FreeAgent Software

An ability to finally be in control of my own accounts!

Pros

I am a photographer so not a numbers person but FreeAgent has made working with numbers and my accounts understandable even to myself. To me the biggest plus is the customer support- absolutely brilliant! Almost all their team is trained in accounting and able to give you specific problem solving for your business. Another big plus is their loyalty scheme. I have been using it for so long now and recommended it to so many people that I am only paying 50% of the soft of their software through their FreeAgent Angel scheme- where you receive 10% off for each person you recommend the software to using your unique code.

Cons

On very rare occasions I wish that when the software guesses what my transactions were it could tell a bit more specifically on things like PayPal but this is not a failing of the software but a failing of how the transactions appear on my bank statements.

I've been using free agent for invoicing and accounts for a client of mine and it is so easy and intuitive. When you do get stuck their customer service team are available and ready to help.

Pros

Easy to use and efficient.

Cons

Some of the entry and location of contacts could be smoother.

The software is well organized and basically fits our needs, but could use improvements in many key areas. One being reporting and employees - former employees remain listed for reports even though they are not needed. It would be far easier to just list active employees to make creating reports easier. Add to that that there is no way to create custom reports that you use regularly. All and all the software works well, it just needs some enhancements to these areas to make it easier to use.

As a business owner with minimal accounting experience I was introduced to FreeAgent about three years ago. It has transformed our business from cumbersome spreadsheet accounts and Word invoices to a really convenient and efficient system.

Pros

Automated invoicing and accounts overview that highlight things before they become an issue. Fantastic UK based support team.

Cons

A little more expensive than some of the competitors.

Advice to Others

Give FreeAgent a try. It is simple to use and well worth the money.

I originally found Freeagent around three years ago. I was very excited when I found I could use Freeagent through "My Business Works", a service offered by Barclays, at a reduced rate - except nobody decided to make it clear support is outsourced to "My Business Works" - perhaps the most key feature of freeagent.

For around three years I have always been in contact with friendly, kind and lovely staff at Freeagent who have always been happy to provide us with support - I have always avoided "My Business Works Support" as their staff are especially unhelpful, condescending and rude.

That was until today. A stubborn, although polite lady refused to give us support despite my explanation of the poor support "My Business Works" offers.

Quite simply her unkind, unfriendly action has lost a customer, we are moving to a far more powerful and equally easy to use software called Xilo, with much better support in January.

I used to think Freeagent was an actual service whereby one might not be bound to the selfish red-rape rules of the world, and was instead a friendly platform with every customer's interest at heart.

I would recommend all to consider Xilo over Freeagent. That is of course unless you want a kick in the teeth for being a long-term loyal customer!

I was introduced to Freeagent by my accountant, Balance Accountants. My business needs are met very easily with Freeagent, I have a small company which is Residential Care and Home Care business. The cloud base system allows my accountant to access my work and I'm able to have meetings with bank managers etc without having to lug lots of paperwork about, everything is at my fingertips. Also im based in the South and my business and accountant are in the North, so logistically it works very well for me. The system I have found very easy to use and if I have ever got stuck, my accountant can sign in and talk me through it. Once you get yourself set up and familiarised, you won't believe how much simpler accounting gets. I use for all bookkeeping and invoicing. I would use it for payroll but hey....my payroll lady would be out of a job! But I reckon she uses it as she's always smiling never stressed.

Pros

Live bank feeds, easy to use, perfect for invoicing, accounting for small businesses, keeping the accountant and bank manager happy with the efficiency! It does everything (for me and my business needs) apart from making me coffee :-) Always a pleasure using freeagent, it's really fun to use!

Cons

Ive been using it for nearly two years....
Can't fault it!

Not sure if I could add a further business to the platform, for example: using same login details but be able to switch between businesses?? That would be really good.

I've been using FreeAgent since 2011 and its really helped to keep my business in control. Tracking of finances, bills, invoices as well as time and expenses is straightforward, and most importantly keeps my accountant happy at year-end!

Pros

Easy to use
Excellent customer support

Cons

Doesn't handle subcontractors as a distinct category of user. We have associates who book time and expenses which are billed to clients. We have to set them up as employees and then work around VAT, etc. to make sure we charge customers right amounts and pay contractors accordingly.

