Summary
Creditsafe has no Xero or QuickBooks app, so the route to Creditsafe credit checks beside your ledger is credit control software that connects to Creditsafe. Paidnice, Chaser and Satago all offer one. Choose by when the check runs. The check can run on a new customer, on request, or through monitoring of customers you already trade with.
- Paidnice: Best for Xero and QuickBooks Online businesses that want a Creditsafe check on new customers, on request and by monitoring, Custom from £749 a month, with your own Creditsafe account or Creditsafe access from Paidnice.
- Chaser: Best for established UK businesses that want bureau credit checks beside letters and calls, from £199 a month for revenue under £4m, with checks at £2 to £3 each.
- Satago: Best for UK businesses that want credit reports beside invoice finance, from £45 a month with 25 reports a year (£25 inside Sage 50, with 3).
Credit control software guide▾
Creditsafe is a credit reference agency. It has no app on the Xero App Store or the QuickBooks App Store. A Creditsafe check reaches your ledger through a credit control tool that connects to Creditsafe, such as Paidnice, Chaser or Satago, or through a connector platform.
Late payment is "costing the UK economy £11 billion every single year", per the GOV.UK release on the late payments Bill. A credit check before you give a customer payment terms is the earliest point to limit that risk. For the broader tool comparison, read credit control software for Xero.
Free: Payment reminder email templatesCopy the reminder emails for before, on and after the due date.What is a business credit report (and what is it not)?
A business credit report is a document from a credit reference agency that rates how risky a company is as a customer and suggests a credit limit. See the definition of a business credit report.
- It is not a credit rating. The rating is one line of the report. Creditsafe's is a letter from A to E, and the report also lists directors, financial statements and court judgments.
- It is not a credit check. The check is the step of pulling the report on a customer. The report is what comes back.
- It is not your own payment history with the customer. Payment behaviour indicators exist in 8 countries only. How a customer pays you comes from your own ledger.
A report is a snapshot of one day. The check can run on a new customer, on request, or through monitoring of customers you already trade with, and the tools below differ on which they do.
Which credit control software integrates with Creditsafe?
Paidnice, Chaser and Satago each offer credit checks from Creditsafe inside their credit control software. The three tools sell the check in different ways. Paidnice bills metered usage on top of a plan. Chaser charges a credit for each check. Satago bundles a yearly report allowance.
| Vendor | Best for | Creditsafe checks | Cost model | Ledger |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paidnice | Xero and QuickBooks Online businesses that want a check on new customers, on request and by monitoring | In-app check with score and limit, monitoring alerts, new-customer auto-flag, manual check | Custom from £749 a month; bring your own Creditsafe account, or Paidnice supplies access billed monthly on top | Xero, QuickBooks Online |
| Chaser | Established UK businesses that want letters, calls and credit checks | In-app checks carried out by Creditsafe, monitoring and alerts | Priced on annual revenue, from £199 a month for revenue under £4m; checks £2 to £3 each, sold by credit on any plan; they need Chaser billing, not Xero App Store billing | Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, NetSuite, Business Central and others |
| Satago | UK businesses that want credit reports beside invoice finance | Credit reports sourced from Creditsafe, credit scores, limit suggestions, real-time notifications | Bundled allowance: from £45 a month with 25 reports a year (£25 inside Sage 50, with 3) | Xero, Sage, Sage 50, QuickBooks, KashFlow, FreeAgent |
Connector platforms and CRM or ERP add-ons also link Creditsafe to other systems. They are not credit control tools, so check whether a tool also chases the unpaid invoice. For tools by size and ledger, see compare credit control software on price and fit.
If Chaser or Satago is already on your list, the Chaser alternatives and Satago alternatives guides also compare them on chasing. For more tools, read credit control software for UK small businesses and credit control software for accountants. For plan costs, read credit control software pricing.
Does Creditsafe have a Xero or QuickBooks app?
No. Creditsafe has no listing on the Xero App Store or the QuickBooks App Store, so a Creditsafe check reaches your ledger through a credit control tool that connects to Creditsafe.
The credit control tool reads your customers from your Xero organisation or QuickBooks Online company. The tool runs the Creditsafe check and shows the rating and limit in the app. See the setup for Xero credit control and QuickBooks credit control, or compare accounts receivable software for QuickBooks.
Where in your workflow should the Creditsafe check happen?
The Creditsafe check belongs at three points in credit control. The check runs when a new customer appears, before you give a customer more credit, and through ongoing monitoring of customers you already trade with.
