Software · head to head
Paddle vs FreeAgent
FreeAgent
Software
Accounting software for small businesses and freelancers
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Paddle paddle charges 5% plus 50 cents on every checkout transaction, which is well above a bare payment processor rate; 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
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Paddle and FreeAgent actually diverge.
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 Paddle
- Payment processing
- Sales tax handling
- Subscription management
- Checkout
- Revenue metrics
- Stripe
- PayPal
- Various
Only in FreeAgent
Nothing recorded that Paddle does not also cover.
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
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
FreeAgent
No use cases recorded yet. See the FreeAgent review.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
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
Pricing, plan by plan
Paddle
$29/month- Standard$5/transaction
- Payment processing
- Tax compliance
- Billing
FreeAgent
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the FreeAgent review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Paddle if
- You need payment processing.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want sales tax handling.
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.
Questions people ask
- Is Paddle or FreeAgent better?
- Neither clearly leads. Paddle starts at $29/month and FreeAgent at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Paddle or FreeAgent?
- Paddle starts at $29/month and FreeAgent at On request.
- Does Paddle or FreeAgent run on more platforms?
- Paddle runs on Web, Api. FreeAgent runs on Web.
- What is Paddle best used for?
- Paddle is most often used for selling saas or digital products with a merchant of record handling tax, global subscription billing and checkout, offloading sales tax and vat compliance for cross border sales. Of those, selling saas or digital products with a merchant of record handling tax and global subscription billing and checkout are not what FreeAgent is typically brought in for.
- What can Paddle do that FreeAgent cannot?
- Paddle covers Payment processing, Sales tax handling, Subscription management, Checkout.