Countingup review
Updated September 28, 2026 · ForgeCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
Countingup suits UK small businesses that want bookkeeping, VAT filing and company formation handled together, with a free trial running before payment. The entry plan starts at £5 a month, and Deposits 0-750 GBP/mo on entry plan shows how much trading activity that price covers.
Key facts
- Best for
- UK small businesses that want VAT-ready bookkeeping and company formation from the same provider.
- Price from
- £5 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Free plan
- No (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Usage limits
- Deposits 0-750 GBP/mo on entry plan (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Free trial length
- 90 days (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Counting Limited
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom
- Founded
- 2017 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Email, Chat, Help-centre (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Audience
- Small business
- Pricing model
- Free trial
- Official website
- countingup.com
Accounting software
- Price from
- £5 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Free plan
- No (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Free trial length
- 90 days (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Local compliance
- Mtd-vat (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Bank feeds
- Yes (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Platforms
- iOS, Android, Web (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Counting Limited
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom
- Founded
- 2017 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Email, Chat, Help-centre (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Audience
- Small business
- Pricing model
- Free trial
Company formation
- Package price from
- £0 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- State fee included
- No (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Registered agent
- ACSP filing via Countingup (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Jurisdictions
- GB (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Counting Limited
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom
- Founded
- 2017 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Email, Chat, Help-centre (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Audience
- Small business
- Pricing model
- Free trial
Apps and profiles
- Get the app
- Google Play
- Elsewhere
- Trustpilot
Pros and cons
Pros
- The entry plan at £5 a month sits under the €13.15 starting price typical across the brands listed here.
- A 90 day free trial runs well past the 14 day trial typical on the site.
- Bank feeds come as standard, which is the part that keeps transactions arriving without manual entry for a business in the small business segment.
- Help comes through email, chat and help centre, covering a help centre for self service plus live chat and email.
- Company formation runs through the same provider, with packages priced from £0 and the registered agent line listed as ACSP filing via Countingup.
Cons
- No free plan, so once the 90 day trial ends the entry plan at £5 a month is the cheapest way in.
- Support runs on email, chat and help centre only, so there is no phone line for urgent questions.
- The service covers GB only, so filings in other markets need a different provider.
- The state fee is not included, so the formation package price of £0 is a starting point rather than the full cost of setting up a company.
Who it suits
- UK small businesses whose trading volume sits inside the entry plan ceiling, Deposits 0-750 GBP/mo on entry plan.
- Owners who want UK VAT filing sorted, with mtd vat as the compliance line listed.
- Traders comfortable with self service and chat, since email, chat and help centre is the full menu.
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone who wants a free starting price rather than a trial followed by a plan: Novo lists $0, and Countingup has no free plan.
- Readers who would rather start further up the price list, where Vantage sits at $30.
- Buyers comfortable paying well above the entry plan, since myGreekTax lists €69.
Intro and renewal prices
The entry plan is priced at £5 a month and there is no free plan beneath it, so the 90 day free trial is the only period that costs nothing. Renewal is where budgets get tested: across the brands tracked here, typical entry pricing sits at €2.99 while typical renewal pricing sits at €5.99, so a published entry figure is a starting point and the later figure is what a plan settles at. The entry plan also carries a stated limit, Deposits 0-750 GBP/mo on entry plan, which caps the trading volume that price handles.
What you get free
There is no free plan here, and readers comparing on entry price should treat that as a real difference rather than a detail. The free part of Countingup is a 90 day trial, which runs well past the 14 day trial typical across the site. That is long enough to connect a bank feed, work through a VAT cycle and see whether the service fits the way the business actually runs. Short of that window, the entry plan is the price to plan around.
The company behind it
Countingup is run by Counting Limited, which is registered in the United Kingdom, and the company has been trading since 2017. Support runs on email, chat and help centre: a help centre for self service, plus live chat and email when a question needs a person. That menu leaves out a phone line, since email, chat and help centre covers email, chat and a help centre only. For a small business that prefers reading first and chatting second, the mix lines up well.
