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IBM Cognos Controller vs Sage Intacct comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM Cognos Controller
Ranking in Financial Close Software
11th
Average Rating
7.6
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Sage Intacct
Ranking in Financial Close Software
4th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.8
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
Financial Performance and Strategy Management (1st), Billing Software (5th), Cloud ERP (6th), Subscription Management Software (4th), Accounts Payable Automation Software (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Financial Close Software category, the mindshare of IBM Cognos Controller is 2.0%, up from 1.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sage Intacct is 0.8%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Financial Close Software
 

Featured Reviews

Pauli Leppänen - PeerSpot reviewer
A tool useful for areas like reporting and group consolidation
Scalability-wise, I rate the solution an eight out of ten. My company hasn't faced any issues regarding scalability, which we can't overcome. Regarding the scalability, there is some work required in the product. A user should also have some knowledge to be able to operate the tool's scalability feature. Sometimes, my company has to contact our support partner to figure out how to do certain things in the product. So far, my company hasn't encountered any issues with the tool where we have to deal with volumes even though we have to deal with a lot of leasing contracts, like over 2,000. My company expects the product to offer more scalability. My company has around 70 licenses.
MichaelFox - PeerSpot reviewer
Fast, accurate, and extremely scalable
The most valuable feature is that it is a cloud-based system so I can access it from anywhere, with any browser, on any device. It's the only major accounting ERP system on the market that was designed specifically for the cloud, the other ones were adapted to the cloud. Intacct was always designed with the cloud in mind, and it shows. Additionally, its multi-entity design is elegant, intuitive, and easy to master. Transacting and reporting across all entities from a single log-in is fantastic The user interface is sleek and consistent throughout the software, enabling users to adapt quickly and to work efficiently. The financial report writer is comprehensive and designed to enhance the user experience. I eliminated all of my Excel-based financial reports. The sub-ledgers are well designed and provide the user with tools and functions that improve efficiency.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"If there's already a scheduled report and we want a subset of that report, that can also be created. So we do not have to schedule a new report or create a new subscription for that. At this rate, we can create a subset out of one report itself."
"The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that it is a properly working solution... The functionalities and package offered by the product seem to be the right fit for our company."
"The most significant advantage of this solution is its pure cloud-based nature."
"It's a top-tier upgrade for the finance department and does extend into full ERP."
"The product is easy to use."
"The solution helps us create entity models for each acquisition as we acquire companies.."
"Sage Intacct, a full-fledged ERP, can handle complexity that smaller accounting software cannot handle."
"It's a powerhouse and it delivers. It has really great audit trails in it, which add so much value that the other systems don't have."
"Its custom reports feature is also noteworthy, as it provides flexibility for users to create their reports, tailored to their specific areas of expertise."
"We also use some of the other Sage solutions and for the most part, everything was integrated in the manner that I found beneficial."
 

Cons

"IBM should work on a little flexibility and user-friendliness, in the current interface. It looks very rigid and hard to read. We need to give flexibility to the user in the current situation."
"IFRS 16 functionality is something that is not embedded in IBM Cognos Controller."
"In the next release, I would like to see greater integration with the RPA software that's been created."
"There's a little bit of room for improvement in the way that accounts payable approval workflows are set up. They could be a little more powerful than they are."
"While we can create, post, and manage general entries, we face a limitation in allocating multiple JL accounts."
"It would be good if the training were perfect for all controllers, to teach them the basic tools and how to use everything in Sage Intacct."
"We have had some pharma manufacturers use Intacct at a very early stage and move to other ERP packages to maintain manufacturing controls and documentation needed for FDA-regulated entities."
"The inventory module is quite tricky to use."
"Their training is the biggest room for improvement, and their documentation can get very confusing."
"The area where I would like to see significant improvement is in stock management."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product is expensive, but compared to its other alternatives in the market, I feel that IBM Cognos Controller is a reasonably priced tool."
"It's reasonably priced, offering fixed pricing, which is quite fair."
"The price is comparable to other companies which offer similar products."
"Sage is on the higher end of pricing."
"Compared to other ERP systems on the market, it offers competitive and reasonable pricing."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Educational Organization
53%
Computer Software Company
13%
Construction Company
4%
University
3%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM Cognos Controller?
The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that it is a properly working solution... The functionalities and package offered by the product seem to be the right fit for our company.
What needs improvement with IBM Cognos Controller?
IFRS 16 functionality is something that is not embedded in IBM Cognos Controller. My company uses a good built-in functionality in the tool, which was made by our support partner. IBM Cognos Contro...
What is your primary use case for IBM Cognos Controller?
I use the solution for reporting and group consolidation.
What do you like most about Sage Intacct?
Sage Intacct, a full-fledged ERP, can handle complexity that smaller accounting software cannot handle.
What needs improvement with Sage Intacct?
Their training is the biggest room for improvement, and their documentation can get very confusing. It's not as clear-cut or easy to follow as it could be.
What is your primary use case for Sage Intacct?
We used the solution for a nonprofit, which was a pretty robust implementation there. Nonprofits are unique compared to for-profit companies. They have their own accounting needs, so the stage is u...
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

No data available
Intacct
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Emirates National Oil Company
Cornerstone Information Systems
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Cognos Controller vs. Sage Intacct and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
850,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.