Compare workflows

Bank lines first, not admin first

FreeAgent fits classic small-business record-keeping. xontax pulls in your bank feed, adds short AI reasons you can change, and when you ask the AI Accountant you get things to verify yourself with source links, so you stay on top of things without drowning in forms.

By V. Cosma · Updated May 2026

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Connect Xero in xontax for historic journals; FreeAgent connected import is on the roadmap. See the banner below for HMRC sending in beta.

Public beta: no live filing to HMRC yet

xontax is in development. You can connect your bank, review categories, and use AI suggestions. Sending tax returns to HMRC is not available yet, but we are working on it.

Please share as much feedback as you can to help us make xontax better.

This is a high-level workflow comparison, not a feature scorecard. It is about whether you want the bank feed to drive day-to-day review.

Who benefits from the xontax way of working

xontax suits limited company owners, personal Self Assessment, then self-employed people and landlords who want less admin

Bank-first sorting, plain reasons, easy fixes. Limited companies get a separate company view in the app, not mixed with your personal tax or trade. Switch in the app when you work on the other.

FreeAgent may fit when you like starting from categories and routines

Traditional categories and routines work well for many teams. xontax is for owners who want the bank feed to do more of the sorting.

Key workflow differences

What it replaces

The reactive, compliance-only accountant who files and disappears

Paper and spreadsheets

System of record

Bank transactions + reviewable matching

Entries once you have posted them

Explainable layer

AI suggestions with readable reasoning

More manual review based on mapped entries

Ideas to save money

Things to verify yourself with links to read (not tax advice); you decide

You hunt in reports or with your adviser

Review / amend loop

You fix categories before numbers roll forward

Review depends on your process

Existing bookkeeping history

Connect Xero for historic journals including limited company books (app-derived cutover in Settings); QuickBooks, FreeAgent, Sage coming soon

History stays in that product unless you migrate or export

Filing readiness

Get your numbers ready for tax; in-app send where we support it

Preparation varies by workflow

Tax visibility

See likely tax impact in the app (where the product can show it)

Recordkeeping emphasis

Why xontax may convert for this audience

Traceability stays clear

Suggestions point back to real bank lines you can open and check.

Built for verification

You see what was suggested, why, and what you can change.

Steady through the year

Small reviews often beat one big panic before the deadline.

Want the bank-first review workflow?

Join the beta and review explainable suggestions with your own data before public onboarding opens.

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