FreeAgent vs Salon Accounting
FreeAgent
freeagent.com
Salon Accounting
salonaccounting.comSide by side
| Figure | FreeAgent | Salon Accounting |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | £4.17/mo | $7.99/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 23 | 3 |
| Spec score · Salon Accounting Software | 9.2 (#2) | 8.6 (#15) |
| Banking | Bank feeds automatically import transactions and FreeAgent can categorise and match them. | The app can import bank and credit card transactions, and connecting a bank is optional. |
| Founded | 2007 | 2012 |
| Headquarters | Edinburgh, Scotland, UK | Google Play lists Creative Reputation, LLC at 2111 Penhurst Way, Waukesha, Wisconsin, United States. |
| Integrations | Supported connections include Open Banking feeds, HMRC, Stripe, PayPal, GoCardless, Basecamp and many listed integration partners. | The privacy policy identifies Plaid for bank connections, Stripe for payments, Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics for usage analytics, and Zoho SalesIQ for support chat. |
| Licence | The service is supplied under a non-exclusive, non-transferable licence rather than as source code for customer modification or redistribution. | The terms describe a proprietary service owned by Creative Reputation and grant users a limited, non-exclusive licence for business use. |
| Praise: ease of use | Independent reviewers repeatedly praise the clean interface, straightforward invoicing, easy bank reconciliation and suitability for non-accountants. | An App Store reviewer praised the clean interface, simple navigation and accessibility for non-accountants. |
| Product | FreeAgent is accounting software designed to automate business admin such as invoicing and expenses, streamline tax reporting and provide business insights and reports. | Salon Accounting is bookkeeping and quarterly tax software built for independent salon professionals. |
| Rating on Apple App Store | 4.8 out of 5 from 14K ratings. | 3.5 out of 5 from 10 ratings |
| Rating on Google Play | 4.3 out of 5 from about 1.73K reviews. | 3.4 out of 5 from 7 reviews |
| Security | FreeAgent says it is Cyber Essentials Plus certified, uses fault-tolerant infrastructure and follows UK DPA 2018 and UK GDPR requirements. | The privacy policy states that data is encrypted in transit, production access is restricted, and Stripe and Plaid provide PCI-compliant or bank-level security. |
| Support | The pricing page says users can contact UK-based support accountants online or by phone. | Support is offered by email and phone, with the resources page promising email replies within 24 hours. |
| What it does | FreeAgent is cloud accounting software for small businesses, freelancers, landlords, accountants and bookkeepers. | Salon Accounting is bookkeeping and quarterly-tax software for independent salon professionals, including stylists, barbers, nail technicians and estheticians. |
Plans
FreeAgent
- Sole trader£10 a month
- Partnership or LLP£19 a month
- Limited company£33 a month
- FreeFree
- Bank-account-funded accountFree
- Eligible bank-account planFree
- Landlord — billed monthly£5 a month
- Smart Capture Unlimited add-on£5 a month
- Sole trader — billed monthly£9.50 a month
- Landlord monthly£10 a month
Salon Accounting
- Essential Accounting$7.99 a month
- Accounting + Scheduling$14.99 a month
- All Features$21.99 a month
In their own words
FreeAgent
FreeAgent is accounting software for business administration, invoicing, expenses, tax reporting and business reports. It builds real-time accounts from bank statements, invoices and expenses, with Profit and Loss, Balance Sheet and Trial Balance reports. Users can create recurring invoices, automate late-payment reminders, turn estimates into invoices and accept payments through Stripe and PayPal. FreeAgent can generate MTD-compatible VAT returns and file them directly to HMRC; payroll calculates PAYE and National Insurance and can submit Real Time Information payroll to HMRC. Its iOS and Android apps cover expense recording, time tracking, invoice management and bank transaction reconciliation. It supports bank feeds from most UK banks via Open Banking and connections to HMRC for MTD VAT. The software is designed for small businesses, accountants and bookkeepers. A free plan is listed, alongside paid plans such as Sole trader at £10 a month and Limited company at £33 a month. Smart Capture includes up to 10 receipts and bills per month as standard; a paid Unlimited add-on removes that cap.
Salon Accounting
Salon Accounting has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.