How Countingup compares
9.3 vs 8.7- 9.3 vs 9.3
- 9.3 vs 9.1
- 9.3 vs 8.8
9.3 vs 8.5
9.3 vs 9.1- 9.3 vs 9.2
- 9.3 vs 9.3
9.3 vs 9.4
9.3 vs 9.5
9.3 vs 9.0- 9.3 vs 8.7
- 9.3 vs 8.0
- 9.3 vs 9.5
9.3 vs 9.4
9.3 vs 9.4- 9.3 vs 9.3
9.3 vs 9.1
9.3 vs 9.1
9.3 vs 9.1- 9.3 vs 9.0
9.3 vs 9.0
9.3 vs 8.9- 9.3 vs 8.9
9.3 vs 8.9
9.3 vs 8.8
9.3 vs 8.8
9.3 vs 8.8
9.3 vs 8.5
9.3 vs 8.5
9.3 vs 8.5
9.3 vs 8.5
9.3 vs 8.5
9.3 vs 8.0
9.3 vs 8.0
Where Countingup is available
- Available
- United Kingdom
Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
How much does Countingup cost to start?+
The entry plan is priced at £5 a month, and there is no free plan. That entry price places Countingup at position 34 of 307 brands listed on price from, against a starting price of €13.15 typical across the site. Budget for the entry plan as soon as the trial ends.
Is there a free plan, or only a free trial?+
Only a free trial. The free plan is listed as no, and what comes at no cost is a 90 day trial, which runs well past the 14 day trial typical across the site. The pricing model is listed as free trial, so plan for the entry plan straight after.
What are the usage limits on the entry plan?+
The entry plan limit is listed as Deposits 0-750 GBP/mo on entry plan, and that ceiling decides whether the plan fits. Check it against expected monthly takings early in the 90 day trial, because the limit is tied to the entry plan rather than to the product as a whole.
Which platforms does Countingup run on?+
Countingup is available on iOS, Android and Web, so the books can be opened from a phone or a desktop browser. Bank feeds are included as standard, which is what keeps transactions arriving without manual entry. That combination suits an owner who checks figures between other jobs rather than sitting at a desk.
Does Countingup handle UK VAT filing?+
Local compliance is limited to mtd vat, which covers the UK VAT obligation. No other regime is listed, so the promise stays narrow and clear. With a 90 day trial there is time to run through a full filing cycle before deciding.
Can Countingup form my company as well as run the books?+
Yes, formation runs through the same provider, with packages priced from £0. The registered agent line reads ACSP filing via Countingup. The state fee is not included in that package price, so treat £0 as a starting point rather than the full cost of setting up a company.
Which countries does Countingup cover?+
The service runs in the United Kingdom, and the company behind it sits in the United Kingdom. Everything here is built around UK small business accounting, VAT filing and company formation, so traders with filings in other markets need cover from somewhere else.
Who is Countingup aimed at?+
The stated audience is small business, and the product matches that: bank feeds, VAT filing and company formation from the same provider. Anyone who needs a permanently free tier, phone support or filings outside the UK is better served by another provider.
Sources
- countingup.com checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Audience, Bank feeds
“banking, accounting and tax in one smart app for small businesses”
- countingup.com/about-us checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Founded
“Countingup was founded in 2017”
- countingup.com/company-formations checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Jurisdictions, Package price from, Registered agent, State fee included
“Form and register your company with Companies House”
- countingup.com/contact-us checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Support channels
“sending us a message in-app ... Email us at support@countingup.com ... visit our help centre”
- countingup.com/small-businesses/pricing checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Free plan, Free trial length, Pricing model, Platforms, Price from, Usage limits
“Get started with a 3 month free trial. After that, our monthly subscriptions start from 5 pounds a month”
- countingup.com/vat-filing checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Local compliance
“Automatically generate a VAT return from transaction data and file in a few taps”
Compiled from 6 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
Related by the facts
Countingup
UK small businesses that want VAT-ready bookkeeping and company formation from the same provider.