# Alternatives to FreeAgent

> Source: https://tickmarkbooks.com/freeagent/alternatives/ (re-verified)
> Updated: 28 October 2026

## At a glance

| Name | Best for | Starts at | A month at 100 transactions | Better than FreeAgent at | Checked |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [FreeAgent](https://tickmarkbooks.com/freeagent.md) | UK sole traders and small limited companies filing their own VAT and Self Assessment | From about $13 a month | About $25 | — | 26 October 2026 |
| [Zoho Books](https://tickmarkbooks.com/zoho-books.md) | Small businesses and startups that want one ledger plus the wider Zoho app suite | Free, then $20 a month | $20 | What the AI costs, Accrual books and reports | 26 October 2026 |
| [Puzzle](https://tickmarkbooks.com/puzzle.md) | A US startup on Mercury, Brex, Ramp, Stripe and Gusto that wants to replace QuickBooks | Price not established | $30 | People check the books, Shopify | 26 October 2026 |
| [Pilot](https://tickmarkbooks.com/pilot.md) | A US startup or small business that wants its books done for it in QuickBooks Online | Price not established | $137 | People check the books, Shopify | 26 October 2026 |
| [Booke AI](https://tickmarkbooks.com/booke-ai.md) | A business or bookkeeping firm already on QuickBooks Online or Xero | Price not established | $156 | Several businesses, Canada | 26 October 2026 |
| [SimpleAI](https://tickmarkbooks.com/simpleai.md) | Accounting firms and finance teams processing high volumes of invoices and bank statements | From $79 a month | $106 | Past your plan’s limits, What the AI costs | 27 October 2026 |
| [Sage Accounting](https://tickmarkbooks.com/sage-accounting.md) | VAT-registered sole traders and small firms up to 49 employees wanting payroll built in | From about $27 a month | About $58 | What the AI costs, Shopify | 27 October 2026 |
| [FreshBooks](https://tickmarkbooks.com/freshbooks.md) | Service businesses and freelancers who bill clients and want their books in the same place | From $23 a month | $43 | What the AI costs, People check the books | 28 October 2026 |
| [Xero](https://tickmarkbooks.com/xero.md) | Small businesses wanting the whole team and their advisor on the books, no per-user fees | From $27 a month | $27 | What the AI costs, Pays your bills | 28 October 2026 |
| [QuickBooks Online](https://tickmarkbooks.com/quickbooks-online.md) | Small businesses that want one ledger plus payroll, payments and an accountant login | Free, then $38 a month | $38 | What the AI costs, Pays your bills | 28 October 2026 |

“About” figures are converted at the European Central Bank rate of 30 October 2026.

The ones people open most here come first, then the closest matches.

## Shortlist

### 1. Zoho Books

Cloud accounting ledger with Zia AI, bank feeds, sales tax and 1099 e-filing, from $20 a month.

**Where it improves on FreeAgent:**
- [What the AI costs: yes — included — the AI page carries no separate price and the receipt autoscan allowance is part of the subscription, from 50 scans a month on Free to 1,000 on Premium and above.](https://www.zoho.com/us/books/pricing/)
- [Accrual books and reports: yes — Profit and loss, balance sheet and cash flow sit among 70+ built-in reports you can run at any time; the pages read do not state whether the books are kept on a cash or accrual basis.](https://www.zoho.com/us/books/accounting-software/accounting-financial-reports/)
- [Shopify: partial — Stripe, PayPal, Square and Authorize.Net are supported payment gateways and Shopify stores connect on Elite and above (up to two)](https://www.zoho.com/us/books/pricing/pricing-comparison.html)

**Trade-offs against FreeAgent:**
- [Promotion and regular price: no — none — the $20 Standard rate is the standing month-to-month price; the lower $15 figure is simply the yearly billing rate, not a time-limited introductory offer.](https://www.zoho.com/us/books/pricing/)
- [Categorizes transactions: partial — Zia pre-fills the account and vendor against each imported bank line, so it suggests rather than posts by itself, and the page does not claim it learns from your corrections.](https://www.zoho.com/us/books/accounting-software/ai-in-accounting/)
- [Your accountant can sign in: partial — The Free plan is quoted as one user plus one accountant, so an accountant seat is free there; the paid plans are quoted only as user counts, with extra users at $3 a month.](https://www.zoho.com/us/books/pricing/pricing-comparison.html)

[View Zoho Books](https://tickmarkbooks.com/zoho-books)

### 2. Puzzle

AI-native accounting software with optional bookkeeper services for startups and small businesses.

