FreeAgent

Avantages

British-owned, everything you need to get going for a small business with lots of additional features

Inconvénients

Weirdly, I find the expense reporting a bit tricky to set up

Avantages

We receive free access to FreeAgent as part of our bank account package. It makes accounting for our club so much easier than the previous excel sheets

Inconvénients

It’s not quite as good as Xero, but it’sa fraction of the price. For a non-profit it’s a winner

Alternatives envisagées 

Pourquoi passer à FreeAgent

Avantages

I love free agent. It makes invoicing, book keeping and automating reminders very easy. It's also very easy to modify your invoice designs. Customer support has always been good on the few occasions I've needed them.

Inconvénients

I'd like to be able to do reports on a monthly basis rather than the preset options. Little bit more expensive than it's rivals.

Avantages

Fantastic software for your company. Easy to use and complete. You can manage your customers, raise invoices and do your payroll.

Inconvénients

The software is improving over the years, but you might have some issues when it comes to make payments and raise invoices in other currencies.

Avantages

It came free linked to my sign-up to my online business banking account. Customer support is quick and comprehensive. It's reasonably user-friendly for the non-accountant to use.

Inconvénients

It can sometimes confuse as to where administration input linked to an expense transaction should be applied - through the bank account app or Freeagent

Avantages

It just works. The software looks good on desktop and connects to the mobile app well. From invoicing, to time tracking, to payroll, tax returns ... so much functionality and pretty much error free. Unlike other financial software, you don't need to pay more for features like payroll and multi-currency. Win.

Inconvénients

It would be useful to have a few more multi-currency features (e.g. multi-currency bills and expenses).

Avantages

Ease of set-up
Complete flexibility
Integrates with my banking transactions automatically (Barclays)
Automated explanations, and complete the rest on my iPhone app - on train, in bed etc!
Superb reports fit for any accountant, better than many!
Invoices look amazing and the automatic chasing / thanking clients for payment is a delight
Self assessments completed in a doddle - and for free as part of our subscription.

Avantages

I use freeagent everyday for my business and it's like the best so far. Helps to generate invoices and estimates for client, it gives an overview of your account in the first page which you can easily see at first glance. I recommend freeagent anyday anytime.

Inconvénients

Freeagent generates number for each of the invoice or estimates which can be confusing sometimes especially if you have to delete that invoice or estimates but nevertheless it's a stress free software, it does all the work.

Avantages

Incredibly easy to learn how to use even if you've never managed a business before. Perfect for freelancers as well as small-businesses. Nice design both for the website as well as the PDFs created.

Inconvénients

Large businesses and more experienced accountants are likely to find the functionality a bit limiting.

Avantages

It is really easy to use and the data is displayed in a useful format

Inconvénients

The one downside is that it doesn't pull in the USD transactions from Paypal and this has to be done manually.

Alternatives envisagées 

Avantages

Ease to use, easy to input data and access to overview info. quote feature is SO convenient. Gives you the professional looks we wanted to transmit to our customers. Convenient database to keep track on projects

Inconvénients

Reports adjustments and correcting info is a bit complicated. You gotta go around several times in order to have the chance to modify data that was missplaced.

Avantages

FreeAgents offers a lot of features for a very low price and the customer service is good also. I have used them for 3 years and there are other programs that may be a little better, but they are also a lot more expensive.

Inconvénients

I wish that recurring billing was a little easier and the number of integrations is good, but it does not integrate with one of my core programs which is a bummer.

Avantages

Easy to use. Easy to find what I want. Brilliant support

Inconvénients

There must be a downside but thankfully I have not found it yet

Avantages

Relatively simple to use. Provides overview of everything nicely. Imports bank feed which is the most useful part of FreeAgent.

Inconvénients

When the bank feed goes wrong, it really goes wrong. They were reluctant to help, so had to figure it out myself. Personally, I think it's just a bit too expensive considering what the competition are offering.

Avantages

The software has all the features I need to run my business. It has helped me save so much time preparing self assessment filings.

Inconvénients

The support documentation does contain some out of date screenshots and instructions.

Avantages

Automated invoicing and accounts overview that highlight things before they become an issue. Fantastic UK based support team.

