LNbits
LNbits tags a 1.7.0 release candidate with no notes after its WASM extensions release.
Comparison · Finance
FreeAgent vs Payhawk
A side-by-side editorial comparison of FreeAgent and Payhawk — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
FreeAgent vs Payhawk: at a glance
| Feature | FreeAgent | Payhawk |
|---|---|---|
| Sector | Finance | Finance |
| Velocity score | 2.5 | 5.0 |
| Sparks · 30d | 0 | 0 |
| Top themes | accounting, uk-tax, mtd, vat | spend-management, erp-integration, travel-and-expense, local-payments |
| Last editorial update | 15h ago | 7d ago |
| Website | Visit → | — |
What is FreeAgent?
FreeAgent widens VAT and mobile MTD tools while pitching itself as accounting for every business.
FreeAgent's recent feed is filling in its compliance core. Over the summer it shipped quarterly Making Tax Digital submissions from mobile and seven VAT workflow improvements, and in October its Director of Product framed the roadmap as building FreeAgent for every business type, after June's Landlords product and the CIS simplification.
What is Payhawk?
Payhawk keeps widening ERP exports and adds travel policy checks against market rates.
Payhawk is adding finance controls and ERP depth in small, frequent releases. Late September and early October brought native NetSuite credit card charges, QuickBooks Online card expenses, a Rillet ledger sync, PO duplication and Swiss QR-bill payments from CHF accounts. Through October it added tax-rate visibility limits, document-type field rules, a navigation redesign, travel policy checks against market rates and self-serve audit confirmation letters.
FreeAgent vs Payhawk: editorial side-by-side
FreeAgent
2.5FINANCE
FreeAgent widens VAT and mobile MTD tools while pitching itself as accounting for every business.
◆ Current state
FreeAgent's recent feed is filling in its compliance core. Over the summer it shipped quarterly Making Tax Digital submissions from mobile and seven VAT workflow improvements, and in October its Director of Product framed the roadmap as building FreeAgent for every business type, after June's Landlords product and the CIS simplification.
◆ Where it's heading
The pattern is segment-by-segment expansion (landlords, construction subcontractors) on top of a UK tax compliance base that keeps getting deeper. MTD for Income Tax is the anchor: each segment gets tooling for the filing obligations it now faces.
◆ Prediction
Posts are sparse and mostly retrospective, so timing is unclear; the next visible move is likely MTD for Income Tax readiness work ahead of its rollout, possibly another segment-specific product.
Payhawk
5.0FINANCE
Payhawk keeps widening ERP exports and adds travel policy checks against market rates.
◆ Current state
Payhawk is adding finance controls and ERP depth in small, frequent releases. Late September and early October brought native NetSuite credit card charges, QuickBooks Online card expenses, a Rillet ledger sync, PO duplication and Swiss QR-bill payments from CHF accounts. Through October it added tax-rate visibility limits, document-type field rules, a navigation redesign, travel policy checks against market rates and self-serve audit confirmation letters.
◆ Where it's heading
Payhawk is deepening accounting integrations and local payment rails while tightening controls on what employees see and spend. Travel booking now carries the same policy logic as cards and expenses.
◆ Prediction
Expect more native ERP export modes and country-specific payment methods; whether the new travel policy controls extend to automatic approvals is unclear.
Alternatives to FreeAgent and Payhawk
Other Finance products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either FreeAgent or Payhawk.
GOAT.tax
GOAT.tax calculates the federal R&D credit for whole controlled groups.
Firefly III
Firefly III keeps shipping unlabelled develop builds, three of them on Nov 9.
Finanzfluss Copilot
Finanzfluss Copilot adds a Riester vs. pension-depot calculator that feeds its broker comparison.
Purchasely
Purchasely puts its Management API in the terminal and in AI coding agents
Stigg
Stigg moves its entitlements and credit checks inside agent orchestrators and gateways.
See all FreeAgent alternatives → · See all Payhawk alternatives →
Recent activity from FreeAgent and Payhawk
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 20d agoPayhawkSelf-serve audit confirmation letters
- 21d agoPayhawkTravel policy controls and market rate overview
- 22d agoPayhawkNavigation and dashboard redesign
- 28d agoFreeAgentProduct spotlight: building FreeAgent for every business
- 29d agoPayhawkShow or hide fields based on document type
- 1mo agoPayhawkTax rates visibility
- 1mo agoPayhawkQuickBooks Online export card expenses
- 2mo agoFreeAgent7 ways we’ve improved FreeAgent’s VAT functionality
- 3mo agoFreeAgentFile MTD quarterly updates on the go from your mobile
- 4mo agoFreeAgentProduct spotlight: FreeAgent for Landlords ⚡
- 4mo agoFreeAgentA game changer for landlord clients: automatically capture and categorise rental statements
- 6mo agoFreeAgentProduct spotlight: CIS simplified
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between FreeAgent and Payhawk?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Payhawk is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 2.5), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is FreeAgent better than Payhawk?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Payhawk is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 2.5), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Finance products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to FreeAgent?
Top FreeAgent alternatives in Finance are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "FreeAgent alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/freeagent for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to Payhawk?
Top Payhawk alternatives in Finance are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Payhawk alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/payhawk for the full list with editorial commentary on each.