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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    FreeAgent

    Score5.6 out of 10
    N/AFreeAgent is an cloud-based accounting system designed for small businesses and freelancers. FreeAgent supports many core accounting features and bank reconciliation, payroll, tax management, project level accounting, and multiple currency support. It is mobile-accessible, and integrates with many apps.

    $13.50

    per month

    QuickBooks Desktop Pro

    Score7.8 out of 10
    N/AQuickbooks Desktop Pro is accounting software from Intuit, Inc. It includes core accounting features, plus analytics and exportable reports. It is offered in on-premise and SaaS forms.N/A
    Pricing
    FreeAgentQuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Editions & Modules
    FreeAgent
    $13.50
    per month
    FreeAgent
    $135
    per year
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    FreeAgentQuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    FreeAgentQuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Considered Both Products
    FreeAgent
    No answer on this topic
    Intuit
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    88%
    Would buy again
    29 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    93%
    Delivers good value for the price
    28 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    97%
    Happy with the feature set
    32 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    83%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    20 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    96%
    Implementation went as expected
    25 Answers
    Features
    FreeAgentQuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of FreeAgent and QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Feature
    FreeAgent
    8.6
    13 Ratings
    13% above category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    6.6
    69 Ratings
    14% below category average
    Pay calculation8.012 Ratings6.364 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration8.56 Ratings6.338 Ratings
    Direct deposit files8.92 Ratings6.656 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management8.86 Ratings6.352 Ratings
    Reimbursement management8.78 Ratings7.754 Ratings
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of FreeAgent and QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Feature
    FreeAgent
    6.7
    13 Ratings
    12% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    5.7
    43 Ratings
    28% below category average
    API for custom integration4.59 Ratings6.535 Ratings
    Plug-ins8.912 Ratings5.039 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of FreeAgent and QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Feature
    FreeAgent
    8.5
    14 Ratings
    4% above category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    8.5
    101 Ratings
    4% above category average
    Single sign-on capability9.013 Ratings8.482 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions8.013 Ratings8.595 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of FreeAgent and QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Feature
    FreeAgent
    6.4
    23 Ratings
    20% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    8.5
    117 Ratings
    8% above category average
    Dashboards7.121 Ratings8.4100 Ratings
    Standard reports7.621 Ratings8.9117 Ratings
    Custom reports4.410 Ratings8.2114 Ratings
    General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
    Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of FreeAgent and QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Feature
    FreeAgent
    8.7
    25 Ratings
    13% above category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    7.5
    124 Ratings
    2% below category average
    Accounts payable8.020 Ratings9.3119 Ratings
    Accounts receivable8.522 Ratings9.2121 Ratings
    Cash management8.520 Ratings9.2107 Ratings
    Bank reconciliation9.020 Ratings9.7119 Ratings
    Expense management8.924 Ratings9.4108 Ratings
    Time tracking9.018 Ratings7.451 Ratings
    Fixed asset management8.611 Ratings5.669 Ratings
    Multi-currency support8.110 Ratings6.931 Ratings
    Multi-division support9.05 Ratings8.958 Ratings
    Regulations compliance8.78 Ratings8.342 Ratings
    Electronic tax filing9.120 Ratings8.355 Ratings
    Self-service portal9.011 Ratings5.941 Ratings
    Journals and Reconciliations8.01 Ratings8.876 Ratings
    Global Financial Support00 Ratings4.217 Ratings
    Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings7.140 Ratings
    Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings7.943 Ratings
    Localizations00 Ratings4.219 Ratings
    Enterprise Accounting00 Ratings6.838 Ratings
    Configurable Accounting00 Ratings7.647 Ratings
    Centralized Rules Framework00 Ratings5.427 Ratings
    Standardized Processes00 Ratings8.555 Ratings
    Inventory Management
    Comparison of Inventory Management features of FreeAgent and QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Feature
    FreeAgent
    7.4
    4 Ratings
    2% above category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    5.8
    59 Ratings
    23% below category average
    Inventory tracking7.72 Ratings6.056 Ratings
    Automatic reordering8.21 Ratings6.035 Ratings
    Location management4.51 Ratings6.032 Ratings
    Manufacturing module9.11 Ratings5.218 Ratings
    Order Management
    Comparison of Order Management features of FreeAgent and QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Feature
    FreeAgent
    8.1
    13 Ratings
    9% above category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    6.8
    77 Ratings
    8% below category average
    Pricing8.19 Ratings7.555 Ratings
    Order entry6.82 Ratings8.555 Ratings
    Credit card processing8.25 Ratings7.251 Ratings
    Cost of goods sold9.13 Ratings8.063 Ratings
    Order Orchestration00 Ratings5.220 Ratings
    End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings6.123 Ratings
    Order exception Resolution00 Ratings5.218 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    FreeAgentQuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Small Businesses
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Score4.3 out of 10
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Score4.3 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    MYOB
    Score8.3 out of 10
    MYOB
    Score8.3 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Microsoft Dynamics GP
    Score5.3 out of 10
    Microsoft Dynamics GP
    Score5.3 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    FreeAgentQuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.0
    (25 ratings)
    8.5
    (135 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.0
    (19 ratings)
    Usability
    8.5
    (6 ratings)
    9.1
    (42 ratings)
    Availability
    8.9
    (5 ratings)
    8.3
    (2 ratings)
    Performance
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    1.2
    (29 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.0
    (6 ratings)
    CPA Rating
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    8.5
    (22 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    FreeAgentQuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Likelihood to Recommend
    FreeAgent
    For micro and small business it is a great solution. The new requirements for MTD for landlords could also be met with this software. Groups and more complex businesses could not use the accounts and tax returns features, however they still could use it for bookkeeping and then export the data to other tax and accounts production software.
    Read full review
    Intuit
