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Netsuite vs. Intacct: Which is Better for SaaS Accounting?

NetSuite vs. Sage Intacct for SaaS accounting

For early stage SaaS companies, simple, easy-to-use accounting software makes sense. Many startups combine an accounting platform like QuickBooks Online with a subscription billing tool like SaaSOptics. This can be an effective solution—up to a point. You get the SaaS accounting software you need, while avoiding the overhead of an enterprise-level platform.

But, as your SaaS business grows, your Finance and Accounting (F&A) needs will become more complex. That complexity may cause you to reach a point where you need a deeper F&A feature set, which means leveling up your SaaS accounting software. When you're looking to upgrade, there are two main accounting platforms to consider: Sage and Intacct.

The question is, which of these heavyweights should you choose? It's a big commitment—choosing one tool to handle SaaS accounting, SaaS finance, and SaaS metrics. On top of that, you’ll want a full-featured SaaS accounting software that scales as you grow.

The good news is that both of these platforms are more than capable of meeting your SaaS finance and accounting needs. But, each of them handles SaaS accounting differently and with strengths in different areas. This means one solution is probably better suited to your business than the other.

When it comes to matching up NetSuite vs. Intacct, here's what you need to know.

 

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Both Intacct and NetSuite are Owned by Industry Leaders

Intacct is owned by Sage, which has a huge presence in enterprise accounting. NetSuite is owned by Oracle, one of the world's largest tech firms. Both of these businesses have deep pockets, ensuring a long-term commitment to the development of their flagship accounting products.

 

Sage Intacct Positioning

Sage Intacct is an accounting and financial management platform that focuses on finance, analytics, planning, HR/payroll, and other areas. It serves a diverse range of industries and targets firms that are outgrowing Quickbooks. They're focusing on being the finest general ledger software (rather than NetSuite's objective to be the best ERP software) in the market.

Sage Intacct is the preferred accounting system for the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA) and describes itself as The #1 Subscription Billing & Financial Software for SaaS Companies. In fact, Sage Intacct is G2's top-rated choice for subscriptions, billing, and SaaS metrics dashboards. With 99.99% uptime and 10 million API calls per month, Intacct is trusted by some of the biggest names in SaaS, including Salesforce, Marketo, and GrubHub.

 

Oracle NetSuite Positioning

Oracle NetSuite delivers an integrated set of enterprise applications that allow businesses to handle all of their key business activities, including finance, inventory, supply chain, and CRM. Positioning itself as "the solution you never outgrow," NetSuite provides a comprehensive range of commercial software for retail, e-commerce, manufacturing, and other industries. NetSuite SuiteBilling is the solution dedicated to subscription billing and invoicing.

NetSuite’s market share includes 81% of the Cloud 100 and more than 10,000 software companies. Data shows that public tech companies favor NetSuite (65%) over Intacct (35%) as well. Strong multi-national, multi-currency, multi-language, and localization capabilities also support the platform’s wide appeal—and the fact that third parties tend to prioritize integration with NetSuite.

 

Comparing Intacct and NetSuite based on G2 Feedback

G2 is one of the leading review and comparison sites for enterprise software. They provide a direct comparison between NetSuite and Intacct, and we've highlighted some of the key differences below. It's important to point out that these comparisons are based on how all reviewers rated the software, not just those in the SaaS industry.

  • Overall, users found Sage Intacct to be easier to set up, use, and administer.
  • Users also felt that Sage Intacct was easier to do business with and provided a higher level of support.
  • Intacct came out ahead for automation, budgeting and forecasting, journals, multi-entity consolidation, and reconciliation.
  • Intacct also scored highly for Net Promoter Score (NPS), Customer Satisfaction, and Product Direction.
  • Both platforms did well at meeting user requirements, with Intacct having a slight edge.
  • Reviewers preferred NetSuite for auditing, financial statements, invoice customization, and payments.

 

SaaS Reporting Capabilities for NetSuite and Intacct

Both platforms provide full-featured SaaS reporting.

NetSuite offers:

  • More than 90 pre-configured reports that can be further customized as needed.
  • Role-based dashboards for at-a-glance insight into SaaS KPIs and performance.
  • Saved searches for complex queries.

