Growing an audience
Running the business
Both cover accounting & tax and creator finance. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
| FreeAgent | FreshBooks | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $33 | From $23 |
| Pricing model | Free trial, then paid | Free trial, then paid |
| Free tier | No | No |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | 30 days | 30 days |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Data export | Not stated | Not stated |
| Their cut | Not stated | Not stated |
| Runs on | Web | Web, iOS, Android |
| Covers | Accounting & Tax, Creator Finance | Accounting & Tax, Creator Finance |
| Works with | Nothing in particular | Nothing in particular |
| Founded | Not listed | Not listed |
| Reader rating | No reviews yet | No reviews yet |
| Live deals | None right now | 1 |
Accounting built around UK sole traders
FreeAgent covers invoices, expenses, VAT returns and the self assessment filing a UK sole trader has to do anyway, and it files them with HMRC directly. Bank feeds and receipt capture keep the bookkeeping from piling up into an annual weekend of dread. It is UK-only, so it is no use to anybody filing anywhere else.
Our note
The bank-account route is worth checking before paying. If you already bank with NatWest or hold a Mettle account, this is a full accounting package for nothing, and it is the only offer of that shape in the category.
Invoicing built for freelancers, not accountants
FreshBooks is double-entry accounting wearing a friendly invoice app, which is the right shape for somebody who bills a handful of clients and dreads January. Time tracking and expenses feed the invoice directly. Client limits on the cheap plan are the thing that pushes people up a tier.
Our note
Wave does invoicing and bookkeeping free and is enough for most creators. Pay for FreshBooks when the client count, the retainers or the proposals are the reason, not because it looks more serious.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.