The most affordable credit control option for a small business is the invoice reminder feature already in Xero or QuickBooks Online, at no extra cost. Paid tools with automated chasing start at £45 a month (Satago), £49 (Paidnice) and £79 (in2 collect). Statey costs £8 a month for statements only. Chaser starts at £199 a month and adds letters, calls and Creditsafe checks.
In short
- Free with your ledger: Xero and QuickBooks Online send scheduled invoice reminders.
- Under £100 a month: Statey (statements), Satago (credit reports and chasing), Paidnice (chasing and late fees per customer group), in2 collect (AI chasing).
- From £199 a month: Chaser, for a business with a credit controller.
Affordable credit control options compared
The options appear in order of entry price. Prices are per month, before VAT, from each vendor’s own pricing page or Xero App Store listing.
| Option | Entry price | What it does | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xero or QuickBooks Online reminders | Included in your plan | Scheduled reminder emails before and after the due date | A business with few overdue invoices |
| Statey | £8 a month | Scheduled Xero customer statements with aging | A Xero business that chases with statements |
| Satago | £45 a month | Email chasing, credit scores and 25 credit reports | A business that sells on credit to new customers |
| Paidnice | £49 / $69 a month | Email and SMS reminders, statements, late fees and interest per customer group | A Xero or QuickBooks Online business that wants late fees applied automatically |
| in2 collect | £79 a month | AI chase sequences, reply and dispute inbox, DSO dashboard | A UK SME on Xero or NetSuite |
| Chaser | £199 a month | Email, SMS, letters, calls, Creditsafe checks, statutory interest | A business with a credit controller, under £4m revenue on Compact |
Check current pricing with the vendor. Chaser also publishes US dollar prices ($259 a month on Compact) and Paidnice prices in US dollars ($69 a month on Essentials).
Xero and QuickBooks Online reminders
Choose the built-in reminders if you send a small number of invoices and most customers pay after one or two emails.
- Price: included in your accounting plan.
- What you get: automatic reminder emails on a schedule you set before or after the due date.
- Limits: one schedule for all customers, email only, no late fees, no SMS and no escalation by customer group.
Statey
Choose Statey if you use Xero and you chase by sending customer statements on a schedule.
- Price: £8 a month on Starter, £18 on Standard, £40 on Pro, per Xero organisation. 32-day free trial.
- What you get: automated statements, age analysis and delivery tracking; Standard adds Excel format, smart recipient lists and multi-currency.
- Limits: statements only, with no reminder sequences or late fees. Xero App Store rating 4.6 from 11 reviews.
Satago
Choose Satago if you sell on credit to new customers and want credit reports with your chasing.
- Price: £45 a month on Basic, £80 on Premium, £200 on Platinum.
- What you get: credit scores, credit limit suggestions, 25 credit reports and 100 email reminders a month on Basic; SMS from Premium; optional invoice finance, priced separately.
- Limits: SMS and card payments need Premium. Xero App Store rating 4.93 from 92 reviews.
Paidnice
Choose Paidnice if you use Xero or QuickBooks Online and want reminders, statements and late fees or interest that differ by customer group and post to the ledger.
- Price: £49 / $69 a month on Essentials for up to 150 invoices a month; Pro from $99 a month for 300 invoices. Priced by invoice volume.
- What you get: email and SMS reminders, statements, late fees and interest per customer group, a payment portal.
- Limits: Xero and QuickBooks Online only on the published tiers. Xero App Store rating 5.0 from 83 reviews.
in2 collect
Choose in2 collect if you are a UK SME on Xero or NetSuite and want AI-written chase messages and help with replies and disputes.
- Price: £79 a month on Starter for up to 200 invoices a month, £179 on Growth, £349 on Scale. 14-day free trial.
- What you get: AI chase sequences, a DSO dashboard; Growth adds a reply and dispute inbox, SMS, pay links, credit scoring and a 13-week cash forecast.
- Limits: Xero and NetSuite today; Sage and QuickBooks are on its roadmap.
Chaser
Choose Chaser if you have a credit controller and want every chasing channel and Creditsafe checks in one tool.
- Price: £199 a month on Compact for revenue under £4m, with 4 users; £179 a month billed yearly.
- What you get: email, SMS, letters and automated calls, Creditsafe credit checks, a customer portal and statutory interest.
- Limits: the price steps up at £4m revenue to £599 a month. Xero App Store rating 4.98 from 374 reviews.
How do you choose an affordable credit control tool?
- Count your overdue invoices each month. If the answer is a handful, start with the reminders in Xero or QuickBooks Online.
- Decide what the tool must do after the reminder: send statements, add late fees, check credit or call the customer.
- Check the meter. A price by invoice volume, by revenue or by flat tier grows in different ways as your business grows.
- Start a free trial and chase real invoices for one month before you commit.
Is paid software worth it for a small business?
Research by London Economics for the UK government found that businesses affected by late payment spend on average 86 hours a year chasing it. A tool at £45 to £79 a month costs £540 to £948 a year. A UK supplier can also claim statutory interest at 8% above the Bank of England base rate plus a fixed sum of £40, £70 or £100 per invoice, and tools that add it automatically recover part of their own cost.
Common questions
What is the cheapest credit control software?
The cheapest option is the reminder feature built into Xero or QuickBooks Online, at no cost beyond your accounting plan. Statey costs £8 a month but sends statements only. The cheapest paid tools with automated chasing are Satago at £45 a month and Paidnice at £49 a month.
Is there free credit control software?
The invoice reminders in Xero and QuickBooks Online are included in those plans and cost nothing extra. They send scheduled emails but add no late fees, SMS or escalation by customer group. Most paid tools offer a free trial, such as Statey’s 32 days and in2 collect’s 14 days.
How much should a small business pay for credit control software?
Most UK small businesses that want automated chasing pay £45 to £199 a month for an entry tier. Satago, Paidnice and in2 collect start between £45 and £79. Chaser starts at £199 and suits a business with a credit controller.
Is Chaser affordable for a small business?
Chaser’s Compact plan costs £199 a month, or £179 billed yearly, for revenue under £4m with 4 users. It includes letters, calls and Creditsafe checks. A business that only needs email and SMS reminders can pay less with Satago, Paidnice or in2 collect.
Sources
- Prices: each vendor’s own pricing page, and the Statey listing on the Xero App Store.
- Ratings: Xero App Store listings for Chaser, Paidnice, Satago and Statey.
- London Economics for the Department for Business and Trade, Late payments research: impact on the UK economy.
- Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.
No vendor paid to appear on this page.
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