Intacct offers:

  • Standard SaaS and financial reports.
  • Deeply customizable reports through Report Writer.
  • Packaged reports based on your implementation and business needs.
  • Customizable dashboards.

Overall, Intacct scores higher than NetSuite for reporting, according to G2.

 

Reporting Segmentation Across Multiple Dimensions

It's important for SaaS businesses to slice and dice their reporting in multiple ways. This makes it easier for management to understand the KPIs that matter most to their departments and also allows for reporting that meets the exact needs of your stakeholders.

Intacct provides:

  • A chart of accounts plus F&A segmentation across multiple dimensions including Location/Entity, Dept, Project, Class, Item, Customer, Vendor, Product Line, and Employee.
  • User-defined dimensions (at an additional cost).

NetSuite provides:

  • Unlimited custom segments and tables.
  • Non-financial metrics that can be used for allocations.

 

NetSuite and Intacct Integration with Other Software and Platforms


Both platforms easily integrate with:

  • Bill.com, Expensify, Concur (expenses and transactions).
  • Avalara, and Tax 1099 (tax and compliance).
  • UKG, Vena (planning and forecasting), and Floqast (close management).
  • Stripe, Paypal, and Authorize.net (payment platforms and processing).
  • Most banks through a direct connection (transaction information and bank account reconciliation).

NetSuite also integrates with:

  • Salesforce (CRM) through a third party, Celigo, which requires a separate implementation team and payment of additional fees.
  • SaaSOptics (SaaS metrics) through a CSV/FTP implementation that's better than the Intacct integration.

Intacct also integrates with:

  • Salesforce through a native and robust integration.
  • SaaSOptics, although not as robust as the NetSuite integration.

 

How to Decide Whether NetSuite or Intacct is Better for Your SaaS Accounting Needs

  • Both platforms perform well, with Sage Intacct edging out Oracle NetSuite for overall ease-of-use, satisfaction, and product direction.
  • Intacct is more specialized towards F&A, while NetSuite is a fully-featured ERP platform. If you’re looking for a system to replace all of your other back office functions, that can make NetSuite a great choice.
  • Intacct specifically calls out SaaS accounting and billing as some of its strongest areas, and it’s top-rated for those features on G2.
  • If you’re expanding internationally, NetSuite could be a better choice as it has robust support for international compliance, currencies, and similar features.
  • More public companies use NetSuite than Intacct, and it’s also used more by cloud businesses.
  • Intacct has slightly better reporting capabilities according to G2. With SaaS KPIs being absolutely critical to successful growth, that may push it ahead slightly.

Both platforms have earned top spots in the accounting software space for good reason, with user reviews giving Sage Intacct a slight edge over Oracle NetSuite for overall ease-of-use, satisfaction, and product direction.

Intacct is more specialized towards F&A, and specifically calls out SaaS accounting and billing as some of its strongest areas, and it’s top-rated for those features on G2.

NetSuite is a full-featured ERP platform. If you’re looking for a system to replace all of your back office functions, that can make NetSuite a great choice. If you’re expanding internationally, NetSuite could also be a better choice, as it has robust support for international compliance, currencies, and similar features. 

More public companies use NetSuite than Intacct, and it’s also used more by cloud businesses. However, Intacct has slightly better reporting capabilities according to G2. With SaaS KPIs being absolutely critical to successful growth, that may be a distinct advantage for SaaS firms.

At the end of the day, there’s no slam-dunk winner between the two platforms. Ultimately, the right pick will be the one that solves for the specific needs of your SaaS business. Our advice is to do your homework—explore each platform further, request a demo, and bring in key team members to offer their perspective.

 

Choosing NetSuite or Intacct for Your SaaS Firm

As your firm looks to raise capital, maximize enterprise value, and pursue successful exit opportunities, you’ll need a right-fit technology solution for every growth stage. Identifying the best tools begins with your choice of financial leadership. 

Whether you’re considering NetSuite, Intacct, or another platform, an outsourced CFO service with deep expertise in SaaS finance and accounting can provide the essential guidance you need. Schedule an introduction to Driven Insights today, get a free, custom proposal, and learn how a fully-integrated SaaS CFO service leverages the right team and technology for your firm at every stage.

 

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Dave Robinson

Written by Dave Robinson

Driven Insights founder, writes about informing business decisions and building enterprise value through financial management.

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