Carbon reporting and carbon accounting software in the UK compared, with prices

In short

A UK business has four realistic options for carbon reporting, from its carbon footprint to its Carbon Reduction Plan: a consultant (from about £895), a one-off plan tool (about £199 to £299 a plan), small-business carbon accounting software (from about £24 a month), or an enterprise platform (price on request). Carbon Recycling is carbon reporting software for businesses of every size at £59 or £149 a month, or from £399 for groups with several companies, all + VAT, with every price published.

Updated 24 October 2026 by the Carbon Recycling team. Other companies' prices are as each published them on the date given under the table, and ours are as on our pricing page; tell us if one has changed and we will correct it.

The four options at a glance

Option	Typical price	You get	Next year
Do it yourself	Your time	A spreadsheet using the government template and factors	Start again with new factors
One-off plan tool	About £199 to £299 a plan	A Carbon Reduction Plan document from a questionnaire	Pay again
Consultant	From about £895, often several thousand	A finished footprint and plan, written for you	Pay again
Small-business software	From about £24 a month	Calculations, reports and a record you keep adding to	Add the new year's data
Enterprise platform	Quote only	Software plus advisers, scenario tools and global frameworks	Included in the contract

Named providers and their published prices

Provider	Type	Price shown publicly	Other fees they publish	Best suited to	Checked
Carbon Recycling	Carbon reporting software	£59 or £149 a month, from £399 for groups, all + VAT, all prices published	No set-up or per-report fee for SECR reports and Carbon Reduction Plans. Branded site reports beyond the first 10 a year are £10 each + VAT. Add-on products are priced separately on the add-ons page. No consultant time is included.	UK businesses of every size, from sole traders to groups, that need a PPN 006 plan, an SECR report and figures they can defend	Our own price
Normative	Enterprise platform	Quote only (Essential and Premium tiers)	Not published	Larger firms with international supply chains and CSRD reporting. Now part of Greenly.	24 October 2026
Greenly	Enterprise platform	Quote only (three tiers)	Not published	Larger firms in manufacturing, tech, finance and retail wanting scenario modelling and product footprints.	24 October 2026
Compare Your Footprint	Small-business software	From £769, £1,569 or £3,069 a year + VAT, depending on organisation size; enterprise by quote	Optional add-ons: commuting and home-working survey from £250 a year; set-up help and custom factor research priced separately	Smaller businesses wanting sector benchmarks and accounting integrations.	24 October 2026
EcoHedge	Small-business software	£24 a month plus £199 per report, or £99 a month; enterprise by quote	£199 per report and £99 per sub-report on the £24 plan; optional reviews from £750 and independent assurance from £5,950, ex VAT	Price-led small businesses that report once a year.	24 October 2026
The Carbon Stamp	Consultancy	From £895 + VAT, then a fixed price by team size	The price is the done-for-you service; optional carbon neutral certification at £6.50 per tonne offset, faster delivery +20%	Businesses that want the work done for them, with a report on their letterhead.	24 October 2026
Seedling	Small-business software	Free Starter tier; Core and Advanced by quote	Expert onboarding and support are part of the quoted Core and Advanced plans	Firms up to about 2,000 staff wanting expert support and expert-written reports.	24 October 2026
Plan A	Enterprise platform	Quote only (Essential, Pro and Enterprise)	Customer success manager and expert support are part of the quoted Pro and Enterprise plans	Firms that need CSRD reporting, an API and a customer success manager alongside carbon accounting.	24 October 2026
Zevero	Small-business software	Lite (Scope 1 and 2) from £1,500 a year; Essential, Leading and Premium by quote	Expert services priced separately, for example decarbonisation strategy from £2,000 and product footprints from £500 a product	Firms wanting experts closely involved, unlimited users and science-based targets.	24 October 2026
Sage Earth	Free with accounting software	Included for Sage Accounting customers at no extra cost	None stated	Small businesses on Sage Accounting wanting a quick spend-based estimate.	3 October 2026
Planet Mark	Certification programme	Not published; by enquiry	Not published	Organisations wanting an annual certification and a recognised mark to show customers.	24 October 2026
Net Zero Now	Small-business software	Not published; by enquiry or demo	Not published	Hospitality, brewing, legal and other sectors wanting sector-specific calculators. Now part of Ecologi.	24 October 2026
Positive Planet	Consultancy	Not published; by enquiry	Not published	Businesses that want consultants to do the work, plus Carbon Literacy training and an accreditation.	24 October 2026
Gopher Zero	One-off plan tool	£199 + VAT (single premises) or £299 + VAT (multiple locations) a plan; Platinum from £499 + VAT	Silver includes 30 minutes of one-to-one support; ongoing expert advice is the Platinum tier	A single Carbon Reduction Plan for one tender, with a little expert help.	24 October 2026
Carbon Sorted	One-off plan tool	£299 one-off a plan, or £999 a year for up to 5 plans	Three revisions included, then £25 a revision top-up; agencies £199 per client a year	Firms that only need Carbon Reduction Plan documents, not year-round reporting.	24 October 2026

Prices are as each provider published them on its own pricing page (linked) on the date shown, with or without VAT as they state it. "Quote only" or "Not published" means we found no price on the provider's site that day. If a price has changed, tell us and we will correct it.

