RentalBux vs. Digita Personal Tax
Which MTD Software Is Better for UK Landlords and Sole Traders?
Overall Winner: RentalBux
RentalBux is the more complete MTD software for landlords and sole traders who want to manage their own compliance. It combines full Making Tax Digital compliance across UK property income, foreign property income, and self-employment income with comprehensive property management, automated bookkeeping, AI-driven expense categorisation, joint ownership profit-splitting, and a free plan for single-property landlords until March 2028. Digita Personal Tax is a powerful professional tax compliance platform — part of the Thomson Reuters Digita Professional Suite — designed for UK accounting practices managing complex client portfolios. It is HMRC-recognised for MTD ITSA with deep tax computation, quarterly reporting, and final declaration capability, but it is enterprise-grade accountant software with no property management features and pricing that reflects its professional audience.
At-a-Glance MTD Software Comparison
Key differences between RentalBux and Digita Personal Tax across MTD compliance, property management, bookkeeping, pricing, and landlord-specific features.
| Feature | RentalBux | Digita Personal Tax |
|---|---|---|
| Software Type | Property/Landlord Platform | Professional Tax Compliance Suite (Desktop/Cloud via Digita Virtual Office) |
| Target Users | Landlords, Sole Traders, Letting Agents | Accounting Practices, Tax Professionals |
| Income Sources Supported | Sole Trader + UK Property + Foreign Property | Personal, Business & Trust Tax (comprehensive SA100 coverage) |
| Free MTD Software Plan | Free until March 2028 (1 property) | No |
| MTD Quarterly Updates to HMRC | Yes | Yes |
| Final Declaration | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Reconciliation | Yes | No |
| Automated Bank Feeds | Yes | No |
| Invoice Creation | Yes | No |
| Receipt Capture (OCR) | Yes | No |
| Expense Auto-Categorisation | Coming soon | No |
| Property Portfolio Management | Yes | No |
| Tenant Management | Yes | No |
| Joint Ownership & Profit Sharing | Yes | No |
| Payroll | No | No |
| HMO Unit-Level Tracking | Yes | No |
| HMRC SA105 Box Pre-Mapping | Yes | Yes |
| Spreadsheet Import/Export | Yes | No |
| Platform | Web, iOS, Android | Desktop (Windows) + Cloud via Digita Virtual Office |
| GDPR Compliant | Yes | Yes |
What Is RentalBux? What Is Digita Personal Tax?
What Is RentalBux?
All-in-One MTD Software for Landlords and Sole Traders
RentalBux is an all-in-one property management, accounting, and Making Tax Digital compliance platform built specifically for UK landlords, letting agents, and self-employed individuals. Designed with direct input from accountants who specialise in property and sole trader tax, RentalBux covers everything from tenancy management and rent collection to full bookkeeping with a pre-configured chart of accounts tailored to the property sector.
RentalBux is fully HMRC-recognised for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax across all three qualifying income categories: UK property income, foreign property income, and self-employment. This makes it one of the only landlord-specific MTD software platforms that can handle a landlord who also runs a sole trader business, all from a single subscription.
A major differentiator is RentalBux's pricing model: single-property landlords can use the platform completely free until March 2028, making it one of the most affordable HMRC-approved MTD software options for landlords entering the MTD regime.
What Is Digita Personal Tax?
Digita Personal Tax is a professional-grade tax compliance platform developed by Thomson Reuters, forming the personal tax module of the Digita Professional Suite. Originally founded as Digita International in 1986 in Exmouth, UK, the company was acquired by Thomson Reuters in 2005. The Digita Professional Suite is used by thousands of UK accounting practices and provides integrated modules covering personal tax, business tax, trust tax, corporation tax, accounts production, company secretarial, and practice management.
Digita Personal Tax streamlines the entire personal, business, and trust tax compliance process for accountants. It was one of the first software products added to HMRC's list of MTD ITSA-compatible software, and supports quarterly ITSA reporting and final declarations. The software provides deep control over tax computation and compliance tracking — features designed for firms with complex tax workloads or niche client portfolios. Key capabilities include electronic data capture (via Tax Exchange), automated letter writing for tax payments and client questionnaires, an automated annual client review process, the "Tax Aware" feature that advises of fee opportunities and warns of risks, a client costing tool for billing targets, an online filing manager, and the ability to clone clients for multiple what-if tax planning scenarios.
