Sage Accounting vs FreeAgent
Verified ratings, real UK pricing and the compliance detail, weighed side by side — with a written verdict at the end.
Sage Accounting
Accounting Software
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- Phone
- Live Chat
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
FreeAgent
Accounting Software
- United Kingdom
- Phone
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
FreeAgent leads on verified reviews by 0.2 of a point — 4.1 against 3.9 for Sage Accounting.
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 | Sage Accounting | FreeAgent |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | £20/mo | £19/mo |
| Free version | NoNo | YesYes |
| Free trial | YesYes | YesYes |
| How it rates | ||
| Overall ratingMean of verified Assaylist reviews | 3.9 | 4.1 |
| Verified reviewsVolume is evidence, not a score — this row is not a contest | 206 reviews | 297 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. The widest gap is ease of use, at 0.2 of a point.
- Sage Accounting
- FreeAgent
| Dimension | Sage Accounting | FreeAgent | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 3.8 | 4.0 | 0.2 to FreeAgent |
| Value for money | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to FreeAgent |
| Customer support | 3.8 | 4.0 | 0.2 to FreeAgent |
| Functionality | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to FreeAgent |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sage Accounting | 39% (80 reviews) | 34% (70 reviews) | 14% (28 reviews) | 10% (21 reviews) | 3% (7 reviews) |
| FreeAgent | 42% (126 reviews) | 32% (96 reviews) | 16% (49 reviews) | 7% (20 reviews) | 2% (6 reviews) |
Feature by feature
Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.
- Both products
- 14%
- Only Sage Accounting
- 1348%
- Only FreeAgent
- 1348%
27 features listed across both products.
What only one of them does
Sage Accounting
13- Assisted VAT submissions
- Bank reconciliation
- Budgets and custom reports
- Carbon footprint tracking
+ 9 more in the table below
FreeAgent
13- Bank feeds
- CIS support
- Corporation Tax tracking
- Director Self Assessment
+ 9 more in the table below
Showing 27 of 27 features
| Detail | Sage Accounting | FreeAgent |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 26 | ||
| Assisted VAT submissions | YesYes | NoNo |
| Bank reconciliation | YesYes | NoNo |
| Budgets and custom reports | YesYes | NoNo |
| Carbon footprint tracking | YesYes | NoNo |
| Cash flow forecasting | YesYes | NoNo |
| CIS management and submission | YesYes | NoNo |
| Multi currency banking | YesYes | NoNo |
| Pension auto enrolment | YesYes | NoNo |
| Quotes and estimates | YesYes | NoNo |
| Receipt capture | YesYes | NoNo |
| Sage Copilot AI assistant | YesYes | NoNo |
| Stock and inventory management | YesYes | NoNo |
| Unlimited sales invoices | YesYes | NoNo |
| Bank feeds | NoNo | YesYes |
| CIS support | NoNo | YesYes |
| Corporation Tax tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| Director Self Assessment | NoNo | YesYes |
| Dividend documentation | NoNo | YesYes |
| Expense and mileage tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| Invoicing and estimates | NoNo | YesYes |
| Mobile app | NoNo | YesYes |
| MTD for Income Tax | NoNo | YesYes |
| Payroll | NoNo | YesYes |
| Radar business insights | NoNo | YesYes |
| Tax timeline with amounts and deadlines | NoNo | YesYes |
| Time tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| Where they match · 1 | ||
| Making Tax Digital for VAT | 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 | Sage Accounting | FreeAgent |
|---|---|---|
| Verified against vendor documentation | ||
| HMRC-recognised for MTD for VAT | YesYes | YesYes |
| HMRC-recognised for MTD for ITSA | Not listedNot listed | YesYes |
| Making Tax Digital ready | YesYes | YesYes |
| RTI-compliant payroll | YesYes | YesYes |
| Pension auto-enrolment | YesYes | Not listedNot listed |
| CIS support | YesYes | YesYes |
| Open Banking bank feeds | YesYes | YesYes |
| Data residency | Not stated | United Kingdom |
| UK-based support | Telephone support from Sage UK | UK based support team |
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.
Sage Accounting
FreeAgent
Start
£20/mo
- 1 user
- Payroll for 1 employee
- Sage Copilot included
Free with NatWest, RBS, Ulster or Mettle
FreeLower
- Full product, not a limited version
- For as long as you hold the account
- Mettle requires one transaction a month
Standard
£43/mo
- 3 users
- Payroll for 1 employee
- 30 receipt captures included
Sole trader
£19/moLower
- Self Assessment preparation
- MTD for Income Tax
- Invoicing and expenses
Plus
£59/mo
- Unlimited users
- Payroll for 5 employees
- 100 receipt captures included
Limited company
£33/moLower
- Corporation Tax tracking
- Dividend documentation
- Director Self Assessment
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 Sage Accounting if
- It lists 13 features FreeAgent does not, including assisted vat submissions.
Choose FreeAgent if
- It costs less to get started — £19/mo against £20/mo.
- There is a free tier you can stay on, which Sage Accounting does not offer.
- Reviewers score it higher on ease of use — 4.0 against 3.8.
- It lists 13 features Sage Accounting does not, including bank feeds.
FreeAgent is purpose built for the single director limited company and is free for customers of NatWest, RBS, Ulster and Mettle, which is hard to beat for a contractor. Sage Accounting is the broader tool with bundled payroll and more room to grow. Contractors should look at FreeAgent first, growing businesses at Sage Accounting.
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