 |
FreeAgent vs QuickBooks
March 15, 2025 | Author: Michael Stromann
6★
FreeAgent is accounting software for small businesses and freelancers, recommended by 99.5% of our users. From expenses and time tracking, to estimates and invoices, FreeAgent helps you take care of business day-to-day. Keep track of your cash flow and project profitability, and see who owes you money on your FreeAgent overview screen. No need to sweat. Set up and configure multiple sales tax rates for your country and the countries you do business with.
44★
QuickBooks puts you in control of your finances, your time, your business—and where you work. From setup to support, QuickBooks makes your accounting easy. With simple tools to get you started, free support, and a money-back guarantee, QuickBooks is the effortless choice.
See also:
Top 10 Online Accounting software
Top 10 Online Accounting software
FreeAgent and QuickBooks are, at first glance, remarkably similar. Both exist in that peculiar realm where small businesses and freelancers try to make sense of numbers while pretending to enjoy it. They live in the cloud (not the fluffy white ones, but the ones that charge a monthly fee) and promise to make accounting as painless as possible—though, much like an "easy assembly" bookshelf, this promise is often subject to interpretation. They generate invoices, track expenses and attempt to reconcile the baffling discrepancies between what you thought you had and what the bank insists you actually do. They even come with mobile apps, presumably so you can panic about your finances anywhere in the world.
FreeAgent, born in 2007 in the UK, is designed for freelancers, small business owners and those who secretly suspect they should have hired an accountant but refuse to admit it. It is particularly fond of the UK tax system, offering tools for VAT and Self Assessment with a reassuringly cheerful demeanor, as if to say, "Yes, tax is awful, but at least we can make it colorful!" It also comes with project management and time-tracking features, because nothing says "fun with finances" like knowing exactly how much time you've wasted. However, if you need payroll, you’ll have to look elsewhere, because FreeAgent has made it very clear that paying people is someone else’s problem.
QuickBooks, on the other hand, has been around since 1983, making it the wise old sage of accounting software (if wise old sages occasionally crashed and needed tech support). Based in the US, it has ambitions beyond the freelancer crowd, catering to small and mid-sized businesses and anyone who enjoys the thrill of managing inventory. It offers payroll services, multi-currency support and a variety of pricing plans that range from "just dipping my toes into financial responsibility" to "I now run an empire and require spreadsheets for everything." It is global in reach and powerful in features, but at the end of the day, it too must confront the universal truth: no one actually enjoys accounting.
See also: Top 10 Online Accounting software
FreeAgent, born in 2007 in the UK, is designed for freelancers, small business owners and those who secretly suspect they should have hired an accountant but refuse to admit it. It is particularly fond of the UK tax system, offering tools for VAT and Self Assessment with a reassuringly cheerful demeanor, as if to say, "Yes, tax is awful, but at least we can make it colorful!" It also comes with project management and time-tracking features, because nothing says "fun with finances" like knowing exactly how much time you've wasted. However, if you need payroll, you’ll have to look elsewhere, because FreeAgent has made it very clear that paying people is someone else’s problem.
QuickBooks, on the other hand, has been around since 1983, making it the wise old sage of accounting software (if wise old sages occasionally crashed and needed tech support). Based in the US, it has ambitions beyond the freelancer crowd, catering to small and mid-sized businesses and anyone who enjoys the thrill of managing inventory. It offers payroll services, multi-currency support and a variety of pricing plans that range from "just dipping my toes into financial responsibility" to "I now run an empire and require spreadsheets for everything." It is global in reach and powerful in features, but at the end of the day, it too must confront the universal truth: no one actually enjoys accounting.
See also: Top 10 Online Accounting software
