Softwr

Accounting · head to head

FreeAgent vs Ottimate

FreeAgent logo

FreeAgent

Accounting

Accounting software for small businesses and freelancers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Ottimate logo

Ottimate

Accounting

Invoice capture and accounts payable automation trained on food and beverage distributor formats

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; Ottimate nothing is published about price, and quotes are structured by location and invoice volume, so a group with a few high-volume sites and one with many low-volume sites can receive very different numbers for the same total spend
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which FreeAgent and Ottimate actually diverge.

Attributes where FreeAgent and Ottimate differ
AttributeFreeAgentOttimate
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android

Identical on both: 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 Ottimate does not also cover.

Only in Ottimate

  • Line-item invoice capture
  • GL coding
  • Approval routing
  • Supplier payments
  • Price change alerts
  • Purchase order matching
  • Digital invoice retrieval

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

Ottimate

  • A 40 site restaurant group whose bookkeepers key distributor invoices line by line to track food costnot FreeAgent
  • An operator that wants to know within a week when a supplier raises the price of an item outside the contracted schedulenot FreeAgent
  • A hotel group standardising accounts payable approvals across properties that each have their own general manager sign-off rulesnot FreeAgent
  • A finance team migrating from paper invoice files that needs digital retrieval from supplier portals rather than chasing branches for copiesnot 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)

Ottimate

  • Nothing is published about price, and quotes are structured by location and invoice volume, so a group with a few high-volume sites and one with many low-volume sites can receive very different numbers for the same total spend
  • The line-item extraction advantage is trained on food and beverage distributor formats, so accuracy on long-tail suppliers, service invoices and one-off vendors falls back to general OCR and needs human review
  • It is an accounts payable layer, not an inventory or recipe costing system, so operators still need Restaurant365 or an equivalent for true plate costing and the value depends on that integration behaving
  • The company has rebranded once already from Plate IQ, and much of the third party comparison material still uses the old name or wrongly attributes it to AvidXchange, which makes independent due diligence unusually hard
  • Payment execution through the platform introduces a dependency on Ottimate for supplier relationships, and moving away later means re-establishing payment details with every vendor rather than simply exporting data

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)

Ottimate

On request
  • Ottimate$undefined/year
    • Quoted by location count and invoice volume
    • Payment rails may carry separate transaction charges
    • Implementation and accounting system integration scoped separately

Which should you pick?

Choose FreeAgent if

  • You want to start without paying.
FreeAgent review

Choose Ottimate if

  • You need line-item invoice capture.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want gl coding.
Ottimate review

Questions people ask

Is FreeAgent or Ottimate better?
Neither clearly leads. FreeAgent starts at Free and Ottimate at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, FreeAgent or Ottimate?
FreeAgent has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for FreeAgent and On request for Ottimate.
Does FreeAgent or Ottimate run on more platforms?
FreeAgent runs on Web. Ottimate runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use FreeAgent for free?
Yes. FreeAgent has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Ottimate starts at On request.
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 Ottimate is typically brought in for.
What can FreeAgent do that Ottimate cannot?
Ottimate covers Line-item invoice capture, GL coding, Approval routing, Supplier payments.

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
Ottimate: Is Ottimate owned by AvidXchange?

No. Ottimate is the rebranded Plate IQ and operates as an independent venture-backed company. AvidXchange is a competitor, not the parent.

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
Ottimate: What was it called before?

Plate IQ. The company kept the same product and renamed it Ottimate.

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
Ottimate: Does it work outside restaurants?

It will process any invoice, but the line-item extraction accuracy that justifies the price is tuned to food and beverage distributors. Other industries should test carefully before committing.

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
Ottimate: Does it replace Restaurant365?

No. It handles invoice capture, approval and payment. Recipe costing and restaurant-specific inventory stay in Restaurant365 or an equivalent.

Share

Related pages

More on FreeAgent

More on Ottimate

Keep looking

Other head to heads