Is FreeAgent or Karbon better?

Neither clearly leads. FreeAgent starts at Free and Karbon at $59/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, FreeAgent or Karbon?

FreeAgent has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for FreeAgent and $59/month for Karbon.

Does FreeAgent or Karbon 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. Karbon starts at $59/month.

What is FreeAgent best used for?

FreeAgent is most often used for submitting vat and self assessment tax returns to hmrc directly, splitting rental income and expenses across multiple properties automatically, collecting invoice payments faster through one-click payments and reminders, capturing bills and receipts via ai to auto-categorize expenses. Of those, submitting vat and self assessment tax returns to hmrc directly and splitting rental income and expenses across multiple properties automatically are not what Karbon is typically brought in for.

Accounting · head to head

FreeAgent vs Karbon

FreeAgent

Accounting

Accounting software for small businesses and freelancers

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Karbon

Accounting

Practice management for accounting firms

From: $59/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only FreeAgent has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: FreeAgent introductory pricing shown is 50% off the regular rates; Karbon monthly billing option only available for teams of 4 or more users
Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which FreeAgent and Karbon actually diverge.

Attributes where FreeAgent and Karbon differ
Attribute	FreeAgent	Karbon
Starting price	Free	$59/month
Free tier	Yes	No

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

What people use each for

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

FreeAgent

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

Karbon

Automating client document collection for tax practice intakenot FreeAgent
Tracking all client requests in workflows tied to jobsnot FreeAgent
Aligning hours worked with billable time per engagementnot FreeAgent
Automating period close by connecting practice management to accountingnot FreeAgent
Streamlining client document submission and approval workflowsnot FreeAgent

Where each one falls short

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

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)

Karbon

Monthly billing option only available for teams of 4 or more users
Team plan at $59/month per user minimum cost may be expensive for smaller practices
No seat license discounts published; scaling costs linearly with user count

Pricing, plan by plan

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)

Karbon

$59/month

Team$59/month
- Per-user pricing
- Designed for small accounting firms
- Minimum team size of 4 for monthly billing
Business$89/month
- Per-user pricing
- Workflow automation
- Integrations for growing practices
Enterprise$null/mo
- Custom pricing
- Tailored for large accounting firms
- Dedicated support

Which should you pick?

Choose FreeAgent if

You want to start without paying.

FreeAgent review

Choose Karbon if

Nothing in the data separates Karbon from FreeAgent on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Karbon review

Questions people ask

Is FreeAgent or Karbon better?: Neither clearly leads. FreeAgent starts at Free and Karbon at $59/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, FreeAgent or Karbon?: FreeAgent has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for FreeAgent and $59/month for Karbon.
Does FreeAgent or Karbon 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. Karbon starts at $59/month.
What is FreeAgent best used for?: FreeAgent is most often used for submitting vat and self assessment tax returns to hmrc directly, splitting rental income and expenses across multiple properties automatically, collecting invoice payments faster through one-click payments and reminders, capturing bills and receipts via ai to auto-categorize expenses. Of those, submitting vat and self assessment tax returns to hmrc directly and splitting rental income and expenses across multiple properties automatically are not what Karbon is typically brought in for.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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

Karbon: How much does Karbon cost?

Karbon pricing starts at $59 per user per month (Team plan, billed annually) or $79 per user per month (monthly billing for 4+ users). Business plan is $89/month annual or $99/month monthly. Enterprise pricing is custom.

Source

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

Karbon: Is there a discount for annual billing on Karbon?

Yes, Karbon offers annual billing at a discount compared to monthly. Team plan is $59/month annually versus $79/month monthly. Business plan is $89/month annually versus $99/month monthly.

Source

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

Karbon: What is the minimum user requirement for monthly billing on Karbon?

Karbon requires a minimum team size of 4 users to access monthly billing. Teams smaller than 4 must choose annual billing.

Source

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

FreeAgent vs Karbon

FreeAgent

Karbon

The short version

Where they differ

What people use each for

FreeAgent

Karbon

Where each one falls short

FreeAgent

Karbon

Pricing, plan by plan

FreeAgent

Karbon

Which should you pick?

Choose FreeAgent if

Choose Karbon if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on FreeAgent

More on Karbon

Keep looking

Other head to heads