Inconvénients

A little more expensive than some of the competitors.

Avantages

Easy to use
Excellent customer support

Inconvénients

Doesn't handle subcontractors as a distinct category of user. We have associates who book time and expenses which are billed to clients. We have to set them up as employees and then work around VAT, etc. to make sure we charge customers right amounts and pay contractors accordingly.

Avantages

Very easy to use and gives valuable, easy to read information on status of the business.
Easy to set up and monitor invoices and add information.
Excellent automatic calculation of tax liabilities and ability to file through interface.

Inconvénients

The bank feed for importing HSBC bank transactions is terrible and takes an age to import transactions which is disappointing with todays technology. From the forums this appears to be a longstanding issue that should have been fixed by now but isn't and unsure if it will be.
Self-assessment should be updated to include ability to add capital gains and property income.

Avantages

FreeAgent is great for tracking projects from quote to invoice to payment. It makes the daunting task of tax a breeze too.

Inconvénients

There are always a few user specific scenarios that aren't catered for (usually there is a work around). Can't think of any for me though.

Avantages

It's so easy to use. I haven't had any training on it (no need, it's pretty intuitive, and you can find answers easily on the Internet). It's always there on my desktop or phone. I used to use Excel spreadsheet which was free, but a bit of a 'mare, but now I have peace of mind knowing I'm compliant.

I haven't used it for my self-assessment yet, but will soon find out how easy that is too. Fingers crossed.

Inconvénients

The importing tranasctions don't always work. I'm not VAT registered and so have to manually change this every time. A way to schedule recurring future invoices in advance would be good too.

Avantages

Incredibly customer support from trained accountants who are always able to give me advise as and when i need it.

Inconvénients

Only thing I would change is being able to re-enrol for VAT instead of having to open a new account as it took some time to transfer my data over into a new account.

Avantages

I run a limited liability partnership and FreeAgent gives me the ability to control the accounts without having to involve accountants. Everything is so easy from generating the accounts for Companies House, managing my travel expenses, time tracking and billing, and sorting out VAT and self assessment returns. The best accounting software I've yet discovered for a freelancer business. It has all of our needs covered.

Inconvénients

I had some initial issues but that was mainly because I didn't know what I was doing. A bit of browsing round the help pages soon sorted that out.

Avantages

* Auto integration with banking API feeds
* Intelligent learning for your regular banking transactions
* Templates for sending invoices etc
* VAT & SA form integration with HMRC

Inconvénients

* Slightly clunky UI for viewing recent expenses
* Inability to remove user's who have left the business

Avantages

I've been using FreeAgent for approximately 5 years, I think, and I would be lost without it. The app is really user-friendly, and I love how easy it is to submit my accounts to HMRC at the end of the year. On the few occasions that I've needed assistance, I've had an almost immediate response with helpful information. Highly recommended.

Inconvénients

It felt a little expensive at first as a solo trader, but I think it proved its worth in ease of use so quickly this isn't really a con. Plus they have a great affiliate scheme so you can bring the overall cost down by recommending others.

Avantages

Simple, lightweight and just does exactly what you require from a accounting tool. Interface is easy to navigate and there is a very low learning curve. I would recommend this tool to small businesses / freelancers.

Inconvénients

Doesn't integrate with newer online style bank accounts for automated feeds at all. (e.g. transfer wise bank accounts) . Sometimes doesn't recognise recurring bank transactions meaning it takes longer to explain

Avantages

Overall, I really like freeagent. It's a great way to manage your finances and keep track of your invoices and expenses. The interface is user-friendly and easy to navigate. I also like the fact that it integrates with other online services. This makes it a very versatile tool.

Inconvénients

I'd like to see more integrations with other banks as some of my banks cannot be integrated within the system.

Avantages

It's an incredibly easy to use all-in-one accounting solution that's built for freelancers, all the way up to large businesses. Creating and managing invoices is very easy and you can even sync it up to your bank account. Whilst many of the more advanced accounting features go unused by myself I can clearly see the value in them for others.

Inconvénients

It's not the cheapest solution if you're just creating a few invoices each month but for any typical independent professional it's a great solution. I can't think of any real cons to this product.