**Where it improves on FreeAgent:**
- [People check the books: partial — Only with a paid service; software plans: you check. On the software plans (Starter, Core, Complete, Scale) you close the books yourself, and Puzzle support does not do bookkeeping.](https://puzzle.io/pricing)
- [Shopify: yes — Shopify no](https://puzzle.io/integrations/stripe)
- [Gusto payroll: yes — Stripe and Gusto yes](https://puzzle.io/integrations/stripe)

**Trade-offs against FreeAgent:**
- [Reconciles your accounts: partial — You reconcile on Starter; AI drafts it from Complete. Every plan has a reconciliation screen where you match the month's transactions to the statement until the difference is $0, then Puzzle runs an auto-validation check.](https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/6986882-how-to-reconcile-bank-and-credit-card-accounts-in-puzzle)
- [Reads receipts and bills: partial — Reads an uploaded receipt; no stated matching. You can attach documents to a transaction or bill.](https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/15138987-month-end-close-with-ai-close)
- [PayPal: partial — PayPal, Square not named. PayPal: not named on any page read.](https://puzzle.io/integrations/stripe)

[View Puzzle](https://tickmarkbooks.com/puzzle)

### 3. Pilot

A bookkeeping and tax service for startups that pairs software-driven dashboards with human financial advisors.

**Where it improves on FreeAgent:**
- [People check the books: partial — Bookkeeper reviews on Core; Essentials is AI only. Essentials is described as AI doing the work ('AI categorizes transactions, reconciles accounts, and closes books monthly'), with support by in-app message.](https://pilot.com/pricing)
- [Shopify: yes — Stripe, Shopify, Gusto yes](https://pilot.com/platform/integrations)
- [Square: yes — PayPal, Square listed](https://pilot.com/platform/integrations)

**Trade-offs against FreeAgent:**
- [Ledger included: no — Works in QuickBooks Online; you pay for the license. Every bookkeeping plan is done in QuickBooks Online (FAQ: 'Pilot does all of its bookkeeping in QuickBooks Online').](https://pilot.com/terms/client-terms)
- [Setup or onboarding fee: yes — Onboarding charge equal to one month. A one-time onboarding charge equal to one month of bookkeeping on every plan (so $99 on Essentials and $399 to $1,199 on Core, by band, at monthly billing).](https://pilot.com/faq)
- [Sends invoices: partial — Invoicing is an add-on service. Pilot has no invoicing feature in its bookkeeping plans.](https://pilot.com/faq)

[View Pilot](https://tickmarkbooks.com/pilot)

### 4. Booke AI

An AI bookkeeper that works inside QuickBooks Online and Xero to categorize transactions and match documents.

**Where it improves on FreeAgent:**
- [Several businesses: yes — Each business adds $129 a month, on one bill. Several businesses sit on one subscription; each is priced at the per-business rate ($129 a month monthly, $116 a month billed annually), prorated when added mid-period and joined to the combined charge at renewal.](https://booke.ai/pricing)
- [Canada: yes — US, Canada, UK and Australia, in local currency.](https://booke.ai/)
- [Australia: yes — US, Canada, UK and Australia, in local currency.](https://booke.ai/)

**Trade-offs against FreeAgent:**
- [Ledger included: no — No: you also pay for QuickBooks Online or Xero. Booke works inside an existing QuickBooks Online or Xero file, joining it as a user; it is not a ledger and no ledger license is in its price.](https://booke.ai/)
- [Reconciles your accounts: partial — Prepares reconciliation; your team completes it. In QuickBooks Online it prepares work for reconciliation and does not promise a reconciled file; in Xero it can perform 'supported reconciliation actions for eligible configured cases' and leaves the rest open.](https://booke.ai/bookkeeping-automation-software)
- [Sends invoices: partial — Matches payments to ledger invoices; sends none. It matches incoming payments to invoices that already exist in QuickBooks Online or Xero, including multi-invoice payments.](https://booke.ai/quickbooks-online)

[View Booke AI](https://tickmarkbooks.com/booke-ai)

### 5. SimpleAI

AI agents that extract, classify and reconcile accounting documents, then publish them into Xero or QuickBooks.

