FreeAgent vs Zoho Books
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
Zoho Books
Accounting Software
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- United States
- Canada
- Australia
- India
- Phone
- Live Chat
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
Evenly matched on verified reviews — 4.1 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 | FreeAgent | Zoho Books |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | £19/mo | Free |
| Free version | YesYes | YesYes |
| Free trial | YesYes | YesYes |
| How it rates | ||
| Overall ratingMean of verified Assaylist reviews | 4.1 | 4.1 |
| Verified reviewsVolume is evidence, not a score — this row is not a contest | 297 reviews | 240 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
- Zoho Books
| Dimension | FreeAgent | Zoho Books | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 4.0 | 4.1 | 0.1 to Zoho Books |
| Value for money | 4.0 | 4.0 | Level |
| Customer support | 4.0 | 4.0 | Level |
| Functionality | 4.0 | 4.1 | 0.1 to Zoho Books |
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) |
| Zoho Books | 48% (114 reviews) | 29% (69 reviews) | 15% (36 reviews) | 7% (17 reviews) | 2% (4 reviews) |
Feature by feature
Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.
- Both products
- 13%
- Only FreeAgent
- 1345%
- Only Zoho Books
- 1552%
29 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
Zoho Books
15- 50+ reports
- API access
- Bank reconciliation
- CIS contractor tracking
+ 11 more in the table below
Showing 29 of 29 features
| Detail | FreeAgent | Zoho Books |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 28 | ||
| 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 |
| Mobile app | YesYes | NoNo |
| Payroll | YesYes | NoNo |
| Radar business insights | YesYes | NoNo |
| Tax timeline with amounts and deadlines | YesYes | NoNo |
| Time tracking | YesYes | NoNo |
| 50+ reports | NoNo | YesYes |
| API access | NoNo | YesYes |
| Bank reconciliation | NoNo | YesYes |
| CIS contractor tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| Customer portal | NoNo | YesYes |
| File CT600 Corporation Tax | NoNo | YesYes |
| File SA100 Self Assessment | NoNo | YesYes |
| Final Accounts filing | NoNo | YesYes |
| Inventory management | NoNo | YesYes |
| Mileage tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| MTD for VAT | NoNo | YesYes |
| Projects and time tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| Property tracking for landlords | NoNo | YesYes |
| Receipt autoscans | NoNo | YesYes |
| Recurring invoices | NoNo | YesYes |
| Where they match · 1 | ||
| MTD for Income Tax | 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 | Zoho Books |
|---|---|---|
| Verified against vendor documentation | ||
| HMRC-recognised for MTD for VAT | YesYes | YesYes |
| HMRC-recognised for MTD for ITSA | YesYes | YesYes |
| Making Tax Digital ready | YesYes | YesYes |
| RTI-compliant payroll | YesYes | Not listedNot listed |
| CIS support | YesYes | YesYes |
| Open Banking bank feeds | YesYes | YesYes |
| Data residency | United Kingdom | Not stated |
| UK-based support | UK based support team | 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.
FreeAgent
Zoho Books
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
Free
Free
- 1 user plus 1 accountant
- File SA100 with HMRC
- MTD for Income Tax
Sole trader
£19/mo
- Self Assessment preparation
- MTD for Income Tax
- Invoicing and expenses
Standard
£12/moLower
- 3 users
- Connect bank feeds
- Final Accounts filing
Limited company
£33/mo
- Corporation Tax tracking
- Dividend documentation
- Director Self Assessment
Professional
£24/moLower
- Projects and time tracking
- Inventory management
- Purchase orders
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 Zoho Books does not, including bank feeds.
- It covers more of the UK obligations we check — 7 of them against 4.
Choose Zoho Books if
- It costs less to get started — Free against £19/mo.
- It lists 15 features FreeAgent does not, including 50+ reports.
On verified Assaylist reviews, FreeAgent currently rates 4.1 against 4.1 for Zoho Books. That gap is not the whole story: FreeAgent starts at £19/mo and Zoho Books at Free, 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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