Best Apps for Sole Traders UK 2026

Last updated: August 2026. There are over 4.4 million self-employed people in the UK and most of them are winging their admin. "I'm doing it on a spreadsheet" is the most expensive sentence in British self-employment.

This guide cuts through the noise. After testing the main apps over six months on real jobs, here are the ones worth your money — and the ones to skip.

The short list

App	Category	Best for	Price (sole trader, August 2026)
TradeTally	All-in-one	UK sole trader tradespeople	Free 2 invoices/mo · Pro £12/mo or £120/yr
Xero (Growing)	Accounting	Ltd companies, complex books	£37/mo
QuickBooks Essentials	Accounting	Side hustlers, basic	£55/mo
FreeAgent	Accounting	Subcontractors, MTD-first	£18/mo (free with NatWest/RBS business account)
Sage Accounting Start	Accounting	Brand-trusting businesses	£14/mo
Wave	Accounting	Zero-budget	£0
Hubdoc / Dext	Receipts	Best OCR + sync to accounting	£15-25/mo (paid add-on)
Starling Bank tools	Banking	Existing Starling customers	Free with account

Most sole traders need 1-2 of these, not 8. The exception: TradeTally does invoicing, expenses, CIS, SA103F export, and accountant link in one app.

Which one fits you

UK sole trader in a building trade? TradeTally.
Sole trader consultant or designer? FreeAgent (free with NatWest) or Xero Growing.
Ltd company with staff? Xero + Sage Payroll.
Less than £1,000/month on the side? Wave or Starling tools.

The categories

Accounting apps

These do invoicing, expense tracking, and tax prep. For sole traders you want: mobile invoicing, receipt capture, MTD for ITSA ready (April 2026 for £50k+), free accountant access, bank feed integration.

Top picks:

TradeTally — the only one built for UK trades with CIS, certificate fields, parts/labour, SA103F export.
FreeAgent — MTD pioneer, often free with NatWest/RBS, solid CIS handling.
Xero — beautiful but expensive for sole traders, no CIS, no certificate fields.
QuickBooks Essentials — £55/mo is the most expensive sole-trader tier of the three big ones.

Receipt apps

Standalone tools that do one thing well. They usually integrate with an accounting app.

Top picks:

Hubdoc / Dext — best OCR, syncs to Xero/QuickBooks.
TradeTally — receipts included, no separate app needed.

Banking apps with built-in tools

Some business banks (Starling, Monzo) include invoicing, expense categorisation, and tax estimation tools. Free with the account.

Top pick: Starling — MTD-ready, best tools of the bunch.

TradeTally in detail

TradeTally does invoicing, expenses, receipt OCR, CIS, certificate fields, SA103F export, and accountant link in one app. Built only for UK sole trader tradespeople.

What it does today

CIS deduction engine — 20% or 30% automatic per line on subcontractor invoices.
Parts and labour split — every line has a labour toggle.
Certificate fields — EICR, EIC, Minor Works, PAT, Fire Alarm, Emergency Lighting, FENSA, CERTASS, or Other. Cert number, type, issue and expiry dates print on the PDF.
Receipt OCR — snap, background OCR, auto-categorise, file against the open job.
SA103F export — Pro plan, CSV pre-mapped to HMRC boxes.
Accountant link — read-only, revocable, no per-accountant fee.
Free tier — 2 invoices/month, 10 expenses/month.
Pro plan — £12/mo or £120/yr, 50 receipt scans/month, SA103F export, accountant link.
14-day Pro trial — no card required.

What it doesn't do

It's not a job management or scheduling tool. No diary, no route planner, no staff rota.
It doesn't integrate with NICEIC, NAPIT, ELECSA, FENSA or CERTASS portals.
It doesn't file your tax return. It exports the data; you submit it.
Full CIS contractor workflow (verification, payment & deduction statements, CIS300) is on the roadmap, not built.
No card payments, no direct debit, no mileage tracker, no time tracking. All on the roadmap.

FreeAgent in detail

FreeAgent is MTD-first, accountant-friendly, and often free with a NatWest or RBS business account. CIS works. SA103F export works. Receipt OCR works. What it doesn't do is job management, certificate fields, or anything trade-specific.