Avantages

Easy to use with a good range of functions and fantastic customer support. Regularly updating with new features. Weekly emails with tips are helpful too. Excellent tax reporting features.

Inconvénients

Bill feature is limited. Often I want to split an invoice between multiple ledger codes so I have to create it twice.

Avantages

Easy to setup and use - the mobile app is pretty good making it easy to add expenses. Bank feed is handy. I use the API to import expenses.

Inconvénients

Expensive compared to competitors like Xero, bank feed is slow. Perhaps you can add integrations for credit cards too to automatically pull in expenses.

Avantages

Super responsive customer support
Most day to day business transactions covered well
Generally clean design

Inconvénients

The expense handling suite is quite poor (both mobile and web)
e.g. Does not have the following
- Sortable columns in the expense listing table (e.g. list by highest value descending, or name)
- Ability to filter by type or project
- Drag and drop receipts into web interface (you have to upload through file navigation)
- Quick take photo for expense button (mobile)
- Ability to email expense emails or pics of receipts to an inbox

Timesheet feature set also rather basic

Avantages

Easy to use for invoice management and financial tracking of small business. The dashboard view is helpful and provides a quick overview to business health

Inconvénients

Some features are a little hidden away under menus and submenus

Avantages

It's amazing accounting software and it's cheap as well. It does all for you, you don't have to have some great knowledge for it to use. I love it.

Inconvénients

I don't have anything negative to say about it.

Avantages

FreeAgent is great in January when I can file my tax return directly to HMRC. The form is also filled with data I've entered throughout the year so self assessment time is pretty hassle free, which s unusual for a freelancer. I've just started using the mobile app and find that this is really is good too. I can take care of all the day-to-day stuff, like explaining bank transactions and entering mileage, when I'm out and about on business to stop it mounting up.

Inconvénients

The mobile app is really great, but doesn't yet have the same in-depth functionality as the desktop app.

Avantages

It has a customizable visual interface that makes working with this program great. The projects section also has some great reporting functions.

Inconvénients

The recurring billing is a little bit difficult to get to grips with but once you understand it, there are no issues.

Avantages

I love how it links to my bank account and easily allows me to enter bills and mark them paid. Some trickier transaction types were not obvious but the help screen is comprehensive.

Inconvénients

I haven't found an account reconciliation feature. I am used to that with QuickBooks and would like to have it here. It's possible there is a reconciliation feature and I haven't spotted it yet.

Avantages

For me, the general look of the overview screen makes the experience of looking at my accounts a lot less scary. I also find that the whole thing is easy to use, from reconciling my bank accounts to sending out invoices. Plus they actually sort your taxes out (this might only be in the UK though)!

Inconvénients

I am probably not using as much of the software as I could. (e.g. payroll and time tracking) but I'm just proud that they've convinced me how simple and professional it is to use them for invoicing.

Avantages

Syncing with your bank accounts allows you to keep track of expenses, income and bills really easily. There is good help in the support section and it is good to be able to get some automated analysis of the figures too.

Inconvénients

The time tracking feature is not very flexible and has caused me issues, I am using a different software to track time now. The design also is quite accountant-oriented

Avantages

It keeps everything paired down and simple and easy to find. Also feel I have learned more about how to file my taxes with the built in pages and submission.
Loading data form my bank account and tagging it saves time too.

Inconvénients

I would like to be able to search my bank account entries to check all is tagged up.

Avantages

Functional and a UI really nice design. Good pricing, it's one of the best investment for a freelancer who have some time working. This app really help me in may freelance career

Inconvénients

some times it's difficult to go into some tools. you cant import all the info you want to into this app. No have a computer app, you must have to go into the navigator or your cell phone

Avantages

The bank reconciling makes marking off transactions and paid invoices so easy. The ability to resend email reminders and show whether an email has been received by a customer is great.

Inconvénients

More template options would be good and the ability to put terms and conditions into the back of a invoice.

Avantages

Simple to setup for a freelancer like myself
Very easy to use
Absolutely great that it submits tax returns for you

Avantages

Easy to use
Fully featured
Good guidance built into the process of "explaining" entries
Fairly efficient "guessing" of transactions
Excellent support

Inconvénients

Automatic bank account synchronisation doesn't work efficiently for me (I use Lloyds)