Company: Crunch
Founder: Darren Fell
Website: https://www.crunch.co.uk/
About Crunch
Crunch is an online accounting platform for freelancers, contractors, and small businesses who would rather be running their business than wrestling with numbers. Our clever software does the heavy lifting, and our friendly accountants are always just a message or call away. We make tax, invoicing, and bookkeeping simple, so you can spend less time stressing and more time doing what makes you happy.
In 2007, Darren Fell hit a wall with traditional accounting. Endless spreadsheets, hidden fees, and confusing advice left him frustrated. He decided enough was enough. The idea behind Crunch was simple: software that just works, prices that are fair, and real accountants who actually answer your questions without jargon.
Trust was the biggest hurdle in the early days. Could business owners really put their financial lives in the hands of an online service? We proved they could by making accountants fully accessible, building bulletproof security, creating software anyone could use, and focusing on support that felt genuinely human. Another challenge was scale. Many SaaS companies lose the personal touch as they grow. We built a strong in-house accountancy team and kept improving the software so we could serve more clients without losing that human aspect.
Crunch has grown into one of the UK’s most trusted online accounting platforms, supporting over 64,000 users with 99.99% uptime. But for our clients, Crunch is more than software. It is the peace of mind that comes from knowing someone has your back. Every day, our accountants and Client Success Managers help users tackle questions big and small, so they can do less frantic midnight Google searching and finally sleep easy without tax worries.
Crunch has also shaped the SaaS industry itself. We proved online-first accounting could work in a sector long dominated by face-to-face advice, and we set a new standard by blending intuitive software with real human expertise. While many SaaS platforms focus only on automation, we showed that scale does not have to come at the cost of personal care. That approach has seen Crunch recognised in multiple industry awards, including being a finalist for Accounting Tech of the Year at the UK Fintech Awards 2025 and winning Best All-in-One Business Accounting Solution 2025 at the UK Enterprise Awards.
Looking ahead, Crunch is focused on making life easier for the self-employed. Our new payment tool is already helping people get paid faster, and we keep adding smart features and integrations so managing money does not take over the day. Everything we do is designed to help entrepreneurs ditch the unpaid bookkeeper routine and feel more like the bosses they want to be.
Crunch started with one founder’s frustration and has become a trusted partner for thousands across the UK. By blending smart technology with real human expertise and always focusing on making finance simpler, Crunch keeps showing how SaaS accounting can be personal, practical, and made for people who just want to run their business.
