Self Assessment Direct vs SumUp Accounting
Both are full cloud accounting tools for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax.
Self Assessment Direct and SumUp Accounting start at the same true annual cost (£0, VAT included), so the choice comes down to fit rather than price.
| Self Assessment Direct | SumUp Accounting | |
|---|---|---|
| True annual cost from | £0 | £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 | 2026-07-02 | 2026-07-02 |
Self Assessment Direct
A genuinely free, HMRC-recognised tool from Cirrostratus (the VAT Direct platform): a simple cloud cashbook plus spreadsheet bridging that files MTD for Income Tax for sole traders and landlords — including foreign property — at no cost.
- Anyone who wants to file for £0
- Sole traders and landlords, including those with foreign property
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 2 July 2026 (catalogue reconciled 2 July 2026). Links are affiliate links and never affect ranking. Not affiliated with HMRC; not tax advice.