Straightforward MTD software from £50 a year
Keep rent, income and expenses on a calendar, send quarterly updates and complete your annual return—without paying for a full accounting suite.
- Why pay for a full accounting suite when you only want straightforward records and MTD filing?
- Try free for 10 days — Income Tax MTD connect and send; VAT not on Free
- From £5/month · £50/year — no introductory price; you keep the price you joined at
What you’ll normally pay each year
Standard ongoing annual cost — not short-term discounts.
| Product | Typical year |
|---|---|
| CalCal Unlimited | £50 — no VAT charged VAT filing plan: £80/year — no VAT charged (about £136 less than Xero Ignite at £216/year excl. reclaimable VAT). |
| Hammock Basic, annual | £92.16 incl. VAT |
| Xero Simple | £100.80 incl. VAT |
| FreeAgent Landlord, annual | £120 incl. VAT (£100 + VAT) |
| Spreadsheet + VitalTax | £36 incl. VAT |
CalCal is the lowest-priced paid record-keeping product in this comparison.
VitalTax costs less because it is submission software for records you maintain in a spreadsheet.
Introductory offers (for example FreeAgent’s 50% off first period) can look closer to CalCal temporarily; after offers, FreeAgent landlord annual billing is £100/year + VAT (£120 incl. VAT). Paying FreeAgent monthly (£10 + VAT) costs £144/year.
Information checked 9 September 2026. Confirm current prices on vendor pages before you subscribe.
Compare features
CalCal, FreeAgent, Hammock, Xero, and spreadsheet + bridging software. Final paid amounts in bold.
Information checked 9 September 2026. Confirm current prices on vendor pages before you subscribe.
| Topic | CalCal | FreeAgent | Hammock | Xero | Spreadsheet + bridge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ongoing price |
|
|
|
|
|
| Trial / free terms | 10-day free trial: connect and send Income Tax MTD if due; VAT not in the free trial | 30-day free trial; separate free-with-bank offers on eligible accounts | 30-day free trial | See Xero for current trial offers (not listed as the ongoing price) | First quarterly submission free; £30 + VAT/year thereafter |
| Bank feeds | ✗ No | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✗ No — spreadsheet holds the records |
| Property + sole trader | ✓ Both | ✓ Both — mixed property + self-employment needs two FreeAgent accounts | ✓ Landlord/property. Not a sole-trader package | ✓ Property + sole trader in one subscription | ✓ Via spreadsheet + bridge (example VitalTax) |
| Jointly owned property | Partial — each co-owner uses their own CalCal and enters their share. No ownership % / auto-split in one account. | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | Record your own share — not claimed here as a native ownership split | ✓ Each owner records/submits their share (VitalTax example) |
| Spreadsheet / bridging | ✗ Calendar alternative — not a bridge from your sheet | Can import/switch from spreadsheets into FreeAgent (not HMRC bridging) | ✓ CSV / spreadsheet workflows supported | Import options vary by plan — see Xero | ✓ This is the model |
| Quarterly updates | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ via bridge |
| Annual / final declaration | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ via bridge |
| Mobile | ✓ iPhone & Android | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Spreadsheet apps — not a dedicated accounting app |
| Invoicing / receipts | On Unlimited plans; not the free-trial focus | ✓ Yes | Receipts yes; customer sales invoicing not claimed here | ✓ Full accounts suite | ✗ Usually tax figures only |
CalCal
- Ongoing price
- £5/month — no VAT charged · £50/year. £8/month with VAT filing — no VAT charged · £80/year [1]
- Trial
- 10-day free trial: Income Tax MTD connect and send; VAT not in the free trial
- Bank feeds
- ✗ No
- Property + sole trader
- ✓ Both
- Jointly owned
- Partial — each co-owner uses their own CalCal and enters their share. No ownership % / auto-split in one account.
- Quarterly / annual
- ✓ / ✓
- Mobile
- ✓ iPhone & Android
FreeAgent
- Ongoing price
- Landlords £10/month +VAT (£12); sole traders £19 +VAT (£22.80) [2]
- Trial
- 30-day free trial
- Bank feeds
- ✓ Yes
- Property + sole trader
- Mixed needs two FreeAgent accounts
- Jointly owned
- ✓ Yes
Hammock
- Ongoing price
- £8/month +VAT (£9.60) for 1–3 properties [3]
- Trial
- 30-day free trial
- Bank feeds
- ✓ Yes
- Focus
- Landlord/property — not a sole-trader package
- Jointly owned
- ✓ Yes
Xero
- Ongoing price
- £7/month +VAT (£8.40); VAT-registered £18 +VAT (£21.60) [4]
- Bank feeds
- ✓ Yes
- Property + sole trader
- One subscription
- Jointly owned
- Record your own share
Spreadsheet + bridge
- Ongoing price
- VitalTax ~£2.50/month +VAT (~£36/year) [5]
- Trial
- First quarterly submission free; £30 + VAT/year thereafter
- Bank feeds
- ✗ No
- Model
- Keep the spreadsheet; bridge submits
When CalCal is not the best fit
CalCal won’t suit everyone. Choose the tool that matches how you already work.
Bank-feed power users
If deep automation and full accounts are the point, FreeAgent or Xero may fit better than a calendar-first diary.
See XeroLandlord-only suites
If you want property-focused MTD without sole-trader filing in the same product, compare Hammock.
See HammockSpreadsheet die-hards
Happy in Excel or Sheets with a bridge? Keep it — just know you own more of the “what next?” yourself.
FAQCommon questions about choosing MTD software
Straight answers for landlords and sole traders comparing MTD Income Tax options.
Do I need full accounting software for MTD Income Tax?
No. HMRC needs digital records and quarterly updates — not a full accounts suite. Some people use a calendar for rent or job income; others want bank feeds and fuller bookkeeping. Pick the depth you will actually keep up.
Can I stay on spreadsheets for Making Tax Digital?
Yes, if you keep digital records and use a bridging tool to submit. It works for people who already live in Excel or Sheets. You take on more moving parts and less guided “what do I do next?” than software built around daily entries.
What does the CalCal free trial include?
A 10-day free trial can connect to HMRC and send an Income Tax MTD update if one is due. It is for trying the Income Tax MTD path — not a free tax year. After the trial, filing stays available on Unlimited plans.
Does Free include VAT MTD?
No. VAT Making Tax Digital is not included in the free trial. If you need VAT MTD, you need a paid CalCal plan that includes it.
When is CalCal not the best fit?
If you want deep bank-feed automation, a property-management suite, or you are a spreadsheet die-hard who already bridges happily — another tool may fit better. CalCal is for people who want the money on a calendar and Income Tax MTD without turning records into a second job.
Not sure yet?
Try CalCal free for 10 days and keep whatever you will actually use.
Connect to HMRC and send an Income Tax MTD update if you are due. VAT Making Tax Digital is not in the free trial — use a paid plan if you need VAT. Landlords can also read the MTD landlord guide first.
Start with the free trial, or read the landlord and Income Tax MTD guides first.