FreeAgent

Avantages

It allows me to keep on top of the financial position of my company allowing me to make decisions with up to date knowledge. Compared to my peers who don't use the software I am saving time and money doing my accounting.

Inconvénients

The mobile app is not as feature rich and some of the functionality that it does have does not share the same options as the web version e.g. split transactions

Avantages

Easy assess and works great for tracking my time and billing clients. The bank feed works well. I like the overview information of the home screen dash board.

Inconvénients

I have an accounting background and am a bit frustrated with how to pay bills and reconciling an account. It has not been very easy for me to understand how some of the functions work - relative to other software that I have used. Some one with out my background might find it easy to understand.

Avantages

FreeAgent is an incredibly supportive and useful tool for someone that is not good with accounting and has a very busy job that makes accounting a very timely task. To be able to rely on software to explain transactions, calculate your income and outgoings as well as file tax for you is very useful without having to worry about a lot of jargon. The support has been very useful at times when needing help with some explanations or more.

Inconvénients

It was a while back that they announced that they could no longer offer accounting support, and always recommend hiring your own accountant, however back when I first signed up for FreeAgent I was sure that they advertised themselves as not requiring an accountant.

Avantages

Free Agent came bundled with my NatWest account. It is easy to use with a clear interface and integrates well with my bank accounts. The mobile app is excellent and the support (both technically and professionally) is clear and of good standard. I find their email updates helpful.

Inconvénients

I would like them to be able to import transactions directly from Stripe as a ‘bank account’ as currently you have to manage this manually.

Avantages

FreeAgent is so easy to use. The customer support is fantastic. FreeAgent integrates with your bank accounts (bank feed), so you always have an accurate picture of your finances. NatWest Bank owns FreeAgent, so you know there is a good name behind it.

Inconvénients

In the cash flow projection, one field resets itself, but they have taken that onboard and will tweak the code.

Avantages

Saves loads of time and is easy to use for a business owner without the need for a book keeper or accounting person. Love the bank imports and ease of reconciliations. RTI and VAT submissions submit to HMRC straight from the software. I could go on and on here, but having had business since 1999, the importance of having great finance management as a small business can't be understated!

Inconvénients

At the moment you can scan/photograph expenses and it can complete the data entry using AI. I can't wait until this can happen for bills too!

Alternatives envisagées 

QuickBooks Online et Xero

Avantages

Really great for small business, simple accounting across the board. I really like the dashboard feature.

Inconvénients

I wish the dashboard could be a bit more customisable with options to show reports or category spending as a tile / more configurable layout

Avantages

The best thing about FreeAgent is that you can get it for free if you use their offer to set up and use "Mettle" bank account. Also, their menu is perfectly minimalistic to make it fully functioning for our purposes and not making it overwhelming to use.

Inconvénients

Bank reconciliation lacks automation. There is "guess" rules function but you can't modify how it works and it often makes mistakes.

Alternatives envisagées 

QuickBooks Online

Pourquoi passer à FreeAgent

FreeAgent offered a free plan if you have a Mettle bank account.

Avantages

It's nicely laid out and easy to navigate, the automatic filling is a breeze, recurring invoices & bills save so much time and the time tracking features are useful in some cases.I used the software probably just when it started many years ago when i started as a freelancer, but it was pretty expensive then, so i moved on. I returned when it was offered for free through my bank as it was a bit of a no brainer.

Inconvénients

The integration with other tools is very lacking, yes it has zapier but with only a couple of integration points its basically useless with the tech stacks most of us operate now. From memory (as i cant find the customer forums anymore) users have been requesting improvements to this for at least 6 years, so It's not going to be improved basically.

Alternatives envisagées 

Zoho Books et QuickBooks Online

Avantages

I have been using FreeAgent since I registered my company. It handles all my accounting needs. Saves me so much time.

Inconvénients

Categorisation of expenses can be improved. It works so far but wish they had simpler naming.

Avantages

Easy to manage. links with my bank account.

