A FreeAgent alternative for UK Self Assessment

FreeAgent: Accounting software, free with some business bank accounts. TaxEase UK guides you through your own return, in your own language, for £39 per tax year, or £49 with MTD.

If you start with TaxEase UK and your return turns out to be genuinely complex, the app tells you so and points you to a verified accountant through Find an Accountant. You are not stuck.

Comparison last verified 2026-09-21 from their own pricing page. FreeAgent pricing and features change; check their site before deciding.

FreeAgent is accounting software for running a business day to day, with Self Assessment as one feature among many. The sole trader tier is £19 a month plus VAT, halved for the first six months. It is free if you bank with NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland or Ulster Bank, which is genuinely the cheapest route for some people.

For comparison, TaxEase UK is £39 per tax year for Self Assessment or £49 with Making Tax Digital, with no introductory rate that expires and no separate fee for a second income source. One licence covers one person’s return, on all of their own devices.

We are not going to pretend otherwise. FreeAgent is the better fit if:

• You want to submit to HMRC from the same app today. Direct submission is something TaxEase UK does not offer yet.
• You want everyday bookkeeping in one place. Bank feeds, invoices and year-round records, not only the yearly return.
• Your accountant already works in FreeAgent. Staying in the tool they use keeps things simple for both of you.
• Your affairs are genuinely complicated. Multiple properties, capital gains across several assets, or a partnership. A human should look at those, whatever software you use.

• English is not your first language. Every label, explanation and error message is translated into 10 languages, not just the interface but the guidance too. Few UK tools offer this.
• Your return is straightforward. One self-employment, or a job plus a side income, or a single rental property. Most returns are.
• You file every year. A yearly £39 against a per-return fee compounds quickly.
• You do not want to hand over your data. Your calculations run in your browser, with no bank link. Your figures leave your device only if you choose to send them to your accountant or to HMRC.
• You want to see the workings. The tax breakdown shows how the number was reached, and the optimizer shows where you could legally reduce it.

Everything in the free version, plus the full tax summary and optimizer, the filing checklist, a PDF report, unlimited OCR document scanning, the HMRC letter scanner, the audit risk checker, and annual rate updates each April. One licence key covers all your devices.

The free version is not a trial. The main steps stay unlocked permanently, covering SA100, SA102, SA103S, SA105 and SA106, in all 10 languages.

TaxEase UK prepares your return and gives you a filing checklist. You then submit it through your own HMRC account on gov.uk.

Direct submission to HMRC via the Making Tax Digital API is in development, pending HMRC production access.

TaxEase UK walks you through your Self Assessment step by step, in your own language, with every box explained in plain words.

Scan your statements and invoices with the built-in OCR and the figures fill in themselves. The deductibility checker tells you yes, no or partial for any expense you are unsure about.

Your tax data stays on your device unless you choose to send it to your accountant or to HMRC. No bank account link, no data sharing.

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• Pricing
• How TaxEase UK works
• Frequently asked questions
• Find a verified accountant