Accounting · head to head
FreeAgent vs Paychex
FreeAgent
Accounting
Accounting software for small businesses and freelancers
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Paychex
Accounting
Outsourced United States payroll, tax filing, benefits and HR services with an assigned service representative
- From
- $29/month
- Rated
- -
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; Paychex pricing is quoted rather than published and varies between clients and between renewals, with separate charges for each payroll run, off cycle payments and year end processing, so two similar businesses regularly pay very different amounts for the same service and comparing quotes is difficult by design.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which FreeAgent and Paychex actually diverge.
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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 Paychex does not also cover.
Only in Paychex
- Payroll processing
- Payroll tax filing
- Year end forms
- Multi state payroll
- Garnishments
- Time and attendance
- Benefits administration
- Retirement plans
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 Paychex
- Splitting rental income and expenses across multiple properties automaticallynot Paychex
- Collecting invoice payments faster through one-click payments and remindersnot Paychex
- Capturing bills and receipts via AI to auto-categorize expensesnot Paychex
- Filing Real Time Information payroll directly to HMRC for employeesnot Paychex
Paychex
- A United States business with employees in several states that does not want to track differing withholding and unemployment rules internallynot FreeAgent
- A small employer whose accountant recommends outsourcing payroll tax filing so the penalty risk sits with a service providernot FreeAgent
- A growing company that wants payroll, benefits enrolment and a retirement plan administered together rather than through three vendorsnot FreeAgent
- A small employer seeking benefits pricing through a professional employer organisation that it could not negotiate on its own headcountnot 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)
Paychex
- Pricing is quoted rather than published and varies between clients and between renewals, with separate charges for each payroll run, off cycle payments and year end processing, so two similar businesses regularly pay very different amounts for the same service and comparing quotes is difficult by design.
- Charging per payroll run rather than per month penalises employers who pay weekly or who run frequent off cycles, so a business with hourly staff on a weekly cycle pays several times what a monthly salaried business of the same size pays.
- Migrating mid year requires transferring year to date wage and tax figures for every employee in every jurisdiction, so in practice companies switch only at a calendar year end, which leaves you locked to the incumbent for the rest of the year whatever the service is like.
- The service model depends on an assigned representative, and reported experience varies sharply with who that person is and how often the assignment changes, which means the quality of what you bought is not a property of the product you evaluated.
- It is a United States service, so a company with employees abroad still needs a separate payroll provider in each country, and the group has no single view of employment cost without building one outside the system.
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)
Paychex
$29/month- Flex Essentials$39/month
- Payroll
- Tax administration
- Direct deposit
- Flex Select$59/month
- HR administration
- State unemployment insurance
- New hire reporting
Which should you pick?
Choose Paychex if
- You need payroll processing.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want payroll tax filing.
Questions people ask
- Is FreeAgent or Paychex better?
- Neither clearly leads. FreeAgent starts at Free and Paychex at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, FreeAgent or Paychex?
- FreeAgent has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for FreeAgent and $29/month for Paychex.
- Does FreeAgent or Paychex run on more platforms?
- FreeAgent runs on Web. Paychex runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- Can I use FreeAgent for free?
- Yes. FreeAgent has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Paychex starts at $29/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 Paychex is typically brought in for.
- What can FreeAgent do that Paychex cannot?
- Paychex covers Payroll processing, Payroll tax filing, Year end forms, Multi state payroll.
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.
SourcePaychex: How much does it cost?
Paychex quotes per client rather than publishing rates, and the structure typically includes a base fee plus a per employee per payroll charge with extras for year end and off cycle runs. Get the full fee schedule in writing, including what a mid year change of plan costs.
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.
SourcePaychex: Who is liable if payroll taxes are filed late or wrongly?
Contractually the provider generally accepts responsibility for errors it makes, but the employer remains the party the tax authorities pursue. Read the specific indemnity language rather than relying on the sales description.
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.
SourcePaychex: Can I switch providers mid year?
Technically yes, but you must carry year to date figures across for every employee and jurisdiction, and errors there surface at year end on employee tax forms. Most businesses switch effective 1 January for that reason.
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.
SourcePaychex: What is the difference between the standard service and the professional employer organisation option?
Under the professional employer organisation arrangement Paychex becomes a co-employer for tax and benefits purposes, which changes your benefits access and some of your employment administration. It costs more and it is harder to unwind, so treat it as a different decision from buying payroll.
Paychex: Does it work with my accounting software?
It exports a general ledger file and connects to the mainstream accounting products. Confirm the mapping to your chart of accounts during onboarding, because a generic export means your bookkeeper recodes every run.
Paychex: Is it suitable if we only have a few employees?
It will serve you, but very small employers often find the per run charges and the service tiering expensive relative to self service payroll products. The case improves once multi state complexity or benefits administration enters the picture.
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