Free Online Accounting Software

Online accounting software allows small business owners, sole traders, and limited company directors to manage their business finances in a secure and organised online system. Through online accounting software, you can track and automate your invoices and expenses, check your finances anytime, anywhere, and even file your tax returns.

It’s simpler than you might think! Once you’ve signed up to one of Crunch’s software packages, you’ll be able to log into your account. From there, you can set up your company’s basic information, recurring invoices and expenses, connect your business bank account through a secure Open Banking feed, and much, much more. 

If you ever need any assistance with your accounting software, you can visit our handy Help Centre for all the guides and support you need, or if you’re on a paid package (such as Pro or Premium), you can call or email your team of Chartered Certified Accountants for help.

Online accounting software can dramatically improve your organisation and simplify your tax responsibilities. Through handy add-ons like our Snap app, for example, you can streamline the process even further by simply taking a picture of your receipts and uploading them directly to your account. 

Thanks to the government’s Making Tax Digital (MTD) scheme, you’re also legally required to file certain tax returns via online accounting software. This currently applies to returns such as VAT, but will soon extend to Income Tax, Corporation Tax, and potentially more.

It’s hard to know for sure how many businesses in the UK are using online accounting software, but here’s what we do know: here at Crunch, we have an active client base of over 10,000 small business owners on our paid Crunch packages, and thousands more on our forever-free Crunch Free package.

As we’ve mentioned, though, every business will need to use online accounting software as more tax returns become subject to MTD regulations.

When it comes to online accounting software, the golden rule is that you get out what you put in. Online software can help you stay organised and file your tax returns earlier and more accurately than ever, but if you don’t update it frequently, you’re setting yourself up for a fall.

Once you’ve signed up to a Crunch account, the best working practice is to carve out time every day or week, depending on your schedule, to update your account with all of your latest expenses and records. The better your record-keeping, the greater the benefits of online accounting software!

Well that depends! All of our packages come with our market-leading online software, so in this instance, it would all boil down to whether you’re a limited company or a sole trader, and how big your operation is.

In this instance, we’d recommend giving our friendly expert advisors a call and discussing your circumstances further. They’ll help you decide which package is the most appropriate for your business.

If you’ve not yet officially gone self-employed, or if you’re comfortable using accounting software and managing your own finances, Crunch Free is the perfect package for you. As the name suggests, the software is completely free, allowing you to record all of your invoices, expenses, and more!

As self-employed, we would recommend our Crunch Sole Trader Pro package. For just £24.50+VAT a month, you get access to not only our market-leading online accounting software, but also to your own team of expert client managers and Chartered Certified Accountants, available whenever you need.

If you’re a small business owner, or the director of your own limited company, we would recommend either our Limited Company Pro, Limited Company Premium, or Small Business packages. Which of these packages is right for your business will depend on factors such as your annual turnover, how many employees you have etc. 

In this instance, we’d recommend giving our friendly advisors a call, who will be happy to help you decide which package is right for you.

At Crunch, we offer five different types of online accounting software packages: Crunch Free, Sole Trader Pro, Limited Company Pro, Limited Company Premium, and Small Business. Each of these packages are designed to support businesses as they grow and take on new responsibilities, each tailored to maximise the tax-efficiency of your business at each stage of its development.

It’s true that not all online accounting software is created equally. Many of our competitors will lock fundamentally important parts of their software behind paywalls, or restrict your usage (i.e. limiting you to a certain number of expenses per day/month etc.).

When considering which online accounting software package you’d like to use, you need to be sure that everything you need is covered in your package. With Crunch Free, for instance, you get all of the basics, fundamental necessities of good online accounting software, such as expenses, invoices, and Open Banking. If you’re ever in doubt as to which package is right for you, don’t hesitate to call our wonderful advisors, who’ll be happy to help you better understand which of our packages meets your needs.

As safe as houses! Information you store on your computer in files and spreadsheets can be attacked by viruses or lost due to technical failures, or even simple mismanagement and disorganisation - and lets not even go into all the things that could go wrong if you still keep your receipts in a ratty old shoebox.

We use encrypted connections to reliably and securely store your data within our cloud accounting software, which not only gives you the peace of mind that your data is safe at all times, but also allows you to create reliable backups.

None whatsoever! Online accounting software allows you to manage your finances on the go, anytime, anywhere, safe in the knowledge that your data is secure. You can automate certain processes to cut down on your admin, connect your bank account straight to your software for swifter reconciliation, and stay compliant with the government’s Making Tax Digital scheme.

Cloud accounting software and online accounting are, basically, one and the same. When you’re talking about online accounting software, you’re talking about the software itself and the actions you can perform within it (i.e. recording your expenses, sending invoices etc.). When you’re talking cloud accounting software, you’re referring to data storage and backups.

At Crunch, our online accounting software is also cloud accounting software, so with us, you don’t have to worry!

At Crunch, it can start from the low-low price of absolutely nothing! Crunch Free is exactly what it sounds like - completely free! 

If you need more bespoke support and access to our team of expert client managers, our paid packages start from just £24.50+VAT a month for sole traders, and £41.50+VAT a month for limited companies.