--- title: "Small business accounting software in the United Kingdom: Which are searched most?" description: "Compare the accounting software UK sole traders and small businesses use for invoicing, bookkeeping and Making Tax Digital. Share of Search among Xero, QuickBooks Online, FreeAgent, Zoho Books, KashFlow, Sage Accounting and Pandle, the small business accounting software Brandwave compares in the United Kingdom, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/categories/uk-small-business-accounting-software" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Small business accounting software in the United Kingdom: Which are searched most? Compare the accounting software UK sole traders and small businesses use for invoicing, bookkeeping and Making Tax Digital. Share of Search among Xero, QuickBooks Online, FreeAgent, Zoho Books, KashFlow, Sage Accounting and Pandle, the small business accounting software Brandwave compares in the United Kingdom, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Competitive set**: Small business accounting software - **Market**: United Kingdom - **Brands compared**: 7 - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Highest Share of Search**: Xero, 68.7% ## Which brand is most popular in search among small business accounting software in the United Kingdom? - In September 2026, Xero was the most searched among small business accounting software in the United Kingdom, with an estimated 673K branded searches, 68.7% of all searches for the seven we track. - QuickBooks Online is in 2nd place, 51.9 percentage points behind at 16.9%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Xero’s share of searches among small business accounting software in the United Kingdom decreased from 69.7% to 68.7%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, FreeAgent’s share of searches among small business accounting software in the United Kingdom increased from 9.4% to 11.2%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, KashFlow’s share of searches among small business accounting software in the United Kingdom decreased from 1.5% to 1%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Xero’s share of searches among small business accounting software in the United Kingdom peaked at 69.7% in October 2025 and was lowest at 63.9% in April 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, QuickBooks Online’s share of searches among small business accounting software in the United Kingdom peaked at 19.7% in May 2026 and was lowest at 16.8% in August 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, FreeAgent’s share of searches among small business accounting software in the United Kingdom peaked at 12.8% in June 2026 and was lowest at 9.4% in October 2025. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Zoho Books rose from 5th to 4th among small business accounting software in the United Kingdom. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, KashFlow fell from 4th to 5th among small business accounting software in the United Kingdom. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, QuickBooks Online, Sage Accounting and Pandle held steady: their share of searches among small business accounting software in the United Kingdom each moved less than 0.5 percentage points. ## Top small business accounting software in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Xero appeared every time. Xero was recommended most often, coming first in two out of three answers that gave a list. QuickBooks Online was second, and FreeAgent was third. KashFlow, which ranked fifth in searches, was not mentioned at all. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Xero | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | QuickBooks Online | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | FreeAgent | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | Sage Accounting | 4th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | Zoho Books | 5th | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | KashFlow | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | | Pandle | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | ## Every AI answer about small business accounting software - Asked ChatGPT "Which accounting software should my small business use in the UK?": 1. Xero, 2. QuickBooks Online, 3. FreeAgent, 4. Sage Accounting, 5. Zoho Books - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best accounting software platforms for small businesses in the UK?": 1. Xero, 2. QuickBooks Online, 3. FreeAgent, 4. Sage Accounting, 5. Zoho Books - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best accounting software in the UK for Making Tax Digital as a sole trader?": 1. FreeAgent, 2. QuickBooks Online, 3. Xero, 4. Zoho Books - Searched Google, AI Overview "making tax digital software": 1. Xero Not named in any answer: KashFlow and Pandle. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United Kingdom on October 22, 2026. ## Compare search popularity between leading brands - [Xero vs QuickBooks Online: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/quickbooks-online-vs-xero): 68.7% against 16.9% Share of Search. - [Xero vs FreeAgent: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/freeagent-vs-xero): 68.7% against 11.2% Share of Search. - [QuickBooks Online vs FreeAgent: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/freeagent-vs-quickbooks-online): 16.9% against 11.2% Share of Search. ## How did search popularity change for United Kingdom small business accounting software in September 2026? - FreeAgent’s share of searches among small business accounting software in the United Kingdom has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 12.8% to 11.2% in September 2026. - In September 2026, Zoho Books rose from 5th to 4th among small business accounting software in the United Kingdom. - In September 2026, KashFlow fell from 4th to 5th among small business accounting software in the United Kingdom. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Sage Accounting in the United Kingdom fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 6.6K to 5.4K in September 2026. ## Share of Search ranking | Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Xero | 68.7% | 673K | +22.4% | Xero | | 2 | QuickBooks Online | 16.9% | 165K | +22.2% | Intuit | | 3 | FreeAgent | 11.2% | 110K | +21.5% | NatWest | | 4 | Zoho Books | 1.2% | 12.1K | +22.2% | Zoho | | 5 | KashFlow | 1% | 9.9K | 0.0% | IRIS Software Group | | 6 | Sage Accounting | 0.55% | 5.4K | -18.2% | Sage Accounting | | 7 | Pandle | 0.37% | 3.6K | +24.1% | Pandle | ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | Xero | 673K | 69.7% | 1 | | Oct 2025 | QuickBooks Online | 165K | 17.1% | 2 | | Oct 2025 | FreeAgent | 90.5K | 9.4% | 3 | | Oct 2025 | KashFlow | 14.8K | 1.5% | 4 | | Oct 2025 | Zoho Books | 12.1K | 1.3% | 5 | | Oct 2025 | Sage Accounting | 6.6K | 0.68% | 6 | | Oct 2025 | Pandle | 3.6K | 0.37% | 7 | | Nov 2025 | Xero | 550K | 65.4% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | QuickBooks Online | 165K | 19.6% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | FreeAgent | 90.5K | 10.8% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | KashFlow | 12.1K | 1.4% | 4 | | Nov 2025 | Zoho Books | 12.1K | 1.4% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | Sage Accounting | 6.6K | 0.79% | 6 | | Nov 2025 | Pandle | 4.4K | 0.52% | 7 | | Dec 2025 | Xero | 450K | 65.4% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | QuickBooks Online | 135K | 19.6% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | FreeAgent | 74K | 10.8% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | KashFlow | 9.9K | 1.4% | 4 | | Dec 2025 | Zoho Books | 9.9K | 1.4% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | Sage Accounting | 6.6K | 0.96% | 6 | | Dec 2025 | Pandle | 2.9K | 0.42% | 7 | | Jan 2026 | Xero | 673K | 65.9% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | QuickBooks Online | 201K | 19.7% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | FreeAgent | 110K | 10.8% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | KashFlow | 12.1K | 1.2% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | Zoho Books | 12.1K | 1.2% | 5 | | Jan 2026 | Sage Accounting | 8.1K | 0.79% | 6 | | Jan 2026 | Pandle | 4.4K | 0.43% | 7 | | Feb 2026 | Xero | 550K | 65.5% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | QuickBooks Online | 165K | 19.6% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | FreeAgent | 90.5K | 10.8% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | KashFlow | 12.1K | 1.4% | 4 | | Feb 2026 | Zoho Books | 12.1K | 1.4% | 5 | | Feb 2026 | Sage Accounting | 6.6K | 0.79% | 6 | | Feb 2026 | Pandle | 3.6K | 0.43% | 7 | | Mar 2026 | Xero | 673K | 65.9% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | QuickBooks Online | 201K | 19.7% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | FreeAgent | 110K | 10.8% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | KashFlow | 12.1K | 1.2% | 4 | | Mar 2026 | Zoho Books | 12.1K | 1.2% | 5 | | Mar 2026 | Sage Accounting | 8.1K | 0.79% | 6 | | Mar 2026 | Pandle | 4.4K | 0.43% | 7 | | Apr 2026 | Xero | 550K | 63.9% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | QuickBooks Online | 165K | 19.2% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | FreeAgent | 110K | 12.8% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | KashFlow | 12.1K | 1.4% | 4 | | Apr 2026 | Zoho Books | 12.1K | 1.4% | 5 | | Apr 2026 | Sage Accounting | 8.1K | 0.94% | 6 | | Apr 2026 | Pandle | 3.6K | 0.42% | 7 | | May 2026 | Xero | 550K | 65.8% | 1 | | May 2026 | QuickBooks Online | 165K | 19.7% | 2 | | May 2026 | FreeAgent | 90.5K | 10.8% | 3 | | May 2026 | KashFlow | 9.9K | 1.2% | 4 | | May 2026 | Zoho Books | 9.9K | 1.2% | 5 | | May 2026 | Sage Accounting | 6.6K | 0.79% | 6 | | May 2026 | Pandle | 3.6K | 0.43% | 7 | | Jun 2026 | Xero | 550K | 64.2% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | QuickBooks Online | 165K | 19.2% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | FreeAgent | 110K | 12.8% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | KashFlow | 12.1K | 1.4% | 4 | | Jun 2026 | Zoho Books | 9.9K | 1.2% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | Sage Accounting | 6.6K | 0.77% | 6 | | Jun 2026 | Pandle | 3.6K | 0.42% | 7 | | Jul 2026 | Xero | 550K | 64% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | QuickBooks Online | 165K | 19.2% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | FreeAgent | 110K | 12.8% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | KashFlow | 12.1K | 1.4% | 4 | | Jul 2026 | Zoho Books | 12.1K | 1.4% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | Sage Accounting | 6.6K | 0.77% | 6 | | Jul 2026 | Pandle | 3.6K | 0.42% | 7 | | Aug 2026 | Xero | 550K | 68.3% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | QuickBooks Online | 135K | 16.8% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | FreeAgent | 90.5K | 11.2% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | KashFlow | 9.9K | 1.2% | 4 | | Aug 2026 | Zoho Books | 9.9K | 1.2% | 5 | | Aug 2026 | Sage Accounting | 6.6K | 0.82% | 6 | | Aug 2026 | Pandle | 2.9K | 0.36% | 7 | | Sep 2026 | Xero | 673K | 68.7% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | QuickBooks Online | 165K | 16.9% | 2 | | Sep 2026 | FreeAgent | 110K | 11.2% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | Zoho Books | 12.1K | 1.2% | 4 | | Sep 2026 | KashFlow | 9.9K | 1% | 5 | | Sep 2026 | Sage Accounting | 5.4K | 0.55% | 6 | | Sep 2026 | Pandle | 3.6K | 0.37% | 7 | ## What is being compared - **FreeAgent**: Measured on the search term “freeagent”. - **KashFlow**: Measured on the search term “kashflow”. - **Pandle**: Measured on the search term “pandle”. - **QuickBooks Online**: Measured on the search term “quickbooks”. - **Sage Accounting**: Measured on the search term “sage accounting”. - **Xero**: Measured on the search term “xero”. - **Zoho Books**: Measured on the search term “zoho books”. - [FreeAgent](/demand/uk/brands/freeagent) - [KashFlow](/demand/uk/brands/kashflow) - [Pandle](/demand/uk/brands/pandle) - [QuickBooks Online](/demand/uk/brands/quickbooks-online) - [Sage Accounting](/demand/uk/brands/sage-accounting) - [Xero](/demand/uk/brands/xero) - [Zoho Books](/demand/uk/brands/zoho-books) ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Which brand is most popular in search among small business accounting software in the United Kingdom? In September 2026, Xero was the most searched among small business accounting software in the United Kingdom, with an estimated 673K branded searches, 68.7% of all searches for the seven we track. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Small business accounting software in the United Kingdom: Which are searched most?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/categories/uk-small-business-accounting-software This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/categories/uk-small-business-accounting-software. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.