Pennylane vs Starling: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Pennylane and Starling to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
Pennylane
6.4/10
French accounting, invoicing, cash management and business account platform for freelancers, small businesses, SMEs and the accounting firms that serve them.
Starling
6.6/10
A UK digital bank business account with built-in invoicing, bookkeeping, and Making Tax Digital tax tools for sole traders and small limited companies.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.4/10 | 6.6/10 |
| Analytics | 6/10 | 4/10 |
| Compliance | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Cost | 5/10 | 9/10 |
| Customization | 5/10 | 3/10 |
| Ease of Use | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Scalability | 6/10 | 3/10 |
| Security | 6/10 | 8/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | €7/mo Starter (freelancer) | £7/mo Accounting Plus |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Contact for pricing | Free Business Account + Accounting Essentials |
| Features | ||
| Accountant Access | ||
| Bank Reconciliation | ||
| Expense Management | ||
| Invoicing | ||
| Online Payments | ||
| Tax Compliance | ||
| Accounts Payable | Not listed | |
| Budgeting and Forecasting | Not listed | |
| Corporate Cards | Not listed | |
| Financial Reporting | Not listed | |
| General Ledger | Not listed | |
| Payroll | Not listed | |
Pennylane vs Starling cost by team size
| Team size | Pennylane | Starling |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | €7/moStarter (freelancer) | FreeBusiness Account + Accounting Essentials |
| 5 users | Contact for pricing | FreeBusiness Account + Accounting Essentials |
| 10 users | Contact for pricing | FreeBusiness Account + Accounting Essentials |
| 25 users | Contact for pricing | FreeBusiness Account + Accounting Essentials |
| 50 users | Contact for pricing | FreeBusiness Account + Accounting Essentials |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Pennylane
- Higher Scalability score (6/10 vs 3/10)
- Higher Analytics score (6/10 vs 4/10)
Why choose Starling
- Has a free plan (Pennylane does not)
- Higher Cost score (9/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Security score (8/10 vs 6/10)
Pros & Cons
Pennylane
Pros
- Accountants and clients work in the same shared space, which reviewers call its main strength.
- Bank transactions are categorised and reconciled automatically, based on past categorisations.
- A business account with an IBAN and employee cards is included even on the entry plan.
- It is approved for French e-invoicing, and Premium adds electronic filing of VAT and tax returns.
- A 15-day free trial and cancel-anytime billing mean there is no long-term commitment.
Cons
- Reviewers consider it fairly expensive, and there is no free plan.
- Full accounting reports and tax filing are limited to Premium.
- No payroll or CRM of its own; it relies on Payfit, Silae and CRM integrations.
- Users report slow support on complex issues, occasional bugs, and a multi-currency feature that still needs work.
- Pricing for companies with employees is quote-based on the vendor site.
Starling
Pros
- The business account has no monthly fee, and UK transfers, invoicing, and up to five expense cards are free.
- The free Essentials tier includes MTD for Income Tax submissions, which helps sole traders and landlords facing the April 2026 rules.
- VAT returns can be filed to HMRC from inside the banking app for £7 a month until April 2027.
- Bank feeds connect to Xero, QuickBooks, and FreeAgent.
- UK-based support is available 24/7 in the app, and Finder ranked it highly for customer satisfaction in 2026.
Cons
- It is not a full accounting system: there is no general ledger, payroll, or multi-entity support.
- Accountants only get view-only access.
- Only GBP and EUR accounts are available, and new USD account applications are paused.
- Eligibility is strict: directors and people with significant control must be UK residents.
- Overdrafts and loans are not available to new business customers, and there are no branches.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Starling scores higher on our Finance Software criteria: 6.6/10 against 6.4/10 for Pennylane. The largest gap is in Cost: 5/10 for Pennylane and 9/10 for Starling.
Starling has a free plan; Pennylane does not list one.