Inconvénients

Nothing really. All pretty easy to use.

Avantages

It has made invoicing and tracking payments very easy.I like the way I can create categories to record paymnents in against

Inconvénients

Haven't found anything yet that i don't like.I am still trying to work out how I track work done on a job that i do weekly that i then invoice monthly

Alternatives envisagées 

QuickBooks Online

Pourquoi passer à FreeAgent

it seems much simpler and meets my needs as a small business

Avantages

I always know my financial and tax situation. I'm never in the dark. You put in the info as you generate it and you'll never be in any doubt about your financial health.

Inconvénients

I know Xero has lots of bells and whistles but Freeagent is simple to use, predictable and the support is from UK or US based specialists who really know what they're talking about.

Avantages

Ho usato FreeAgent come software per la gestione della contabilità, note spese e fatturazione elettronica. Molto comoda l'interfaccia, permette di gestire agevolmente tutto ciò di cui si necessità.

Inconvénients

Ho sofferto la mancanza di alcuni strumenti integrati invece in altri software per la creazione delle fatture elettroniche

Avantages

It is Automated on Invoicing, etc. That is very error prone.

Inconvénients

I do not like Freeagent. Freeagent do not give options. It is very closely connected.

Avantages

This online software is relatively simple to install (settings, configuration, customization, etc.) and should not require the use of an integrator.

Inconvénients

a bit difficult to use but it's a better software

Avantages

The customer service is one of the best in the industry and a great user interface.

Inconvénients

Lack of features such as reports and 3rd party integrations

Avantages

It's straight forward, easy to set up and use. Everything you need to manage your accounts is in plain sight rather then you needing to know there is a completely different process somewhere else that actually needs to be completed. The processes are quick and easy to work out.

Inconvénients

Nothing much to be honest. It would be better if it was easier to link to other programs that you use but this can be overcome with a bit of thought.

Alternatives envisagées 

Xero et Zoho Invoice

Pourquoi choisir FreeAgent 

To use a more reliable and efficient product.

Logiciel antérieur 

QuickBooks Online

Pourquoi passer à FreeAgent

Options, costs, connections and ease of use

Avantages

As a user of FreeAgent in my company, I have found this software to be a versatile and robust solution for managing our finances and accounting needs. One of the biggest pros of FreeAgent is its user-friendly interface. The dashboard is well organized and easy to navigate, making it simple to stay on top of our financials and track expenses. Another advantage of FreeAgent is its robust feature set. The software includes invoicing, expense tracking, project management, and financial reporting capabilities, all in one package. This has greatly streamlined our financial management processes, reducing the need for multiple software solutions and saving us time and money.

Inconvénients

One of the few cons of FreeAgent is that the software can be a bit slow at times, especially when navigating through complex financial data. Additionally, while the software includes a comprehensive set of financial reporting capabilities, it may not be as robust as some other accounting software solutions on the market.

Avantages

It's a Scottish company, albeit taken over by an anti-Scottish UK bank.
Customer services are relatively quick to respond but don't often understand or resolve your issue.
They do send you a Monday motivator which is useful.
It's now free if you bank with RBS/Nat West, but I'd rather not bank with either and even at £0 it's not worth it. I'd rather pay for a decent software and save the cost of hours of inefficiency and extra accountancy fees later.

Inconvénients

It is very clunky and awkward to use.

It is very expensive for what it is and definitely not even worth using for free.

Several essential basic functions are missing and it is very restrictive/prescriptive forcing you to work their way or not at all.

Customer services regularly have to fudge "workarounds" to fill the gaps in FreeAgent's basic functionality and often these "workarounds" make more mess than doing nothing, leaving you with more to pay your accountant to fix it.

FreeAgent does several things in very unusual ways and then doesn't allow you to fix them.
Payroll does post journals into your ledgers but even the best accountants can't make any sense of them.

