Is FreeAgent or Mercury better?

Neither clearly leads. FreeAgent starts at Free and Mercury at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, FreeAgent or Mercury?

FreeAgent starts at Free and Mercury at Free.

Does FreeAgent or Mercury run on more platforms?

FreeAgent runs on Web. Mercury runs on Web, Ios, Android.

Can I use FreeAgent for free?

Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.

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 Mercury is typically brought in for.

What can FreeAgent do that Mercury cannot?

Mercury covers Business checking, Savings accounts, Virtual cards, Team management.

Accounting · head to head

FreeAgent vs Mercury

FreeAgent

Accounting

Accounting software for small businesses and freelancers

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Mercury

Accounting

Banking for startups

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: FreeAgent introductory pricing shown is 50% off the regular rates; Mercury treasury access requires a $250,000 balance held with Mercury
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which FreeAgent and Mercury actually diverge.

Attributes where FreeAgent and Mercury differ
Attribute	FreeAgent	Mercury
Pricing model	subscription	freemium
Platforms	Web	Web, Ios, Android
Founded	Unknown	2019

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 FreeAgent

Nothing recorded that Mercury does not also cover.

Only in Mercury

Business checking
Savings accounts
Virtual cards
Team management
API access
QuickBooks
Xero
Stripe

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

Mercury

Business banking and payments for startupsnot FreeAgent
Managing treasury, invoicing and corporate cards from one accountnot 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)

Mercury

Treasury access requires a $250,000 balance held with Mercury
Non USD international wires carry a 1% conversion fee
Choosing OUR wire coding, which covers intermediary bank charges, costs $15 per wire
ACH invoicing is $1 per transaction on Mercury Plus and only free on the $299 a month Pro plan
Advanced and recurring invoicing require Mercury Plus at $29.90 a month

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)

Mercury

Free

Mercury (Free)Free
- ACH payments
- Domestic wires
- Real-time payments
Mercury Plus$29.9/month
- Invoice ACH debits
- Recurring invoices
- Invoicing API (500/month)
Mercury Pro$299/month
- All Plus features
- Relationship manager
- Free ACH invoice debits

Which should you pick?

Choose FreeAgent if

You want to start without paying.

FreeAgent review

Choose Mercury if

You need business checking.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, Ios, Android.
You also want savings accounts.

Mercury review

Questions people ask

Is FreeAgent or Mercury better?: Neither clearly leads. FreeAgent starts at Free and Mercury at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, FreeAgent or Mercury?: FreeAgent starts at Free and Mercury at Free.
Does FreeAgent or Mercury run on more platforms?: FreeAgent runs on Web. Mercury runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use FreeAgent for free?: Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Mercury is typically brought in for.
What can FreeAgent do that Mercury cannot?: Mercury covers Business checking, Savings accounts, Virtual cards, Team management.

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

Mercury: Is Mercury business banking free?

Mercury's base banking tier is free and includes ACH payments, domestic wire transfers, real-time payments, Bill Pay, and QuickBooks/Xero automations at no monthly cost.

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

Mercury: What does Mercury Plus add beyond the free tier?

Mercury Plus costs $29.90 per month and adds invoice ACH debits, recurring invoice capabilities, invoicing API with 500 calls per month, unlimited 1099 filings, and access to partner benefits.

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

Mercury: Does Mercury charge monthly account fees?

No, Mercury states there are no minimum account balance requirements, overdraft fees, required monthly fees, or account opening fees. The free tier includes essential business banking, with paid tiers available for additional features.

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 Mercury

FreeAgent

Mercury

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in FreeAgent

Only in Mercury

What people use each for

FreeAgent

Mercury

Where each one falls short

FreeAgent

Mercury

Pricing, plan by plan

FreeAgent

Mercury

Which should you pick?

Choose FreeAgent if

Choose Mercury if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on FreeAgent

More on Mercury

Keep looking

Other head to heads