Starling Bank Bookkeeping vs QuickBooks
Side-by-side comparison for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax.
Starling Bank Bookkeeping
Free MTD tool, requires a (free) Starling business account.
Starling offers free MTD Income Tax software for customers of its business current account. The account itself has no monthly fee (for sole traders and limited companies), so this is a genuinely zero-cost path, provided you're willing to bank with Starling. Tight integration with your transactions.
Visit Starling Bank BookkeepingQuickBooks
Big US brand with strong UK MTD support.
QuickBooks Online is Intuit's cloud accounting product. Regular heavy discounts (often 90% off for 6 months) make it effectively cheap to start. Full MTD VAT and Income Tax support.
Visit QuickBooksFull feature comparison
| Starling Bank Bookkeeping | QuickBooks | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & compliance | ||
| Price from | Free | £12/mo |
| Free tier | ✓ | – |
| HMRC-recognised | ✓ | ✓ |
| Features | ||
| Bank feeds | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mobile app | ✓ | ✓ |
| Receipt scanning | – | ✓ |
| CIS support | – | ✓ |
| Furnished holiday let support | – | – |
| VAT submission | – | ✓ |
| Bridging software | – | – |
| Invoicing | – | ✓ |
| Multiple properties | – | – |
| Accountant access | – | ✓ |
| Best suited to | ||
| Sole Traders | ✓ | ✓ |
| Landlords | – | – |
| Airbnb / Short-let Hosts | – | – |
| CIS Subcontractors | – | ✓ |
| Uber & Gig Drivers | – | – |
| Freelancers | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spreadsheet Users | – | – |
| Simple Affairs | ✓ | – |
| Accountants | – | ✓ |
| VAT-Registered | – | ✓ |
✓ = supported. Based on each provider's published plans; check their site for the latest details.
Starling Bank Bookkeeping verdict
If you already bank with Starling, or are willing to open a (free) Starling business account, this is effectively free. Not a reason to switch banks if you're happy elsewhere.
QuickBooks verdict
A strong all-rounder, especially for CIS subcontractors. Watch the post-intro pricing.