QuickBooks vs SumUp Accounting
Both are full cloud accounting tools for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax.
SumUp Accounting is the cheaper starting point at £0 (VAT included) versus from £144/yr for QuickBooks — but the cheapest plan only wins if it covers the income types you actually have.
| QuickBooks | SumUp Accounting | |
|---|---|---|
| True annual cost from | from £144/yr | £0 |
| Self-employment | Yes | Yes |
| Property / rent | Yes | No |
| Keeps your spreadsheet | No | No |
| Accountant access | Yes | No |
| Type | full cloud accounting | full cloud accounting |
| HMRC status | Recognised | Recognised |
| Price verified | 2026-06-24 | 2026-07-01 |
QuickBooks
Widely used cloud accounting. The £10 Sole Trader plan covers self-employment and a single rental property if you're not VAT-registered; Simple Start adds VAT.
- Sole traders and single-property landlords on a budget
- People who want a big app ecosystem
SumUp Accounting
A free MTD for Income Tax tool for sole traders, built into SumUp's platform and powered by Sage. Turns the payments, invoicing and banking data you already capture in SumUp into MTD submissions at no extra cost.
- Sole traders who already use SumUp
- People who want a free, payments-integrated MTD tool
Not sure either is right? Use the finder to get a recommendation ranked by what it will actually cost you.
Prices are each tool's cheapest plan, VAT included, last verified 1 July 2026 (catalogue reconciled 1 July 2026). Links are affiliate links and never affect ranking. Not affiliated with HMRC; not tax advice.