Strengths
- Free MTD software for single-property landlords until March 2028
- Handles sole trader + UK property + foreign property income in one platform
- Joint ownership with automatic profit-sharing split by ownership percentage
- Pre-built chart of accounts tailored for landlords and sole traders
- AI-powered expense auto-categorisation and OCR receipt capture
- Agent filing on behalf of landlords — ideal for accountants and letting agents
- Supports HMO properties with auto-created units
Strengths
- HMRC-recognised for MTD ITSA: one of the first on HMRC's compatible software list
- Supports quarterly ITSA reporting and final declarations
- Full SA100 Self Assessment, Corporation Tax, Trust Tax capability
- Deep tax computation with what-if scenario cloning
- Tax Aware feature identifies fee opportunities and compliance risks
- Part of the integrated Digita Professional Suite (Thomson Reuters)
- Automated client review, letter writing, and trackers
- Cloud access via Digita Virtual Office
- 10 user licences included in Efficiency Packs
- Xero integration for two-way data synchronisation
Limitations
- Newer to market compared to established platforms
- No yield or LTV investment analysis tools
- No MTD for VAT support yet
- Some advanced reporting features still in development
- Limited third-party app integrations
- No offline capability
- No tax liability forecasting feature currently
Limitations
- Designed for accountants, not individual landlord self-filers
- No property portfolio management, tenant tracking, or rent tracking
- No bookkeeping, bank feeds, invoicing, or expense tracking
- No AI-powered features, OCR, or automated categorisation
- No joint ownership or profit-sharing automation
- Enterprise-level pricing, not designed for individual subscription
- No landlord-tailored chart of accounts
- No free plan; no iOS/Android mobile app for end-users
- No open banking or bank reconciliation
- Requires Windows desktop (or Virtual Office for cloud access)
Making Tax Digital Compliance
How RentalBux Handles MTD Compliance
RentalBux supports all three MTD qualifying income categories: sole trader income, UK property income, and foreign property income. This makes it suitable for landlords who also earn self-employment income, eliminating the need for separate software. Most accounts are pre-mapped to HMRC Self-Assessment boxes. RentalBux also supports agent filing, allowing accountants or letting agents to submit MTD returns on behalf of their landlord clients.
How Digita Personal Tax Handles MTD for Landlords and Sole Traders
Digita Personal Tax was one of the first products recognised by HMRC as compatible with MTD ITSA, added to HMRC's official list alongside APARI during the private beta testing phase relaunched in April 2024. The software supports quarterly ITSA reporting and final declarations, making it one of the more complete professional solutions in the MTD compliance space. Digita handles the full Self Assessment (SA100) return — covering all personal income sources — not just trading and property income. This means that the year-end Final Declaration, including other taxable income, reliefs, and adjustments, is all managed within one professional environment. Digita is designed for agents filing on behalf of clients and integrates with the broader Digita Professional Suite for a seamless practice workflow.
| Feature | RentalBux | Digita Personal Tax |
|---|---|---|
| HMRC Recognised (MTD ITSA) | Yes | Yes |
| MTD Quarterly Updates | Yes | Yes |
| Final Declaration | Yes | Yes |
| Digital Record Keeping | Yes | Yes |
| Digital Links Compliant | Yes | Yes |
| Sole Trader Income | Yes | Yes |
| UK Property Income | Yes | Yes |
| Foreign Property Income | Yes | Yes |
| Multiple Income Streams | Yes | Yes |
| Agent Filing on Behalf | Yes | Yes |
Winner: RentalBux wins with a single integrated platform, property-specific features, and confirmed support for all three income types at no cost.
Property Management
RentalBux: Property Management
RentalBux provides comprehensive property portfolio management with tenant management, rent tracking, property expense allocation, and support for multiple properties. A standout feature is its joint ownership and profit-sharing capability: landlords can define ownership percentages once, and RentalBux automatically splits rental income and expenses. RentalBux also supports HMO properties, automatically creating individual units.
Digita Personal Tax: No Property-Specific Features — Tax Computation Focus
Digita Personal Tax does not offer any property-specific management features. There is no property portfolio dashboard, no tenant management, no rent tracking, no per-property expense allocation, no joint ownership automation, and no HMO support. Property income is handled as part of the wider SA100 Self Assessment return — the accountant records property income and expenses within the standard personal tax return framework. Digita's strength lies in tax computation, not property operations.
| Feature | RentalBux | Digita Personal Tax |
|---|---|---|
| Property Portfolio Management | Yes | No |
| Tenant Management | Yes | No |
| Rent Tracking | Yes | No |
| Property Expense Allocation | Yes | No |
| Multiple Property Support | Yes | No |
| HMO Property Support | Yes (auto-creates units) | No |
| Joint Ownership/Profit Sharing | Yes (auto-split by %) | No |
| Maintenance Tracking | No | No |
| Tenant Screening | No | No |
| Compliance Document Alerts | Yes | No |
| Arrears Tracking | No | No |
Winner: RentalBux — This category is entirely one-sided. RentalBux is built for landlords; Digita Personal Tax is built for accountants managing tax returns. Any landlord who needs property portfolio management will find RentalBux dramatically more capable.
Bookkeeping, Accounting & Digital Record Keeping
RentalBux: Structured Accounting
RentalBux includes a pre-built chart of accounts specifically designed for landlords and sole traders, covering rental income, mortgage interest, insurance, property repairs, professional services, utilities, and tenant deposits. All accounts are pre-mapped to HMRC Self-Assessment boxes. The platform supports cash basis accounting, bank reconciliation, and journal entries.
Digita Personal Tax: Tax Filing Platform — Not a Bookkeeping Tool
Digita Personal Tax is a tax computation and filing platform, not a bookkeeping or accounting tool. It does not offer a chart of accounts, bank reconciliation, automated bank feeds, open banking, invoicing, or expense tracking. Digital records are captured via Thomson Reuters' electronic data capture tool (Tax Exchange) or entered manually. The platform assumes that bookkeeping has been done elsewhere — in separate software such as Xero, Sage, or QuickBooks — and focuses purely on compiling, computing, and filing the tax return. Digita Accounts Production (a separate module in the suite) handles financial statement preparation, with two-way Xero synchronisation for data flow.
| Feature | RentalBux | Digita Personal Tax |
|---|---|---|
| Cash Basis Accounting | Yes | Yes |
| Chart of Accounts (Pre-built, Landlord-Tailored) | Yes (pre-built + custom) | No |
| Journal Entries | Yes | No |
| Bank Reconciliation | Yes | No |
| Automated Bank Feeds | Yes (Major UK banks) | No |
| Open Banking Integration | Yes | No |
| Double-Entry Bookkeeping | Yes | No |
| HMRC Box Pre-Mapping | Yes | Yes |
| Xero Integration | No | Yes |
| Spreadsheet Import/Export | Yes | No |
| Digital Record Storage | Yes | Yes |
Winner: RentalBux — RentalBux provides a full bookkeeping and accounting platform with landlord-tailored features. Digita Personal Tax is a tax filing tool that expects bookkeeping to be done elsewhere. For landlords who want an all-in-one solution, RentalBux is the clear choice.
Invoicing, Expense Tracking
RentalBux: Expense Management
RentalBux includes OCR receipt capture, structured expense tracking with landlord-specific categories, auto-categorisation, invoice creation with customisable branding, and payment tracking with reminders.
Digita Personal Tax: No Invoicing or Expense Tracking
Digita Personal Tax does not provide invoicing, expense tracking, receipt capture, or AI-powered categorisation. These operational tasks are expected to be handled by separate bookkeeping software. Digita's focus is exclusively on tax computation and filing.
| Feature | RentalBux | Digita Personal Tax |
|---|---|---|
| Invoice Creation & Sending | Yes | No |
| Invoice Customisation/Branding | Yes | No |
| Online Payment Collection | Yes | No |
| Payment Tracking/Reminders | Yes | No |
| Expense Tracking | Yes | No |
| Receipt Capture (OCR/Photo) | Yes | No |
| Expense Categorisation | Yes | Yes |
| Automated Transaction Matching | Yes | No |
| Mileage Tracking | No | No |
| AI Auto-Categorisation | Coming soon | No |
Winner: RentalBux — Digita Personal Tax has zero invoicing or expense tracking features. RentalBux provides comprehensive expense management with automation.
Reporting & Tax Forecasting
RentalBux: Formal Accounting Reports
RentalBux produces structured financial reports including profit & loss statements, balance sheets, journal reports, ledger reports, and trial balances. Smart categorisation helps ensure accuracy.
Digita Personal Tax: Deep Tax Computation, Planning & Professional Compliance
Digita Personal Tax provides comprehensive tax computation and reporting capabilities designed for professional practices. Key features include the "Tax Aware" feature that automatically advises accountants of fee opportunities and warns of compliance risks during the return process, what-if scenario cloning (multiple copies of a client for testing different tax planning approaches), automated annual client review, automated and customisable trackers for monitoring return progress, a client costing tool for setting billing targets, and an online filing manager for batch SA100 submissions. When combined with other Digita modules, practices get statutory accounts production (FRS 102, FRS 105) with iXBRL tagging, Corporation Tax (CT600) with deferred tax calculations, and Companies House filing.
| Feature | RentalBux | Digita Personal Tax |
|---|---|---|
| Profit & Loss Report | Yes (formal) | No |
| Balance Sheet | Yes | Yes |
| Trial Balance | Yes | No |
| Dashboard/Overview | Yes | Yes |
| Real-Time Financial Data | Yes | Partial |
| Cash Flow Reporting | No | No |
| Tax Estimate/Forecast | Yes | Yes |
| AI-Powered Features | Coming soon | No |
Winner: RentalBux for landlord self-service reporting. RentalBux wins on per-property financial reporting that landlords can generate themselves.
Collaboration & Mobile Apps
RentalBux's Collaborative Features
RentalBux enables agent filing, which gives accountants and letting agents the ability to submit directly on a landlord's behalf.
Digita Personal Tax: Practice-Grade with Multi-User Licences and Virtual Office
Digita Personal Tax is Windows-based desktop software with cloud access available through Digita Virtual Office (a hosted Thomson Reuters solution providing anytime, anywhere remote access). The Digita Efficiency Packs include 10 user licences as standard, allowing practices to scale without additional software overheads. The platform integrates with other Digita modules and with Xero. Thomson Reuters provides professional support. Digita is designed for agents filing on behalf of clients — its entire workflow assumes the accountant is the primary user.
| Feature | RentalBux | Digita Personal Tax |
|---|---|---|
| Accountant/Advisor Portal | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-User Access | Yes | Yes |
| Agent Filing on Behalf | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Integration | Yes | No |
| Platform | iOS, Android | Desktop (Windows) + Cloud via Digita Virtual Office |
| Web Browser Access | Yes | Yes |
| FCA Regulated | Yes | No |
| GDPR Compliant | Yes | Yes |
Winner: RentalBux wins on accessibility (cloud-native, iOS/Android apps, web browser).
Ease of Use, Support & Security
RentalBux: Guided Workflows
RentalBux uses guided workflows, clear dashboards, and no accounting jargon. The platform offers phone support, email/chat support, and a help centre with guides and knowledge base articles.
Digita Personal Tax's Ease of Use
Digita Personal Tax is professional-grade software with a feature-rich interface designed for trained accountants. Thomson Reuters provides professional support, training, and regular updates ensuring compliance with the latest tax laws and accounting standards. Digita Virtual Office provides secure cloud access. Testimonials from large practices like Old Mill Accountants (250+ staff, 5,000 clients) and Hazlewoods (180 staff, Top 40 firm) highlight the software's ease of adoption and staff training efficiency.
| Feature | RentalBux | Digita Personal Tax |
|---|---|---|
| Phone Support | Yes | Yes |
| Chat Support | Yes | Yes |
| Email Support | Yes | Yes |
| Help Centre/Knowledge Base | Yes | Yes |
| FCA Regulated | Yes | No |
| Enterprise-Grade Security | Yes | Yes |
RentalBux Features
Sole Trader Income Support for MTD
RentalBux is one of the few landlord-focused MTD software platforms that supports self-employment income alongside UK and foreign property income within a single account. Landlords who also run a trade, consultancy, or freelance business can manage all quarterly submissions from one dashboard. Landlord Studio covers property income only.
Custom Chart of Accounts for Landlords
A property-tailored chart of accounts covering rental income, mortgage interest, insurance, repairs, utilities, letting agent fees, and more — all pre-mapped to HMRC Self-Assessment boxes. No setup required; the system is ready to use from day one. Landlord Studio has no equivalent.
