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HMRC-recognised submission with a digital link from transaction to VAT box — plus the scheme handling that migrations usually break. In Northern Ireland the deciding constraint is usually vat uk-wide · dual goods regime for eu trade, administered by HM Revenue & Customs — so that is what every product below is judged against first.
Showing Northern Ireland, United Kingdom — GBP, VAT, DD/MM/YYYY.
Search, sort, and filter the matrix. Every value is a word, not a tick — so nothing depends on colour to be understood.
Showing 10 of 10 criteria.
| Criterion | Built for this market | Built for this market | Available here | Built for this market |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Making Tax Digital submissionFiling the VAT return to HMRC with a digital link, without a bridging spreadsheet. | Direct HMRC submission — Fully supported | HMRC-recognised — Fully supported | HMRC-recognised — Fully supported | HMRC-recognised — Fully supported |
| Local tax return from the ledgerWhether the periodic indirect-tax return is built from posted transactions, or has to be assembled somewhere else. | MTD VAT return from the ledger — Fully supported | MTD VAT submission — Fully supported | MTD VAT submission — Fully supported | MTD VAT and Self Assessment — Fully supported |
| Domestic reverse chargeApplying the construction reverse charge with the required invoice wording. | Domestic reverse charge supported — Fully supported | Supported — Fully supported | Supported — Fully supported | Supported — Supported with a caveat |
| CIS deductionsVerifying subcontractors and deducting at the verified rate. | Deductions tracked — Supported with a caveat | Higher tiers only — Supported with a caveat | Higher tiers only — Supported with a caveat | Supported for contractors — Supported with a caveat |
| Bank feedsHow transactions get in: a live connection to the bank, or a file you download and upload. | Open Banking — Fully supported | Open Banking — Fully supported | Open Banking — Fully supported | Open Banking plus a direct bank feed — Fully supported |
| AI categorisationWhether transactions, bills, and receipts are classified by a model or by hand-written rules. | Included on every plan — Fully supported | Bank rules and suggestions — Supported with a caveat | Learned rules — Supported with a caveat | Rules-based — Limited |
| Multiple entitiesWhether a second legal entity fits in the same subscription or needs a second one. | Included — Fully supported | One organisation per subscription — Not supported | One company per subscription — Not supported | One business per subscription — Not supported |
| Accountant accessWhether your advisor gets a login, and whether that login costs a seat. | Free, unlimited — Fully supported | Free advisor seat — Fully supported | Free accountant seat — Fully supported | Free accountant access — Fully supported |
| Pricing modelHow the bill scales — per user, per company, per module, or per transaction volume. | Per organisation — Fully supported | Per organisation, tiered limits — Limited | Per company, seat-limited tiers — Limited | Flat rate, unlimited users — Fully supported |
| Local supportSupport in local hours, in local languages, by people who know the local rules. | UK business hours — Fully supported | UK support, large advisor network — Fully supported | UK support — Fully supported | UK-based — Fully supported |
Making Tax Digital submission
Filing the VAT return to HMRC with a digital link, without a bridging spreadsheet.
Local tax return from the ledger
Whether the periodic indirect-tax return is built from posted transactions, or has to be assembled somewhere else.
Domestic reverse charge
Applying the construction reverse charge with the required invoice wording.
CIS deductions
Verifying subcontractors and deducting at the verified rate.
Bank feeds
How transactions get in: a live connection to the bank, or a file you download and upload.
AI categorisation
Whether transactions, bills, and receipts are classified by a model or by hand-written rules.
Multiple entities
Whether a second legal entity fits in the same subscription or needs a second one.
Accountant access
Whether your advisor gets a login, and whether that login costs a seat.
Pricing model
How the bill scales — per user, per company, per module, or per transaction volume.
Local support
Support in local hours, in local languages, by people who know the local rules.
Criteria are scoped to the United Kingdom: rows that would be meaningless here are not shown rather than being padded with "not applicable". Where we have not verified a capability for this market, the cell says "Not documented" rather than claiming a gap.
MTD-compatible VAT submission with Open Banking feeds.
Large UK base and HMRC-recognised for Making Tax Digital.
UK edition is HMRC-recognised for Making Tax Digital.
