | Not available: Sage retired Sage Accounting in the US at the end of 2024 | |
Ireland keeps it simple with two plans, and the €37 plan includes unlimited users, multi-currency and inventory. Canada’s Start plan calculates GST/HST for CRA filing and works in English and French, and payroll is an optional extra at checkout. In South Africa, VAT returns start on Standard, and multi-currency (R185/month), Advanced Inventory (R465/month) and time tracking (R185/month) are add-ons.
Compare Sage with other tools for your country in our comparison table.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Payroll included in every UK Accounting plan
- Free MTD-ready plan for non-VAT sole traders
- CIS for UK construction (Sole Trader and Standard)
- Unlimited users on UK Plus and Ireland’s Accounting plan
- Big new-customer discounts, no long contract
Cons
- Not available in the US
- Start is limited to 1 user
- No receipt capture on UK Start
- Inventory and multi-currency only on the top plan
- Sole Trader Free caps you at 5 invoices a month
Who should use Sage (and who shouldn’t)
Good fit: UK limited companies with a few employees that want accounting and payroll on one bill, UK construction businesses dealing with CIS (see the construction guide), and non-VAT sole traders who want a free MTD option.
Probably not: US businesses, growing teams that need several users on a budget, and online sellers who need marketplace integrations (see the ecommerce guide).
See Sage UK pricing on Sage’s site (opens in a new tab)
Sage alternatives
- Xero: no per-user fees, and payroll from Grow in the UK; see our Xero review.
- QuickBooks Online: Sole Trader Plus for MTD, and CIS; see our QuickBooks Online review.
- Zoho Books: a free UK plan that lists MTD VAT, MTD for Income Tax and CIS; see our Zoho Books review.
- FreeAgent: a UK option for freelancers and limited companies, covered in our UK guide.
FAQ
How much does Sage Accounting cost in the UK?
Sage Accounting costs £20 (Start), £43 (Standard) or £59 (Plus) a month, excluding VAT. Sole traders who aren’t VAT-registered can use Sage Sole Trader Free (£0) or Sage Sole Trader (£7). When we checked, new customers got 90% off for 6 months.
Does Sage Accounting include payroll?
Yes, in the UK. Start and Standard include payroll for 1 employee, and Plus for 5. Extra employees cost £1.85 a month each.
Is Sage Accounting available in the US?
No. Sage retired Sage Accounting in the US at the end of 2024. It’s currently sold in the UK, Ireland, Canada, South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria.
Is there a free version of Sage?
In the UK, Sage Sole Trader Free costs £0 for non-VAT-registered sole traders. It includes 5 sales invoices a month, 1 bank account and MTD-ready Self Assessment records. Sage Accounting itself has a 30-day free trial of the Standard plan.
