SoloDesks vs FreeAgent, for a sole trader
Before anything else: if you bank with NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Ulster Bank or Mettle, FreeAgent is free for you. Not discounted, free, for as long as the account is open. Check that before you pay us or anybody else on the internet a monthly fee, because free accounting software you are already entitled to beats every paid recommendation including ours. If you bank elsewhere it is £19 a month plus VAT for the Sole Trader plan, and then the comparison becomes a real one: accounting software with invoicing, against a £12 quoting and invoicing app that does no accounting at all.
Free plan, no card needed. £12/month for unlimited when you want it.
SoloDesks vs FreeAgent, side by side
| Feature | SoloDesks | FreeAgent |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price for one person | £12 flat (or £0 on Free) | £0 with some banks, else £19 plus VAT |
| Free because of your bank | No, our free plan is for everyone | Yes, NatWest, RBS, Ulster, Mettle |
| Making Tax Digital for Income Tax | No, you need accounting software | Advertised as MTD ready |
| Bookkeeping and Self Assessment | No, not an accounting package | Yes, that is the product |
| Free plan with no time limit | Yes, free forever, no card | Free with a qualifying bank, else 30-day trial |
| Built for | A single sole trader's job admin | Books and tax for sole traders and companies |
| Chases overdue invoices for you | Yes, Overdue Autopilot on Pro | Reminders available |
FreeAgent's plans
FreeAgent is accounting software for sole traders and small companies, free with some UK business bank accounts. For reference, here is what FreeAgent publishes, next to SoloDesks's flat £12/month.
With NatWest/RBS/Ulster/Mettle
£0
while the account is open
Sole Trader
£19/mo
plus VAT
Partnership or LLP
£27/mo
plus VAT
Limited Company
£33/mo
plus VAT
Paid figures exclude VAT, so £19 is £22.80 paid, and a 50% introductory discount was running when we checked. But the row that matters for most readers is the first one: with a qualifying bank account the price is zero. SoloDesks Pro is £12 flat and does a different job, so for a lot of people the sensible answer is FreeAgent free for the books and a decision to make about the quoting side.
Questions people ask
- Is FreeAgent really free?
- With a NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Ulster Bank or Mettle business account, yes, for as long as the account stays open. That is FreeAgent's own offer, not a promotion we are relaying. Check whether you qualify before paying for any invoicing software, including ours.
- Can SoloDesks replace FreeAgent?
- Not for accounting. SoloDesks does no bookkeeping, no Self Assessment and no Making Tax Digital submissions. It replaces the quoting and invoicing part: itemised quotes built on site, turned into invoices without retyping, then chased automatically when they go quiet.
- Is SoloDesks cheaper than FreeAgent?
- Only if you do not qualify for FreeAgent's free tier. Paid, FreeAgent's Sole Trader plan is £19 a month plus VAT against SoloDesks Pro at £12 flat. Free through your bank, FreeAgent costs nothing and the comparison is about what each one does rather than what it costs.
Comparing more than these two? See our comparison of eight invoicing apps for UK tradespeople, including Xero, QuickBooks and FreeAgent, with every price dated and linked to the page it came from.
Built for one, priced for one
Start on the free plan, no card. Upgrade to Pro for £12 a month when the work picks up.
Start freePricing and features shown for FreeAgent are as of August 2026, taken from FreeAgent's pricing page. Plans and prices change. Verify on FreeAgent's own site before you buy. FreeAgent is a trademark of its owner; SoloDesks isn't affiliated with or endorsed by it, and this comparison is our own.