FreeAgent vs Basic PAYE Tools: UK Reviews & Prices Compared (2025)

We compare them based on real user reviews, prices and what features they both offer.

FreeAgent vs Basic PAYE Tools Basics

	FreeAgent	Basic PAYE Tools
Software Website	FreeAgent Website	Basic PAYE Tools Website
Company Name	FreeAgent Central Ltd	HMRC
Target Company Size (Small, Medium and/or Enterprise)	Small – Medium	Small
Industry Focus	None	None

Wondering if FreeAgent or Basic PAYE Tools has better user reviews. We compared them below.

	FreeAgent	Basic PAYE Tools
Listed On HMRC Website	Yes	Yes
Trustpilot Rating	4.6	1.3
Number of Trustpilot Reviews	2137	312
iPhone App Rating	4.8	4.8
Number of iPhone Reviews	9400	130600
Android App Rating	4.7	4.7
Number of Android Reviews	1100	49900

Please note ratings we’re accurate at the time of writing but may have since changed

Which is cheaper FreeAgent or Basic PAYE Tools? Here are their prices compared.

	FreeAgent	Basic PAYE Tools
Listed As Having Free Plan By HMRC?	No	Yes
Free Plan?	No	No
Free Trial?	Yes	No
Free Trial Length?	30 days	Not Applicable

Data taken from each company’s website at the time of writing but may have since changed.

Data taken from each company’s website at the time of writing but may have since changed.

Dashboard – See the big picture for your business at a glance with cashflow, profit and loss, invoice timelines and more.
Business Insights with Radar – Get intelligent insights, tailored trend-spotting and personalised tips all in one place.
Estimates – Win more work with professional estimate templates ready to be converted to invoices.
Invoicing – Get paid faster with easy invoicing tools. Send customised invoices, reminders and thank-you emails.
Expenses – Track business costs quickly and easily. Snap receipts and record out-of-pocket expenses on the go.
Projects – Keep tabs on your project income, expenses and profitability – all in one place.
Time Tracking – Track the time you spend on projects, add this to invoices and generate timesheet reports.
Payroll – Run monthly payroll and file auto-calculated PAYE and National Insurance directly to HMRC.
Banking – Set up a bank feed and let all of your transactions flow into FreeAgent automatically.
VAT filing – Generate MTD-compliant VAT returns automatically and file them directly to HMRC in minutes.
Self Assessment – Get a real-time view of how much you owe for your tax return and file it directly to HMRC.

Not Listed

	FreeAgent	Basic PAYE Tools
Unlimited Payrolls	No	No
Automated Tax Filing and Payments	Yes	No
Live Customer Support	No	No
Ability To Manage Employee Benefits	No	No
Employee Access To Platform	No	No
Direct Deposit	No	No
Expense Reimbursement	Yes	No
Time Off Tracking	Yes	No
Handle Deductions From Pay	No	No
Debt Repayment From Pay	No	No
Employee Background Checks	No	No
Has An API	Yes	No
Create Payslip	Yes	No
Create P45	No	No
Create P60	Yes	No
Pay For Salaried Employees	Yes	Yes
Pay For Hourly Employees	Yes	Yes
Bonus / Incentive Pay	No	No
Pension Filing	No	No
Statutory Payments (E.g. Sick Pay, Maternity Pay, etc.)	Yes	No
Direct HMRC Submissions	Yes	No
RTI Compliant	Yes	No