About Best In The

Best In The exists because "which accounting software should I get?" deserves a better answer than a pricing-page rewrite or a forum thread from 2019. We test UK business software the way an owner would use it, and we publish what we find, including the awkward parts.

Rachel Okafor, editor

I spent ten years running the books for my family's two limited companies: a joinery firm and, later, a small property business. VAT quarters, CIS deductions, payroll for a handful of employees, one bruising HMRC enquiry, and three accounting software migrations, two of which were avoidable. Along the way I qualified as a bookkeeper with the AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians), mostly in self-defence.

Best In The started after one too many friends asked me which accounting software to buy and I realised nobody was answering the question properly for UK businesses: with the actual prices in pounds, the actual MTD rules, and the actual experience of using each product for a year of books rather than an afternoon.

The method that grew out of those kitchen-table recommendations is now written down on our how we test page: the same two sets of realistic UK books through every product, a weighted scoring matrix, timed support tests, and a full re-check every quarter.

What we cover

Accounting software first, because Making Tax Digital gives every UK business a deadline and the stakes of choosing badly are highest. Payroll software, invoicing tools and business banking are on the roadmap once the accounting category meets our own bar. We would rather cover one category properly than ten thinly.

How the site makes money (affiliate disclosure)

Plainly: Best In The is reader-supported. Some links to software vendors may become affiliate links, which means if you click one and buy, we may earn a commission. It never costs you anything and it never changes a ranking. Our rules, in full:

• Scores and rankings are finalised before any commercial conversation exists.
• No vendor pays to be included, sees a review before publication, or can pay to change one.
• We disclose this on every money page, not just here.
• If a product is bad, we say so, commission or not. FreshBooks' MTD gap and Xero's invoice caps are on their review pages because they are true.

What we are not

We are not accountants giving you advice, and nothing on this site is tax or financial advice. We test software. For decisions about your tax position, talk to your accountant or HMRC.

Contact

Corrections, questions, category requests, or a price change we missed: hello@best-in-the.co.uk. Corrections get priority; we would rather be right than quick.