Sounds like an Oxymoron doesn't it, Accounts & Fun.
FreeAgent is just that, fun to use, easy to understand and fast.
It has everything you need, links to your bank, multi-currency, great invoicing templates I could go on & on, but it's best feature is the top notch world beating support, they understand business, and are quick and willing to help.
Highly Recommend.

Pros

It's Fun to Use.
It's easy to Use.
Great dashboard gives up to date snapshot of the business

Cons

Definitely not a Con. :-)

I've been using FreeAgent for several years and now do the book-keeping for four separate companies using it. Having changed from the abominable Sage, I found FreeAgent a breath of fresh air. Even for my busiest company, I find I only have to do the book-keeping when the VAT is due every quarter and it takes no more than a day.
At the end of each financial year, I give my accountant restricted access to they can prepare the accounts.
I also find the advice I get from FreeAgent priceless- whether that's what I can claim for "home use" or how to iron out inconsistencies with journal entries.
Overall, an excellent product. My only criticism is that the automatic downloading of bank statements takes so long that I've turned it off and manually download/upload them as it's quicker.

Pros

Easy to use
Fully featured
Good guidance built into the process of "explaining" entries
Fairly efficient "guessing" of transactions
Excellent support

Cons

Automatic bank account synchronisation doesn't work efficiently for me (I use Lloyds)

When moving to freelancing this was the first product I was recommended and using it has been great. Its nice and clean and I havent had any issues with getting clients to pay with it past the normal hurry alongs.
They have been very quick and clear to answer my accounting questions too.

Pros

It keeps everything paired down and simple and easy to find. Also feel I have learned more about how to file my taxes with the built in pages and submission.
Loading data form my bank account and tagging it saves time too.

Cons

I would like to be able to search my bank account entries to check all is tagged up.

I just saw my email about my allowance

I've been using freeagent now for just under a year and I'm really impressed by the amount of work that has gone into making this such an intuative accounting package. The customer support is quick and it has a number of excellent features, although I would like to see more - things like the lack of proper multi currency support is an issue for me also...and it has been on the 'to do' list for some time now.

Pros

Ease of use, good features, excellent graphics, totally customisible

Cons

There are some niggly bugs that still pop up every now & again. Although none of these are major (e.g. a bank account feed stop working etc.) and they are simple to fix, it does take time away from what I'm supposed to be doing.

FreeAgent lacks proper support multiple currency. Around a year ago, they said they were adding it. A year later, it's still not there! If you need this feature, its absence is a real killer. Xero seems to have it.

Pros

Interface is pretty good.

Cons

They say they are "working on" this crucial feature but a year later, nothing.

FreeAgent has made the management of my creative firm a little less painful. The new mobile site has really saved me a ton of time allowing me to keep up on invoices while on the road.

I am an IT freelancer in the UK with almost no bookkeeping skills. The application has intuitive interface and is quite easy to use. At the same time it has extensive functionality. I can do my invoicing, providing quotes, estimates, etc... I am using it with Google Apps

Pros

Google apps integration

Really well thought through product. Designed with small businesses in mind rather than just trained accountants!

Pros

Quick to understand
Nice dashboard. Quite motivating to see that invoice timeline!
VAT returns are so much easier.
All of our team can use it.

Cons

Very little, would like projects to work slightly better, and be able to add projects on the fly. And automatic bank feeds which are coming soon will be great.

It would be nice to generate invoices and bill part of them up front.

FreeAgent is an easy to use accounting system with integrated proposal, invoicing, expense and mileage modules, as well as the usual accounting functionality like VAT and bank account reconsolidation (explaining all transactions). We find that it offers good value and saves us time and hassle.

Declaration: we offer FreeAgent to our clients but have tried to keep this review as objective as possible for the sake of credibility. We do use FreeAgent ourselves after having reviewed a few online accounting systems.

Pros

- Clean and easy to use interface
- Easy and professional invoicing with email templates and automatic reminders
- Integration with Google Apps (single sign on - universal navigation) and Capsule CRM
- VAT calculations with easy linking to HMRC

Cons

None so far. It would be great if we could have an even deeper integration with Capsule and perhaps other CRM's as well?