Editorial policy

Every article on SterlingPeak is grounded in primary research. We review vendor documentation, test software features directly where possible, reference HMRC guidance and UK legislation, and consult practitioners with hands-on experience. We do not republish vendor press releases or rely solely on marketing materials.

For comparison articles, we evaluate products against a consistent set of criteria: MTD and VAT compliance, payroll and auto-enrolment capabilities, bank feed quality, reporting depth, integration ecosystem, pricing transparency, and onboarding experience.

Editorial decisions are made independently of commercial relationships. SterlingPeak participates in affiliate programmes, but commission arrangements never determine which products we recommend, the conclusions we reach, or how we structure our content.

Writers and editors are not informed of specific affiliate commission rates during the editorial process. Product evaluations follow the same methodology regardless of whether an affiliate relationship exists.

Our comparison articles are structured around the real factors UK finance teams consider when choosing software:

• HMRC compliance — Making Tax Digital, VAT, CIS, PAYE RTI
• Feature depth — invoicing, bank reconciliation, multi-currency, project costing
• Payroll — auto-enrolment, statutory pay, P11D, P60
• Ecosystem — integrations with banks, payment providers, and other business tools
• Pricing — total cost including add-ons, per-user fees, and scaling costs
• Usability — onboarding, learning curve, and support quality

We clearly state the date of our most recent review so readers know how current the information is.

Accounting software, tax regulations, and pricing change frequently. We proactively update articles when we become aware of material changes. Significant corrections are noted within the article.

If you spot an error or outdated information, we encourage you to contact our editorial team. We aim to review and address factual corrections within 24 hours.

Pages containing affiliate links display a clear disclosure notice near the top of the article. We also maintain a dedicated Affiliate Disclosure page that explains our commercial relationships in full.