Some plans look cheap until you add the features you need. Others cost more but include tools you'd otherwise pay for separately. We'll start with the regular monthly prices, so you can see what's included before we get into each option.
| Software | Plan | Monthly price | Main qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Briefcase Ledger | Low | £19 | 75 invoices and receipts and 300 bank transactions per quarter; every feature and unlimited users |
| Xero | Ignite / Grow | £18 / £39 | Ignite caps sales invoices and bills; Grow removes those caps |
| QuickBooks Online | Essentials | £38 | Supplier bills and multicurrency; payroll costs extra |
| FreeAgent | Limited company | £33 | Ten Smart Capture files a month; unlimited capture adds £5 |
| Sage Accounting | Standard | £43 | 30 approved captures a month; further captures cost 20p each |
| Zoho Books | Professional | £24 | Supplier bills, stock and multicurrency; annual transaction limits apply |
Prices and plan boundaries are drawn from Briefcase’s business pricing, Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent, Sage and Zoho Books.
Briefcase includes its full feature set and unlimited users from £19 a month plus VAT. As you compare the prices, account for usage allowances, paid upgrades and any separate tools you would need. Annual commitments and subscriptions through an accountant can change the price; the table uses direct monthly business pricing.
1. Briefcase Ledger
Summary: Briefcase Ledger is an accounting system built around AI, from the first receipt through to the month-end accounts. It learns how your business codes transactions, handles eligible entries through Autopilot and explains the decisions it makes. Capture, bank reconciliation, payments and working papers sit alongside the ledger, so the information needed to keep the books up to date stays together.
The appeal is how much of the work around the accounts it can take off your hands. Coding improves as you use it, without supplier rules to maintain, and month-end schedules start taking shape as invoices arrive. Your accountant can review the exceptions and supporting evidence in the same system, while you use the reports to understand how the business is doing. You can also connect Claude or ChatGPT through MCP to ask questions about your books.
Key features
- Learns your books without supplier rules. Ledger uses individual invoice lines, transaction history and your coding corrections to learn how your business records its costs. You do not have to configure a rule for each supplier.
- VAT reasoning you can inspect. Proposed VAT treatments come with explanations linked to HMRC guidance, including reverse-charge treatment. You and your accountant can follow the reasoning behind a decision before accepting it.
- Autopilot with checks before publishing. Checks cover extraction, VAT, transaction context and bank matching. Eligible entries publish automatically, while exceptions stay in review with an explanation of why they were held.
- Adjustments identified as invoices arrive. Ledger detects prepayments, fixed assets and deferred income from documents and prepares schedules for review. It also uses recurring costs to identify potential missing-invoice accruals; a person reviews and posts those journals.
- Working papers connected to the books. Adjustment schedules, reconciliations and supporting documents sit alongside the ledger. You can trace an adjustment back to its invoice without rebuilding the evidence in a separate spreadsheet pack.
- Ask questions about your books through MCP. Connect Claude or ChatGPT to Ledger and ask questions in plain English, such as what you spent on software last quarter. Profit and loss, balance sheet and aged balance reports also let you follow the figures back to the underlying transactions.
Pros
- No supplier rules to set up or maintain.
- Clear reasons behind coding, VAT and Autopilot decisions.
- Receipts and expense claims through WhatsApp.
- Less spreadsheet preparation at month-end.
- Can replace separate capture and working-paper subscriptions.
- Every feature and unlimited users on every plan.
- One-click Xero migration, handled by Briefcase.
Cons
- Payroll requires a separate solution.
- Foreign-currency transactions are supported with GBP reporting, but partial settlements and overpayments have restrictions, and exchange differences are recognised on settlement.
Pricing: Low costs £19 a month plus VAT, including 75 invoices and receipts and 300 bank transactions per quarter. Medium is £39, High £79 and Ultra starts at £119. Three supplier payments are included each quarter, with further payments charged at 50p each. These are direct business prices; subscriptions through an accountant may use partner pricing.
Sources: Ledger overview · product updates · Briefcase pricing
2. Xero
Summary: Xero has been around since 2006 and is an established name in small-business accounting. It covers invoicing, bills, banking and reporting, but familiarity should not make it the automatic choice for a business starting today. The important question is how much time you will still spend keeping the accounts in order.
Xero offers capture and bank-reconciliation automation, but the day-to-day experience deserves scrutiny. Its Trustpilot reviews include complaints about awkward navigation, bank-feed problems and delays getting technical help, alongside praise for onboarding staff. Those frustrations matter when your reason for buying software is to spend less time on the books. We would put the work saved ahead of the familiarity of the name.
Key features
- Core accounting. Sales invoices, supplier bills, bank reconciliation and financial reports.
