FreeAgent
Accounting software designed for UK freelancers and small businesses
What it does
FreeAgent is accounting software built specifically for UK freelancers, contractors, and small businesses, invoicing, expenses, UK tax return filing (Self Assessment, Corporation Tax, VAT), bank feeds, and basic project time tracking. Its most distinctive feature isn't a product feature at all, it's a distribution deal: FreeAgent is completely free, with no feature restrictions, for anyone with a NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Ulster Bank, or Mettle business bank account.
Free tier
No
Starts at
$14/mo
Setup
easy
Key features
Integrates with
Stripe, PayPal, GoCardless, Zapier
Who this fits
- UK freelancers, contractors, and small businesses needing UK-specific tax filing (Self Assessment, VAT, Corporation Tax) built in
- Anyone already banking with NatWest, RBS, Ulster Bank, or Mettle, the free-with-bank-account offer makes this close to a no-brainer for that segment
- Small UK agencies needing basic project time tracking alongside accounting
Who it does NOT fit
- Non-UK businesses, this tool is built around UK tax law and filing, it has no real fit outside the UK
- Businesses needing OCR-based receipt scanning by default, receipt handling is described as basic (no OCR or email-scan capture) without paying extra for enhancements (Source: user feedback via WebSearch summary, 2026)
- Businesses needing cash-basis accounting or extensive report customization, both are reported as limitations, alongside a fairly short native integration list (Source: user reviews via WebSearch summary, 2026)
Pricing
Real gotchas
- The free-with-qualifying-bank-account offer is the single biggest reason to recommend this tool to a UK client, always ask which bank the client uses before quoting a price, this can turn a £19-33/month recommendation into completely free (Source: FreeAgent/NatWest partnership terms, via WebSearch summary 2026)
- Default receipt capture lacks OCR or email-forward scanning, a real gap versus QuickBooks or Xero's receipt handling, available only as a paid enhancement (Source: user feedback via WebSearch summary, 2026)
- No cash-basis accounting option is reported as a limitation, confirm this matters (or doesn't) for the specific client's accounting method before recommending
- Reported bugs are described as minor by users, paired with genuinely responsive customer service, a notably different support experience than the Sage or Zoho complaints pattern
Integrations that matter
Otto’s take on this tool
Recommend FreeAgent specifically for UK freelancers, contractors, and small agencies, and ALWAYS ask about the client's business bank first, if they bank with NatWest, RBS, Ulster Bank, or Mettle, this becomes a free, full-featured recommendation rather than a paid one. Never recommend to non-UK clients, the UK tax filing focus has no equivalent value elsewhere. If OCR receipt capture or cash-basis accounting are stated needs, disclose those gaps before recommending.
Affiliate disclosure: if you sign up through the link above, Ottomately may earn a referral commission at no cost to you. We only feature tools we have actually used or vetted through our recommendation engine.Partnership: 10% recurring via Direct.
Editor's curated reviews
3,000 reviews across TrustPilot - avg 4.6/5Curated by Otto from TrustPilot public reviews (fetched 2026-08-31). FreeAgent's TrustPilot is strong (82% 5-star of 3,000 total, 4.6 headline) - praise centers on ease-of-use versus other UK SMB accounting tools and personal support responses; critical reviews focus on bot-first support and long email response times. G2 and Capterra were consulted for aggregate context but not directly cited here. Not user-submitted on Ottomately.
“I thought it was the simplest software to use and I tried a few that were completely baffling.”
TrustPilot5.0/5“Really good software especially if you can get it free with some banks.”
TrustPilot5.0/5“Their service was absolutely outstanding and SO refreshing in this awful world of AI bot calls.”
TrustPilot5.0/5“Quick response time and very knowledgeable, thanks again Gillian!”
TrustPilot5.0/5“Working my accounts is much easier since I joined FreeAgent.”
TrustPilot5.0/5“Frustration with automated bot replies, long waiting times, unhelpful email responses.”
TrustPilot2.0/5
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