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Software · head to head

FreeAgent vs Paddle

F

FreeAgent

Software

Accounting software for small businesses and freelancers

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Paddle logo

Paddle

Software

The complete payments infrastructure for SaaS

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: FreeAgent priced in GBP from around £10 to £13.75 per month, and the software is built around UK tax rules (VAT, Self Assessment) rather than other jurisdictions; Paddle paddle charges 5% plus 50 cents on every checkout transaction, which is well above a bare payment processor rate

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which FreeAgent and Paddle actually diverge.

Attributes where FreeAgent and Paddle differ
AttributeFreeAgentPaddle
Starting priceOn request$29/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionusage-based
PlatformsWebWeb, Api
FoundedUnknown2012

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Paddle does not also cover.

Only in Paddle

  • Payment processing
  • Sales tax handling
  • Subscription management
  • Checkout
  • Revenue metrics
  • Stripe
  • PayPal
  • Various

What people use each for

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

FreeAgent

No use cases recorded yet. See the FreeAgent review.

Paddle

  • Selling SaaS or digital products with a merchant of record handling taxnot FreeAgent
  • Global subscription billing and checkoutnot FreeAgent
  • Offloading sales tax and VAT compliance for cross border salesnot FreeAgent

Where each one falls short

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

FreeAgent

  • Priced in GBP from around £10 to £13.75 per month, and the software is built around UK tax rules (VAT, Self Assessment) rather than other jurisdictions

Paddle

  • Paddle charges 5% plus 50 cents on every checkout transaction, which is well above a bare payment processor rate
  • The 50 cent fixed component falls heavily on low value sales, and products under $10 require custom pricing agreed with sales
  • Invoicing is not covered by the published rate and requires custom pricing
  • As a merchant of record Paddle sits between the seller and the customer, so payouts and tax handling run through Paddle rather than the seller's own processor

Pricing, plan by plan

FreeAgent

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the FreeAgent review.

Paddle

$29/month
  • Standard$5/transaction
    • Payment processing
    • Tax compliance
    • Billing

Which should you pick?

Choose FreeAgent if

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

FreeAgent review

Choose Paddle if

  • You need payment processing.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want sales tax handling.
Paddle review

Questions people ask

Is FreeAgent or Paddle better?
Neither clearly leads. FreeAgent starts at On request and Paddle at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, FreeAgent or Paddle?
FreeAgent starts at On request and Paddle at $29/month.
Does FreeAgent or Paddle run on more platforms?
FreeAgent runs on Web. Paddle runs on Web, Api.
What can FreeAgent do that Paddle cannot?
Paddle covers Payment processing, Sales tax handling, Subscription management, Checkout.
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