- Document capture. Hubdoc extracts information from documents and sends it into Xero.
- Automation and additional modules. Auto-reconciliation is included from Grow. Payroll, expenses and project allowances depend on the plan.
Pros
- Covers invoicing, bills and financial reporting in one system.
- Core user access does not carry a per-user licence fee, although some additional modules have their own allowances.
Cons
- Some reviewers report frustrating navigation and bank-feed problems.
- Ignite’s monthly allowance of 20 invoices and ten bills can become restrictive.
- Multicurrency requires Comprehensive or Ultimate; extra module usage can increase the bill.
Pricing: Ignite is £18 a month and Grow £39, excluding VAT. Grow is the more useful comparison once you exceed Ignite’s invoice or bill limits. Comprehensive costs £55 and Ultimate £70. Auto-reconciliation is an optional £3.50 monthly addition on Ignite.
Sources: Company background · Customer reviews · Xero’s accounting features · included capture tools · Xero’s plan comparison
3. QuickBooks Online
Summary: QuickBooks Online has a long feature list, with higher plans adding stock, project profitability and more advanced finance workflows. Our reservation is the experience of using it: having a feature available does not tell you how much clicking, checking and correcting it takes to get the job done.
The UK Trustpilot review summary highlights complaints about confusing interface changes, glitches, slow technical support and problems with bank feeds or transaction matching. Other reviewers praise the onboarding help, but the recurring usability complaints are relevant if you are trying to reduce admin. We would not choose QuickBooks simply because its feature list looks comprehensive.
Key features
- Supplier bills and currencies. Essentials supports managing bills and transactions in multiple currencies.
- Receipt and banking workflows. Receipt capture, bank feeds and categorisation help process everyday transactions. Intuit also provides Accounting AI and VAT checks, with availability and conditions varying by feature.
- Stock and projects. Plus adds inventory and project profitability for businesses that need to understand margins beyond the company-wide profit and loss.
Pros
- Clear upgrade options as the business adds stock, projects or more users.
- Essentials brings supplier bills and multicurrency together in the same subscription.
Cons
- Some UK reviewers report confusing navigation and unreliable transaction matching.
- Moving between feature tiers can materially change the monthly price.
- Payroll is an additional subscription, and user allowances depend on the accounting plan.
Pricing: Essentials costs £38 a month plus VAT; Plus costs £56. Compare the full cost of your chosen accounting plan and any payroll subscription after introductory offers end.
Sources: UK customer reviews · Essentials · Plus · QuickBooks UK pricing
4. FreeAgent
Summary: FreeAgent is a useful comparison for a small service business that wants bookkeeping, payroll and supported tax filing together. Its appeal is particularly clear when the business qualifies for a subscription through its bank.
Smart Capture helps process documents, with an approval step before the entry is accepted. That is useful assistance, although the overall workload will also depend on the corrections and month-end adjustments your business needs.
Key features
- Smart Capture. Extracts receipt and bill information, suggests categories and matches documents to bank transactions for approval.
- Daily administration. Invoicing, expense and mileage recording, banking and monthly payroll.
- Eligible company filing. FreeAgent supports FRS 105 micro-entity accounts and Corporation Tax returns for supported companies.
Pros
- Brings several jobs together for a straightforward small business, including eligible company filing.
- Qualifying bank customers can avoid the base subscription charge.
Cons
- Unlimited Smart Capture costs extra.
- Company filing is subject to eligibility; a subscription does not mean every company’s accounts can be filed through it.
Pricing: The regular limited-company price is £33 a month plus VAT. Ten Smart Capture files are included each month; unlimited capture adds £5. Bank-funded subscriptions have eligibility conditions, and optional add-ons can still be chargeable.
Sources: expense capture · payroll · company filing · FreeAgent’s pricing and bank terms
5. Sage Accounting
Summary: Sage Accounting combines core bookkeeping with payroll allowances and telephone support. For a business with a small team, the included payroll can affect the overall cost comparison.
This is the cloud Sage Accounting product. Sage 50 and Sage Intacct are separate products, so their features should not be assumed to come with this subscription.
Key features
- Core accounts. Invoicing, banking and VAT, with supplier bills from Standard.
- Capture and payroll. Standard includes receipt capture and payroll for one employee.
- Sage Copilot. Provides assistance and insights within Sage Accounting; check the specific task and plan rather than treating all Sage Copilot demonstrations as included capabilities.
Pros
- Included payroll may reduce the need for a separate subscription for a small employer.
- Telephone support is available.
Cons
- Start leaves out supplier bill management and receipt capture.
- Capture overages and additional payroll employees increase the cost.
