Comparison
Marchant vs Sage
Sage is one of the most established names in accounting software — present in the UK, France and Germany. But it operates as three separate products. Here’s what that means in practice.
Our honest take
Sage is a proven platform with deep roots in UK, French and German accounting. Each country product handles local compliance well — MTD in the UK, DGFiP in France, ELSTER in Germany. If you only operate in one country and value brand recognition, Sage is a safe choice.
The problem is fragmentation. Sage operates as three separate products — Sage Accounting (UK), Sage France, and Sage Germany. A business operating across two or three markets needs multiple subscriptions, separate logins, separate data and separate onboarding. There is no unified cross-border view.
Marchant sells one subscription, at a published price, for the UK: MTD VAT filing, CIS and UK payroll from the Professional tier via BrightPay sync — no separate payroll product to buy as with Sage Payroll. France and Germany are planned for 2028; until then Sage's local products cover what Marchant does not.
People comparing Marchant vs Sage are rarely questioning whether Sage can handle one country — it can. They are asking what happens when a business spans the UK, France and Germany, because Sage answers that with three separate products rather than one. If you are weighing a Sage alternative because cross-border admin has become a tax on your finance team, this page is for you.
Sage sells Sage Accounting (UK), Sage France and Sage Germany as three products with separate data, logins and onboarding. Marchant sells one — for the UK only, until the 2028 launch. If you file in more than one of those countries today, Sage covers you and Marchant does not; if your filing is UK-only, you are comparing one published price against one.
Below is an honest split of where Sage is strong, a detailed feature comparison, a pricing snapshot to verify on Sage's own sites, a step-by-step migration guide from Sage to Marchant, and the questions finance leaders ask most before consolidating.
Sage
Where Sage genuinely wins
- ✓A trusted, long-established brand that UK, French and German accountants already know and support.
- ✓Mature local compliance in each market — MTD in the UK, DGFiP TVA in France, ELSTER in Germany — within the relevant country product.
- ✓A deep ecosystem of accountant partners, training and third-party integrations built over decades.
- ✓Enterprise-grade options higher up the range (Sage Intacct, Sage 200) for larger or more complex finance functions.
- ✓Established payroll products per country (Sage Payroll, Sage Paie, Sage HR) with strong domestic feature depth.
Where Sage is weaker for cross-border teams
- ✗It is three products, not one — UK, France and Germany mean separate Sage subscriptions, logins and datasets.
- ✗No single cross-border workspace: there is no unified month-end or consolidated view across the three markets.
- ✗Payroll is a separate product and cost in every country — Sage Payroll, Sage Paie and Sage HR are bought independently.
- ✗Each country product is presented in its own language; bilingual finance teams juggle multiple interfaces.
- ✗Total cost climbs quickly once you add the second and third country plus their payroll add-ons.
Marchant
Why Marchant fits UK teams trading internationally
- ✓Full EN / FR / DE interface translations, so international teams share one workspace instead of three.
- ✓Open banking (coming soon) across 2,400+ UK and EU institutions with daily sync, plus a branded client portal and pay-by-link on every invoice.
Where Marchant is still catching up
- ~Marchant does not file French or German tax today — both are planned for 2028. Sage already sells local products in those markets.
- ~Sage has decades of brand trust and an enormous accountant network — Marchant is younger and still growing its partner base.
- ~For very large or complex finance functions, Sage's enterprise range (Intacct, Sage 200) goes deeper than Marchant today.
- ~If you operate in a single country and never plan to expand, Sage's local product may cover everything you need.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Marchant | Sage |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From £15/mo | £12/mo (UK) · €25/mo (FR) — separate subscriptions per country |
| Single subscription for UK + FR + DE | UK only today — one plan will cover all three from 2028 | No — separate products (Sage UK, Sage France, Sage Germany) |
| UK VAT (HMRC MTD) | Included — direct MTD submission | Yes — Sage Accounting UK has MTD |
| French TVA (DGFiP / CA3) | Planned — French launch 2028 | Yes — Sage France includes TVA filing |
| German VAT (ELSTER) | Planned — German launch 2028 | Yes — Sage Germany includes ELSTER |
| Cross-border in one platform | UK today — France and Germany join the same workspace in 2028 | Requires 3 separate Sage subscriptions |
| UK Payroll (PAYE) | BrightPay sync (coming soon) | Paid add-on (Sage Payroll, from £7/mo) |
| French Payroll (DSN/URSSAF) | Planned — French launch 2028 | Sage Paie — separate product, separate cost |
| German Payroll (DATEV) | Planned — German launch 2028 | Sage HR — separate product |
| Open banking | 2,400+ UK & EU banks — daily auto-sync (coming soon) | Bank feeds available — coverage varies by country |
| SEPA batch payments | Coming soon — not available yet | Available in Sage France / Germany |
| Modern UI / ease of use | React-based — fast, clean, mobile-friendly | Functional but carries legacy UI debt |
| Multi-currency invoicing | 50+ currencies — daily FX rates | Yes — multi-currency on higher tiers |
| Fixed assets & depreciation | Coming soon | Yes — comprehensive fixed asset register |
| Accountant access | Included on all plans | Sage Accountant Portal — included |
| English / French / German UI | English at launch — French and German coming soon | Each country product in its own language |
| Free trial | 30 days — no card required | 30 days |
Pricing comparison (verify before you buy)
Sage prices each country product separately, so the figure that matters is your total once you add the second and third market plus payroll. Use this as a planning snapshot and confirm live numbers on Sage's UK, French and German sites.
| What you are comparing | Marchant | Sage |
|---|---|---|
| Typical entry price (public list) | Starter from £15/mo — full UK accounting stack | From £12/mo (UK) · €25/mo (FR) — separate subscription per country |
| UK + France + Germany in one product | UK only today — one subscription will cover all three from 2028 | Not available — Sage UK, Sage France, Sage Germany bought separately |
| Payroll | UK payroll via BrightPay sync (coming soon); FR/DE payroll accounting is part of the 2028 launch, integrations on roadmap | Separate products per country (Sage Payroll, Sage Paie, Sage HR) |
| Accountant access | Included on every plan | Sage Accountant Portal — included per product |
| Free trial | 30 days, card not required | 30 days |
Running two or three Sage products plus their payroll add-ons changes the comparison entirely. Model your total cost of ownership across every country you operate in before concluding a single-product price is the real number.
Switching from Sage to Marchant
Migration ships in 2027. The steps below are how the move will work when it does — the rest of Marchant is live today.
Most Sage migrations finish in under a day per entity if your chart of accounts is tidy. If you run more than one Sage country product, move the UK entity first — French and German filing arrive with the 2028 launch, and each entity keeps its own workspace until then.
Export chart of accounts and trial balance from each Sage product
Download CSV or PDF reports for the current year and prior closing balances from every Sage country product you use. Keep your fixed asset register and payroll mappings for your own records — fixed assets and payroll sync in Marchant are coming soon.
Consolidate contacts, invoices and bills
CSV templates cover customers, suppliers, open invoices and recurring templates. If you run multiple Sage subscriptions, import the UK dataset at this step; each entity keeps its own Marchant workspace.
Reconnect bank feeds in Marchant
Import the last 90 days of statements from each UK and EU account as CSV for a clean reconciliation window. Open banking feeds, with Marchant's own consent, are coming soon.
Recreate tax and payroll settings per country
Your HMRC registration and scheme dates must match exactly. DGFiP and ELSTER registrations stay with Sage — Marchant cannot hold them until the 2028 launches. Invite your accountant to a shared workspace.
Parallel run one period, then cut over
File one more return from the relevant Sage product while reconciling Marchant, then switch filing credentials once the period closes. Pick the approach your accountant signs off on.
Need help? Marchant support can review your Sage export bundle before go-live — send anonymised samples if policy requires. The goal is zero surprises on VAT or payroll deadlines as you consolidate.
Common questions: Marchant vs Sage
Start your free trial
No card required. Import from Sage via CSV export — migration typically takes under a day.