This software tries to be all things to small businesses giving tools that quite frankly are dangerous to unqualified accountants. It allows you to do your own VAT, Corporation Tax and Self Assessment wrongly, without any tax planning advice which could cost you tens of thousands of pounds in VAT/tax that isn't due, not to mention HMRC penalties etc. I know of several clients who have overpaid an absolute fortune and had seriously damaging run-ins with HMRC as a direct result of trying to DIY using this software.

Buyer BEWARE!!!

Avantages

It's very user friendly. It's great for freelancers or small businesses that do a lot of their own bookkeeping and accounting. It simplifies things in a way to make it easy.

Inconvénients

The simplified software is great for basic transactions, but sometimes it would be better to have more customisation. There are fixed categories of expenses, so you can't create a custom one.

Alternatives envisagées 

QuickBooks Time et Xero

Pourquoi passer à FreeAgent

It was recommended by my accountant, and I've really enjoyed using it.

Avantages

Overall experience is good. It allows to better organised both my bookeeping but as well my employee work due to its usability. Love as well the API integration that allow me to create custom analysis.

Inconvénients

Too much focus on UK client. We are an Italian company and some of the functionality available for UK are really complex to achieve for us and required workaround.
Billing only in 1 currency is crazy, why do you have invoice in multiple currency but billing cannot be done? It should be a simple addition to make but it has been year that people asked for this and still not implementation.
Country specific payroll. Although I am aware it will be impossible to enable payroll for every country out of the box why don't allow customer to customized the payroll functionality to meet payroll requirements or add important deadline for taxing purpose.
Even the export functionality can be improve and should be added to every areas from timesheet to bill, from invoice to expense with filter that allow you to specify the data you want to export.
VAT calculation for Intrastat - due to the internationalisation of business should be easier to export only bill and invoice that are related to country outside your normal business area.
What about language package? Again if not possibile provide an LDK that allow client to customize the interface.

Avantages

I no longer have to nominate which computer is the one that the accounts is on.
I can open a web browser on the PC in my home office and enter my hours, mileage, upload photos of receipts, automatially let it reconcile the bank and credit card statements, and let it get on with doing the calcuations.
I no longer have to set aside a weekend each month for doing invoices and expenses.
or the last weekend of each quarter for doing the VAT return
or various days of the last month of each financial year for doing the annual return.

Inconvénients

Now that the company has made enough money to be able to purchase three cars, it would be nice if the mileage drop down had options for company owned vehicles and the AFR mileage rates, but it only has AMAP rates for personally owned bike, motorcycle or car.

Avantages

The billing and invoicing functionality is a key feature of the product and works very well. They send a Monday motivator email summarising your agenda for the week on Monday mornings. This includes items such as unbilled hours logged, payments to approve and bills to chase or pay. MFA is supported for increased security.

Inconvénients

There are few things that I don't like to be honest, the only one that can be annoying is the bank feeds can sometimes be a little slow to show items. A manual refresh option for bank feed data would be useful.

Avantages

It basically does all the required accounting without having to pay for an accountant to do it for you. The biggest benefit when it comes to tracking business tax and completing a tax return as it pretty much does it all for you.

Inconvénients

Sometimes it's tricky to work out how something works and you have to go and get help from customer support, but this may be more user incompetence than anything wrong with the software!

Alternatives envisagées 

Xero

Pourquoi choisir FreeAgent 

I was getting to the point of needing to pay for some of the options (I honestly can't remember the name of the software used previously and don't want to put the wrong one in!)

Pourquoi passer à FreeAgent

NatWest provided the service free and it appeared to have everything needed.

Avantages

The software is easy to use, and once you understand it very powerful. It makes submitting your tax return very, very easy. I like how it can take you from being self-employed to being a LTD company. The way that it recognises some transactions and automatically categories them is great too.

Inconvénients

There are two things I don't like about the software. There isn't an easy way to record simplified expenses. You have to add them manually, which isn't ideal for how it should work. The second is that if someone pays by card, it doesn't carry all the info from FreeAgent to Stripe. For example, email address so they get a card receipt instantly.