On a new customer. The check runs when the customer first appears in your ledger, before the first invoice goes out. You see the rating and a recommended credit limit while you can still set terms, ask for a deposit or shorten the payment window. This covers the risk of an account you know nothing about.
On request. A person on your team runs a manual check before a large order, a credit limit rise, or when a customer's behaviour changes. This check covers a one-off rise in what the customer owes you, when the last check is months old and the amount at stake is higher than usual.
On your existing customers. Monitoring watches the customers already on your ledger and sends an alert when a rating or limit moves. For UK companies, alerts also cover county court judgments, winding up, liquidation, administration and other insolvency notices. This check covers the customer whose risk rises after you start to trade with them.
Pick the check points that match your risk. If you check only new customers, you miss a customer whose finances get worse after you start to trade with them.
We run the Creditsafe check at all three points in Paidnice. A customer that passed its first check can get into financial difficulty a year later. A monitoring alert that arrives before the next invoice is due gives you time to shorten terms or ask for payment up front.
What does a Creditsafe check tell you before you extend credit?
A Creditsafe check tells you how risky a customer is, how much credit Creditsafe recommends, who runs and owns the company, and whether it has court or payment problems on record. For a large customer, also read their public report on how fast they pay: see how to check a customer's payment record.
Creditsafe's documentation describes an international rating from A to E, where A is lowest risk, built around the chance of failure in the next 12 months. The report also shows the previous rating and the date it changed, so you can see if the risk is going up or down. The report has these main sections.
- A to E rating and recommended credit limit
- Company identity, status and current directors
- Previous directors and their other directorships
- Financial statements by year
- Court judgments, with county court judgment (CCJ) counts and values for UK companies
- Group structure and shareholders
- Payment behaviour indicators, in 8 countries
- Financial Strength Indicator, in 12 countries
For UK and Irish companies there is also an Estimated Turnover Indicator. Specific data varies by country, and not every field shows for every company.
How does Paidnice run Creditsafe checks, and what does it cost?
Paidnice runs Creditsafe checks through the Creditsafe API on the Custom plan, from £749 a month. You can connect your own Creditsafe account, or use Creditsafe access that Paidnice supplies, with that usage billed monthly on top of the plan. The integration works with Xero and QuickBooks Online.
- In-app check with score and limit
- Ongoing monitoring with alerts
- Automatic flag on new customers
- Manual "run a check" action
The Custom plan has no minimum company size or invoice volume. If you already have a Creditsafe account, you can bring it to Paidnice. If you do not, Paidnice supplies the access. Plan details are on the pricing page. The rest of the product is on the credit control software page.
In Paidnice, the Creditsafe check and the invoice follow-up are in the same tool. A customer who goes over their credit limit can trigger an automatic escalation to a named person on your team.
Creditsafe checks are on the Custom plan only. On every plan, including Essentials and Pro, Paidnice runs native credit checks based on each customer's previous payment behaviour with you. A native check is not a bureau score.
Put the credit check and the follow-up in the same tool. When a monitored customer's rating drops, you can route them to a firmer reminder schedule and an earlier escalation in Paidnice. Our customers see half as many late invoices in the first 30 days.
Book a demo and we will show where a Creditsafe check sits in your Xero or QuickBooks Online workflow.
Common questions about Creditsafe and credit control
Paidnice runs Creditsafe checks on the Custom plan, with your own Creditsafe account or with access Paidnice supplies, and works with Xero and QuickBooks Online.
Does the Creditsafe check run automatically on new customers?
On Paidnice, yes. New customers are flagged automatically when they appear in Xero or QuickBooks Online, and you can also run a manual check or monitor existing customers.
Do I need my own Creditsafe account?
No. You can bring your own Creditsafe account to Paidnice, or Paidnice supplies the access. When Paidnice supplies it, Paidnice meters your Creditsafe usage and bills it monthly on top of your Custom plan.
Which accounting software works with Paidnice's Creditsafe checks?
Xero and QuickBooks Online. Paidnice reads your customers from your ledger and shows the Creditsafe rating and limit in the app.
What if I am on the Essentials or Pro plan?
Essentials and Pro have no Creditsafe bureau check. They run Paidnice's native credit checks, based on each customer's previous payment behaviour with you.
Is Creditsafe data the same in every country?
No. Specific data varies by country. UK companies get extra monitoring alerts for county court judgments and insolvency notices, and some indicators cover only 8 or 12 countries.
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About the editorial team
Denym started Paidnice in 2022 after customers paying late left his own business short on payroll. He has led it to $1 billion collected on time across more than 1 million invoices, and writes about credit control, late fees and getting paid on Xero and QuickBooks.
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