PriceWork vs Sage

What You Pay

£0 vs £12–38/month

Sage Accounting starts at £12/month but most tradespeople need Standard (£22/month) or Plus (£38/month). PriceWork is free for 5 quotes per month — most sole traders never need more.

Sage Start Accounting

Sage £12/mo

PriceWork £0/mo

Save £144/year on free tier

Sage Standard ⭐

Sage £22/mo

PriceWork Pro £15/mo

Save £84/year on Pro

Sage Plus Accounting

Sage £38/mo

PriceWork Pro £15/mo

Save £276/year on Pro

Why Tradespeople Leave Sage

Sage is not built for tradespeople

UK tradespeople consistently cite the same four reasons for switching to PriceWork.

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Desktop-era complexity

Sage was built when accounting software ran from a CD on a Windows PC. Even the cloud version expects you to understand nominal codes, chart of accounts, and double-entry bookkeeping. Most tradespeople just want to send a quote and get paid.

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You're paying for what you don't use

Sage charges £12–38/month for accounting features most sole traders never touch. If invoicing and quoting is all you need, you're subsidising a product built for a different kind of business entirely.

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Desktop means desktop

Sage's mobile experience is an afterthought. PriceWork is built mobile-first — create a quote in 30 seconds standing in a customer's kitchen, before you've left the driveway.

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Expensive per-user pricing

Sage typically charges per-user and the accounting plans have multiple tiers for different feature levels. For a sole trader who just needs quoting and invoicing, it's wildly over-priced.

Side-by-Side

Feature-by-feature comparison for UK tradespeople. Every tick matters — every row is something you'll actually use on the job.

Feature	Sage	PriceWork Trades-First
Pricing	£12–38per month	£0–15free tier included
Free Tier	×	✓
Mobile Quoting on Site	~	✓
One-Tap Invoice Conversion	×	✓
UK VAT Calculations	✓	✓
CIS Deductions (Native)	~	✓
Stripe Card Payments	~	✓
No Setup or Learning Curve	×	✓
PDF Quotes & Invoices	✓	✓
Overdue Payment Reminders	✓	✓
Full Bookkeeping / P&L	✓	×
Payroll	✓	×

~ = available but requires configuration or add-ons

Who It's For

Pick the right tool for your business

SageStick with Sage if you...

✓Have a growing business with multiple employees
✓Work with a bookkeeper or accountant who uses Sage
✓Need full double-entry bookkeeping and P&L reporting
✓Run payroll for employees (Sage Payroll)
✓File VAT returns directly from the software
×Are a sole trader paying for features you never open
×Need mobile quoting while you're on site

PriceWorkSwitch to PriceWork if you...

✓Create quotes and invoices on the job
✓Are a sole trader or small team (1–5 people)
✓Need CIS deductions without configuring payroll
✓Want card payments via Stripe out of the box
✓Want to start free, no card required
✓Want something that takes 5 minutes, not 5 hours

What You Get

Built for the job, not the office

PriceWork does one thing well: gets quotes out fast and money in the bank faster.

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30-Second Quotes on Site

Build and send a professional quote from your phone before you've left the customer's driveway. No desktop required.

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One-Tap Invoice Conversion

Customer accepted the quote? Tap once to convert to an invoice with a payment link. No retyping. No admin.

Stripe Card Payments

Customers pay by card online. Money lands in your account the same day. No more chasing bank transfers.

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CIS Built Into Every Invoice

Toggle CIS on in Settings. Enter your UTR. PriceWork automatically calculates deductions on labour at 0%, 20%, or 30% — the Stripe payment link adjusts automatically.

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Free to Start

5 quotes/month on the free tier, no card needed. Upgrade to Pro (£15/month) when you're ready. Most sole traders never need to.

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PDF Quotes & Invoices

Professional branded PDFs — business name, address, line items, VAT breakdown, payment terms. Download or share a link.

Common Questions

Sage vs PriceWork — FAQ

Sage was built in the 1980s as desktop accounting software. Even the modern cloud version assumes you know about chart of accounts, nominal codes, and double-entry bookkeeping. Plumbers, electricians, and builders who just need to send quotes and get paid find Sage overwhelming. PriceWork is built from the ground up for mobile tradespeople — quote in 30 seconds, invoice in one tap.

Sage Start Accounting starts at £12/month, but most tradespeople need Standard (£22/month) or Plus (£38/month) for adequate features. Sage also charges separately for payroll (£3–6 per employee per month) on top of the accounting plan. PriceWork is free for 5 quotes/month, no card required. Pro is £15/month with unlimited quotes, invoices, and Stripe card payments included.

PriceWork is the most cost-effective Sage alternative for UK sole traders. At £0–15/month, it covers everything tradespeople actually use: quoting, invoicing, 20% VAT, CIS deductions, Stripe card payments, and PDF documents. Sage charges £12–38/month before you add payroll, and most tradespeople use less than 10% of what Sage offers.

Sage supports CIS through its contractor and payroll features, but it requires configuration and is more relevant to construction firms with multiple subcontractors. PriceWork has CIS deductions built directly into the quote and invoice flow — toggle it on in Settings, enter your UTR, select your CIS rate (0%, 20%, or 30%), and the deduction is applied to labour line items automatically. The Stripe payment link reflects the post-CIS amount without any manual work.

Yes — for quoting and invoicing, PriceWork replaces Sage entirely at a fraction of the cost. Create a quote on your phone while standing in a customer's kitchen, send it instantly, and convert to an invoice in one tap. Customers can pay by card via Stripe. For full bookkeeping, payroll, or VAT returns, Sage still has a role — but most sole trader tradespeople never use those features. Run both in parallel during your free trial to compare.