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MTD Pick

Placeholder review — to be rewritten with hands-on testing before launch.

Xero is the UK’s most-used cloud accounting platform and has been on the HMRC MTD Income Tax recognised-software list since the pilot phase. It is the most flexible option in this comparison if you need a wide library of integrations — point-of-sale, payroll, time tracking, e-commerce, expense management, and more.

Xero: Affiliate link pending enrolmentHMRC-recognised for MTD Income Tax. Affiliate link — see our disclosure.

Who is Xero best for?

Sole traders & landlords who want a mature ecosystem and lots of integrations

Pricing

From £16/month (Starter) — £48/month (Premium). The Starter plan is enough for a single sole trader; landlords with multiple properties usually pick Standard or Premium for tracking categories.

MTD Income Tax status

HMRC-recognised for MTD ITSA.

Pros & cons

Pros

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Cons

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Verdict

Pick Xero if your top priority is flexibility, the broadest integration library, and reliable bank feeds. If you only need a simple, opinionated package, FreeAgent is often cheaper and easier.

Xero: Affiliate link pending enrolment