Pricing: Start is £20, Standard £43 and Plus £59 a month, excluding VAT. Standard includes 30 approved captures monthly; Plus includes 100. Additional captures cost 20p each.
Sources: Sage Accounting · Sage Copilot · Sage’s allowances
6. Zoho Books
Summary: Zoho Books offers a substantial set of purchasing and stock features at a relatively low subscription price. Professional is the relevant starting point for a business that needs supplier bills as well as connected banking.
The price is attractive when you need those features together. Allow for the time spent setting up the system and processing the transactions alongside the subscription; those costs can outweigh a small difference in the monthly fee.
Key features
- Purchases and stock. Professional includes bills, purchase orders, inventory and purchase approvals.
- International transactions. Multicurrency is included in Professional.
- Financial controls. Higher plans add capabilities such as fixed-asset management and budgeting.
Pros
- Professional combines bills, stock and multicurrency at £24 a month on monthly billing.
- A free plan is available for simpler needs.
Cons
- Connected bank feeds require Standard or above; supplier bills require Professional.
- User allowances and annual transaction limits need checking as the business grows.
Pricing: Professional is £24 monthly, or £20 a month when billed annually, before taxes. The table uses monthly billing consistently.
Sources: Zoho’s UK plans and limits
Compare automation, reporting and what is included
The useful comparison runs from getting the bookkeeping done to understanding the numbers. Look at automation, month-end work, reporting and access through tools such as Claude or ChatGPT, alongside the features and users included in the subscription.
How to read the comparisonUK editions · Plan limits shown
- Included The capability described is included, within usage allowances.
- Higher plan or extra cost An upgrade or additional charge applies.
- Not available For MCP, third-party connections do not count as official support.
- Limits or manual setup The cell explains the restriction or related workflow.
From doing the books to using the numbers
Scroll horizontally to compare all six products.
| Feature | Briefcase Ledger | Xero | QuickBooks Online | FreeAgent | Sage Accounting | Zoho Books |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Document capture and AI coding | Included: Line-item coding learns from your books; no supplier rules; verified Autopilot | Included: Hubdoc extraction and account suggestions | Included: Receipt capture and Accounting AI; availability varies by plan | Included: Smart Capture suggests categories and matches for approval | Higher plan or extra cost: Receipt capture from Standard; Copilot assistance | Included: Receipt autoscans, with plan allowances |
| Bank reconciliation | Included: AI matching, contextual cash coding and missing-document requests together | Included: Matching and rules; auto-reconciliation from Grow or as an Ignite add-on | Included: Suggested matches, categorisation and bank rules | Included: Suggested explanations and transaction matching | Included: Bank rules, matching and reconciliation | Higher plan or extra cost: Connected bank feeds from Standard; rules and matching |
| Financial close and working papers | Included: Automatic adjustment detection, schedules and supporting evidence in one place | Limits apply: Fixed assets and journals; Workpapers is a separate partner product | Higher plan or extra cost: Advanced adds fixed assets and configured revenue schedules | Limits apply: Depreciation tools; prepayments and accruals use journal workflows | Limits apply: Journal workflows for prepayments and accruals | Higher plan or extra cost: Fixed assets from Premium; manual and recurring journals |
| Financial reporting | Included: Profit and loss, balance sheet and aged balances, with transaction drill-down | Included: Financial reports; wider analytics depend on plan | Included: Financial reports; project profitability from Plus | Included: Profit and loss, balance sheet and cash-flow reporting | Included: Core financial reports; wider features depend on plan | Included: Financial reports; custom reports from Standard |
| Official MCP integration | Included: Official MCP server | Included: Official MCP server | Included: Official MCP server | Not available: No official MCP server | Not available: No official MCP server | Included: Official MCP server |
| Every core feature and unlimited users on every plan | Included: AI and financial close included; pricing scales with volume | Higher plan or extra cost: Unlimited core users, but currencies and other features need higher plans | Higher plan or extra cost: Feature tiers and user caps | Included: Core features and unlimited users; filing eligibility and add-ons apply | Higher plan or extra cost: Feature tiers; unlimited users on Plus | Higher plan or extra cost: Feature tiers and user allowances; additional users cost extra |
Ledger brings the bookkeeping, month-end evidence and reports together, with MCP access when you want to explore the numbers in Claude or ChatGPT. That combination matters more than a long list of features you still have to connect and maintain yourself.
Comparison details and sources
Plan and user limits come from the providers’ pricing pages linked above. “Every core feature” means access to the product’s features, not unlimited usage or every separate service it sells. FreeAgent’s unlimited Smart Capture is an extra £5 a month; Briefcase’s document and bank-transaction allowances depend on plan, and supplier payments beyond its allowance cost extra.
