FreeAgent vs Xero vs Sage Accounting vs QuickBooks Online

Written head to head: QuickBooks Online vs Xero · Xero vs Sage Accounting, with when to choose each side.

Compared on	FreeAgent Free plan · from £8.33/mo VisitRemove	Xero From $27/mo VisitRemove	Sage Accounting From £20/mo VisitRemove	QuickBooks Online Free plan · from $38/mo VisitRemove
What it is	UK accounting for sole traders, companies and landlords, free with a NatWest Group business account	Cloud accounting with three US plans, no per-user fees, Gusto payroll and the JAX AI assistant	UK cloud accounting with payroll and the Sage Copilot AI assistant included in all three plans	Intuit's cloud accounting for US small businesses, from a free tier to plans with AI bookkeeping
Free plan	Free for as long as you hold a NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland or Ulster Bank business current account, or a Mettle account with at least one transaction a month (Mettle is not listed for partnerships). Optional add-ons may be chargeable.	No	No	1 user, no accountant access, up to 2 invoices a month (unlimited if you qualify for and enable QuickBooks Payments), the top 3 reports (profit and loss, balance sheet, account quick report), 1 bank connection, chat support. No credit card required. Mobile app access and third-party integrations are not available on Free.
Cheapest paid plan	£8.33/mo billed annually (Landlord (unincorporated))FreeAgent pricing	$27/mo (Early)Xero pricing	£20/mo (Start)Sage Accounting pricing	$38/mo (Simple Start)QuickBooks Online pricing
What it covers	For UK unincorporated landlords; excludes 20% VAT; £100 billed yearly. The Sole trader plan is £19/month (£190/year). Promotion: 50% off for the first 6 months on monthly billing, or the first year on annual billing.	Per organization, no per-user licence fees; send quotes and 20 invoices, enter 5 bills; auto-reconcile is a $5/month add-on. Promotion: 90% off ($2.70/month) for the first 6 months for new US customers, until 2 November 2026.	UK price excluding 20% VAT; 1 user; payroll for 1 employee included, then £1.85 per employee a month; no receipt capture. Promotion: 90% off (£2/month) for the first 6 months.	1 user plus access for 2 accountants. Promotion: 50% off ($19/month) for the first 3 months. No annual contract; the pricing page shows no annual price.
Free trial	30-day free trial, no credit card required	One month free on any Xero plan	30 days free of Accounting Standard, taken instead of the 90%-off offer	30-day free trial, shown alongside the 50%-off offer on the pricing page
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android, API	Web	Web, iOS, Android	Web, iOS, Android
Integrations (vendor's figure)	Integration partnerships including Dext, Engager.app, Bright and Syft	Integrate with 1000+ apps	Not stated	800+ integrations
Open source	No	No	No	No
Good for	UK sole traders preparing for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Limited company directors who file Corporation Tax and run payroll themselves NatWest, RBS, Ulster Bank or Mettle customers who want free accounting	Small businesses that want several people in the books without per-user fees Businesses that work closely with an accountant or bookkeeper Companies that bill or pay in foreign currencies	UK small businesses that want accounting and payroll in one subscription VAT-registered sole traders filing Making Tax Digital VAT returns Construction businesses that submit CIS returns	US small businesses that want accounting, invoicing and payroll from one vendor Sole owners starting on a free plan with a few invoices a month Growing teams that need inventory, project profitability and up to 25 users
Watch out for	Built for UK businesses: plans cover HMRC filings and prices are in GBP excluding VAT Smart Capture covers 10 receipts and bills a month unless you pay £5 a month Accounts set up on the cash basis do not include stock or payroll features	Early caps you at 20 invoices and 5 bills, and auto-reconcile costs $5 a month extra Multi-currency, projects and expense claims need Established ($97/mo) Payroll costs $36 a month plus $6 per person through Gusto	Sold on Sage's UK site in GBP excluding VAT; Sage's US site lists Sage 50 and Sage Intacct, not Sage Accounting Start has 1 user and no receipt capture; Standard is capped at 3 users Budgets, inventory and multi-currency need the Plus plan	Free plan: 1 user, 2 invoices a month unless QuickBooks Payments is enabled, 1 bank connection, no mobile app or third-party integrations User caps: 1 on Simple Start, 3 on Essentials, 5 on Plus, 25 on Advanced Inventory, budgets and project profitability need Plus ($140/mo); workflow automation and custom permissions need Advanced ($340/mo)
Made by	FreeAgent Central Limited	Xero Limited	Sage Group plc	Intuit Inc.

Entry prices are the cheapest paid plan, as each vendor publishes it; “What it covers” says what that price is per (a user, a channel, a brand, a number of contacts). The sources are listed on each tool's page.

Every tool in accounting and invoicing software is on its category page, with the written head-to-heads on Compare.