Softwr

Accounting · head to head

Cledara vs FreeAgent

Cledara logo

Cledara

Accounting

Software subscription management with a virtual card per application, priced from £100 a month

From
£100/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
FreeAgent logo

FreeAgent

Accounting

Accounting software for small businesses and freelancers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only FreeAgent has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Cledara control only extends to subscriptions paid on a Cledara card, so anything billed by invoice, bank transfer or a legacy company card is invisible to the system and undermines the inventory it promises.; FreeAgent introductory pricing shown is 50% off the regular rates
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cledara and FreeAgent actually diverge.

Attributes where Cledara and FreeAgent differ
AttributeCledaraFreeAgent
Starting price£100/monthFree
Pricing modelPer month by number of applicationssubscription
Free tierNoYes

Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Accounting).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Cledara

  • Virtual card per subscription
  • Cancel by card
  • Application inventory
  • Approval workflow
  • Invoice collection
  • Accounting export
  • Spend optimisation module
  • IT management and compliance modules

Only in FreeAgent

Nothing recorded that Cledara does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Cledara

  • A finance team that cannot say what software the company pays for because everything is on three people's company cardsnot FreeAgent
  • A company that keeps paying for tools nobody uses and cannot get the vendor to process a cancellationnot FreeAgent
  • A startup wanting approval on new software purchases before the first charge rather than at the auditnot FreeAgent
  • A finance function that spends days each month chasing SaaS invoices for the accountantnot FreeAgent

FreeAgent

  • Submitting VAT and Self Assessment tax returns to HMRC directlynot Cledara
  • Splitting rental income and expenses across multiple properties automaticallynot Cledara
  • Collecting invoice payments faster through one-click payments and remindersnot Cledara
  • Capturing bills and receipts via AI to auto-categorize expensesnot Cledara
  • Filing Real Time Information payroll directly to HMRC for employeesnot Cledara

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Cledara

  • Control only extends to subscriptions paid on a Cledara card, so anything billed by invoice, bank transfer or a legacy company card is invisible to the system and undermines the inventory it promises.
  • Tier limits are set by number of applications rather than headcount, and twenty applications on the Basic plan is fewer than most companies of fifty actually run, so buyers often land on a higher tier than the entry price suggests.
  • The modules that turn it from a payment layer into a management platform, spend optimisation, IT management and compliance, are each priced at £150 to £200 a month, comparable to the base plan itself.
  • Usage data is inferred from payment and integration signals rather than deep application telemetry, so its judgement of whether a tool is underused is weaker than a discovery product built on single sign-on and API usage.
  • It is a card issuer as well as a software vendor, which adds financial counterparty considerations and means a change in its banking arrangements would affect how the company pays every one of its suppliers.

FreeAgent

  • Introductory pricing shown is 50% off the regular rates
  • All prices exclude 20% VAT
  • Add-ons required for some features (Smart Capture Unlimited £5/month, Amazon integration £6/month)

Pricing, plan by plan

Cledara

£100/month
  • Basic$100/month
    • Up to 20 software applications
    • Virtual card per subscription
    • Application inventory and approvals
  • Premium$undefined/month
    • Up to 75 software applications
    • Typically 51 to 150 staff
    • 1% cashback in the first year, capped at the subscription cost
  • Pro$undefined/month
    • For organisations above roughly 150 staff
    • Scoped individually
    • 1% cashback in the first year, capped at plan cost
  • Add-on modules$200/month
    • Spend Optimization £200 a month or £1,500 a year
    • IT Management £150 a month or £1,500 a year
    • Software Compliance £150 a month or £1,500 a year

FreeAgent

Free
  • Sole Traders$9.5/month
    • Introductory rate (regular price £19/month)
    • Annual option at £95/year (regular £190)
  • Landlords$5/month
    • Introductory rate (regular price £10/month)
    • Annual option at £50/year (regular £100)
  • UK Partnerships/LLPs$13.5/month
    • Introductory rate (regular price £27/month)
    • Annual option at £135/year (regular £270)
  • UK Limited Companies$16.5/month
    • Introductory rate (regular price £33/month)
    • Annual option at £330/year (regular £330)

Which should you pick?

Choose Cledara if

  • You need virtual card per subscription.
  • You also want cancel by card.
Cledara review

Choose FreeAgent if

  • You want to start without paying.
FreeAgent review

Questions people ask

Is Cledara or FreeAgent better?
Neither clearly leads. Cledara starts at £100/month and FreeAgent at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cledara or FreeAgent?
FreeAgent has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at £100/month for Cledara and Free for FreeAgent.
Does Cledara or FreeAgent run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use FreeAgent for free?
Yes. FreeAgent has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Cledara starts at £100/month.
What is Cledara best used for?
Cledara is most often used for a finance team that cannot say what software the company pays for because everything is on three people's company cards, a company that keeps paying for tools nobody uses and cannot get the vendor to process a cancellation, a startup wanting approval on new software purchases before the first charge rather than at the audit, a finance function that spends days each month chasing saas invoices for the accountant. Of those, a finance team that cannot say what software the company pays for because everything is on three people's company cards and a company that keeps paying for tools nobody uses and cannot get the vendor to process a cancellation are not what FreeAgent is typically brought in for.
What can Cledara do that FreeAgent cannot?
Cledara covers Virtual card per subscription, Cancel by card, Application inventory, Approval workflow.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cledara: What does it cost?

Basic is £100 a month for up to 20 applications, with Premium covering up to 75 and Pro above that. Add-on modules are £150 to £200 a month each, and annual payment saves 16%.

FreeAgent: Does FreeAgent offer a free option?

FreeAgent is free for qualifying customers maintaining business accounts with NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Ulster Bank, or certain Mettle accounts.

Source
Cledara: Does it find software we did not tell it about?

Only what passes through its cards or connected integrations. Subscriptions paid by invoice or another card stay hidden, which is the main limitation of the model.

FreeAgent: What is FreeAgent's pricing for sole traders?

Sole traders pay £9.50/month (50% introductory rate; regular £19/month), or £95/year annually (regular £190/year), excluding 20% VAT.

Source
Cledara: How does cancelling work?

You cancel the virtual card for that subscription, which stops the payment. It does not remove your contractual obligation, so check notice periods.

FreeAgent: What add-ons does FreeAgent offer?

Optional add-ons include Smart Capture Unlimited at £5/month and Amazon integration at £6/month, allowing customers to extend base plan functionality.

Source
Cledara: Is the application limit by users or by tools?

By tools. Twenty on Basic, seventy-five on Premium. Count your actual subscriptions before assuming the entry price applies to you.

FreeAgent: Does FreeAgent offer a trial?

FreeAgent provides a 30-day free trial with no commitment, and customers can cancel at any time during or after the trial period.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Cledara

More on FreeAgent

Keep looking

Other head to heads