United Kingdom · GBP

Best accounting software in the UK (October 2026)

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Ranking updated 2026-10-12Prices checked 2026-10-12Data from vendor websites

Accounting tools for businesses in the UK, ranked on Making Tax Digital, pricing in GBP and free plans.

4 ranked1 awaiting data4 publish prices
Ranked listCompare all in a table

The ranking

  1. 1

    Zoho Books

    by Zoho · Accounting software
    Best free start with Making Tax Digital

    Cloud accounting with local-currency pricing, country tax compliance and a free plan for small businesses in each edition.

    Making Tax DigitalGBP pricingFree plan

    Pros

    • MTD for VAT and Income Tax, including the Free plan
    • Priced in GBP
    • Free plan for all business types

    Cons

    • No drawbacks found in our data
    Visit Zoho BooksRead reviewPricing
    100/100
    Free plan, then GBP 12 per org per month
    Checked 2026-10-12 · source
  2. 2

    Xero

    by Xero · Accounting software
    Strong on Making Tax Digital

    Cloud accounting from New Zealand with bank feeds, a large app marketplace and country editions.

    Making Tax DigitalGBP pricingFree plan

    Pros

    • MTD for Income Tax ready; VAT returns to HMRC on all plans
    • Priced in GBP
    • Local company with support in the UK

    Cons

    • No free plan
    Visit XeroRead reviewXero vs Sage AccountingPricing
    80/100
    From GBP 18 per month, excl. VAT
    Checked 2026-10-12 · source
  3. 3

    Sage Accounting

    by Sage · Accounting software
    Strong on Making Tax Digital

    Sage's cloud accounting for small businesses, with VAT calculation and returns, sold in local editions.

    Making Tax DigitalGBP pricingFree plan

    Pros

    • Making Tax Digital compatible
    • Priced in GBP
    • Local company with support in the UK

    Cons

    • No free plan
    Visit Sage AccountingRead reviewXero vs Sage AccountingPricing
    80/100
    From GBP 20 per month, excl. VAT
    Checked 2026-10-12 · source
  4. 4

    FreeAgent

    by FreeAgent · Accounting software
    Strong on Making Tax Digital

    UK accounting priced by business type, recognised by HMRC for MTD VAT returns, with payroll for limited companies.

    Making Tax DigitalGBP pricingFree plan

    Pros

    • HMRC-recognised for MTD VAT returns
    • Priced in GBP
    • Local company with support in the UK

    Cons

    • No free plan
    Visit FreeAgentRead reviewPricing
    80/100
    From GBP 10 per month, excl. VAT
    Checked 2026-10-12 · source

Not yet ranked

These products may sell in the UK, but we have not confirmed enough data to score them. They join the ranking automatically once we do.

  • QuickBooks Online: Intuit's cloud accounting with Simple Start, Essentials, Plus and Advanced plans, sold in local editions in some countries. Not ranked yet: pricing in the UK still to be checked. Check on QuickBooks Online's site

Compare all in a table

RankProductScoreCheapest paid plan (GBP/month)Free planMaking Tax DigitalPriced in GBPAction
1Zoho Books10012YesYesYesVisit site
2Xero8018NoYesYesVisit site
3Sage Accounting8020NoYesYesVisit site
4FreeAgent8010NoYesYesVisit site

Tap a column heading to sort; the rank column keeps our order. Prices in other currencies converted at 0.7557 GBP per USD (2026-10-09).

How to choose accounting software in the UK

Making Tax Digital first. 4 of the 4 ranked tools confirm Making Tax Digital support. Check which plan includes it: some tools list it only from their second plan up.

Price in GBP. 4 of 4 price in local currency; the rest charge US dollars, so your cost moves with the exchange rate.

Free plans have limits. Free plans usually cap revenue, invoices or users. Compare the plan you will need in a year, not just today.

Score parts: Making Tax Digital, Priced in GBP, Free plan, Published price. Commissions are never part of it. Full method.

This ranking in other countries: South Africa · India · Malaysia · United Arab Emirates · Global overview

Related

Visit Zoho Books#1 in the UK