Cegid vs Starling: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Cegid and Starling to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
Cegid
5.9/10
French cloud business software vendor offering finance, accounting, ERP, tax, treasury, payroll and expense tools for SMEs, mid-sized firms and accounting practices.
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 | 5.9/10 | 6.6/10 |
| Analytics | 7/10 | 4/10 |
| Compliance | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Cost | 4/10 | 9/10 |
| Customization | 7/10 | 3/10 |
| Ease of Use | 4/10 | 8/10 |
| Integration | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Scalability | 7/10 | 3/10 |
| Security | 6/10 | 8/10 |
| Support | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | £7/mo Accounting Plus |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Contact for pricing | Free Business Account + Accounting Essentials |
| Features | ||
| Accountant Access | ||
| Expense Management | ||
| Invoicing | ||
| Tax Compliance | ||
| Audit Trail | Not listed | |
| Bank Reconciliation | Not listed | |
| Budgeting and Forecasting | Not listed | |
| Financial Reporting | Not listed | |
| General Ledger | Not listed | |
| Inventory Accounting | Not listed | |
| Online Payments | Not listed | |
| Payroll | Not listed | |
Cegid vs Starling cost by team size
| Team size | Cegid | Starling |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | Contact for pricing | 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 Cegid
- Higher Customization score (7/10 vs 3/10)
- Higher Scalability score (7/10 vs 3/10)
Why choose Starling
- Has a free plan (Cegid does not)
- Higher Cost score (9/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Ease of Use score (8/10 vs 4/10)
- Better fit for small business (8/10 vs 5/10)
Pros & Cons
Cegid
Pros
- Broad finance coverage in XRP Sprint Finance, including general, analytical and budget accounting, treasury, cash pooling and tax
- Cegid is on the French tax authority's official list of approved e-invoicing platforms (PDP), which helps with the French e-invoicing mandate
- Built-in accounting audit module that detects anomalies and supports FEC audits
- Large established vendor with about 1.07 billion euros in 2025 revenue and 750,000 customers
- Cegid sells products for many company sizes, from accounting-firm tools (Loop) to mid-market cloud ERP (XRP Flex, built on Acumatica)
Cons
- No public pricing, so every purchase needs a sales quote
- Very few independent user reviews: G2 has too few reviews of XRP Flex to show insights
- Reviewers say onboarding is complex and advanced settings take time to learn
- Strongly focused on French regulation and the French market
- How much e-invoicing is automated depends on the product edition, and some steps may stay manual
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 5.9/10 for Cegid. The largest gap is in Cost: 4/10 for Cegid and 9/10 for Starling.
Starling has a free plan; Cegid does not list one.
Starling is the better fit for small business: we rate it 8/10 for them, against 5/10 for Cegid.
