Last updated: December 2025
UK businesses are owed an average of £21,000 in late invoices, with 87% experiencing payment delays. The right accounts receivable software can cut your Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) by 30-50% and free your team from endless invoice chasing.
We've tested and compared the leading AR software options for UK businesses—from simple invoice chasers to full collections platforms. Here's what actually works in 2025.
Not sure how much late payments are costing you? Try our free AR Health Calculator to see your potential savings.
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Before diving into individual reviews, here are the features that matter most for UK businesses:
Price: £75-£350/month | Best for: UK SMEs wanting predictive AR automation
Equisettle takes a different approach to AR automation. Instead of just sending reminders, it uses AI to predict which invoices will pay late—before the due date. This lets you intervene early with high-risk accounts while automating routine collections.
Key Features:
Pricing:
Pros: Predictive AI catches problems early, UK-built with HMRC compliance, transparent pricing, FreeAgent integration (rare)
Cons: Newer platform (founded 2024), smaller customer base than established players
Verdict: Best choice for UK SMEs who want to prevent late payments, not just chase them. The AI prediction feature is genuinely useful—not just marketing fluff. See how Wulfjoy reduced their DSO using Equisettle.
Price: £50-£200/month | Best for: SMEs wanting straightforward payment reminders
Chaser is the most established player in UK AR automation with over 10,000 users. It does one thing well: sending polite, personalised payment reminders automatically.
Key Features:
Pricing:
Pros: Proven track record, easy setup, maintains customer relationships, good reporting
Cons: Limited to email (no SMS/WhatsApp), no payment prediction, no case management for disputes
Verdict: Solid choice if you just need automated reminders. However, it's essentially a "better email" tool—you're still reacting to late payments rather than preventing them.
Price: Free-£150/month | Best for: Small businesses on tight budgets
Satago offers a genuinely free tier that covers basic AR management, plus optional invoice financing if you need to access cash faster.
Key Features:
Pricing:
Pros: Free tier available, invoice financing option, credit checks included
Cons: Limited automation on free tier, basic features compared to competitors, primarily focused on financing upsell
Verdict: Good starting point for very small businesses, but you'll likely outgrow it quickly.
Price: Custom pricing | Best for: Businesses prioritising cash flow visibility
Fluidly combines AR management with intelligent cash flow forecasting. It's more of a financial planning tool that happens to include collections features.
Key Features:
Pros: Excellent forecasting, good visualisations, broader financial insights
Cons: Less focused on collections, custom pricing (not transparent), limited integrations
Verdict: Better suited for financial planning than dedicated collections. Choose this if cash flow visibility is your primary concern.
Price: Free-£700/month | Best for: Subscription businesses and SaaS companies
Upflow is designed for B2B companies with recurring revenue models. It's popular with SaaS businesses and handles subscription billing complexities well.
Key Features:
Pricing:
Pros: Purpose-built for SaaS, modern interface, good integrations
Cons: USD pricing (exchange rate risk), less suited for traditional businesses, expensive for smaller companies
Verdict: Excellent for B2B SaaS companies, but the US-centric pricing and focus may not suit traditional UK businesses.
Price: Custom (typically £500+/month) | Best for: Large businesses with dedicated credit control teams
Credit Hound offers comprehensive credit management with deep functionality for risk assessment, limit management, and collections workflows.
Key Features:
Pros: Comprehensive credit management, strong ERP integrations, proven enterprise solution
Cons: Complex setup, dated interface, expensive, overkill for SMEs
Verdict: Solid enterprise option, but SMEs will find it overwhelming and overpriced.
Price: £2,000+/month | Best for: Enterprises with £10M+ revenue
HighRadius is the 800-pound gorilla of AR automation. It's powerful but designed for large enterprises with complex, global operations.
Key Features:
Pros: Enterprise-grade features, global support, comprehensive functionality
Cons: 6-18 month implementation, very expensive, overkill for UK SMEs
Verdict: Only consider if you're a large enterprise. UK SMEs should look elsewhere.
Price: £99-£299/month | Best for: SMEs wanting more than basic chasing
Kolleno positions itself as a more modern alternative to Chaser, with additional features like payment portals and better analytics.
Key Features:
Pricing:
Pros: Modern interface, payment portal included, competitive pricing
Cons: Smaller customer base, fewer integrations than Chaser
Verdict: Worth considering if Chaser feels outdated but Equisettle's AI features aren't needed.
Construction businesses face unique AR challenges: progress billing, retention, and long payment cycles. Equisettle handles complex invoicing scenarios well, while Credit Hound suits larger contractors with dedicated credit teams. Learn more in our guide to reducing DSO in UK construction.
For project-based businesses with varied payment terms, Chaser or Equisettle work well. The key is flexibility in reminder sequences.
Upflow is purpose-built for recurring revenue. Equisettle also handles subscriptions via GoCardless integration.
If you're B2B e-commerce with trade accounts, Satago (for budget) or Equisettle (for automation) suit the volume.
Our evaluation criteria:
Satago offers a genuinely free tier for basic AR management. Upflow also has a free "Discover" tier. However, free options have significant limitations—most growing businesses need paid features within 3-6 months.
Pricing ranges from free (Satago basic) to £2,000+/month (HighRadius enterprise). Most UK SMEs spend £75-£350/month on effective AR automation. The ROI typically pays for itself within 2-3 months through faster collections. Use our AR Health Calculator to estimate your potential savings.
Yes. Equisettle, Chaser, Satago, Fluidly, Upflow, and Kolleno all offer native Xero integration. Check each provider's integration depth—some sync invoices only, others sync payments and customers.
AR software focuses on invoice management and collections automation. Credit control software (like Credit Hound) includes credit risk assessment, limit setting, and risk monitoring. Some platforms like Equisettle combine both.
Most businesses see 15-30% DSO reduction within 60-90 days. Track progress with weekly AR aging reports. Predictive platforms like Equisettle can show results faster because they identify at-risk invoices before they go overdue.
For most UK SMEs, the choice comes down to three options:
Whichever you choose, implementing dedicated AR software typically delivers 3-5x ROI within the first year through faster collections, reduced bad debt, and time savings.
Stop chasing invoices manually. Equisettle's AI predicts which customers will pay late—before the due date—so you can take action early.
See how Wulfjoy improved their collections with Equisettle, then try it yourself:
No credit card required. Works with Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent, and GoCardless.
Calculate your potential savings →
