Best Accounting Software 2026

🆓Free Plan🇬🇧MTD Compliant💷Payroll Available🌍Multi-Currency🏦Bank Feed💰Under £20/mo

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	☆Pin column	☆Pin column	☆Pin column	☆Pin column	☆Pin column
SPEC / FILTER	Intuit QuickBooks Online View deal →✓✕	Xero Xero View deal →✓✕	FreshBooks FreshBooks View deal →✓✕	Sage Accounting View deal →✓✕	Zoho Books View deal →✓✕
Rating	★★★★★4.3	★★★★★4.4	★★★★½4.5	★★★★★4.2	★★★★½4.5
Best for	Small businesses wanting the market-leading accounting platform with a huge accountant network	Growing businesses wanting unlimited users and a best-in-class accountant ecosystem	Freelancers and service businesses wanting the cleanest invoicing and time-tracking experience	UK-established businesses needing deep HMRC integration, payroll, and a trusted brand	Budget-conscious small businesses wanting a genuinely free plan and deep Zoho ecosystem integration
OVERVIEW
Entry Price	£14	£16	£13	£11	£0
Brand	Intuit	Xero	FreshBooks	Sage	Zoho
User Rating	4.3	4.4	4.5	4.2	4.5
Best For	SMBs — market leader, widest accountant network in the UK	Growing SMBs — unlimited users, 1,000+ integrations, strong UK accountant support	Freelancers & service businesses — best invoicing UX + built-in time tracking	UK-established SMBs — deep HMRC integration, payroll, Sage Copilot AI	Budget-conscious SMBs — only tool with a permanent free plan + 15% recurring affiliate
Uptime SLAⓘ	—	99.9% uptime SLA	99.9% uptime SLA	99.9% uptime SLA	99.9% uptime SLA
CLEARPIQ DATA
Annual (10 Users)	900 £/yr	396 £/yr	1536 £/yr	264 £/yr	360 £/yr
Setup Time	3 days	2 days	1 days	3 days	2 days
G2 Ease of Use	8.5/10	8.8/10	9.2/10	8.1/10	8.6/10
PLANS
Monthly Price	30£/mo	16£/mo	17£/mo	14£/mo	15£/mo
Annual Price	14£/mo	16£/mo	13£/mo	11£/mo	12£/mo
Free Trial	30 days	30 days	30 days	30 days	14 days
Free Planⓘ	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓
Users Included	1 (Simple Start); 3 (Essentials); 5 (Plus)	Unlimited (all plans)	1 owner (+ £10/mo per extra user)	1 (Start); Unlimited (Standard)	1 (Free); 3 (Standard); 5 (Professional)
FEATURES
Invoicing	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Auto Bank Feedⓘ	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Payroll Add-onⓘ	✓	✓	✗	✓	✓
Multi-Currencyⓘ	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Expense Tracking	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Recurring Invoices	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
COMPLIANCE
MTD Compliantⓘ	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
VAT Returns	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Tax Filingⓘ	✓	✓	✗	✓	✓
Self Assessmentⓘ	✓	✗	✗	✓	✗
PLATFORM
Integrations	750	1000	100	200	50
Mobile App	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
API Access	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓

Data last verified: April 2026

Prices are RRP and may vary. Specs verified April 2026. Some links are affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.