[Published: 17 June 2026 | Last updated: 17 June 2026]
TL;DR
- FreeAgent’s paid plans run from £10 to £33 a month, but the software is free for life if your business banks with NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Ulster Bank, or Mettle (FreeAgent, 2026).
- G2 reviewers score FreeAgent 4.3 out of 5 across 43 reviews, while Capterra users rate it 4.5 out of 5 from roughly 178 reviews (G2, 2026; Capterra, 2026).
- Payroll, VAT filing, Self Assessment, and end-of-year filing are built into every paid plan, features most competitors charge extra for.
- Making Tax Digital for Income Tax becomes mandatory on 6 April 2026 for sole traders and landlords earning over £50,000, and FreeAgent’s Sole Trader and Landlord plans already file it (GOV.UK, 2026).
- FreeAgent suits UK sole traders, freelancers, and small limited companies well, but it strains once a business needs multi-currency invoicing or grows past a handful of staff.
What Is FreeAgent?
FreeAgent is cloud accounting software built for UK sole traders, freelancers, and small limited companies. It handles invoicing, expense tracking, payroll, VAT, and Self Assessment from a single dashboard, then files most of that directly to HMRC. NatWest Group has owned FreeAgent since 2018, which explains why it now ships free inside several NatWest business bank accounts.
Three freelancers built FreeAgent in Edinburgh back in 2007, frustrated with the mess of running their own books (NatWest Group, 2026). The company floated on the London Stock Exchange’s AIM market in 2016. Two years later, the Royal Bank of Scotland Group (now NatWest Group) bought it for £53 million (Mergr, 2018). That’s a tidy exit for three people annoyed by spreadsheets.
More than 200,000 customers now use FreeAgent to manage cashflow, send invoices, and file tax (NatWest, 2026). Worth saying upfront: it’s not trying to be Sage or NetSuite. FreeAgent stays narrow on purpose, built for people who do their own books without an accounting degree.
FreeAgent Pricing in 2026: Plans and Costs
FreeAgent’s regular prices run from £10 a month for landlords to £33 a month for limited companies, all excluding 20% VAT. Every new sign-up gets 50% off for the first six months on monthly billing, or the first year on annual billing. And if your business banking sits with NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Ulster Bank, or Mettle, the price drops to zero for as long as you keep that account (FreeAgent, 2026).
Here’s the full breakdown:
| Business type | Intro price (monthly) | Regular price (monthly) | Intro price (annual) | Regular price (annual) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sole trader | £9.50 | £19 | £95 | £190 |
| Partnership or LLP | £13.50 | £27 | £135 | £270 |
| Limited company | £16.50 | £33 | £165 | £330 |
| Landlord | £5 | £10 | £50 | £100 |
All prices exclude 20% VAT (FreeAgent, 2026).
Two optional add-ons sit outside these tiers. Unlimited Smart Capture (automatic receipt and bill scanning beyond the standard 10 free uses a month) costs £5 a month. Connecting an Amazon UK seller account costs £6 a month. You don’t need either one to file tax or run payroll.
This is the part people skim past.
FreeAgent also runs a referral scheme: refer one paying customer and you both get 10% off, and ten successful referrals make your subscription free for good (FreeAgent, 2026). That’s not nothing for freelancers who already recommend software to friends anyway.
What Features Does FreeAgent Include?
Every FreeAgent plan covers the same three jobs: daily admin, tax, and cashflow, with the exact tool list changing slightly by business type. Sole traders and landlords get MTD for Income Tax filing built in; limited companies get end-of-year Corporation Tax filing instead.
Here’s what’s actually in each plan. The daily admin side handles the routine grind: a dashboard summarising cashflow and tax timelines, a mobile app for capturing receipts on the move, automated invoicing with payment reminders, estimates that convert to invoices in one click, time tracking that feeds straight into invoices, and built-in payroll that files PAYE and National Insurance to HMRC automatically (FreeAgent, 2026).
Tax doesn’t get bolted on as an afterthought here. FreeAgent generates MTD-compatible VAT returns and submits them to HMRC, calculates Self Assessment tax owed in real time, and (for limited companies) produces Final Accounts and Corporation Tax filings. A Tax Timeline shows what’s due and when, so nobody finds out about a bill three days before the deadline.
Banking ties it all together, and it’s where the automation actually shows. Bank feeds import transactions automatically, smart categorisation learns from past entries to label new ones, and a cashflow forecast projects what’s coming in and going out. One-click payment links through Stripe, GoCardless, PayPal, or Tyl by NatWest let customers pay an invoice without a bank transfer.
FreeAgent and Making Tax Digital for Income Tax in 2026
Quick question: does your side income from self-employment or property push you over £50,000 a year? If it does, you’re required to use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax from 6 April 2026 (GOV.UK, 2026).
This isn’t optional and it isn’t far off. HMRC’s rollout phases in by income threshold: over £50,000 from April 2026, over £30,000 from April 2027, and over £20,000 from April 2028 (GOV.UK, 2026). Once you’re in scope, paper records and an annual Self Assessment form stop being enough. You’ll need to keep digital records and send quarterly updates to HMRC through compatible software. No grace period, no quiet extension.
This part gets technical, so bear with it for a second: FreeAgent’s Sole Trader and Landlord plans already include MTD for Income Tax as standard, not as a paid extra. That’s worth knowing, because some competitors gate quarterly MTD filing behind a higher tier.
FreeAgent Reviews: What Real Users Say in 2026
So what do actual customers think, beyond the marketing page? G2 reviewers rate FreeAgent 4.3 out of 5 stars across 43 reviews, while Capterra users score it 4.5 out of 5 from around 178 reviews, and Trustpilot shows a 4-star average from roughly 2,800 reviews (G2, 2026; Capterra, 2026; Trustpilot, 2026). That’s a healthy spread across three very different review styles.