UK-built and HMRC-recognised; free for qualifying customers of its parent bank, which shapes who uses it.
Same in Northern Ireland as everywhere else in the United Kingdom — pricing is national, not regional.
Prices are in GBP and exclude VAT at the prevailing standard rate. Per organisation with unlimited users. Verified .
We describe the pricing model rather than reprinting prices. A copied price goes stale without warning; a pricing model does not.
Xero
Per organisation, tiered, with feature and payroll limits per tier.
Current Xero pricing (opens on the vendor’s own site) ↗ · model checked
QuickBooks Online
Per company file, tiered by feature, with seat limits per tier.
Current QuickBooks Online pricing (opens on the vendor’s own site) ↗ · model checked
FreeAgent
Flat monthly subscription; free for qualifying bank customers.
Current FreeAgent pricing (opens on the vendor’s own site) ↗ · model checked
Each page below goes deeper on one product, written for Northern Ireland.
HelloBooks vs Xero
Which is better for filing MTD VAT returns?
Compare for Northern Ireland →
HelloBooks vs QuickBooks Online
MTD-compatible software that will not cost more as we add staff.
Compare for Northern Ireland →
HelloBooks vs FreeAgent
Simplest possible MTD VAT filing for a small company.
Compare for Northern Ireland →
| Requirement | What it demands | HelloBooks |
|---|---|---|
| Making Tax Digital for VATLegal requirement · HMRC ↗ | VAT records must be kept digitally and returns submitted through HMRC-compatible software with a digital link from record to return — no manual re-keying. | Covered |
| VAT invoice contentLegal requirement · HMRC ↗ | A VAT invoice must show your VAT number, the tax point, the rate applied per line, and the VAT amount in sterling. | Covered |
| Domestic reverse charge for constructionLegal requirement · HMRC ↗ | Between VAT-registered construction businesses the customer accounts for VAT, and the invoice must state that the reverse charge applies. | Covered |
| CIS deductions for subcontractorsLegal requirement · HMRC ↗ | Contractors must verify subcontractors, deduct at the verified rate, and file a monthly CIS return. | Partly covered |
| Companies House accounts filingLegal requirement · Companies House ↗ | Limited companies must file annual accounts in the accepted format within the statutory deadline. | Partly covered |
Northern Ireland is the one UK nation where the tax engine genuinely has to behave differently: goods movements follow EU VAT rules under the Windsor Framework, so an NI business can need an XI VAT prefix and EU-style treatment on goods alongside UK treatment on services.
Region authority: HM Revenue & Customs ↗ · Northern Ireland compliance guide
Partly. Northern Ireland is the one UK nation where the tax engine genuinely has to behave differently: goods movements follow EU VAT rules under the Windsor Framework, so an NI business can need an XI VAT prefix and EU-style treatment on goods alongside UK treatment on services. The national VAT rules are the same wherever you are registered, so the software shortlist barely moves — what moves is the configuration. Anything you choose has to handle vat uk-wide · dual goods regime for eu trade correctly on every VAT invoice without you remembering to set it per transaction.
Goods moving between Northern Ireland and the EU follow EU VAT rules; services follow UK rules. Businesses trading goods with the EU use an XI-prefixed VAT number alongside their GB registration. HM Revenue & Customs is the authority to check for anything region-specific — see https://www.gov.uk/guidance/vat-and-the-windsor-framework.
Pricing is national, not regional: £12 and £30 per month, billed annually, in GBP, plus a free tier. Prices are in GBP and exclude VAT at the prevailing standard rate. Prices are per organisation with unlimited users, so a business in Northern Ireland pays the same as one anywhere else in the United Kingdom.
In practice the shortlist here is usually Xero, QuickBooks Online, FreeAgent — those are the products with the most local install base and the most accountants who already know them. That familiarity is a genuine cost saving, and it is the main reason to stay put if nothing else is broken.
Yes, and at no extra cost. Advisors get their own login with their own permissions, and the seat is free — so bringing in a Northern Ireland-based accountant does not change your bill. That matters most where the advisor relationship, not the software, is the real switching cost.
Each market has its own tax regime, currency, and shortlist of incumbents. Switch to the one where your business is registered.
United Kingdom comparison hub · All nations · United Kingdom compliance hub