F The Hours or QuickBooks for a UK freelancer
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.
Where QuickBooks is stronger
- Bank feeds and receipt capture, with income and expenses sorted for you.
- Ready for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, with an income tax estimate and Self Assessment preparation.
- A mobile app, and access for your accountant.
- VAT, CIS and payroll on the plans above Sole Trader, if the business grows into them.
Where F The Hours differs
- Time tracking is where F The Hours starts; on QuickBooks it is not listed on the Sole Trader plan.
- F The Hours is one log: the hours carry their rate, the invoice is built from them, the tax estimate reads the same entries.
- Free while the beta is open, then Starter £3.99 and Pro £8.99 a month.
- No bank feeds and no filing yet. If you want transactions pulled in automatically today, QuickBooks does that and F The Hours does not.
Side by side
What each does today, in its own words where they are quoted. Checked on 8 September 2026.
| F The Hours | QuickBooks | |
|---|---|---|
| Time tracking | Yes. By client, project and task type; each entry carries its rate. | Not listed on the Sole Trader plan. Available from the Essentials plan. |
| Invoicing | Yes. A branded PDF from the hours you logged. No online card payment yet. | Yes. "Send invoices & estimates." |
| Expenses | Yes, under the categories HMRC recognises. No receipt photo capture yet. | Yes. "Manage receipt capture & mileage tracking." |
| Mileage | Yes, at the HMRC approved rates. | Yes. |
| Home office allowance | Yes, the flat-rate allowance and the actual-cost method. | Not stated on the pricing page checked. |
| Tax estimate through the year | Yes. Income tax and National Insurance from what you have logged, all year, by year, month and week. | Yes. "Get Income Tax estimates and prepare your Self Assessment tax return." |
| Self Assessment figures | Yes. The SA103 boxes filled from your records, a readiness check, and a spreadsheet export. | Yes. "Prepare for Self Assessment." |
| Files the return to HMRC | No. You enter the figures in your HMRC account yourself. | Not stated on the pricing page checked. |
| Bank feeds | Not yet. On the roadmap. | Yes. |
| VAT | Not yet. On the roadmap. | Not on the Sole Trader plan. On Simple Start and above. |
| Making Tax Digital for Income Tax | Not yet. On the roadmap. | Yes. "MTD for Income Tax ready." |
| Working with an accountant | Exports only: CSV and a full JSON export you run yourself. | Yes. |
| Phone | In a browser on any device. No app. | Yes, a mobile app. |
| Price | Free while the beta is open. Starter £3.99 and Pro £8.99 a month when billing starts. | The Sole Trader plan’s price was not shown on the pricing page on the day checked. Simple Start, the next plan up, is £16 a month plus VAT (£1.60 a month for the first six months). 30-day trial. |
Read from QuickBooks UK pricing for sole traders and QuickBooks UK pricing on 8 September 2026. Prices and plans change; check their site before you decide, and tell us if something here is out of date.
Try the part that is free either way
The tax calculator uses the same rates as the app and needs no account. The beta is free while it is open, with nothing to cancel.
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