The praise clusters around a few specific things. Reviewers on G2 single out ease of use for non-accountants and the automation behind invoicing and expense tracking as the strongest points (G2, 2026). Multiple Trustpilot reviewers separately praise the UK-based support team for picking up the phone and actually solving problems, rather than routing people through a chatbot that doesn’t get it.
The complaints are just as consistent.
Several Capterra and G2 reviewers note that Zapier integrations are limited compared with rivals, that the mobile app drops some features available on desktop, and that growth past a one or two-person business starts to expose the software’s ceiling. One G2 reviewer summed it up well: FreeAgent suits a freelancer or sole trader fine, but a medium-sized company won’t stay comfortable in it for long.
| What users like | What users wish was better |
|---|---|
| Ease of use without an accounting background | Limited third-party integrations, especially Zapier |
| Automated invoicing and payment reminders | Mobile app missing some desktop features |
| UK-based support that resolves issues directly | Scales poorly once a business grows past a few people |
| Direct HMRC filing for VAT, payroll, and Self Assessment | Multi-currency invoicing isn’t available on every plan |
FreeAgent vs Xero vs QuickBooks: How It Compares
FreeAgent isn’t the only HMRC-recognised option for UK small businesses, and it isn’t always the cheapest. Xero’s entry-level Simple plan starts at £7 a month, QuickBooks’ Sole Trader Plus starts at around £10 a month, and FreeAgent’s Sole Trader plan starts at £19 a month, all excluding VAT (Xero, 2026; QuickBooks UK, 2026; FreeAgent, 2026).
Price isn’t the whole story, though.
| Software | G2 rating | Entry price (monthly, excl. VAT) | Standout strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| FreeAgent | 4.3/5 (43 reviews) | £0 with NatWest or Mettle, or £19 | Free banking bundle plus built-in UK tax filing |
| Xero | 4.4/5 (1,583 reviews) | £7 | Largest third-party app marketplace |
| QuickBooks Online | 4.0/5 (3,722 reviews) | Around £10 | Strongest mobile app for on-the-go admin |
| FreshBooks | 4.5/5 (955 reviews) | Varies by region | Best for service-based freelancers and invoicing |
Ratings and review counts come from G2’s FreeAgent comparison data (G2, 2026).
Xero edges out FreeAgent on raw G2 satisfaction and offers a far bigger app ecosystem. QuickBooks counters with what most reviewers call the strongest mobile experience in the category. FreeAgent’s real edge isn’t a feature on this table at all: it’s the free banking bundle, which neither Xero nor QuickBooks currently match for UK customers.
Who Should Use FreeAgent (and Who Shouldn’t)
FreeAgent fits best for one specific group: UK sole traders, freelancers, and small limited companies that want tax filing and daily bookkeeping in one place without hiring a full-time bookkeeper. If you already bank with NatWest, RBS, Ulster Bank, or Mettle, you’ve got nothing to lose by trying it first.
It’s a weaker fit for a few situations. Businesses trading in multiple currencies will hit walls that Xero’s Comprehensive and Ultimate plans don’t have. Teams growing past a handful of staff will likely need the deeper permission controls and integrations that Xero or QuickBooks Plus offer. And anyone needing heavy third-party app integrations beyond the basics should check FreeAgent’s integration list before committing, since it’s noticeably shorter than Xero’s.
Frequently Asked Questions About FreeAgent
What is FreeAgent?
FreeAgent is UK cloud accounting software for sole traders, freelancers, and small limited companies. It covers invoicing, expenses, payroll, VAT, and Self Assessment, filing most of it directly to HMRC.
How much does FreeAgent cost in 2026?
Paid plans range from £10 a month for landlords to £33 a month for limited companies, both excluding VAT, with 50% off for the first six months (FreeAgent, 2026). It’s free for qualifying NatWest, RBS, Ulster Bank, and Mettle customers.
Is FreeAgent really free with NatWest or Mettle?
Yes. Anyone with a qualifying NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, or Ulster Bank business current account gets FreeAgent free for as long as they hold the account. Mettle customers get it free if they make at least one transaction a month (FreeAgent, 2026).
Does FreeAgent handle Making Tax Digital for Income Tax?
Yes. FreeAgent’s Sole Trader and Landlord plans support MTD for Income Tax as standard, ahead of the 6 April 2026 mandate for anyone earning over £50,000 (GOV.UK, 2026).
How does FreeAgent compare to Xero and QuickBooks on price?
FreeAgent’s Sole Trader plan costs £19 a month, more than Xero’s £7 Simple plan or QuickBooks’ roughly £10 Sole Trader Plus plan. FreeAgent’s free banking bundle often closes that gap for NatWest, RBS, Ulster Bank, and Mettle customers.
Who owns FreeAgent?
NatWest Group has owned FreeAgent since 2018, when it bought the Edinburgh-founded company for £53 million (Mergr, 2018). FreeAgent still operates independently within the group.
What’s the biggest downside of FreeAgent?
Reviewers most often flag limited multi-currency support and a shorter third-party integration list than Xero, particularly around Zapier (G2, 2026).
Key Takeaways
- FreeAgent costs £0 through NatWest, RBS, Ulster Bank, or Mettle, or £19 to £33 a month otherwise.
- Real user ratings sit between 4.3 and 4.5 out of 5 across G2, Capterra, and Trustpilot.
- Payroll, VAT, and Self Assessment filing come standard, with no upsell required.
- MTD for Income Tax lands on 6 April 2026 for incomes over £50,000, and FreeAgent already supports it.
- It’s a strong pick for UK freelancers and small limited companies, and a weaker one for multi-currency or fast-growing teams.