    For a small business, QuickBooks Desktop Pro is great! For a larger, more complex business, another system may be more beneficial. We actually run multiple businesses on QuickBooks Desktop Pro, but all are very small. The help feature is sometimes so beneficial, and sometimes it seems like you just can't get the right answer and need to find a workaround - but this is usually for more complex issues.
    Read full review
    Pros
    FreeAgent
    • Accounting! As you'd expect. Makes it much simpler andmore cost effective. In-coming and out-goings are recorded and assigned to projects and accounts. My accountant can access my books and reconcile so much more easily than trawling through spreadsheets.
    • Time billing - time spent on projects/client work is recorded and is ready to be invoiced as required. Saves so much time and prevents inaccuracies.
    • Invoicing - again, it should do this well and it does. Non payment reminders are automatic and clients have no excuses for not knowing the status of their account.
    • Account dashboard - gives me an instant overview of the health of the business (am I on track to meet my yearly targets) and my accounts.
    Read full review
    Intuit
    • It is easy to manage and adjust inventory on hand.
    • It is easy to make reports and customize them to your needs.
    • We also use it to pay our employees directly.
    • It is easy to make year-to-year comparisons to see where we can make improvements and the current financial situation.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    FreeAgent
    • Reporting on financials, time tracking and project status is a little poor. It's adequate for what what we need, but would be great to see more advanced features.
    • API is quite closed so cannot integrate with our other project management tools.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Intuit
    • QuickBooks Desktop Pro has been around for a few years and after an update[,] they force you to look at the changes/updates before you can use [them] after updating.
    • QuickBooks Desktop Pro does not have 2FA.
    • QuickBooks Desktop Pro should offer a way to store backups to a personal cloud without having to map a local network drive.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    FreeAgent
    We have used Freeagent for many years now and it serves us well for our needs. To change it would mean a lot of work, and this would most likely only happen if the cost became prohibitive to us.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Intuit
    I'd love to keep using it, and do intend to - though we've not been pleased with price increases over the past several years. In fact, we used to subscribe to the payroll service, but QuickBooks priced themselves out of reach for us, so we discontinued that. Currently, pricing would be the primary reason for NOT renewing, if we didn't.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    FreeAgent
    It is a great software that does everything we need for small business clients. It allows to keep the books in a cloud from bookkeeping to accounts production and tax returns, all in one software. There are no major drawbacks and I would highly recommend it for most of our clients.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Intuit
    The set up was quite easy. I took some online training causes, and figured our the rest pretty quickly. The only issue I had during the implementation process was it was very hard to change some of the GL Account name to reflect the needs of a non-profit organization, such as Net Assets. At the end I had to scratch what I did, and used the existing formats that the third-party bookkeeping firm shared. Everything else is simple and easy to manage and implement.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    FreeAgent
    Based in a cloud and never had any issues with down time. I can access from any device
    Read full review
    Intuit
    I haven't experienced a time when QuickBooks Pro was unavailable when I needed it in the entire 20 years of using the software
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    FreeAgent
    I have never personally used support
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Intuit
    They are awful. Intuit doesn't spend real money on support. They appear to have typically said, first-level script readers who are sending messages to the senior people for anything even a little bit difficult. Many of them don't speak particularly good English. Considering that they recently doubled (or, if you are paying annually, tripled) their pricing, and touted as one of the benefits that it includes [..] support, it's a real ripoff. However, we have to use the product because it is ubiquitous. I look forward to the day a competitor comes up with something good enough, which has excellent support, that matches all the features QuickBooks Desktop Pro currently has [...] or at least gives us a way to have all the functionality we currently have without excessive sacrifice [...] so that we can switch. I was very satisfied with QuickBooks for many years. This latest [rise] in price, and their sheer gall at touting the benefit of the 100 to 200% increase as being [the] inclusion of support, is what turned me so far against them.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    FreeAgent
    No answers on this topic
    Intuit
    Best thing I ever did was to attend a two day training seminar on QuickBooks, I learned an immense amount in a short time with hands on training by experts. I strongly recommend such training for anyone using any part of the software. It will pay for itself in the first month.
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    FreeAgent
    Did not participate
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Intuit
    We implemented the software ourselves. The training we received on the software was done by taking a community course teaching us how to use QuickBooks. It allowed me to get started with some basics of how to use the program and have not needed much assistance since completing the course work.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    FreeAgent
    I have used and tested out many other systems. I was looking at Xero for my accounting system but at the time I chose FreeAgent because of the way it handles the recording of dividends and the inbuilt time recording. The others I trialed were good and many of them cheaper. FreeAgent best suited my requirements at the time.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Intuit
    We tried switching from QuickBooks Desktop Pro to QuickBooks Online, but there were a lot of issues and bugs so we ultimately decided to stay with Desktop Pro. Unfortunately, we are losing a lot of Online Banking capabilities on 5/31 as we have an older version of QB, but we plan to stick with Desktop Pro. In terms of invoicing, SaaSOptics beats QuickBooks in almost all aspects as it's all automated and takes seconds to create and send invoices. However, SaaSOptics is not really a full ERP program so it wouldn't serve us as a main bookkeeping software like QB.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    FreeAgent
    • Professional and uniform offering providing great confident customer service. My clients love it, whether they use it a little or a lot. It's a great piece of software - while sophisticated, it's straightforward to use.
    • Time saving and efficient use of my team's time. Being able to easily share and compare work / tasks.
    Read full review
    Intuit
    • Training time is low compared to other accounting packages
    • It was difficult to adapt to DCAA requirements, [which] required [the] hiring of [a] special consultant for that
    • QuickBooks Desktop Pro is a standard for small companies and makes it easy to hire bookkeepers
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots