Halo PSA vs ConnectWise PSA vs Autotask: Which PSA Platform Suits UK MSPs Billing in GBP with UK Tax Rules

If you run a UK managed service provider and you are choosing a PSA platform, the decision is not just about which tool has the best ticketing system. It is about whether the platform can invoice in GBP without workarounds, handle VAT correctly across different service types, sync with your UK accounting package — Xero, Sage, or QuickBooks — and produce the data you need for Making Tax Digital submissions. Halo PSA, ConnectWise PSA, and Datto Autotask are the three platforms that dominate the UK MSP market. Each approaches these requirements differently. Halo PSA is built in the UK by a UK company with native GBP and VAT handling from the ground up. ConnectWise PSA is the established US-headquartered platform with the largest partner network but requires configuration for UK tax rules. Autotask, now owned by Kaseya through the Datto acquisition, sits between the two — cloud-native with good reporting but with accounting integrations that UK MSPs report needing extra work to get right. None of them is a bad platform. The question is which one fits how your MSP actually operates.

Where UK MSPs Hit Problems with PSA Platforms

The PSA market was built for North American MSPs. ConnectWise started in Tampa, Florida. Autotask started in New York. Their default currency is USD, their default tax model is US sales tax, and their default accounting integrations prioritise QuickBooks US. UK MSPs adopting these platforms have historically needed to configure currency settings, set up VAT rates manually, and build workarounds for features that do not natively support UK tax rules.

This matters because PSA billing errors compound. If your PSA calculates VAT incorrectly on a recurring contract, every invoice for that contract carries the error forward until someone catches it. If the sync between your PSA and Xero drops a payment allocation, your aged debt report is wrong and your Making Tax Digital submission is built on inaccurate data. The cost of these errors is not dramatic — it is a slow accumulation of reconciliation time, accountant queries, and HMRC risk.

Halo PSA entered this market with an advantage. Built in Stowmarket, Suffolk, the platform was designed for the UK channel from day one. GBP is a native currency, not a configured alternative. VAT handling — including mixed-rate services, reverse charge rules, and zero-rated exports — is built into the billing engine rather than bolted on through custom fields. This does not make Halo PSA automatically the right choice, but it does mean that UK-specific billing works out of the box rather than after a configuration project.

Feature Comparison: What Matters for UK MSPs

Ticketing and service desk. All three platforms handle ticket creation, assignment, SLA tracking, and escalation. ConnectWise PSA offers the deepest configuration — you can build workflows that mirror almost any service delivery model, but that flexibility comes with complexity. Halo PSA provides strong automation with fewer clicks to achieve common tasks. Autotask offers a clean interface with good customisable workflows and strong reporting on ticket metrics. For a UK MSP running a standard break-fix and managed services model, all three are capable. The differences show up in how long it takes to configure and how much ongoing administration the platform demands.

Time tracking and billing. This is where the UK-specific differences become visible. Halo PSA supports time entry against contracts with automatic billing calculations in GBP, including prepaid hour pools, fixed-price contracts, and ad-hoc billing. VAT is applied based on service type and customer location, with rules that reflect UK VAT categories. ConnectWise PSA supports the same billing models but requires manual configuration of tax codes and rates. UK MSPs running ConnectWise report that getting VAT right across different contract types takes effort during setup and needs monitoring when HMRC changes rates. Autotask handles time-based billing well but UK users report that the invoicing workflow requires more manual steps to produce VAT-compliant invoices compared to Halo PSA.

Contract billing models. UK MSPs typically bill through a mix of prepaid hour pools, fixed-price managed service agreements, and ad-hoc time-and-materials work. How each PSA handles this mix matters. Halo PSA allows you to define contract types with automatic deduction from prepaid pools, overage billing at configurable rates, and separate VAT treatment per line item — all in GBP. ConnectWise PSA supports the same models through its agreement structures, but the configuration is deeper. Setting up a prepaid block agreement with overage rates, correct VAT, and automatic invoice generation in ConnectWise requires understanding its billing workflow engine, which has a steeper learning curve. Autotask handles fixed-price and prepaid contracts through its contract module, with automatic recurring invoices and overage tracking. The billing flexibility is good, but UK MSPs report that mapping contract types to the correct VAT treatment requires careful initial setup. The practical difference is that Halo PSA's contract billing works as expected for UK tax rules without adjustment, while ConnectWise and Autotask need deliberate configuration to achieve the same result.

Accounting connectors. Halo PSA offers native Xero and Sage integrations that sync invoices, payments, and credit notes bidirectionally. The Xero connector in particular is well-regarded by UK MSPs because it maps PSA contract billing directly to Xero invoice lines without intermediate steps. ConnectWise PSA integrates with Xero and Sage through its own marketplace connectors, but UK users report that the Xero sync can require a third-party middleware tool like Wise-Sync or ConnectBooster to handle currency and tax mapping correctly. Autotask integrates with Xero and QuickBooks Online, and the Xero sync has improved in recent updates, but Sage connectivity is less mature and often requires a third-party bridge.

Making Tax Digital. No PSA platform files MTD returns directly — that happens in your accounting software. The question is whether the PSA feeds accurate, VAT-categorised data to your accounting package so that the MTD submission is correct. Halo PSA's native VAT handling means the data flowing to Xero or Sage is already categorised correctly. ConnectWise and Autotask can achieve the same result, but the accuracy depends on how carefully the tax codes were configured during setup. If your PSA tax codes do not match your accounting package tax codes, your MTD submission will carry errors.

Reporting and dashboards. ConnectWise PSA has the deepest reporting engine of the three, with hundreds of pre-built reports and a custom report builder. The trade-off is complexity — finding the report you need can take time, and building custom reports requires understanding the data model. Autotask is widely praised for its reporting, offering a clean dashboard builder and strong out-of-the-box reports on profitability, SLA performance, and resource utilisation. Halo PSA provides solid reporting with a focus on operational metrics, though UK MSPs transitioning from ConnectWise sometimes note that the reporting is less granular. For a UK MSP that needs board-level reporting on contract profitability and service delivery performance, all three can deliver — but ConnectWise and Autotask have the edge in reporting depth.

Pricing: What UK MSPs Actually Pay

PSA pricing in the UK MSP market is opaque. ConnectWise and Autotask do not publish standard price lists — both require a custom quote based on user count, modules selected, and contract terms. Halo PSA publishes its pricing more transparently, starting at approximately $90 per agent per month billed annually when purchased directly, with a minimum seat requirement.

For a 10-person UK MSP, the indicative annual PSA cost ranges are roughly: Halo PSA from £8,500 to £12,000 depending on modules and billing frequency, ConnectWise PSA from £10,000 to £20,000 depending on the bundle and add-ons selected, and Autotask from £9,000 to £15,000 depending on the Kaseya bundle. These are guide figures — your actual quote will depend on negotiation, contract length, and which additional modules you need.

The hidden cost that UK MSPs underestimate is deployment. ConnectWise PSA has the longest typical deployment timeline — 8 to 16 weeks for a full deployment with data migration, workflow configuration, and accounting connector setup. Autotask implementations typically run 6 to 12 weeks. Halo PSA requires a minimum of 10 hours of onboarding support purchased directly, and typical implementations for a 10-person MSP run 4 to 8 weeks. The deployment cost often matches or exceeds the first year of licence fees, and it is where the UK-specific configuration work for ConnectWise and Autotask adds time and expense.

Data migration is the other hidden cost. Moving ticket history, client records, contracts, and time entries from an existing PSA or from spreadsheets into the new platform takes effort regardless of which tool you choose. ConnectWise and Autotask both offer migration utilities and professional services for this, but UK MSPs switching between platforms report that contract and billing data — particularly historical VAT calculations — is the hardest element to migrate cleanly. Halo PSA provides a migration path from both ConnectWise and Autotask, including a data import tool and migration support as part of the onboarding process. The lesson from UK MSPs who have switched is to budget 20 to 30 per cent of the deployment cost specifically for data migration and validation.

The Vendor Stack Question

ConnectWise has the largest partner network of any PSA platform. The ConnectWise Marketplace lists hundreds of integrations — RMM, backup, security, documentation, and billing tools. If you are already running ConnectWise Automate for RMM, the native PSA link is a strong reason to stay in the ConnectWise family. That platform breadth is a genuine competitive advantage for MSPs that want a single-vendor stack.

Autotask benefits from the Datto and Kaseya product family. If you run Datto RMM, Datto Backup, or IT Glue for documentation, the native integrations with Autotask are tight and well-maintained. The Kaseya acquisition has expanded the available integrations further, though some UK MSPs report uncertainty about the long-term product direction under Kaseya ownership.

Halo PSA has a growing connector library but it is smaller than ConnectWise or Autotask. It integrates with major RMM platforms including Datto RMM, NinjaOne, and ConnectWise Automate, as well as documentation tools like IT Glue and Hudu. For UK MSPs that use a best-of-breed approach rather than a single-vendor stack, Halo PSA's integrations cover the essentials. The gap shows if you need niche integrations or if you rely heavily on ConnectWise-specific tools.

Decision Framework: Which Platform Fits Your MSP

Choose Halo PSA if you are a UK MSP that prioritises billing accuracy in GBP, native VAT handling, and a clean Xero or Sage connector without middleware. Halo PSA is the strongest choice for MSPs that want UK tax compliance to work from day one without a configuration project. It is also the platform where smaller MSPs — 5 to 15 technicians — tend to get productive fastest because the interface requires fewer clicks for common tasks. The trade-off is a smaller partner catalogue and less granular reporting compared to the other two.

Choose ConnectWise PSA if you need deep workflow customisation, the largest connector catalogue, or you are already invested in the ConnectWise platform with Automate and other tools. ConnectWise PSA suits larger or more operationally mature MSPs — typically 15 or more technicians — that have the internal resource to configure and maintain a complex platform. UK MSPs choosing ConnectWise should budget for the additional setup time needed to configure VAT, GBP billing, and accounting integrations correctly.

Choose Autotask if you want strong reporting, a clean user interface, and you are already in the Datto or Kaseya product family. Autotask is a solid middle ground — less complex than ConnectWise, with better native reporting, and improving UK billing support. The accounting integrations for UK MSPs are adequate but may require more manual reconciliation than Halo PSA provides natively. UK MSPs choosing Autotask should verify the current state of the Sage connector before committing, as this has been a historical weak point.

The honest answer for a UK MSP with 5 to 10 technicians that bills in GBP, uses Xero, and wants to minimise configuration overhead is that Halo PSA has a structural advantage because it was built for this exact use case. That advantage narrows as MSP size and operational complexity increase, where ConnectWise's platform breadth and Autotask's reporting strength become more relevant. No PSA platform is a drop-in solution — all three require configuration, training, and ongoing administration. The question is how much of that work is UK-specific remediation versus actual business customisation.