FreeAgent Alternative for MTD ITSA

FreeAgent is popular with freelancers and small businesses. It offers invoicing, bank feeds, expense management, and MTD ITSA compliance. NatWest, RBS, and Ulster Bank customers get FreeAgent free via Mettle. For everyone else, plans start around £24–£35 per month. If you only need to submit quarterly MTD updates and don't need the full accounting suite, a FreeAgent alternative like Quartax can save you time and money.

When FreeAgent makes sense

FreeAgent is great if you need invoicing, project tracking, and full accounting in one place. It's intuitive and MTD-compliant. If you're a NatWest group customer, the free tier is hard to beat. But if you're a landlord with property income, or a sole trader who doesn't invoice through software, you may be paying for features you don't use. FreeAgent also requires bank feeds or manual entry -some people prefer not to connect their bank or want a simpler upload-based workflow.

Why consider a FreeAgent alternative?

You might want a FreeAgent alternative if you're not a NatWest customer (so FreeAgent isn't free), you only need MTD filing, you prefer CSV upload over bank feeds, or you want lower ongoing costs. Quartax doesn't require bank connection -you export your statement as CSV and upload when you're ready to file. No ongoing sync, no extra setup. AI categorises your transactions; you review and submit. Annual pricing means you pay once per year instead of monthly.

Quartax vs FreeAgent for MTD

Quartax is built for MTD only. No invoicing, no full accounting -just upload your bank CSV, review AI-categorised transactions, and submit to HMRC. We support Barclays, Lloyds, HSBC, NatWest, Monzo, Starling, Halifax, and Santander. £39/year for one income source. First return free. FreeAgent costs £24–£35/month unless you're a NatWest customer. Both submit directly to HMRC. If you need invoicing and full accounting, FreeAgent is a solid choice. If you need MTD filing without the rest, Quartax is the FreeAgent alternative built for that.

Making the switch

Switching from FreeAgent to Quartax for MTD is simple. No data migration -Quartax works quarter by quarter. Connect your HMRC account, upload your bank CSV for the quarter, review categorisation, and submit. You can keep FreeAgent for invoicing and use Quartax for MTD, or move entirely to Quartax if MTD is your only need. Either way, you get a focused MTD workflow without paying for features you don't use.

Bank feeds vs CSV upload

FreeAgent uses bank feeds to pull transactions automatically. Quartax uses CSV upload: export your statement from your bank and upload when you're ready. No ongoing connection, no sync delays. We support Barclays, Lloyds, HSBC, NatWest, Monzo, Starling, Halifax, and Santander. AI categorises your transactions against HMRC expense categories -you review and submit. If you prefer not to connect your bank or want a simpler, one-off upload workflow, Quartax is the FreeAgent alternative that fits.