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The general ledger itself — where transactions land, how they get classified, and how the local tax return comes out the other end. In Wales the deciding constraint is usually vat uk-wide · welsh-language obligations, administered by HM Revenue & Customs — so that is what every product below is judged against first.
Showing Wales, 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 13 of 13 criteria.
| Criterion | Built for this market | Built for this market | Available here | Built for this market | Built for this market |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 submission — Fully supported | MTD VAT and Self Assessment — Fully supported |
| 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 — 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 | 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 | Separate subscription per business — Limited | 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 | 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 | Tiered per business — Supported with a caveat | Flat rate, unlimited users — Fully supported |
| InventoryStock tracking depth, and whether it costs extra. | Included — Fully supported | Basic; deeper via apps — Supported with a caveat | Higher tiers only — Supported with a caveat | Higher tiers — Supported with a caveat | Not available — Not supported |
| Migration inHow much work it is to bring existing books across. | Assisted, included — Fully supported | Conversion tools and partners — Supported with a caveat | Import tools and partner services — Supported with a caveat | Migration tooling and partners — Supported with a caveat | Import support — Supported with a caveat |
| 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 phone support — Fully supported | UK-based — Fully supported |
| Integrations and APIMarketplace breadth and whether there is an open API. | Open REST API + webhooks — Fully supported | Large app marketplace — Fully supported | Large app marketplace — Fully supported | Moderate marketplace — Supported with a caveat | Moderate — Supported with a caveat |
| Multi-currencyForeign-currency invoicing and revaluation, and which tier it starts at. | Included — Fully supported | Top tier only — Supported with a caveat | Higher tiers only — Supported with a caveat | Higher tiers — Supported with a caveat | Supported — Supported with a caveat |
| Mobile appWhat you can actually finish on a phone, not just view. | iOS and Android — Fully supported | iOS and Android — Fully supported | iOS and Android — Fully supported | Core tasks — Supported with a caveat | iOS and Android — Fully supported |
| Works offlineWhether the product is usable without a connection. | Cloud only — Limited | Cloud only — Not supported | Cloud only — Not supported | Cloud only — Not supported | Cloud only — Not supported |
Local tax return from the ledger
Whether the periodic indirect-tax return is built from posted transactions, or has to be assembled somewhere else.
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.
Inventory
Stock tracking depth, and whether it costs extra.
Migration in
How much work it is to bring existing books across.
Local support
Support in local hours, in local languages, by people who know the local rules.
Integrations and API
Marketplace breadth and whether there is an open API.
Multi-currency
Foreign-currency invoicing and revaluation, and which tier it starts at.
Mobile app
What you can actually finish on a phone, not just view.
Works offline
Whether the product is usable without a connection.
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-headquartered with deep roots in UK accounting practices.
UK-built and HMRC-recognised; free for qualifying customers of its parent bank, which shapes who uses it.
Same in Wales 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
Sage Accounting
Tiered monthly subscription per business, with add-on modules.
Current Sage Accounting 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 Wales.
HelloBooks vs Xero
Xero is the default my accountant recommends — is there a reason to look elsewhere?
Compare for Wales →
HelloBooks vs QuickBooks Online
QuickBooks UK versus a newer cloud option.
Compare for Wales →
HelloBooks vs Sage Accounting
We are on Sage and want something lighter without losing CIS and reverse charge.
Compare for Wales →
HelloBooks vs FreeAgent
FreeAgent is free with my bank account — is it worth paying for something else?
Compare for Wales →
| 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 |
VAT and Making Tax Digital are identical to the rest of the UK. What differs is language: Welsh-language invoicing and correspondence is expected by public-sector buyers, and Land Transaction Tax replaces Stamp Duty.
Region authority: HM Revenue & Customs ↗ · Wales compliance guide
Partly. VAT and Making Tax Digital are identical to the rest of the UK. What differs is language: Welsh-language invoicing and correspondence is expected by public-sector buyers, and Land Transaction Tax replaces Stamp Duty. 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 · welsh-language obligations correctly on every VAT invoice without you remembering to set it per transaction.
VAT is UK-wide and filed to HMRC under the same Making Tax Digital rules. Welsh-language versions of invoices and customer correspondence are expected by many public-sector customers. HM Revenue & Customs is the authority to check for anything region-specific — see https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs.
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 Wales 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 Wales-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