Agent Filing on Behalf of Landlords
Letting agents and accountants can submit MTD quarterly updates and the Final Declaration on behalf of landlord clients directly from the platform. Landlord Studio allows accountant access but does not support submission on the landlord's behalf.
Branded Invoice Creation
Invoice creation with customisable branding for service charges and commercial landlords. Not available in Landlord Studio.
AI-Powered OCR Receipt Capture with Auto-Categorisation (Coming soon)
RentalBux's AI will read uploaded receipts and categorise the expense automatically against the pre-built chart of accounts. Landlord Studio's Smart Scan extracts dates and amounts but does not include AI-driven expense categorisation.
Formal Accounting Reports
Balance sheet, trial balance, ledger reports, and journal reports. Landlord Studio does not produce these natively.
Free Plan Including MTD Submissions Until March 2028
RentalBux's free single-property plan includes MTD quarterly submissions. Landlord Studio's free GO plan covers property management for up to three units but requires a paid PRO plan (from £12/month) to access MTD submission functionality.
Unique Features Only Digita Personal Tax Offers
Full SA100 Self Assessment Filing
Complete personal tax return filing including all income sources, reliefs, and adjustments — not just trading and property income.
Tax Aware Feature
Automatically identifies fee-earning opportunities and warns of compliance risks during the return process.
What-If Scenario Cloning
Multiple copies of a client return can be created to test different tax planning approaches. This is a professional tax planning capability not available in landlord-specific software.
Automated Client Review & Letter Writing
Automated annual client review processes and automated letter generation for tax payments, questionnaires, and information requests.
Corporation Tax, Trust Tax & Accounts Production
Via the wider Digita Professional Suite, practices access CT600 filing with deferred tax calculations, trust tax returns, and statutory accounts production with iXBRL tagging and Companies House filing.
Practice Management
Via Digita Practice Management, practices get client data management, staff workload tracking, and compliance oversight.
Xero Two-Way Synchronisation
Digita Accounts Production integrates with Xero for real-time data flow between bookkeeping and final accounts.
Enterprise Heritage
Founded in 1986, the only accountancy software to have passed Microsoft's testing for every version of Windows since 95, backed by Thomson Reuters with thousands of practice users.
Who Should Choose RentalBux?
RentalBux is a strong fit if you:
Landlords with Mixed Income Streams
If you earn from both property and self-employment, RentalBux handles sole trader income alongside UK and foreign property income in a single MTD-compliant platform.
Joint Owners and Family Portfolios
The automated profit-sharing split is a standout feature. Define ownership percentages once and RentalBux calculates each owner's share automatically.
Budget-Conscious Landlords Entering MTD
Free MTD software for single-property landlords until March 2028, with no upfront commitment.
Landlords Who Want Proper Accounting Structure
Chart of accounts, journal entries, profit & loss, balance sheet, and trial balance give RentalBux a structured accounting foundation.
Accountants and Letting Agents
Agent filing on behalf, multi-user access, and spreadsheet import make RentalBux practical for professionals managing multiple landlord portfolios.
Commercial Landlords and HMO Owners
Invoice creation with branding for service charges, plus automatic HMO unit creation and tenant management.
Who Should Choose Digita Personal Tax?
Digita Personal Tax is the better choice for:
Accounting Practices with Complex Client Portfolios
Firms managing hundreds of personal tax clients with varied income sources need Digita's deep SA100 capability, Tax Aware feature, and what-if scenario planning.
Practices Already Using the Digita Professional Suite
If your practice already uses Digita Corporation Tax, Accounts Production, or Practice Management, adding Personal Tax for MTD ITSA creates a seamless integrated workflow.
Firms Needing Enterprise-Grade Tax Compliance
Practices that need trust tax returns, Corporation Tax alongside personal tax, statutory accounts production, iXBRL tagging, and Companies House filing in one integrated environment.
Practices Wanting Tax Planning Tools
What-if scenario cloning, Tax Aware risk/opportunity alerts, and automated client reviews are professional advisory capabilities not available in landlord-specific platforms.
Large Multi-Office Practices
With 10 user licences included, Digita Virtual Office cloud access, and Thomson Reuters enterprise support, Digita scales to large multi-office firms.