Compare · Deep dive
HAMAR vs FreeAgent.
FreeAgent is £29/mo — or free forever if you have a NatWest, RBS, Ulster or Mettle business account. HAMAR is £6.99/mo or £79 one-off lifetime(first 100 sign-ups). Both help you get paid. They’re built for different jobs. Here’s how to choose.
Pick FreeAgent if…
You want full double-entry accounting under one roof.
- ·You bank with NatWest, RBS, Ulster or Mettle — FreeAgent comes free with the account, and you save the £29/mo entirely.
- ·You need a full accounting system — profit & loss, balance sheet, trial balance, retained earnings — not just invoicing. HAMAR doesn’t do these; FreeAgent does.
- ·You want to file Self Assessment and MTD-VAT direct from the same tool. FreeAgent’s a HMRC-recognised MTD software today; HAMAR isn’t (yet — on the roadmap for 2027).
- ·You’re a Ltd co or contractor, not a plain sole trader — FreeAgent handles corporation tax + payroll + dividends properly.
- ·You have an accountant who works in FreeAgent — the ecosystem support is deep.
Pick HAMAR if…
You’re a sole trader in trades who wants admin, not accounting.
- ·You’re not banked with NatWest / RBS / Ulster / Mettle — that means £29/mo for FreeAgent vs £6.99/mo (or £79 once) for HAMAR. Big gap for a sole trader on tight margins.
- ·Trades workflow matters. Site sign-in QR for CDM, insurance vault with 30/7/0-day renewal alerts, WhatsApp share with rich preview cards. FreeAgent is a white-collar accounting tool — none of this is in it.
- ·You want automatic chase out of the box, not a checkbox you have to remember to tick. HAMAR’s cadence — polite day 7, firm day 14, final day 21 — is on by default with a UK tone.
- ·You don’t need full accounting. If your book-keeping is “spreadsheet at year-end and hand it to the accountant”, HAMAR gives you the admin bit without the accounting overhead you won’t use.
- ·You want to own it, not rent it from your bank. The £79 Founding Member offer means you own lifetime access outright — not conditional on staying with NatWest.
Feature-by-feature
The honest side-by-side.
| Feature | HAMAR | FreeAgent |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | £6.99/mo or £79 lifetime | £29/mo (free with NatWest/RBS/Ulster/Mettle) |
| Automated payment chasing | Day 7 / 14 / 21 out of the box, UK tone | Basic reminders (configurable) |
| Full double-entry accounting | No — admin tool | Yes — full P&L + balance sheet |
| HMRC MTD-ITSA + VAT filing | Roadmap 2027 | Yes — HMRC-recognised software |
| Self Assessment filing | Roadmap 2027 | Yes — for sole traders + directors |
| Ltd co / corporation tax support | No — sole traders | Yes |
| Bank-agnostic | Yes — connect any bank via open banking (roadmap) | Best with NatWest group; works with others |
| Insurance vault + renewal alerts | Yes | No |
| Site sign-in QR (CDM) | Yes | No |
| WhatsApp share + branded preview | Yes | No |
| SA103 expense categories | Yes — 10 SA103S boxes | Yes — full chart of accounts |
| Offline capture (PWA) | Yes | Partial (mobile app) |
| Support | Direct line to founder | Ticketed + community |
The bank question
Free-with-your-bank isn’t always the same as free.
FreeAgent bundled with a NatWest / RBS / Ulster / Mettle account is a genuinely great deal — £0 for a mature accounting tool. If you already bank there, it’s hard to argue against.
But if switching banks isn’t on the table (most tradespeople have their accounts sorted years ago), the actual price is £29/mo. For a sole trader who needs admin more than accounting, that’s a lot of monthly commitment for features you may not use.
HAMAR’s £79 lifetime deal is roughly one-third of a single year of FreeAgent — for a tool built specifically around chasing, quoting, and the trades bits FreeAgent doesn’t touch.
Founding Member offer · 100 seats · £79 lifetime
Claim your Founding Member spot.
£79 one-off. Never billed again. Or start on £6.99/mo, locked for 12 months.