Comparison
Marchant vs FreeAgent
Both serve UK small businesses — but only one handles France and Germany too. Here’s the full side-by-side.
Our honest take
FreeAgent is a strong choice if you’re a UK-only sole trader or contractor — especially if you bank with NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland or Ulster Bank, where FreeAgent is included free with your business account.
Marchant is the better fit if you want a more modern interface with UK payroll via BrightPay sync included. At £15/mo against FreeAgent’s £19/mo, it is also less expensive at full list price.
Marchant is UK-only today, just as FreeAgent is — MTD VAT and CIS. France and Germany are planned for 2028, so cross-border coverage is a roadmap argument rather than a reason to switch this year.
FreeAgent is excellent for UK sole traders, and free if you bank with NatWest, RBS or Ulster — a genuinely hard price to beat. If you are comparing Marchant vs FreeAgent, it is usually because you have outgrown a single-currency, single-language tool: multi-currency invoicing with live rates, a trilingual interface, and fixed-asset handling are the practical differences.
Both file HMRC Making Tax Digital, and FreeAgent includes RTI payroll where Marchant syncs to BrightPay from the Professional tier — on UK compliance this is a close comparison, and we say so. The gap opens on multi-currency, interface languages and fixed assets, not on filing.
Below you will find an honest split of strengths on each side, a detailed feature comparison table, a pricing snapshot you should verify on each vendor site, a step-by-step migration guide from FreeAgent to Marchant, and answers to the questions we hear most from finance leaders before they switch.
FreeAgent
Where FreeAgent genuinely wins
- ✓Deep UK focus: MTD VAT submission is mature, and the product is trusted by UK accountants for contractor-style businesses.
- ✓Included UK payroll on the standard plan for many users — a real cost saving if you only pay people in the UK.
- ✓Free access for eligible NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank business banking customers — unbeatable if that is your bank.
- ✓Polished native mobile apps on iOS and Android today, ideal for receipt capture on the move.
- ✓Straightforward pricing and a generous trial — easy to evaluate without procurement friction.
Where FreeAgent is weaker for cross-border teams
- ✗No native French TVA (DGFiP) or German ELSTER VAT filing — you will need another platform or manual accountant workflows for those markets.
- ✗No French or German payroll in product — expansion into Paris or Berlin means a second HR stack.
- ✗The interface is English-first; bilingual finance teams sometimes duplicate work in spreadsheets.
Marchant
Why Marchant is the stronger fit when you grow past the UK
- ✓Open banking (coming soon) across 2,400+ UK and EU institutions with daily sync, so German and French accounts sit next to UK accounts.
- ✓Full English, French and German UI translations — one workspace for international teams without parallel ledgers.
- ✓Fixed assets, multi-currency invoicing, and a branded client portal designed for B2B sellers who invoice across borders.
Where Marchant is still catching up
- ~Marchant is a UK product until the French and German launches in 2028 — if you need filing in either market now, neither Marchant nor FreeAgent's UK plan covers it.
- ~Mobile apps are rolling out — if native iOS and Android is a hard requirement today, FreeAgent currently has the edge.
- ~We do not bundle free software with a UK high-street bank — if you already get FreeAgent at £0, your effective price comparison is different.
- ~The integration marketplace is younger than FreeAgent's — if you rely on a niche UK payroll or industry connector, validate it before you move.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Marchant | FreeAgent |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | £15/mo | £19/mo sole trader, £33/mo limited company (half price for 6 months — standard intro, not a bank offer) |
| UK VAT (MTD) | All plans — direct MTD submission | All plans — direct MTD submission |
| French TVA (DGFiP) | Planned — French launch 2028 | Not supported |
| German VAT (ELSTER) | Planned — German launch 2028 | Not supported |
| UK Payroll | BrightPay sync (coming soon) | Included — RTI filing to HMRC |
| French Payroll (DSN) | Planned — French launch 2028 | Not supported |
| German Payroll (DATEV) | Planned — German launch 2028 | Not supported |
| Open banking | 2,400+ UK & EU banks — daily sync (coming soon) | UK banks via Yapily — daily sync |
| Multi-currency invoicing | 50+ currencies with daily FX rates | Yes — limited currency support |
| SEPA batch payments | Coming soon — not available yet | No |
| Fixed assets & depreciation | Coming soon | Basic — no automated depreciation |
| Client portal | Yes — branded portal; online payment coming soon | Yes — invoice viewing and payment |
| Mobile app | iOS + Android (coming soon) | iOS + Android |
| Free trial | 30 days — no card required | 30 days — no card required |
| Accountant access | Included on all plans | Free for NatWest/RBS/Ulster customers |
Pricing comparison (verify before you buy)
Retail prices change with promotions and banking bundles. Use this table as a planning snapshot, then confirm live numbers on each website. The important line is not only headline monthly cost — it is what you pay once you add payroll, extra countries, and accountant seats.
| What you are comparing | Marchant | FreeAgent |
|---|---|---|
| Typical entry price (public list, UK) | Starter from £15/mo — full UK accounting and MTD | From £19/mo sole trader, £33/mo limited company; half price for the first six months (open to everyone). Free — not discounted — with NatWest/RBS/Ulster/Mettle |
| UK payroll | BrightPay sync (coming soon) — no per-employee add-on | Included on standard plans — strong for UK-only payroll |
| French + German compliance in the same product | Planned for 2028 — UK MTD and CIS today | Not available — requires separate tools per country |
| Accountant access | Included on every plan | Included; free for eligible bank customers |
| Free trial | 30 days, card not required | 30 days, card not required |
Promotions, FX, and tax-inclusive display can change effective cost. If you are eligible for free FreeAgent through banking, model your total cost of ownership including any new tools you would still need for France or Germany.
Switching from FreeAgent to Marchant
Migration ships in 2027. The steps below are how the move will work when it does — the rest of Marchant is live today.
Most migrations finish in an afternoon if your chart of accounts is tidy. You do not need to freeze trading — run both systems in parallel for one VAT period if your accountant prefers a soft cutover.
Export a trial balance and chart of accounts from FreeAgent
Download CSV or PDF reports for the current year and prior closing balances. Your Marchant onboarding checklist will tell you exactly which ledgers we need; keep your fixed asset register and payroll mappings for your own records until those arrive in Marchant (coming soon).
Move open invoices, bills, and contacts
CSV templates cover customers, suppliers, unpaid invoices, and recurring templates. If you use projects, export them now — mapping project tags into Marchant cost centres is coming soon.
Reconnect bank feeds in Marchant
Import the last 90 days of statements from each UK and EU account as CSV if you want a clean reconciliation window. Open banking feeds are coming soon.
Recreate payroll and tax settings
HMRC PAYE references, VAT registration numbers, and scheme dates should match exactly — your accountant can review in a shared workspace. French or German registrations stay with your current provider until Marchant’s 2028 launches.
Parallel run one return, then cut over
Many teams file one more MTD return from FreeAgent while reconciling Marchant, then switch filing credentials after the period closes. Pick the approach your accountant signs off on.
Need help? Marchant support can review your export package before import — send anonymised samples if policy requires. The goal is zero surprises on VAT or payroll deadlines.
Common questions: Marchant vs FreeAgent
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