The Best Accounting Apps and Software for UK Sole Traders

Introduction

Sole traders in the UK face a unique challenge: most accounting apps are built for larger businesses, VAT-registered companies, or organisations with complex bookkeeping needs.

But if you're a tradesperson, freelancer, creative, tutor, or contractor, you probably want something far simpler:
a tool that helps you stay organised, claim the right expenses, and submit your Self Assessment with confidence — without paying for features you'll never use.

In this comparison, we look at the most widely used UK accounting apps, explain who they’re really designed for, and show how QTax takes a different, simpler approach for people who work for themselves.

If you want to see exactly how QTax works, visit the Product Tour.

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What Sole Traders Actually Need (and What They Don’t)

Based on interviews with thousands of UK sole traders across trades, services and creative professions, most self-employed people need:

• A simple way to track income and business expenses
• Clear guidance on what they can claim
• A fast way to file a Self Assessment tax return
• Fully digital MTD-compliant HMRC submission
• Helpful reminders and support
• Straightforward, fair pricing

What they don’t need:

• Full company accounts
• Payroll systems
• Multi-currency ledgers
• VAT management (unless VAT-registered)
• Corporate reporting dashboards

This is exactly where QTax focuses its roadmap: making the tax-related tasks of sole traders dramatically simpler.

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Comparison Table: UK Accounting Apps for Sole Traders

Below is a high-level comparison of key features relevant to sole traders, not limited companies.
(For product evolution, items marked “coming soon” reflect confirmed features in development.)

App	Aims to Serve	HMRC Self Assessment	Expense Guidance	Invoicing	Bank Feeds	Simplicity	Designed for Sole Traders
QTax	Sole traders needing simple tax filing	✓ Direct filing	✓ Yes	Coming soon	Coming soon	✓ Very high	✓ Yes (core focus)
QuickBooks	Small businesses, freelancers	Via add-ons	Partial	✓	✓	Medium	✗ Built for companies
FreeAgent	Small businesses, micro-businesses	✓ (with setup)	Partial	✓	✓	Medium	✗ Broad audience
Coconut	Freelancers needing mobile bookkeeping	✗ (no submission)	✓	✓	✓	High	✓ Freelancers (general)
Crunch	People wanting accountant-led support	Via accountants	✓	✓	✓	Low/Medium	✗ Focus on full accountancy
Xero	Businesses with staff, VAT or complexity	Via add-ons	Partial	✓	✓	Low	✗ Company infrastructure
Sage	Larger SMEs, VAT-registered companies	Via add-ons	Partial	✓	✓	Low	✗ Enterprise focus

This table already shows a pattern:

Most accounting tools aren’t truly designed for sole traders — they’re built for small companies. QTax is built solely for people who work for themselves.

For detailed context, the sections below explain each tool in more depth.

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Competitor Breakdown (What Each App Is Really Built For)

QTax

Aims to serve: UK sole traders who want a simple, accurate way to manage tax. QTax cuts through the complexity found in typical accounting tools.
It is fully HMRC-recognised for digital tax submission and guides sole traders through income, expenses and filing without overwhelming them with company features.

Current strengths:

• Simple Self Assessment filing
• MTD-compatible digital submission
• Smart prompts and checks
• Clear guidance on allowable expenses
• Built solely for sole traders

Coming soon:

• Automated expense categorisation
• Bank feeds
• Invoicing
• Year-round bookkeeping support
• Real-time tax estimates

See the Product Tour for a walkthrough.

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QuickBooks

Aims to serve: freelancers and small businesses needing full bookkeeping. QuickBooks is one of the biggest names in the accounting world. It offers powerful features like invoicing, bank feeds and reporting — but many sole traders find it overly complex for simple needs.

Strengths:

• Automated bookkeeping
• Invoice creation
• Mileage tracking

Limitations for sole traders:

• More features than most will ever use
• Learning curve is steeper
• Built for small companies, not individuals

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FreeAgent

Aims to serve: small businesses and micro-businesses. FreeAgent is well-loved for its user-friendly design and strong banking partnerships. But unless you use a partner bank, its pricing can escalate.

Strengths:

• Clean interface
• Solid bookkeeping tools
• Good tax timeline

Limitations:

• Not specifically tailored to sole traders
• Feature set can feel heavy for simple businesses

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Coconut

Aims to serve: freelancers wanting mobile-friendly bookkeeping. Coconut is designed for freelancers and creatives who prefer managing everything on their phone.

Strengths:

• Receipt capture
• Expense tracking
• Clean mobile app

Limitations:

• Does not file Self Assessment
• Lacks more advanced accounting features
• Less suitable as businesses grow

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Crunch

Aims to serve: self-employed people wanting accountant-led services. Crunch is more of a hybrid accountant + software solution.

Strengths:

• Access to accountants
• Simple invoicing and expense features

Limitations:

• More expensive due to human support
• Not built for those wanting a self-service tool
• Better suited to limited companies

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Xero

Aims to serve: businesses with staff, VAT or multi-layered needs. Xero is a market leader — for SMEs. It is not optimised for sole traders.

Strengths:

• Very robust feature set
• Scales with growing businesses

Limitations:

• Complex for simple sole traders
• Requires accounting knowledge
• Many unused features for most self-employed individuals

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Sage

Aims to serve: SMEs and more established companies. Sage is a powerful enterprise-grade system designed for organisations with finance teams.

Strengths:

• Full accounting tools
• Strong reporting

Limitations for sole traders:

• Too complex
• Requires training
• Expensive for simple needs

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Why QTax Is the Best Choice for Sole Traders (and Soon, One-Person Limited Companies)

Most accounting apps serve businesses.
QTax serves sole traders — and soon, one-person limited companies — with a tool designed around your reality:

✔ Simple Self Assessment tax returns

No jargon. No clutter. No confusion.

✔ Fully HMRC-recognised digital submission

Submit your tax return directly through QTax.

✔ Built-in guidance

QTax explains what’s allowable, flags missing info and reduces errors.

✔ Pricing that reflects sole trader needs

No bloated monthly fees.

✔ “Coming very soon”: year-round bookkeeping

QTax is evolving rapidly with:

• bank feeds
• invoicing
• automated expense categorisation
• tax estimates
• and more tools designed specifically for one-person businesses

✔ A product shaped by real accountants

The team behind QTax includes senior certified accountants who have helped thousands of sole traders.

✔ A product shaped by people like you

From tradespeople to creatives, QTax was built based on feedback from individuals who found existing accounting software too heavy or too complicated.

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Conclusion

There are many accounting apps available in the UK — but most are designed for larger or more complex businesses. For sole traders, a simpler, clearer tool often works better than a full accounting suite.

QTax focuses on exactly what sole traders need today, while building the features they’ll want tomorrow.
If you want to file your Self Assessment quickly and confidently, without drowning in bookkeeping tools you’ll never use, QTax is built for you.