How F The Hours compares
Honest side-by-side pages against the tools a UK freelancer is likely to be weighing up. Where the other tool is stronger, the page says so first.
At a glance
What each does for a sole trader on the plan they would take. Checked on 8 September 2026; the detail and the quotes are on each page.
| F The Hours | FreeAgent | QuickBooks | Xero | A spreadsheet | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time tracking | ✓ | ✓ | × | ◐ | ◐ |
| Invoicing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ◐ | ◐ |
| Expenses | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ◐ | ◐ |
| Mileage | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ◐ | ◐ |
| Home office allowance | ✓ | – | – | – | ◐ |
| Tax estimate through the year | ✓ | – | ✓ | – | ◐ |
| Self Assessment figures | ✓ | – | ✓ | – | ◐ |
| Files the return to HMRC | × | ✓ | – | – | × |
| Bank feeds | × | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | × |
| VAT | × | ✓ | × | ✓ | ◐ |
| Making Tax Digital for Income Tax | × | – | ✓ | ✓ | × |
| Working with an accountant | ◐ | ✓ | ✓ | – | ◐ |
| Phone | × | ✓ | ✓ | – | ◐ |
| Price | Free in the beta | £19 a month | Not shown; next plan £16 | From £18 a month | Free |
- ✓
- Yes
- ◐
- Partly
- ×
- No, or not yet
- –
- Not stated on the page checked
In depth
One page per tool: where it is stronger, where F The Hours differs, the full table with quotes, and the sources.
- F The Hours or FreeAgent
- FreeAgent is full accounting software with bank feeds, VAT and direct filing to HMRC. F The Hours is the log you keep as you work, with the invoice and the tax estimate built on it. Which one fits depends on how much accounting you want to do yourself.
- F The Hours or QuickBooks
- QuickBooks’ Sole Trader plan is accounting software aimed at the self-employed, with bank feeds, receipt capture and Making Tax Digital built in. F The Hours is narrower: the hours, the invoice and the tax estimate, from one log. Here is how they line up.
- F The Hours or Xero
- Xero is accounting software for businesses of most sizes, with an entry plan for the smallest. Time tracking, expenses and mileage sit on its higher plans. F The Hours starts from time tracking and keeps to what one self-employed person needs.
- F The Hours or a spreadsheet
- A spreadsheet is where most freelancers start, and for good reason: it is free, it is yours, and it does exactly what you tell it. The question is how much of your evening it takes, and how sure you are of the tax figure at the bottom.
Every page names its sources and the date they were read.