ZipBooks vs FreeAgent

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Our analysts compared ZipBooks vs FreeAgent based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Accounting Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

FreeAgent Software Tool

Product Basics

ZipBooks is a cloud-based accounting and invoicing platform designed for entrepreneurs and small businesses. It works independently or with certified accountants who will prepare monthly financial statements for a user's business.

It's also available as an iOS app with credit card processing, chart of accounts, business listings, machine learning, time tracking, team management and other capabilities that are specifically designed for the app.
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FreeAgent is a cloud-based accounting software designed for small businesses and freelancers. It streamlines tasks like invoicing, expense tracking, and tax filing, offering a user-friendly interface and mobile app for on-the-go management. FreeAgent shines for its intuitive design and automation features, making it ideal for those with limited accounting knowledge. Key benefits include automatic bank feeds, expense categorization with receipt scanning, and HMRC-compliant VAT returns. Popular features like project tracking and time billing further cater to freelancers and service-based businesses. Compared to similar products, user reviews praise FreeAgent's ease of use and excellent customer support. However, its focus on simplicity may lack the advanced features sought by larger businesses or those with complex accounting needs. Pricing starts at a monthly subscription fee, with additional costs for features like multiple users or payroll. FreeAgent offers a free trial to allow potential users to test its capabilities before committing.

Pros
  • Easy to use
  • Mobile app access
  • Automated tasks
  • Freelancer-friendly
  • Good customer support
Cons
  • Limited features for complex needs
  • Higher cost for multiple users
  • Not ideal for large businesses
  • Invoice customization limited
  • Reporting could be more robust
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$15 Monthly, Freemium
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Tailored to your specific needs
$6.50 Monthly
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Tailored to your specific needs
Small 
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Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile

Product Assistance

Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

  • User-Friendly Interface: Users don't require a master's degree in accounting to operate ZipBooks because its features and interface are intuitive, making it easy to use no matter the level of experience.  
  • Affordable: ZipBooks offers four payment options with distinct features such as free, smarter, sophisticated and the accountant plan offers adjustable pricing. This makes it a viable option for anyone with a small budget, such as small businesses or freelancers trying to get their careers off the ground. 
  • Knowledgeable Experts: ZipBooks' certified bookkeepers can provide users with financial advice and recommendations when assisting with accounting practices. 
  • Record and Document Tasks: Keeping track of every task, project and file can be cumbersome. Thanks to ZipBooks, users can create and allocate responsibilities to specific projects so everything is chronicled and accessible in one place.  
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  • Effortless Time Saving: Automate tasks like invoicing, expense tracking, and tax filing, freeing up time for what matters most.
  • Simplified Organization: Stay on top of your finances with a clear overview of income, expenses, and cash flow, all in one place.
  • Enhanced Accuracy and Compliance: Reduce errors and ensure compliance with automatic bank feeds, VAT returns, and HMRC filing.
  • Mobile Access on the Go: Manage your finances from anywhere with the convenient mobile app, perfect for busy freelancers and entrepreneurs.
  • Streamlined Collaboration: Easily share invoices, track project progress, and collaborate with clients and team members.
  • Peace of Mind and Support: Gain confidence knowing your finances are in order, backed by excellent customer support whenever you need it.
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  • Accountant Access: Users can easily share information with accountants and financial experts with ZipBooks' accounting accessory. This tool enables users to effortlessly track routine transactions and extend completely accurate data for filing taxes, preparing financial reports and asking for sound financial advice to their accountants. The accounts receivable feature enables users to monitor invoices and payments so the money they make and amounts they owe will promptly update in their accounts receivable reports. Users can also review what their clients have already paid, outstanding amounts and the normal amount of time it takes them to pay. Transactions made outside of ZipBooks can be added manually for full accuracy. 
  • Oversee Accounts Receivable: The accounts receivable tool enables users to review their accounts receivable history while also providing smart insights on which particular accounts are paying in a rational timeline. This module also extends an elaborate list of customers who make late payments so users can establish more payment reminders. Users can also create a snapshot of general payment trends in a given year for proper budgeting.  
  • Perform Accurate Bank Reconciliations: Users can employ the bank reconciliation extension in the accounting tool to automatically transfer transaction information into their ZipBooks account so they can always see the most current account balance. This function also allows users to sort and study transactions by placing a checkmark on each transaction that appears on users' bank statements. ZipBooks will even monitor transactions that aren't verified so users will always stay in the know about their finances. Other extensions included within the accounting tool include bank connecting, auto-categorization, chart of accounts, project accounting and tagging. This tool is also supplied with several reports such as aging, balance sheet, general ledger, income statement, taxes invoiced and trial balance. 
  • Regulate Billing Processes: ZipBooks' billing management accessory allows users to choose regular or subscription-based invoicing for constant billing to fit their needs. Users can personalize their invoices with logos, particular colors and contact information. This tool can also trace customer payments, invoice history, overdue balances and collected taxes and alert users when an invoice has been paid. The credit card processing extension enables users to accept payments from every major credit company from approximately 22 various countries. Users can also take digital payments from Square and PayPal.  
  • Initiate Concurrent Bills: Thanks to the recurring billing function, users can set up future payments and never worry about them getting to the right customer again. There are dynamic features users can adjust to instantly autofill invoices with precise customer information. This function can immediately bill customer credit cards on a monthly basis and securely store credit card information. Other functions that come with the billing module include estimates, invoices, customer management, mobile access, multi-currency, reminders, saved items, team management and time tracking.  
  • Machine Learning Insights: ZipBooks' machine learning function of the intelligence module is similar to adding a supercomputer to a user's team because it blends work with research to immediately pick a category for each transaction. The more users work with the machine learning tool, the more it can learn about the way they chronicle and sort their transactions until it can auto-categorize. If there's a classifying error, users can make the correction and the extension will learn from its mistakes. The machine learning function will also categorize every bank transaction that a user imports and provide a confidence score based on their accounting knowledge and history.  
  • Thorough Business Wellness Check: Users can implement the business health score extension to check and finetune the health of their business that will aid in making better business decisions. This function can search for concurrent clients, punctual payments, sales growth and repeating revenue. Other helpful functions within the intelligence accessory include invoice quality score, recommendations and smart search.  
  • Manage Billable Expenses: To get reimbursed for expenses users' business accrue for customers such as paint supplies needed to paint a house or parts to fix a car, users can develop a transaction, mark it as billable and add the name of the client to be billed with the billable expenses function in the expense management tool. The expense will be added to the customer's invoice. The vendor management extension enables users to view expense histories, keep vendor contact information updated, and review payments owed. When users attach a bill or expense to a vendor's name, ZipBooks will instantly pinpoint general contacts as vendors. If users no longer use someone as a vendor but want to keep their contact information handy, they can easily change the name back to contact. Other functions included in the expense management module include receipt saving and split categories. 
  • Deliver Review Invitations: ZipBooks' growth accessory's reviews extension enables users to automatically or manually send invitations via email or text message to clients to review their business online. Users can employ ZipBooks' widget component to share customer reviews onto their website. This extension also allows users to reply to customer reviews on Google, Facebook, Yelp and other platforms. 
  • Locate and Manage Search Ranks: The ranking function in the growth module permits users to see where their business ranks in search results based on specific keywords customers may use when searching for a business, service or product on maps, computers or mobile search apps. Users can accordingly add keywords for more insight and install parameters to identify searches within particular target areas. This function also allows users to track the progress of their rankings such as rising, falling or consistencies. Other extensions within the growth accessory include widgets and business listings.  
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  • Estimates: Send estimates and invoices via email and keep a tab on the approval and rejection. Convert accepted estimates into invoices. Manage outstanding amounts with the Invoice Timeline. 
  • Expenses: Save photos of the receipt directly from the mobile phone. Keep a tab on the running balance for reimbursement by tracking employee expenses. Track payments using live bank feeds or by importing bank statements.  
  • Tracking: Keep a record of when work was completed. Create an invoice for unbilled time and send it to the client. Check where time is spent across the active projects with timesheet reports.Payment tracking can be done by uploading a picture of the receipt through the mobile app. Reminders for making payments are sent automatically by setting up recurring invoices. Track invoices, taxes, estimates, alongside expenses. 
  • Dashboard: Monitor profit and loss with cash flow reports and the invoice timeline. 
  • Project Management: Create a project by adding billing rates, tasks, default currency, budget, start and end date. Attach charges and billable and non-billable time to projects and invoice the cost to customers. 
  • Expense Management: Categorize charges by currency and link them to a particular activity. Track and document expenses once the invoice is settled. Forgo the need to upload bank statements with the feed enabled. Include bank statements in the reporting after uploading. 
  • Navigation: Display data and keep track of the business’s financial health. Access invoices, time slips, estimates and projects from the dashboard. 
  • Payment: Integrate with PayPal, Stripe and GoCardless to pay bills easily. Make direct payments and add links to the payment system in the invoice templates. Conduct transactions in more than 80 countries around the globe. 
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Product Ranking

#33

among all
Accounting Software

#86

among all
Accounting Software

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Analyst Rating Summary

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Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

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Accounts Payable Accounts Receivable Banking And Cash Management Budget And Expense Management Financial Statements And Revenue Management General Ledger And Chart Of Accounts Integration And Extensibility Inventory Management Journal Entries Mobile Support Multi-company Accounting And Asset Management Platform Capabilities Project Accounting Reporting And Analytics Tax Management 89 84 79 68 98 88 85 78 81 97 70 89 97 70 95 0 25 50 75 100
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User Sentiment Summary

Excellent User Sentiment 300 reviews
Great User Sentiment 200 reviews
92%
of users recommend this product

ZipBooks has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 92% when considering 300 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

87%
of users recommend this product

FreeAgent has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 87% when considering 200 user reviews from 3 recognized software review sites.

