Zoho Books vs Sage Sole Trader
Verified ratings, real UK pricing and the compliance detail, weighed side by side — with a written verdict at the end.
Zoho Books
Accounting Software
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- United States
- Canada
- Australia
- India
- Phone
- Live Chat
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
Sage Sole Trader
Accounting Software
- United Kingdom
- Phone
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
Evenly matched on verified reviews — 4.1 against 4.0. 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 | Zoho Books | Sage Sole Trader |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | Free | £7/mo |
| Free version | YesYes | YesYes |
| Free trial | YesYes | YesYes |
| How it rates | ||
| Overall ratingMean of verified Assaylist reviews | 4.1 | 4.0 |
| Verified reviewsVolume is evidence, not a score — this row is not a contest | 240 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.
- Zoho Books
- Sage Sole Trader
| Dimension | Zoho Books | Sage Sole Trader | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 4.1 | 4.0 | 0.1 to Zoho Books |
| Value for money | 4.0 | 3.9 | 0.1 to Zoho Books |
| Customer support | 4.0 | 4.0 | Level |
| Functionality | 4.1 | 4.0 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho Books | 48% (114 reviews) | 29% (69 reviews) | 15% (36 reviews) | 7% (17 reviews) | 2% (4 reviews) |
| Sage Sole Trader | 41% (108 reviews) | 35% (91 reviews) | 14% (37 reviews) | 6% (15 reviews) | 4% (10 reviews) |
Feature by feature
Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.
- Only Zoho Books
- 1667%
- Only Sage Sole Trader
- 833%
24 features listed across both products.
What only one of them does
Zoho Books
16- 50+ reports
- API access
- Bank reconciliation
- CIS contractor tracking
+ 12 more in the table below
Sage Sole Trader
8- Bank connection
- HMRC recognised submissions
- Income and expense tracking
- Mobile app
+ 4 more in the table below
| Detail | Zoho Books | Sage Sole Trader |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 24 | ||
| 50+ reports | YesYes | NoNo |
| API access | YesYes | NoNo |
| Bank reconciliation | YesYes | NoNo |
| CIS contractor tracking | YesYes | NoNo |
| Customer portal | YesYes | NoNo |
| File CT600 Corporation Tax | YesYes | NoNo |
| File SA100 Self Assessment | YesYes | NoNo |
| Final Accounts filing | YesYes | NoNo |
| Inventory management | YesYes | NoNo |
| Mileage tracking | YesYes | NoNo |
| MTD for Income Tax | YesYes | NoNo |
| MTD for VAT | YesYes | NoNo |
| Projects and time tracking | YesYes | NoNo |
| Property tracking for landlords | YesYes | NoNo |
| Receipt autoscans | YesYes | NoNo |
| Recurring invoices | YesYes | NoNo |
| Bank connection | NoNo | YesYes |
| HMRC recognised submissions | NoNo | YesYes |
| Income and expense tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| Mobile app | NoNo | YesYes |
| MTD for Income Tax quarterly updates | NoNo | YesYes |
| Receipt capture | NoNo | YesYes |
| Self Assessment preparation | NoNo | YesYes |
| Simple tax estimates | NoNo | 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 | Zoho Books | Sage Sole Trader |
|---|---|---|
| Verified against vendor documentation | ||
| HMRC-recognised for MTD for VAT | YesYes | Not listedNot listed |
| HMRC-recognised for MTD for ITSA | YesYes | YesYes |
| Making Tax Digital ready | YesYes | YesYes |
| CIS support | YesYes | Not listedNot listed |
| Open Banking bank feeds | YesYes | Not listedNot listed |
| UK-based support | Not stated | Telephone support from Sage UK |
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.
Zoho Books
Sage Sole Trader
Free
Free
- 1 user plus 1 accountant
- File SA100 with HMRC
- MTD for Income Tax
Sage Sole Trader Free
Free
- HMRC recognised digital record keeping
- MTD for Income Tax ready
- For non VAT registered sole traders
Standard
£12/mo
- 3 users
- Connect bank feeds
- Final Accounts filing
Sage Sole Trader
£7/moLower
- Self Assessment preparation
- Quarterly MTD updates
- Income and expense tracking
Professional
£24/mo
- Projects and time tracking
- Inventory management
- Purchase orders
No comparable tier listed
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 Zoho Books if
- It costs less to get started — Free against £7/mo.
- It lists 16 features Sage Sole Trader does not, including 50+ reports.
- It covers more of the UK obligations we check — 4 of them against 3.
Choose Sage Sole Trader if
- It lists 8 features Zoho Books does not, including bank connection.
On verified Assaylist reviews, Zoho Books currently rates 4.1 against 4.0 for Sage Sole Trader. That gap is not the whole story: Zoho Books starts at Free and Sage Sole Trader at £7/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.
We may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page. It never affects our ratings or what we recommend. How this works.