**Where it improves on FreeAgent:**
- [Past your plan’s limits: yes — Past the monthly credit allowance you buy add-on packs at a published rate, but the number of packs is capped per month, so very heavy months force a plan upgrade rather than open-ended overage.](https://simpleaiworks.com/en/pricing)
- [What the AI costs: yes — credits: the AI is the product and is in every plan, but what you process is metered in credits at one credit per document and one per bank statement page, with extra credits sold in capped packs.](https://simpleaiworks.com/en/pricing)
- [Several businesses: yes — SAAM puts unlimited entities on every published plan at no per-entity charge, so a firm or group adds client books without a price step; NOVA by contrast allows one entity on each of its tiers.](https://simpleaiworks.com/en/pricing)

**Trade-offs against FreeAgent:**
- [Promotion and regular price: no — none on the SAAM plan cards: the only discount the vendor names on them is 10% for annual billing, and the separate Bank Statement Extraction module is the one that runs a labeled limited-time promotion.](https://simpleaiworks.com/en/pricing)
- [Ledger included: no — SAAM is not the ledger: it extracts and classifies documents and then publishes entries into the accounting software you already pay for, so a Xero, QuickBooks or Accurate subscription sits on top of its price.](https://simpleaiworks.com/en/contact)
- [Sends invoices: partial — Sending invoices belongs to the other product lines, not SAAM: NOVA handles invoices and AR aging conversationally, and the e-Invoicing module issues Peppol invoices for Singapore, while SAAM only extracts AR documents.](https://simpleaiworks.com/en/solutions/nova)

[View SimpleAI](https://tickmarkbooks.com/simpleai)

### 6. Sage Accounting

Sage's cloud small-business ledger with built-in payroll and the Sage Copilot assistant; US edition retired.

**Where it improves on FreeAgent:**
- [What the AI costs: yes — included: Sage states the Copilot productivity assistant comes with every Sage Accounting plan at no separate charge, with no credit pack or AI add-on priced anywhere on the plan page.](https://www.sage.com/en-gb/sage-business-cloud/sage-accounting/)
- [Shopify: yes — Sage names Stripe, PayPal and Shopify plus WooCommerce as connections for Sage Accounting, with the rest of the library in the Sage Marketplace](https://www.sage.com/en-ca/sage-business-cloud/accounting/)
- [Moves your history in: yes — Sage brings two years of transactional data, the chart of accounts and customer and supplier lists over from the previous accounting system through MoveMyBooks, and says it pays for that migration.](https://www.sage.com/en-gb/sage-business-cloud/sage-accounting/)

**Trade-offs against FreeAgent:**
- [Reads receipts and bills: partial — Receipt and invoice snapping is excluded from the entry Start plan and metered above it, with 30 captures on Standard and 100 on Plus before GBP 0.20 each.](https://www.sage.com/en-gb/sage-business-cloud/sage-accounting/)
- [Files your tax return: partial — It calculates and submits VAT returns to HMRC from inside the product, but for the income tax return it only gathers and organizes the data so the user completes the Self Assessment themselves.](https://www.sage.com/en-gb/sage-business-cloud/sage-accounting/)
- [Other currencies: partial — Multi-currency banking, exchange rate updates and gain/loss reporting sit on the Plus plan only, which is the most expensive of the three tiers.](https://www.sage.com/en-ca/sage-business-cloud/accounting/)

[View Sage Accounting](https://tickmarkbooks.com/sage-accounting)

### 7. FreshBooks

Double-entry small-business ledger built around invoicing, with a read-only Claude connector for questions.