5.0 (15)
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4.8 (78)
4.3 (29)
4.5 (93)
4.4 (125)
4.5 (99)
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4.1 (15)
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Awards

ZipBooks stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award

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Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Free Plan: ZipBooks offers a free plan that includes unlimited invoices, the ability to accept digital payments, and basic reporting features, making it a cost-effective solution for freelancers and small businesses with basic accounting needs.
User-Friendly Interface: The platform is known for its intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface, allowing users to quickly create professional invoices, track expenses, and manage their finances without extensive accounting knowledge.
Time Tracking: ZipBooks includes time-tracking tools that enable users to accurately record billable hours for projects and clients, simplifying the process of generating invoices based on actual time spent.
Integrations: ZipBooks integrates with popular payment gateways like PayPal and Square, as well as other business tools such as Slack and Google Calendar, streamlining workflows and reducing manual data entry.
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Intuitive interface: Users consistently praise FreeAgent's user-friendly design, making it easy to navigate and find features even without accounting expertise.
Automated tasks: FreeAgent automates many time-consuming accounting tasks, such as bank reconciliation, VAT calculation, invoice creation, and mileage tracking.
Comprehensive features: The software offers a wide range of features to manage all aspects of accounting, including invoicing, expenses, projects, taxes, and payroll.
Mobile app: FreeAgent's mobile app allows users to manage finances on the go, access key features, and capture receipts with ease.
Excellent customer support: Users consistently rate FreeAgent's customer support highly, with quick and helpful responses to queries.
Integrations: FreeAgent integrates with various popular business tools, such as bank accounts, payment gateways, and expense management apps.
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Limited Integrations: ZipBooks may not integrate with all the applications a business uses, potentially leading to manual data entry and reduced efficiency.
Scalability Concerns: Some users have expressed concerns about ZipBooks' ability to handle the needs of larger businesses or those with more complex accounting requirements as they grow.
Customer Support: While ZipBooks offers support, some users have reported challenges in obtaining timely or comprehensive assistance for their inquiries.
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Limited customization options: While FreeAgent offers some customization, users report feeling restricted in terms of branding and layout compared to other accounting software.
Learning curve for complex features: Some users find FreeAgent's advanced features, like inventory management or project accounting, have a steeper learning curve compared to basic functionalities.
Higher pricing for larger businesses: FreeAgent's pricing scales with the number of users and features needed, making it potentially expensive for larger businesses with complex accounting requirements.
Limited integrations with some industry-specific tools: While FreeAgent integrates with popular business tools, some users in specific industries might miss integrations with specialized software they rely on.
Occasional bugs and glitches: Some users report encountering occasional bugs or glitches within the software, although FreeAgent's customer support is generally praised for responsiveness.
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ZipBooks: Accounting made easy. ZipBooks is a cloud-based accounting software that helps small businesses manage their finances, but how does it stack up against the competition? Users appreciate its ease of use and affordability, making it a great choice for those who are new to accounting software or have a limited budget. The platform offers features like invoicing, expense tracking, and basic reporting, which are essential for many small businesses. However, some users have noted that ZipBooks lacks more advanced features found in other accounting software, such as inventory management and in-depth financial reporting. Additionally, customer support has received mixed reviews, with some users finding it helpful while others have experienced challenges. One of ZipBooks' unique features is its integration with popular business apps like QuickBooks, Google Drive, and Salesforce, allowing for seamless data transfer and increased efficiency. The software also includes project management tools, which can be beneficial for businesses that need to track time and tasks. ZipBooks offers a free starter plan, making it an attractive option for budget-conscious businesses. Paid plans provide additional features, such as payroll integration and reputation management. Overall, ZipBooks is a solid choice for freelancers and small businesses that prioritize ease of use and affordability. However, businesses with more complex accounting needs or those requiring extensive customer support may want to explore other options like QuickBooks Online or Xero.

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FreeAgent carves a niche for itself in the accounting software world, earning enthusiastic praise from users seeking an intuitive and automated solution to manage their finances. Its user-friendly interface and wealth of automated features like bank reconciliation and VAT calculation, often cited as lifesavers, make it ideal for solopreneurs and small businesses who want to ditch spreadsheets and manual data entry. This convenience, however, comes with a trade-off: some users feel limited by FreeAgent's customization options, especially compared to the robust branding and layout control offered by competitors like Xero. FreeAgent's strengths truly shine in its mobile app and excellent customer support. Users adore the on-the-go access and quick, helpful resolutions to queries. This agility differentiates FreeAgent from some software giants notorious for sluggish mobile experiences and frustratingly long wait times for assistance. However, power users with complex accounting needs might find FreeAgent's advanced features, like project accounting, less intuitive than Xero's, requiring a steeper learning curve. Ultimately, FreeAgent's user reviews paint a picture of a friendly, efficient, and mobile-first accounting solution. It excels at simplifying finances for non-accountants and automating tedious tasks, but its customization limitations and potential learning curve for advanced features might make larger businesses or those seeking extensive control look elsewhere. In the quest for simplicity and time-saving automation, FreeAgent stands out as a top contender, especially for solopreneurs and small businesses just starting their financial journey.

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