The financial-close row covers adjustment workflows and the evidence behind them. Journal workflows are documented by Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent, Sage Accounting and Zoho Books. Xero also provides partner workpapers, while QuickBooks Advanced adds fixed-asset and revenue-recognition workflows. Zoho’s UK pricing puts fixed-asset management in Premium. A half-circle identifies a narrower workflow or manual setup; the cell explains which. Briefcase’s accrual journals require human review and posting.
The MCP row compares official, vendor-provided integrations. Developer setup does not change the tick; third-party-only connections receive a cross. Xero’s official toolkit requires development experience, and Intuit’s open-source MCP server involves developer setup. Zoho Books documents its own MCP connection. Third-party options include a community FreeAgent server and Zapier’s Sage Accounting connection. Assistant subscriptions, connection setup and separate service or usage terms can apply.
What should change your choice?
Start with the jobs your business actually has, including the work your accountant does outside the software.
| Your requirement | What to establish before choosing |
|---|---|
| Fewer hours spent on bookkeeping | Follow a real bill from capture to coding, payment and reconciliation. Include corrections and missing paperwork. |
| Buying from suppliers on credit | Check that the plan manages unpaid bills and shows who you owe, rather than only recording paid expenses. |
| Employing staff | Price payroll for your actual headcount, including extra employees and the process for bringing payroll into the accounts. |
| Stock, projects or overseas trading | Test the particular workflow: partial foreign-currency payments, stock adjustments or project costs can expose limits that a feature tick misses. |
| Working with an accountant | Agree who reviews entries, handles adjustments and prepares filings, and check both people have the access they need. |
| Useful monthly figures | Ask how prepayments, depreciation and other adjustments reach the reports, and who still maintains the supporting schedules. |
A VAT return, annual company accounts and a Corporation Tax return are separate jobs. Establish which ones the product handles for your business and which your accountant will prepare elsewhere. The same care applies to Making Tax Digital: match the software to the particular tax obligation and business type. The government’s guidance explains company accounting records and annual accounts and tax returns.
The strongest reason to pay more for software is that it removes work you would otherwise pay someone to do. Equally, a larger subscription is hard to justify if the extra features never get used. Compare your likely annual software cost with the time spent collecting documents, reviewing transactions and closing the books.
Setting up or switching accounting software
For a new business, involve your accountant while you set up the system. Agree the accounting period, opening position, access and any existing invoices or bills before connecting accounts and importing transactions. Use the trial to run a small batch of real paperwork through to the reports.
For an existing business, establish what the migration includes. Contacts and opening balances are different from historical transactions, attachments and the audit trail. Keep access to the records you need and reconcile the opening balances before relying on the new reports.
Briefcase handles its supported one-click migration from Xero. If you are specifically weighing that move, our Xero alternatives comparison goes further into the switching decision. For any other starting system, agree the migration scope with the provider before scheduling the move.
Briefcase Ledger
Why Briefcase Ledger wins.
Briefcase Ledger wins our comparison because it tackles the work behind the accounts. From collecting a receipt to preparing the month-end adjustments, it brings automation into the jobs that otherwise take up your time or sit on your accountant’s to-do list.
Capture, contextual coding and bank reconciliation work together. Autopilot handles eligible entries, while you keep access to the evidence and exceptions.
Prepayments and fixed assets are identified as documents arrive, with schedules and working papers alongside the books. There is less to find and rebuild later.
Every feature and unlimited users from £19 a month plus VAT. As your business grows, you pay for higher volumes rather than unlocking the tools you need.
Frequently asked questions
Which accounting software is best for a UK limited company?
A limited company should compare the bookkeeping workflow, reporting, accountant access and the route for preparing and filing its accounts and tax returns. Our preference is Briefcase Ledger when reducing routine bookkeeping and month-end work is the priority. Check separate requirements such as payroll or specialist stock workflows before choosing.
Is free accounting software enough for a small business?
It can be, particularly for a business with straightforward transactions. FreeAgent offers bank-funded subscriptions for eligible customers, and Zoho Books has a free tier. Compare the conditions and missing features with your actual requirements, including bank feeds, supplier bills and document capture. The time you spend doing the remaining work still belongs in the decision.
Will accounting software replace my accountant?
Software can handle routine processing and make the underlying records easier to review. You still need to decide who checks exceptions, resolves unfamiliar transactions and takes responsibility for the accounts and filings. Involve your accountant in the choice so that you agree how the work will be shared.
Can I change software during the accounting year?
A move during the year can be possible, but agree the cutover date and migration scope with your accountant and provider first. Reconcile balances, decide where any outstanding returns will be completed and preserve the historical records you need. The right date depends on the state of your books and the work involved.