For cash-light trades that mostly need an MTD-friendly accounting app and have a NatWest account, FreeAgent is the right answer. For trades that need certificate fields on invoices, it's incomplete.

Xero in detail

Xero is industry-leading for limited companies. The Growing tier for sole traders is £37/mo. CIS is a manual workaround, certificate fields don't exist, parts/labour split is a custom config job. Bank feeds, beautiful UI, accountant ecosystem — all real.

For a Ltd company with staff: Xero is the right call. For a sole trader spark: it's overpriced and incomplete.

QuickBooks in detail

QuickBooks Essentials is £55/mo, which is the most expensive sole-trader tier of the three big ones. The "Self-Employed" tier at the bottom is missing invoicing, so it's not really a sole-trader tier at all in the way you'd expect. Same generalist positioning as Xero, similar trade-specific gaps.

Stacks for UK sole traders

Stack 1: One-trade wonder (£12/month total)

TradeTally. That's it. Everything you need in one app.

Stack 2: Trade + free bank (£12/month total)

TradeTally + Starling business account. Banking with free MTD tools, on top of TradeTally for the trade-specific work.

Stack 3: Free for now (£0/month)

FreeAgent (free with NatWest business account) or TradeTally free tier. Both work below 2 invoices/month for a side hustle.

Decision helper

UK sole trader in a building trade? TradeTally, no contest.
UK sole trader consultant/designer? FreeAgent if you bank with NatWest, else Xero.
Ltd company with staff? Xero + Sage Payroll.
Side hustle under £1k/month? TradeTally free tier or Wave.

Frequently asked questions

What's the single best app for a UK sole trader?

If you're in a building trade (plumber, electrician, plasterer, decorator, etc): TradeTally. If you're a consultant or designer: FreeAgent (free with NatWest) or Xero Growing. The answer depends on your trade and complexity.

Do I really need a separate app, or can I use a spreadsheet?

You can use a spreadsheet, but from April 2026, if you earn over £50k, you'll need to use HMRC-recognised software for MTD quarterly updates. A spreadsheet won't pass. Even below £50k, a spreadsheet will cost you 5+ hours per quarter and you'll miss expenses. Pay the £12.

What's the cheapest way to handle CIS deductions?

TradeTally at £12/month is the only app with built-in CIS at that price. FreeAgent at £18/mo (free with NatWest) also handles it. Xero and QuickBooks require manual entries or third-party add-ons.

Can I use my existing bank with these apps?

Yes. All major UK banks integrate with Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent, Sage, and TradeTally. Starling and Monzo have the best native integrations.

What if I need card payments too?

TradeTally doesn't have card payments built in yet. Add Square (1.75% per sale) or SumUp (1.69%). Both work alongside TradeTally.

Do I need to be VAT registered to use these apps?

No. All apps work fine below the VAT threshold (£90k from April 2026). When you cross it, flip a setting in TradeTally and historical data stays intact.

Is there a free option that does everything?

No. The closest is FreeAgent (free with NatWest), but it lacks certificate fields, parts/labour split, and trade-specific workflows. TradeTally's free tier gives you 2 invoices/month and 10 expenses/month — best balance of free + functional for a one-man band.

Can I switch from one app to another?

Yes. Most apps let you import clients from CSV and export historical data. Start a 14-day free trial on the new app, import your last 6 months, and run both in parallel for a month.

Bottom line

For UK sole traders in a building trade, the answer is TradeTally at £12/month. It does CIS, parts/labour, certificate fields, SA103F export — all the things the generic accounting apps don't do.

For other sole traders (consultants, designers, freelancers), the answer is FreeAgent (free with NatWest) or Xero Growing depending on complexity.

For side hustlers doing under £1k/month, the TradeTally free tier is genuinely free and works.

Don't overcomplicate it. Pick the app that matches your situation, set it up properly, and get back to the actual work.

Get started

TradeTally costs £12/month. No setup fee. No annual contract. Cancel anytime.

14-day free trial (no card required)
CIS deductions automatic (20% or 30%)
Parts and labour VAT split
EICR / FENSA certificate fields on every invoice
SA103F export, one click
Built by a plasterer who still gets dusty

Start free trial → · See pricing