How we review tools at Soletrader Tools
We are an independent comparison site for UK sole traders and freelancers. Here is exactly how we evaluate, score and update every tool on this site.
Our independence pledge
Soletrader Tools earns revenue through affiliate commissions when readers sign up for tools we recommend. This never influences our rankings, scores or conclusions. We have recommended free tools over paid ones and given poor scores to tools with high commission rates when the quality did not justify the recommendation.
Our scoring methodology
Every tool on this site is scored out of 10 across six equally weighted criteria:
| Criterion | Weight | What we assess |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 20% | Pricing relative to features; free plan quality; trial terms |
| Ease of use | 20% | Time to get started; interface clarity; learning curve for non-technical users |
| UK relevance | 20% | MTD compliance, GBP pricing, UK bank integrations, UK-specific features |
| Core features | 15% | Does it do what it claims? Reliability and feature completeness |
| Integrations | 15% | Connects to tools sole traders actually use (FreeAgent, Xero, Stripe, etc.) |
| Support quality | 10% | Response times, documentation quality, community resources |
Our review process
Each tool we review goes through the following steps before publication:
- Account creation and onboarding — We sign up for a free trial or paid plan and go through the full onboarding process as a sole trader would.
- Feature testing — We test every feature relevant to sole traders: invoicing, bank connections, reporting, mobile apps, and UK-specific capabilities like MTD submissions.
- Pricing verification — We verify all pricing directly from the provider’s website at the time of review and note any introductory discounts or price increases.
- Competitor comparison — We compare the tool against its direct competitors across all six scoring criteria.
- Score assignment — We assign a score out of 10 based on the weighted criteria above.
- Publication and dating — Every review is date-stamped. We revisit category pages every three months and update scores if tools change significantly.
How we handle affiliate relationships
Some links on this site are affiliate links. When you click through and sign up for a tool, we may receive a commission from the provider. This commission is paid by the tool provider and does not affect the price you pay. Our editorial decisions are made entirely independently of our affiliate relationships. We never accept payment to feature a tool more prominently, and we always disclose affiliate relationships on every category page.
If you have questions about our methodology or want to flag an inaccuracy, please contact us via the About page.