Avantages

We've been using Freeagent for over 5 years. In that time frame my company has grown from being a sole-trader to an incorporated limited company with employees. To say that Freeagent has helped facilitate that growth would be an understatement.

We now use Freeagent for our VAT submission (saving us £200pq accountants fees), Payroll (saving us £10pm per employee), Sending out client estimates/invoices, and what we originally bought it for... Book keeping and accounting.

We have Freeagent connected to our bank feeds, meaning we are only ever 24hrs out of date with our live bank accounts. This is now a common practice with similar software, but for us it came just at the right time.

Their team of inhouse accountancy experts is also an incredible resource that we use around once a quarter, or whenever something new crops up that we might need some help with. We still use the skill of an account for filing our end of year accounts, but we could even do this with free agent.

Inconvénients

The one thing that has been a niggle like a tiny pebble in your shoe, or scratch on the roof of your mouth, is that you cannot send a remittance! Many people have requested this functionality but it has largely been ignored by the freeagent team. I have no idea whether it is a technical or philosophical reason they've just not engaged with it... If they did implement this functionality it would pretty much make it perfect for my companies needs.

Avantages

Very easy to onboard clients; Linking bank accounts through open banking is straightforward and facility works well; Simple user interface makes it easy for novices to use; Very good customer support; Can be had for free of you use and RBS group bank account including Mettle; On the go invoicing is nice for some business as well as the expense logger

Inconvénients

Not as flexible as some accounting packages; a few of the facilities are still a work in progress and you need to do a workaround

Alternatives envisagées 

QuickBooks Enterprise et Xero

Logiciel antérieur 

QuickBooks Enterprise et Xero

Pourquoi passer à FreeAgent

The cost-free option makes it an easy sell to help clients transition to the cloud accounting world. I still use Xero and others to give clients a choice

Avantages

FreeAgent is a fully-featured accounting and invoicing web app that comes with a great little mobile app too.

It has a really clear and easy-to-use interface, making it easy to navigate and produce invoices, check your accounts for selected periods, track your time, manage projects... the list goes on. But for all the functionality, it never feels cluttered.

I've experienced great support whenever I've asked for it and it hasn't ever produced any unexpected errors or bugs. It just works.

Inconvénients

I wanted to recommend this product to my wife for her business but it's just a little bit too expensive for a startup small sole trader company like hers. A reduced cost account type for single users would be great.

Avantages

Live bank feeds, easy to use, perfect for invoicing, accounting for small businesses, keeping the accountant and bank manager happy with the efficiency! It does everything (for me and my business needs) apart from making me coffee :-) Always a pleasure using freeagent, it's really fun to use!

Inconvénients

Ive been using it for nearly two years....
Can't fault it!

Not sure if I could add a further business to the platform, for example: using same login details but be able to switch between businesses?? That would be really good.

Avantages

Perfect for freelancers and small teams, FreeAgent includes all the aspects needed to control accounts, create / send invoices and keep an eye on projects. Highly recommended for any solo practitioners.

Inconvénients

If you plan to grow and scale your team, it can be a bit limiting, however it is still a great tool for smaller teams and individuals.

Avantages

It's useful to be able to see the state of my business finances at a glance and it's great to be able to send professional invoices - but it's a lot of money for an invoice template.

Inconvénients

I no longer fully trust Freeagent, especially around banking, after I spotted that not all transactions are not being imported. When I raised it with customer services they basically just agreed that no, not all transactions are being imported, but couldn't give me a reason why or suggest how they would fix this, just said that I should check all transactions manually. What's the point of having an import feature if you then have to repeat everything manually? Meant I had to spend hours checking transactions and VAT returns to pick up transactions that Freeagent had missed. I certainly would no longer trust it with my tax return, so I have to employ an accountant as well. Also, when recognising transactions, Freeagent seems unable to recognise transfers between accounts, meaning they all have to be approved manually, despite the fact they happen time after time.