**Where it improves on FreeAgent:**
- [What the AI costs: yes — add-on, but a free one: the Claude connector costs nothing extra on any FreshBooks account, though you need a Claude account and free Claude plans allow only one connector.](https://www.freshbooks.com/ai/claude)
- [People check the books: partial — Nobody checks the books on a software plan; review only comes if you buy the separate bookkeeping service, where partner bookkeepers categorize transactions and reconcile accounts for you.](https://www.freshbooks.com/bookkeeping)
- [Gusto payroll: yes — Gusto drives the built-in payroll and PayPal and Stripe are supported payment processors across an app store of more than a hundred partners](https://support.freshbooks.com/hc/en-us)

**Trade-offs against FreeAgent:**
- [Notice before a price rise: no — The terms promise no notice period: FreshBooks may change the fees at any time and says modifications take effect immediately once it emails you or posts a notice.](https://www.freshbooks.com/policies/terms-of-service)
- [Reconciles your accounts: partial — Bank reconciliation is a real feature but it is withheld from the cheapest paid plan: the comparison table gives it to Plus, Premium and Select and leaves the Lite column blank.](https://www.freshbooks.com/pricing)
- [Reads receipts and bills: partial — You can photograph or email a receipt and have the merchant, totals and taxes read off it, but automatic expense receipt data capture and emailed receipts begin on Plus, and bill receipt capture on Premium.](https://www.freshbooks.com/expenses-and-receipts-tracking)

[View FreshBooks](https://tickmarkbooks.com/freshbooks)

### 8. Xero

Small-business ledger with a JAX assistant that answers questions in plain language; unlimited users on every plan.

**Where it improves on FreeAgent:**
- [What the AI costs: yes — included: JAX chat carries no extra charge for subscribers on any plan, though Xero reserves the right to change that pricing later.](https://www.xero.com/us/ai-in-accounting/jax/)
- [Pays your bills: yes — Bills are captured and tracked with approval roles and duplicate spotting, and standard domestic ACH payments are included in every business plan, with fees on other methods.](https://www.xero.com/us/pricing-plans/)
- [Accrual books and reports: yes — Real-time profit and loss, balance sheet and cash flow reports are on every plan and can be customized and compared against budget; the pages do not name the accounting basis.](https://www.xero.com/us/accounting-software/run-financial-reports/)

**Trade-offs against FreeAgent:**
- [Notice before a price rise: partial — The pricing page reserves the right to change prices at any time, while the terms promise a reasonable effort to give 60 days notice of material changes, so the notice is an endeavor rather than a guarantee.](https://www.xero.com/us/legal/terms/)
- [Categorizes transactions: partial — Bank rules categorize recurring transactions for you and Xero suggests matches, but hands-off auto-reconcile is a $5 a month add-on on Early and only included from Growing up; no page claims it learns from your corrections.](https://www.xero.com/us/pricing-plans/)
- [Sends invoices: partial — Invoicing with online payment acceptance is on every plan, but Early is capped at 20 invoices a month before you must move up to Growing.](https://www.xero.com/us/pricing-plans/)

[View Xero](https://tickmarkbooks.com/xero)

### 9. QuickBooks Online

Intuit's cloud ledger, now with Intuit Intelligence agents that categorize, reconcile and flag errors.

**Where it improves on FreeAgent:**
- [What the AI costs: yes — included: the AI features are listed inside each plan card rather than sold as credits or an add-on, with more agents unlocked as the tier rises.](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing/)
- [Pays your bills: yes — Bills can be tracked and paid from Simple Start upward, with five standard ACH payments a month included and fifty cents each beyond the allotment; approval workflows are an Advanced feature.](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing/)
- [Accrual books and reports: yes — Profit and loss and balance sheet reports are produced on every tier including Free; the pages read do not state whether the books are kept on an accrual basis or name a cash flow statement.](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing/)

**Trade-offs against FreeAgent:**
- [Notice before a price rise: no — Intuit's own footnote reserves the right to change pricing without notice, so the terms promise no notice period before a renewal price rises.](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/accountants/)
- [Reconciles your accounts: partial — Automated reconciliation is a Plus-tier and above feature on the plan cards; the Simple Start and Essentials cards do not list it, so cheaper tiers leave the matching to you.](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing/)
- [Stripe: partial — Third-party app integrations are offered with paid plans and an app marketplace, but they are explicitly unavailable on the Free plan, and the pages read name no individual app such as Stripe or Shopify.](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing/)

[View QuickBooks Online](https://tickmarkbooks.com/quickbooks-online)