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ClearingHouse vs FreeAgent's Stripe feed
FreeAgent has its own Stripe feed built in. For some businesses it's all they need. Here's where it stops, and where ClearingHouse picks up.
The short version
FreeAgent's Stripe feed is designed for businesses that invoice from FreeAgent and let customers pay by card. Stripe payments are matched to your open FreeAgent invoices, fees are explained as bank charges, and everything waits for you to approve it.
It gets harder when Stripe is where your sales happen. Payments that don't match a FreeAgent invoice are guessed as general sales, refunds need explaining by hand, and payouts in a currency other than your FreeAgent base currency aren't imported at all.
ClearingHouse is built for that second group: businesses that bill through Stripe and want their books to reflect it.
Side by side
| ClearingHouse | FreeAgent's Stripe feed | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £10/month | Built into FreeAgent |
| When Stripe data reaches FreeAgent | As it happens in Stripe | Each morning |
| Multiple currencies | A clearing account for each currency in your Stripe balance | Only payouts in your FreeAgent base currency are imported |
| Multiple Stripe accounts | Yes | One Stripe account per FreeAgent account |
| Stripe invoices | Mirrored in FreeAgent with the same line items | Payments are matched to invoices you created in FreeAgent |
| Other payments | Categorised by the Stripe product or price, or a default category you choose | Guessed, for example as Sales, for you to approve |
| Stripe fees | Recorded automatically | Explained as Bank/Finance Charges, for you to approve |
| Platform (application) fees | Recorded as their own transactions | Not covered in their docs |
| Refunds | Explained automatically, with Stripe credit notes mirrored in FreeAgent | Explained by hand |
| Disputes | Recorded as funds withdrawn and returned | Not covered in their docs |
| Payouts to your bank | Explained as a transfer once they appear in your bank feed | Guessed as a transfer between accounts |
FreeAgent details are taken from their help articles on connecting to Stripe and how the Stripe feed works in October 2026. If something's changed, let us know and we'll update this page.
Where the built-in feed falls short
Your P&L sees "Sales", not what you sold
If a Stripe payment doesn't match an open FreeAgent invoice, FreeAgent's Guess explains it as something general like Sales. Sell a subscription and a one-off course through Stripe and they end up on the same line. ClearingHouse lets you map each Stripe product or price to its own category, so your revenue is split the way your business actually works.
Foreign currency payouts go missing
If you hold a EUR or USD balance in Stripe and pay it out in that currency, FreeAgent's feed won't import it. ClearingHouse creates a separate clearing account for each currency in your Stripe balance, including new ones the first time they appear.
Refunds are left for you
Refunds come through the feed unexplained, so you need to work out whether each one is a credit note refund or a sales refund. ClearingHouse explains refunds automatically, and mirrors Stripe credit notes in FreeAgent with the same line items and reference.
One Stripe account only
FreeAgent can only connect one Stripe account. If you sell through a platform that gives you its own Stripe account, alongside your main one, ClearingHouse can connect them all to the same FreeAgent company.
Which one suits you?
FreeAgent's feed is enough if…
- You create your invoices in FreeAgent and use Stripe to get them paid.
- Everything you sell is in your base currency.
- You only have one Stripe account.
- You don't mind approving each transaction and explaining refunds yourself.
ClearingHouse is the better choice if…
- You bill customers with Stripe invoices, subscriptions or checkout.
- You sell more than one product and want your P&L to show revenue for each.
- You get paid in more than one currency.
- You take payments through a platform built on Stripe, like Circle.
FAQs
Can I keep FreeAgent's Stripe feed switched on?
Not for the same Stripe account. Both would import the same payments, so your income would be counted twice. FreeAgent lets you connect Stripe without a feed, so you can still take invoice payments through FreeAgent while ClearingHouse handles your books.
I've been using the feed. What happens to my existing transactions?
They stay where they are. When you set up ClearingHouse, you choose a sync start date and it only imports Stripe transactions from that date onwards. Read more about choosing a sync start date.
What's a clearing account?
It's a bank account in FreeAgent that represents your Stripe balance. Payments come in, fees and payouts go out, and the balance should always match what's in Stripe. Read more about how clearing accounts work.
See your Stripe revenue properly in FreeAgent
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