Avantages

I got access to this software FREE of charge through banking with RBS. Having previously used Xero for our book-keeping, I found it had the same great functionality but a much slicker design. It's simplicity and ease of use is the best thing going for it.

Inconvénients

Had some issues at the beginning with connecting our bank feeds but this was sorted out quickly by the team at FreeAgent - can't think of any real faults with the software.

Avantages

Having switched from Xero, which I used for a decade, I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to use FreeAgent. I would say the user interface and functionality are more intuitive than Xero. The best thing is, the software is free if you have a business account with NatWest or Mettle.

Inconvénients

It isn't able to split the actual income and fees when reconciling Stripe transactions. I use the DoubleAgent plug-in as a workaround.

Alternatives envisagées 

FreshBooks et Xero

Pourquoi choisir FreeAgent 

Xero was a bit expensive, whereas FreeAgent comes free with my business bank account.

Logiciel antérieur 

Xero

Avantages

Very easy to use as it is an intuitive userface. Does everything I need as a small business, and can easily send information to the accountant at the end of the year.

Inconvénients

The bank feed seems a bit tempermental at times.

Alternatives envisagées 

Xero

Pourquoi passer à FreeAgent

Came free with Natwest bank account, but now I would not change to an alternative even though I pay

Avantages

The ease of use combined of the platform which is exceptionally intuitive, combined with the brilliant customer service.

Inconvénients

FreeAgent appears somewhat UK-centric, although the support is still exceptional. The banking does connect to banks in Canada and I have been able to manage harmonized sales tax in Ontario. It may have some current limitations to make it a credible better substitute for Sage, in respect of the tax nuances across different Canadian Provinces.

Avantages

Exceptionally easy to use and easy to learn. I keep the tab open every day. It's easy to "undo" if you make a mistake in an invoice. There's basically nothing that can't be undone by reverting to draft. The recurring invoices tool is really helpful. I don't use the feature where it'll email invoices/reminders. I prefer to do that myself and it's really easy — nothing to really keep track of since I invoice all clients on the same day each month. They make it easy to label bank transactions so as long as I remember to do that once a month or so, all my accounting reports are always current. I don't have to spend too much time on accounting and I don't really have any complaints. The customer service is always fantastic.

Inconvénients

I wish the time tracking feature were just a little slicker. I use Toggl for time tracking, and then I import hours for each client each month. Not a big deal, but one of those little things that would put it over the top.

Avantages

Free for users of certain banks and they get access to it all not just some features.

Inconvénients

That the bank options when reconcilling aren't very flexible or obvious as to which category.

Alternatives envisagées 

Xero

Pourquoi passer à FreeAgent

Used it as a sole trader for client then they continued to use it when they changed to a Ltd.

Avantages

Love the user interface, which is easily customisable and visually it is really appealing. Makes accounting fun!
Easy to use, once you know how to access some of the features.
I have a straightforward business in private medical practice and this software takes care of my invoicing, accounting and expenses all in one, with automatic updating of all the relevant information at your fingertips.
Both my secretary and I can access the software from anywhere, so it makes for easy team-work.
One of the best features for me is the projects section, where I can keep track of the numerous expert reports that I have on my books at any one time.

Inconvénients

Sometimes working out how to find something, or to alter a document isn't intuitive, and I have had to refer to the website for help, which has always been useful (so far).
(NB I think the user who didn't like being referred to My Business Works is being unnecessarily unfair to this software because they had to go through a Barclays intermediary - Barclays are known for their poor service, but this is not FreeAgent...)

Avantages

the mobile app is great for tracking time or updating expenses while on the road
Like the time reporting features to report by contact or project
Tax Timeline also really helpful for getting a quick understand of what's owed

Inconvénients

It's difficult to make corrections on invoices, especially if an expense or time item is labeled wrong, requires deleting/creating a new invoice rather than being able to unlock the items associated with it and fix them.
Layout options for invoices are very limiting unless you create your own CSS file.
Can't change account type without contacting admin - ie I mistakenly set up as a sole trader instead of private ltd company and says I have to contact customer service to change it.

