Sage Sole Trader vs FreshBooks
Verified ratings, real UK pricing and the compliance detail, weighed side by side — with a written verdict at the end.
Sage Sole Trader
Accounting Software
- United Kingdom
- Phone
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
FreshBooks
Accounting Software
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Canada
- Phone
- Knowledge Base
Evenly matched on verified reviews — 4.0 against 4.1. 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 | Sage Sole Trader | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | £7/mo | £16/mo |
| Free version | YesYes | NoNo |
| Free trial | YesYes | YesYes |
| How it rates | ||
| Overall ratingMean of verified Assaylist reviews | 4.0 | 4.1 |
| Verified reviewsVolume is evidence, not a score — this row is not a contest | 261 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.
- Sage Sole Trader
- FreshBooks
| Dimension | Sage Sole Trader | FreshBooks | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 4.0 | 4.0 | Level |
| Value for money | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to FreshBooks |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sage Sole Trader | 41% (108 reviews) | 35% (91 reviews) | 14% (37 reviews) | 6% (15 reviews) | 4% (10 reviews) |
| FreshBooks | 42% (109 reviews) | 36% (95 reviews) | 14% (36 reviews) | 7% (18 reviews) | 1% (3 reviews) |
Feature by feature
Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.
- Both products
- 16%
- Only Sage Sole Trader
- 741%
- Only FreshBooks
- 953%
17 features listed across both products.
What only one of them does
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
FreshBooks
9- Automated payment reminders
- Client portal
- Expense and mileage tracking
- Making Tax Digital for VAT
+ 5 more in the table below
Showing 17 of 17 features
| Detail | Sage Sole Trader | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 16 | ||
| Bank connection | YesYes | NoNo |
| HMRC recognised submissions | YesYes | NoNo |
| Income and expense tracking | YesYes | NoNo |
| MTD for Income Tax quarterly updates | YesYes | NoNo |
| Receipt capture | YesYes | NoNo |
| Self Assessment preparation | YesYes | NoNo |
| Simple tax estimates | YesYes | NoNo |
| Automated payment reminders | NoNo | YesYes |
| Client portal | NoNo | YesYes |
| Expense and mileage tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| Making Tax Digital for VAT | NoNo | YesYes |
| Online payments | NoNo | YesYes |
| Professional invoicing | NoNo | YesYes |
| Project profitability | NoNo | YesYes |
| Recurring invoices | NoNo | YesYes |
| Time tracking | 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 | Sage Sole Trader | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|
| Verified against vendor documentation | ||
| HMRC-recognised for MTD for VAT | Not listedNot listed | YesYes |
| HMRC-recognised for MTD for ITSA | YesYes | Not listedNot listed |
| Making Tax Digital ready | YesYes | YesYes |
| UK-based support | Telephone support from Sage UK | Not stated |
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 Sole Trader
FreshBooks
Sage Sole Trader Free
FreeLower
- HMRC recognised digital record keeping
- MTD for Income Tax ready
- For non VAT registered sole traders
Lite
£16/mo
- Unlimited invoices
- Up to 5 billable clients
- Expense tracking
Sage Sole Trader
£7/moLower
- Self Assessment preparation
- Quarterly MTD updates
- Income and expense tracking
Plus
£30/mo
- Up to 50 billable clients
- Recurring invoices
- Project profitability
No comparable tier listed
Premium
£42/mo
- Unlimited billable clients
- Advanced reporting
- Everything in Plus
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 Sole Trader if
- It costs less to get started — £7/mo against £16/mo.
- There is a free tier you can stay on, which FreshBooks does not offer.
- It lists 7 features FreshBooks does not, including bank connection.
- It covers more of the UK obligations we check — 3 of them against 1.
Choose FreshBooks if
- It lists 9 features Sage Sole Trader does not, including automated payment reminders.
On verified Assaylist reviews, FreshBooks currently rates 4.1 against 4.0 for Sage Sole Trader. That gap is not the whole story: Sage Sole Trader starts at £7/mo and FreshBooks at £16/mo, so the right answer depends on the tier you actually need and on which one handles your UK obligations. Read both profiles before you commit, and confirm current pricing on the vendor's own site.
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