Compare accounting software for hairdressers, beauty salons and barbers in the UK. We look at bookkeeping, expenses, VAT, Making Tax Digital, ease of use, pricing and independent customer reviews.
Looking for other tools? See our Software for Hair & Beauty Businesses guide.
Quick answer
Top pick: Xero — 94/100
Xero is our best all-round choice for salons that want strong bookkeeping, bank reconciliation, receipt capture, VAT and room to grow.
Best value: QuickBooks — 92/100
QuickBooks starts at a lower standard monthly price and combines accounting, expenses, receipt capture and MTD tools in a package designed for small businesses.
Best for sole traders: FreeAgent — 91/100
FreeAgent is particularly attractive for self-employed hairdressers and beauticians. It has strong UK tax tools and can even be free with certain business bank accounts.
Compare accounting software for hair and beauty businesses
| Tool | Best for | Viaqo score | Standard price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xero | Overall | 94/100 | From £18/mo* |
| QuickBooks | Value | 92/100 | From £10/mo** |
| FreeAgent | Sole traders | 91/100 | From £19/mo*** |
*Xero Ignite normally costs £18 per month excluding VAT. Xero was offering new UK customers 90% off for the first six months when checked in October 2026. Promotional pricing is not shown as the standard price above.
**QuickBooks Sole Trader Plus normally costs £10 per month plus VAT. A 90% introductory discount for six months was available to eligible new customers when checked.
***FreeAgent’s regular monthly price for a sole trader is £19 excluding VAT. It was offering 50% off for the first six months when checked. Different prices apply to partnerships and limited companies.
Prices checked October 2026.
Why this ranking?
Xero takes first place because it combines straightforward day-to-day accounting with strong bank reconciliation, digital receipt storage, VAT filing and MTD support. It also has a large independent review base: Capterra currently gives Xero 4.4/5 from around 3,330 reviews.
QuickBooks scores closely behind. Its starting standard price is lower, its small-business tools cover bank feeds, receipt capture, mileage, VAT and invoicing, and its independent review sample is particularly large at 4.3/5 from more than 8,300 Capterra reviews.
FreeAgent ranks third because it is unusually well suited to UK sole traders. It can prepare and file Self Assessment directly with HMRC, handles VAT and MTD, and currently scores 4.5/5 from around 180 Capterra reviews. The smaller review sample gives us slightly less evidence than Xero or QuickBooks.
Review scores cover the products as a whole and are not limited to hair and beauty businesses.
Xero — Best overall
Viaqo score: 94/100
Xero is cloud accounting software for small businesses. For a salon, barber or beauty business, it can bring bank transactions, invoices, bills, expenses, receipts, VAT and financial reports into one place.
The entry-level Ignite plan normally costs £18 per month excluding VAT. It includes bank reconciliation, smart document capture, VAT returns, MTD for Income Tax support, reports and up to 20 invoices and 10 bills per month.
Why we like it
Xero is particularly strong if you want software that can stay useful as the business grows. Receipts and bills can be captured digitally, transactions can be matched against bank feeds, and your accountant can work from the same cloud records.
Its independent customer feedback is also strong. Xero currently has a 4.4/5 Capterra rating from around 3,330 reviews.
What to watch
Ignite is designed for simpler businesses and limits invoices and bills. A busy salon may therefore need the Grow plan, currently £39 per month excluding VAT at standard price. Grow removes those basic invoice restrictions and adds expenses, more automation and broader reporting tools.
Xero is accounting software rather than salon management software. You will still need a separate booking or POS system if you want appointment scheduling, client notes or detailed salon operations.
Pricing
- Ignite: £18/month excl. VAT
- Grow: £39/month excl. VAT
- Comprehensive: £55/month excl. VAT
- Ultimate: £70/month excl. VAT
A 90% introductory discount for six months was available to eligible new UK customers when checked in October 2026.
Best for: Salons and beauty businesses that want a strong all-round accounting system with room to grow.
QuickBooks — Best value
Viaqo score: 92/100
QuickBooks offers accounting software for sole traders and small businesses, with invoicing, automated bank feeds, expense tracking, receipt capture, mileage and MTD tools.
For a self-employed hairdresser, barber or beautician, Sole Trader Plus normally costs £10 per month plus VAT. Businesses needing a fuller accounting package can move to Simple Start or higher plans.
Why we like it
The relatively low entry price makes QuickBooks appealing to smaller beauty businesses.
It can photograph and store receipts, track mileage, sync bank transactions and help prepare MTD records. VAT-registered businesses can also calculate and submit VAT returns directly to HMRC.
Independent feedback is extensive: QuickBooks Online currently has 4.3/5 from more than 8,300 Capterra reviews.
What to watch
The cheapest plan is specifically aimed at sole traders. A salon operating as a limited company or needing several users may need a more expensive plan.