Avantages

It's just so easy to use. We run our plumbing business with this app and it integrates well with Commusoft our field service management software reducing time spent double entering information and doing tasks like invoicing. Now we invoice and complete the job in Commusoft and it pushes al the relevant information to Freeagent.

Inconvénients

It only does CIS one way. As we have grown from a subcontractor into a contractor that now employs subcontractors we need a simple way to process CIS invoices from our SC's

Avantages

FreeAgent is a fantastic product. I have only needed to use support a couple of times and they were more unusual questions.

As a freelancer, keeping an eye on income and expenditure, billing and chasing invoices and recording expenses with my phone is really important. Add to that the easy submission of my tax return and it really is a great piece of software.

Inconvénients

I am a little disappointed that I could not receive any of the discounts offered to new customers. (e.g. 6 months half price).

Avantages

FreeAgent is one of those programs that integrates all sorts of difficult tasks into one single multi-use product. We specifically use it for payroll, invoicing and accountancy and find the integrated approach saves time and helps us quickly track accountancy errors and oversights.

Inconvénients

The live link to the bank account statements is often glitchy and can cause a headache for those trying to account for every transaction.

Avantages

Easy to use, intuitive, provides high quality information about the state of play of my business and my ongoing liabilities for tax and keeps easy track of who owes us money and how to send reminders. Quotation system works well, bank integration excellent and shared access for my back office book keepers means a lot less hassle. Love the App for capturing expenses and mileage

Inconvénients

Worry about their inability to let me download copies of all scanned images I have added. I really cannot find anything else to say

Avantages

One of the things that scared me about going freelance, was the accounting and book-keeping part this entails. After researching similar web-based solutions, I decided upon subscribing to Freeagent. I wouldn't be able to run my business without it. Everything I need, from invoicing and clients database, to expense filing and completing my self-assessment is there, easy to use and access. When I needed some help or clarifications about something, the staff were prompt and eager to help me and made sure my issues were resolved in any case. Highly recommended software & service!

Inconvénients

I find that the mobile app has limited functionality compared to the desktop site. I would like the same level of editability when it comes to the handling of bank transactions, as I have via my internet browser.

Avantages

It makes my life easier. I was spending at least half a day totting up time spent and billing clients but Freeagent does it all for me at the touch of a button. That has been the absolute stand out time saving feature for me. Plus it's not complicated, easy to use and displays everything clearly.

Inconvénients

Every month I have to re-input the tasks for clients. I wish it would hold onto those so that I could re-use them for my ongoing clients.

Avantages

Reconciles some invoice payments that only need approval, an improvement on Quickbooks.

Inconvénients

Very clunky for adding customers for invoicing. If you have lots of "retail" customers as I do, and send invoices to large numbers of customers, setting them up is a pain, the system seems to assume that you have a small number of commercial customers with multiple contacts at those companies. When making a new invoice you have to go through an alphabetical list of companies, you can't search, and for ease I made that entry an email address. This now means that of course not all people have an email address that is clearly them/their name. Irritating and enough to make me look elsewhere.

Avantages

Cheap depending on your business needs or the size of the business.
Famous for its incredible invoice templates
Shows your real-time profit position and it automatically updates your accounts.
Cloud-based, so there is no software to download or install
The interface is very friendly and lovely.

Inconvénients

Online help, known as My Business Works Support has been known to be rather unhelpful and excessively rude
Tends to receive bugs or glitches that often take time to repair, if fixable at all
Even though this program offers Multiple Currency options, the proper support for this feature is seriously lacking
Not very quick with software updates (some have been waiting years for new and desired features)

Avantages

The end to end connectivity. Booking time spent with a client turns into an invoice turns into a payment at the bank - and all this is tracked. What used to take hours in excel is all at a glance in FreeAgent.

Inconvénients

I wish that there was a way to use their time tracking module as a separate product. I no longer run a business but would love to use their time tracker with my team at the larger org I now work for.