Pandle vs FreeAgent
Verified ratings, real UK pricing and the compliance detail, weighed side by side — with a written verdict at the end.
Pandle
Accounting Software
- United Kingdom
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
FreeAgent
Accounting Software
- United Kingdom
- Phone
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
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 | Pandle | FreeAgent |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | Free | £19/mo |
| Free version | YesYes | YesYes |
| Free trial | NoNo | 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 | 290 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 — and, below, the star split each average is built from.
- Pandle
- FreeAgent
| Dimension | Pandle | FreeAgent | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 4.0 | 4.0 | Level |
| Value for money | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to FreeAgent |
| Customer support | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to FreeAgent |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pandle | 41% (118 reviews) | 36% (103 reviews) | 12% (36 reviews) | 9% (25 reviews) | 3% (8 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
- 15%
- Only Pandle
- 836%
- Only FreeAgent
- 1359%
22 features listed across both products.
What only one of them does
Pandle
8- Bank reconciliation
- Free cloud bookkeeping
- Invoicing
- Multi currency
+ 4 more in the table below
FreeAgent
13- Bank feeds
- CIS support
- Corporation Tax tracking
- Director Self Assessment
+ 9 more in the table below
Showing 22 of 22 features
| Detail | Pandle | FreeAgent |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 21 | ||
| Bank reconciliation | YesYes | NoNo |
| Free cloud bookkeeping | YesYes | NoNo |
| Invoicing | YesYes | NoNo |
| Multi currency | YesYes | NoNo |
| Real time error checking | YesYes | NoNo |
| Receipt uploads on Pro | YesYes | NoNo |
| Reporting | YesYes | NoNo |
| UK accountant network | 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 | Pandle | 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 | Not listedNot listed | YesYes |
| CIS support | Not listedNot listed | YesYes |
| Open Banking bank feeds | Not listedNot listed | YesYes |
| Data residency | United Kingdom | United Kingdom |
| UK-based support | UK support team | 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.
Pandle
FreeAgent
Free
Free
- Invoicing
- Bank reconciliation
- Real time reporting
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
Pro
£5/moLower
- Receipt uploads
- Ad free
- Priority support
Sole trader
£19/mo
- Self Assessment preparation
- MTD for Income Tax
- Invoicing and expenses
No comparable tier listed
Limited company
£33/mo
- 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 Pandle if
- It costs less to get started — Free against £19/mo.
- It lists 8 features FreeAgent does not, including bank reconciliation.
Choose FreeAgent if
- You can trial it before paying — Pandle lists no free trial.
- It lists 13 features Pandle does not, including bank feeds.
- It covers more of the UK obligations we check — 7 of them against 3.
On verified Assaylist reviews, FreeAgent currently rates 4.1 against 4.0 for Pandle. That gap is not the whole story: Pandle starts at Free and FreeAgent at £19/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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