QuickBooks also has a relatively wide range of plans and features, so it is worth checking what is actually included rather than choosing purely on the headline starting price.
Pricing
Sole Trader Plus: £10/month + VAT
Simple Start: £16/month + VAT
Essentials: £38/month + VAT
Plus: £56/month + VAT
Advanced: £123/month + VAT
QuickBooks was offering eligible new customers 90% off for the first six months when checked.
Best for: Sole traders and small salons looking for a lower-cost entry into full accounting software.
FreeAgent — Best for sole traders
Viaqo score: 91/100
FreeAgent is UK-focused accounting software aimed particularly at freelancers and small businesses.
For a self-employed hairdresser, barber or beautician, one of its biggest strengths is tax. FreeAgent can use your bookkeeping records to prepare much of your Self Assessment return and lets eligible users file directly to HMRC.
It also supports bank feeds, invoicing, VAT, MTD, cash-flow reporting and receipt capture.
Why we like it
FreeAgent keeps UK tax unusually close to the day-to-day bookkeeping.
For someone working alone who does not want to spend much time thinking about accounting terminology, that can be a major advantage.
Its Capterra rating is currently 4.5/5 from around 180 reviews, with ease of use and UK small-business suitability recurring in customer feedback.
There is another important advantage: FreeAgent can currently be free if you maintain an eligible NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland or Ulster Bank business account, or meet the qualifying Mettle account conditions. Optional add-ons can still cost extra.
What to watch
If you pay normally rather than getting FreeAgent through an eligible bank account, it is not the cheapest option.
The regular sole-trader price is £19 per month excluding VAT. Limited companies pay more. Smart Capture also includes only a limited number of receipts and bills before the optional unlimited add-on becomes relevant.
Pricing
For a sole trader, the regular monthly price is £19 excluding VAT.
FreeAgent was offering 50% off for the first six months when checked, but this is promotional rather than the normal price.
A 30-day free trial is available.
Best for: Self-employed hairdressers and beauty professionals who want simple UK bookkeeping and strong Self Assessment tools.
Also considered: Sage Accounting
Sage deserves particular mention because it has a dedicated UK offering for hairdressers and beauty salons. Sage highlights accounting, VAT, payroll, inventory and integration with POS and banking tools for the sector.
It also now offers a free Sole Trader plan for non-VAT-registered sole traders with simpler needs. This includes income and expense records, one bank account, MTD readiness and up to five sales invoices per month.
However, independent feedback is weaker than our top three: Sage Accounting currently scores around 4.1/5 on Capterra from more than 540 reviews.
For that reason, I would keep it as a strong alternative rather than move it into the top three.
What to look for in accounting software for hairdressers
Good accounting software for hairdressers should make the financial side of the business easier without duplicating what your booking system already does.
A solo beautician may mainly need bank feeds, expense tracking, receipts, Self Assessment and MTD. A larger salon may also need VAT, payroll, several users and stronger financial reporting.
If you sell shampoos, skincare or other retail products, also check how stock is handled. You may find it simpler to manage detailed product stock in your salon POS and send the financial information into your accounting system rather than trying to run the whole salon from the accounting software.
Booking software and accounting software are different
Salon booking software manages appointments, clients, reminders and often payments.
Accounting software manages the financial records behind the business: income, expenses, bank transactions, VAT, tax and reports.
Some systems integrate with each other, but we would not choose an accounting package just because it claims to offer lots of additional business features. The accounting side needs to be reliable first.
Do sole traders need accounting software?
You can run a very small business using spreadsheets, but accounting software becomes increasingly useful as the number of transactions grows.
For a self-employed hairdresser or beautician, keeping bank transactions, receipts and tax information in one system can reduce the amount of work needed later.
Making Tax Digital also makes digital record keeping increasingly relevant for self-employed businesses. Xero, QuickBooks and FreeAgent all offer UK MTD tools.
How Viaqo compares accounting software for hair and beauty businesses
We compare everyday bookkeeping, UK tax and MTD support, ease of use, receipt and expense tools, pricing and independent customer feedback.
We also consider the type of business each product suits. A mobile beautician working alone may need something different from a salon with several employees.
Standard prices are used in our comparison rather than temporary promotional prices. Where a provider is running an introductory offer, we explain it separately.
Affiliate commissions never affect Viaqo scores or rankings.
Sources — checked October 2026
- Xero: official UK pricing, accounting, receipts and MTD information.
- QuickBooks: official UK pricing, VAT, expenses and accounting features.
- FreeAgent: official UK pricing, VAT, Self Assessment and MTD information.
- Independent reviews: Capterra UK for Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent and Sage Accounting.
- Sage: official hairdresser and beauty salon accounting information.
Looking for appointments or payments too? See our Salon Booking Software and Card Readers & POS comparisons.