How we compared

Only the provider's own pricing page. Each price comes from the page linked in the table, read on the date shown. We don't use review sites, sales calls or prices we have been told privately.
Subscription apart from everything else. The price column is the software or service itself. Reports, set-up, expert time and assurance that a provider charges for separately are in their own column, so you can see the full cost.
The same questions for everyone, including us: what is published, what a typical small business would pay in a year, and who it suits.
We say where others are better. The section below lists the cases where another option is better value or a better fit than Carbon Recycling.
We sell one of the options. This page is written by Carbon Recycling, so check the linked pages yourself before you decide.

Where the real differences are

Scope 3. PPN 006 asks for five Scope 3 categories, so check a tool covers all five. Then check whether it also handles the wider Scope 3 that larger NHS contracts need from April 2027, and whether it uses spend or activity data (activity data is more accurate).
What you get at the end. A one-off tool gives you a plan document. Software keeps a record that rolls into next year's plan and SECR report. A consultant gives you a finished report written for you.
Supplier data. If customers ask for your suppliers' emissions, check the tool can request and store supplier figures (on our Growth and Enterprise plans).
Expert support. Expert-led platforms and consultancies include people who review or do the work. Carbon Recycling is software, not a consultancy: it shows the source of every figure so you or your adviser can check it, but nobody reviews your data for you.
Verification. A software report, ours included, is not independent verification. If a buyer or lender asks for assurance, that comes from an independent verifier. Our methodology sets out what our figures do and don't cover.

What to look for, whichever you choose

The 2026 government factors. Ask which DESNZ year they use. Older factors overstate electricity emissions by about a third.
A traceable figure. You should be able to see which factor produced each number, in case a buyer asks.
All five PPN 006 Scope 3 categories, including commuting and downstream transport, which are often left out.
Yearly updates. A plan must be refreshed every year, so check what that costs.
The 2027 NHS rules, if you sell to the NHS: larger contracts need global coverage and all relevant Scope 3.
The full price, including per-report charges, extra users and onboarding fees.

When another option suits you better

You need independent assurance or a certification. A consultancy or a certification scheme such as Planet Mark is the better route. PPN 006 doesn't need either.
You want experts to do most of the work. Expert-led platforms such as Seedling and Zevero, or a consultancy such as Positive Planet, include more hands-on help, usually at a quoted price.
You already use Sage Accounting and only want a rough estimate. Sage Earth is included at no extra cost and works from your books.
You need one plan, once, and will never bid again. A one-off plan tool is cheaper than a year of software.
You are a large international group reporting under CSRD or needing product footprints now. An enterprise platform such as Greenly is built for that.
You want the lowest monthly fee and report once a year. EcoHedge's £24 a month plan, plus £199 per report, may cost less.

Head-to-head comparisons

Why we publish every price

Most carbon platforms ask you to book a demo before they will tell you what it costs. We think that wastes your time. Our prices, what each plan includes and what it doesn't, are on our pricing page, and every plan starts with a 14-day free trial with no card needed.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest way to get a Carbon Reduction Plan?

Writing it yourself with the free government template and conversion factors costs only your time. One-off plan tools charge about £199 to £299 a plan. Sage Earth gives Sage Accounting customers a spend-based estimate at no extra cost, software from about £24 a month adds activity-based calculations and reports, and consultants charge from several hundred to several thousand pounds.

Why do most carbon platforms hide their prices?

Most enterprise platforms price on the number of users, companies, suppliers and the consulting included, so they quote each deal. That makes it hard to compare. We publish every price, including for large groups.

Do I need a consultant for PPN 006?

No. PPN 006 needs board approval and a director's signature, not a consultant or verification. A consultant helps if you have no time or want someone to own it, and software helps if you want to keep it current yourself.

Is a subscription worth it for one Carbon Reduction Plan?

If you only ever need one plan for one tender, a one-off tool can be cheaper. Plans must be updated every year, conversion factors change every June, and larger NHS contracts need a wider plan from April 2027, which is where software pays for itself.

Turn a year of bills into your figures and reports

Add a year of bills and Carbon Recycling produces your footprint, PPN 006 Carbon Reduction Plan and SECR report, with every figure traced to its government factor. Prices are on the pricing page, from £59 a month + VAT.

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