FreeAgent is cloud-based accounting software targeted at freelancers and contractors. It was launched back in 2007 by 3 contractors who were fed up of spending their valuable time doing bookkeeping. By 2013 they had topped Deloitte's list of fastest growing technology firms and became one of the leaders in the UK market. It removes the need for error-prone spreadsheets or the laborious task of trawling through last year's bank statements, trying to remember what the expenses were. It not only uses technology to automate much of the bookkeeping process, it gives you relevant information about your business based on the data it has to put you in a better position to succeed.

Having the software in the cloud has many benefits. From not having to update your software to not worrying about your computer getting stolen and losing all your data. It means that you can access your data almost anywhere, with almost any device that has a web browser. It means that you can invoice from your phone while on a client's site, or take a photo of a receipt and send it to the software in a few seconds when you're on the road rather than trying to keep 3 months' worth of receipts in your purse while you wait for a convenient time to do the books. There's also the fact that making tax digital (MTD) is coming in the next few years for everyone! That means we'll all be submitting data to HMRC at least once a quarter through external software. If you get on board with cloud software like FreeAgent, you've got nothing to worry about.

Back in 2014, when we committed to cloud software, we ran a project trialing the major contenders on the market. After 6 months we had several clients on Xero and FreeAgent but while we still think Xero is a great bit of software, FreeAgent is easier to understand and is very intuative, making even the most IT illiterate person feel like they know what they're doing. FreeAgent feels like it was made by the end user themselves but still does everything the accountant needs it to. We've since stopped offering Xero but continue to monitor the market to ensure FreeAgent is still the best software out there for our clients. As far as we're concerned the gap between FreeAgent and the other software is only widening as they keep adding extra features and improvements.

As accountants, we're probably a little biased here but we'd would definitely say yes! FreeAgent has most of the tools you'd need to be compliant without an accountant but it can't do everything that's essential. Even the tools they do have, need to be used in the right way, and keeping up with changes in tax rates, legislation and accounting standards will take up an immense amount of time for someone without a financial background. So while it's possible, it's probably cheaper to get an accountant and have peace of mind, knowing that everything is done by the book and to a high standard.

Very secure! Not even FreeAgent can look at your data unless you give them access. You can even set up two-factor authentication to make it hard for even the most experienced hackers, and in reality there is really very little value to the data you keep in FreeAgent anyway. When the question of security comes up, most people are concerned with the bank feed, but the feeds within FreeAgent are strictly one way. When you set up the feed, you basically give the bank permission to send transactional data to FreeAgent and nothing else. It is impossible to affect the bank in any way via FreeAgent. For the more tech savvy amongst us, the data centres FreeAgent use are ISO 27001 certified and are some of the most secure facilities in the UK. Data is replicated in real-time to a separate geographic location for Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity purposes. All data transmitted to FreeAgent services is encrypted over HTTPS using TLS protocols with minimum 128-bit keys and using SHA256.

We give FreeAgent to our clients for free! This doesn't mean we just add the price of FreeAgent to our fees and claim it's free, we genuinely don't charge for it in most circumstances. Our basic package is £99 with or without FreeAgent. We are able to do this because we buy many FreeAgent subscriptions so we get a discount, but also because our FreeAgent clients are usually easier to work with because we have the ability to see live data at any time. If you choose to pay for FreeAgent yourself, it has 3 tiers: Sole trader, Partnership or Ltd company. These are priced at £19, £24 and £29 per month respectively (not including VAT). This makes it one of the most expensive options when looking at cloud software, but in our minds, it's justified. At the moment you would usually get a 30 day free trial, followed by 6 months half price, so your first year would work out more like £13, £16 and £19 per month (not including VAT) if you pay for the software yourself.