FreeAgent's Guess feature
FreeAgent can guess explanations for some kinds of bank transactions based on how other FreeAgent users have explained similar ones. You can read FreeAgent's docs explaining what it does and how it works.
If Guess is switched on, DoubleAgent won't be able to explain any transactions; FreeAgent's guessed explanations will always have got there first.
So should you use FreeAgent's Guess or DoubleAgent's Explainer?
Here's a biased comparison:
| Criterion | FreeAgent's Guess | DoubleAgent's Explainer |
|---|---|---|
| Can all kinds of transactions be explained? | No | Yes |
| Can you be certain how a transaction will be explained? | It depends | Yes |
| Can a transaction have more than one explanation? | No | Yes |
| Can text (e.g. reference numbers) be extracted from a transaction's description and used in the explanation? | No | Yes |
| Can a fixed or percentage part of a transaction be explained? | No | Yes |
Personally I think DoubleAgent's Explainer is far more powerful and flexible than FreeAgent's Guess.
How to opt out of FreeAgent's Guess
You can either switch off Guess entirely or opt out for specific transactions.
To switch off Guess:
- In FreeAgent go to your bank account's page and click the Edit Details button (in the top-right corner);
- Untick the Guess explanations for my transactions box and save your changes.
Or if you want DoubleAgent to explain some transactions and Guess to explain the rest:
- In FreeAgent go to your bank account's page, open the More dropdown (in the top-right corner), and click the Guess Rules link.
- Go to the Excluded Terms tab.
- Add terms for the transactions you want Guess to ignore and DoubleAgent to explain. For example, Stripe for Stripe payouts, or GoCardless or GC C1 for GoCardless payouts.
For more details, see FreeAgent's How to manage Guess article, particularly the section How to exclude a transaction term.
