FreeAgent vs Sage Sole Trader
Verified ratings, real UK pricing and the compliance detail, weighed side by side — with a written verdict at the end.
FreeAgent
Accounting Software
- United Kingdom
- Phone
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
Sage Sole Trader
Accounting Software
- United Kingdom
- Phone
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
Evenly matched on verified reviews — 4.1 against 4.0. Price and fit will decide this one, not the score.
The short version
What each one costs and how each one rates, side by side. Only the rows where leading means something are marked; vendor and availability are in the overview above.
| Detail | FreeAgent | Sage Sole Trader |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | £19/mo | £7/mo |
| Free version | YesYes | YesYes |
| Free trial | YesYes | YesYes |
| How it rates | ||
| Overall ratingMean of verified Assaylist reviews | 4.1 | 4.0 |
| Verified reviewsVolume is evidence, not a score — this row is not a contest | 297 reviews | 261 reviews |
Highlighted where one clearly leads. Rows without a highlight are not a contest.
How reviewers score them
Across the four dimensions we ask every reviewer about — and, below, the star split each average is built from.
- FreeAgent
- Sage Sole Trader
| Dimension | FreeAgent | Sage Sole Trader | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 4.0 | 4.0 | Level |
| Value for money | 4.0 | 3.9 | 0.1 to FreeAgent |
| Customer support | 4.0 | 4.0 | Level |
| Functionality | 4.0 | 4.0 | Level |
What each average is made of
Two products can share an average and not share a reputation. These bars show the star split behind each score.
| Product | 5 star | 4 star | 3 star | 2 star | 1 star |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FreeAgent | 42% (126 reviews) | 32% (96 reviews) | 16% (49 reviews) | 7% (20 reviews) | 2% (6 reviews) |
| Sage Sole Trader | 41% (108 reviews) | 35% (91 reviews) | 14% (37 reviews) | 6% (15 reviews) | 4% (10 reviews) |
Feature by feature
Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.
- Both products
- 15%
- Only FreeAgent
- 1362%
- Only Sage Sole Trader
- 733%
21 features listed across both products.
What only one of them does
FreeAgent
13- Bank feeds
- CIS support
- Corporation Tax tracking
- Director Self Assessment
+ 9 more in the table below
Sage Sole Trader
7- Bank connection
- HMRC recognised submissions
- Income and expense tracking
- MTD for Income Tax quarterly updates
+ 3 more in the table below
Showing 21 of 21 features
| Detail | FreeAgent | Sage Sole Trader |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 20 | ||
| Bank feeds | YesYes | NoNo |
| CIS support | YesYes | NoNo |
| Corporation Tax tracking | YesYes | NoNo |
| Director Self Assessment | YesYes | NoNo |
| Dividend documentation | YesYes | NoNo |
| Expense and mileage tracking | YesYes | NoNo |
| Invoicing and estimates | YesYes | NoNo |
| Making Tax Digital for VAT | YesYes | NoNo |
| MTD for Income Tax | YesYes | NoNo |
| Payroll | YesYes | NoNo |
| Radar business insights | YesYes | NoNo |
| Tax timeline with amounts and deadlines | YesYes | NoNo |
| Time tracking | YesYes | NoNo |
| Bank connection | NoNo | YesYes |
| HMRC recognised submissions | NoNo | YesYes |
| Income and expense tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| MTD for Income Tax quarterly updates | NoNo | YesYes |
| Receipt capture | NoNo | YesYes |
| Self Assessment preparation | NoNo | YesYes |
| Simple tax estimates | NoNo | YesYes |
| Where they match · 1 | ||
| Mobile app | YesYes | YesYes |
A dash means the vendor has not published a feature list — which is not the same as the feature being unavailable.
How they handle UK obligations
Checked against the vendor's own documentation or HMRC's published list. A dash means we have not verified it — never that it is missing.
| Detail | FreeAgent | Sage Sole Trader |
|---|---|---|
| Verified against vendor documentation | ||
| HMRC-recognised for MTD for VAT | YesYes | Not listedNot listed |
| HMRC-recognised for MTD for ITSA | YesYes | YesYes |
| Making Tax Digital ready | YesYes | YesYes |
| RTI-compliant payroll | YesYes | Not listedNot listed |
| CIS support | YesYes | Not listedNot listed |
| Open Banking bank feeds | YesYes | Not listedNot listed |
| Data residency | United Kingdom | Not stated |
| UK-based support | UK based support team | Telephone support from Sage UK |
What each tier costs
Both line-ups on one ladder, so the middle tier on one side sits next to the middle tier on the other.
FreeAgent
Sage Sole Trader
Free with NatWest, RBS, Ulster or Mettle
Free
- Full product, not a limited version
- For as long as you hold the account
- Mettle requires one transaction a month
Sage Sole Trader Free
Free
- HMRC recognised digital record keeping
- MTD for Income Tax ready
- For non VAT registered sole traders
Sole trader
£19/mo
- Self Assessment preparation
- MTD for Income Tax
- Invoicing and expenses
Sage Sole Trader
£7/moLower
- Self Assessment preparation
- Quarterly MTD updates
- Income and expense tracking
Limited company
£33/mo
- Corporation Tax tracking
- Dividend documentation
- Director Self Assessment
No comparable tier listed
Rungs are matched by position in each vendor’s own line-up, not by what the tiers include — an entry plan on one side may cover more than the other. Prices exclude VAT unless stated, and per-seat plans are quoted per seat. Always confirm on the vendor’s own site.
Which should you choose?
Two answers, because there are two right ones depending on what you need.
Choose FreeAgent if
- It lists 13 features Sage Sole Trader does not, including bank feeds.
- It covers more of the UK obligations we check — 7 of them against 3.
Choose Sage Sole Trader if
- It costs less to get started — £7/mo against £19/mo.
- It lists 7 features FreeAgent does not, including bank connection.
For a sole trader, Sage Sole Trader offers a free tier and the least possible ceremony for Making Tax Digital. FreeAgent is more capable and free for customers of qualifying banks, but is really built for the limited company contractor. Simple sole traders may prefer Sage, contractors FreeAgent.
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