Let me start by saying I had high hopes for Sage 50 Pro Accounting 2023. The promise of simplified payroll and inventory management sounded perfect for my small business. But after months of use, I'm left wondering if this software is more trouble than it's worth.

The payroll feature? It's practically a bait-and-switch. Despite being prominently advertised, you'll need to pay extra to actually use it. I spent 30+ minutes on hold with support just to learn this basic information - unacceptable for a $240 software package.

Data migration from QuickBooks was disastrous. My accounts showed phantom balances in the hundreds of thousands, completely throwing off my financials. The fact that beginning balances can't be edited after import is a critical flaw that turned my books into a guessing game.

The customer service experience was even worse. When I got locked out of my account, support couldn't even locate my information unless I paid for an additional service contract - essentially holding my own data hostage.

While the interface is clean and some features work well (inventory tracking is decent), the fundamental issues make this software impossible to recommend. For the price and headaches involved, there are better options out there for small business accounting needs.