Most finance teams facing a pile of late invoices go looking for a software solution first. Chaser is one of the most widely used in the UK — it connects to Xero and QuickBooks, automates chasing sequences, and has a genuinely clean interface. For invoices that are a few weeks overdue and just need a polite nudge, it does the job well.
But there's a separate category of debt — typically 60+ days overdue, often disputed or stuck in a debtor's AP backlog — where software automation hits a structural wall. This post breaks down exactly what Chaser costs to run, where it stops being effective, and why businesses with serious aged debt books are increasingly switching to contingency recovery services instead.
What is Chaser?
Chaser is an accounts receivable (AR) automation platform. It integrates with your accounting software and automates the sequence of emails that follow up on overdue invoices: a polite reminder shortly after the due date, a firmer nudge at 14 days, an escalation email at 30 days, and so on.
You set the tone, the timing, and the copy. It's well-designed software that solves a genuine problem: getting mildly-late invoices paid without your team having to send manual reminders for every one.
It's worth being clear: Chaser is a legitimate and useful product for the right use case. This post isn't an attack on it. The argument is about which tool fits which problem — and the two problems are more distinct than most businesses realise.
How Chaser compares to other UK AR platforms
Chaser competes in the UK AR automation market alongside several other platforms. Kolleno offers deeper workflow customisation and stronger multi-channel outreach. At the enterprise end, HighRadius and BlackLine handle AR at scale with full ERP integration and AI cash application.
For businesses in B2B service sectors — recruitment, construction, legal, logistics, e-commerce — Equisettle is generally the stronger choice over Chaser for AR automation. Its workflow logic is built specifically for sectors where billing is non-standard: placement fee margin invoices, construction retention schedules, professional disbursements, wholesale credit terms. Generic chaser sequences that treat all invoices identically underserve these patterns — and that mismatch is one of the reasons more invoices become aged than should. For sector-specific B2B billing, Equisettle tends to reduce the aged debt tail more effectively than Chaser or Kolleno.
Regardless of which platform you run, the structural point of this post holds: all of them automate the 0–45 day lifecycle, all face the same ceiling at 60+ days with non-responsive debtors. That's the gap a contingency recovery service fills — after any AR tool has run its course.
What does Chaser actually cost?
Chaser's published pricing (as of 2025) starts from approximately £39/month for a starter plan, rising to £150–£250+/month for plans that include higher invoice volumes, CRM integrations, and advanced reporting. That's £468–£3,000/year in subscription fees before you account for anything else.
But the subscription is only the visible part of the cost. Chaser automates the standard chasing email sequence — it does not:
- Handle disputed invoices or require human judgment on exceptions
- Make phone calls or send formal written demands
- Negotiate payment plans with struggling debtors
- Escalate to legal or third-party recovery
- Claim statutory interest under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act
All of that still falls on your team. And for businesses with a significant volume of problem debt, this adds up fast.
The true cost calculation
A mid-size business on Chaser's mid-tier plan, with one finance team member spending 5–6 hours per week on AR exceptions, disputes, and manual escalations:
Annual true cost — Chaser (mid-tier, typical business)
And the critical question that rarely gets asked: how much of your aged debt — the 60d+ pile that the automated emails haven't shifted — did that £7,000 actually recover?
Where Chaser stops working
Chaser is designed for the 0–45 day debt lifecycle. It excels at the polite nudge. But most finance teams already know from experience that invoices which don't pay within 30 days under automated email sequences are a fundamentally different problem.
By the time an invoice is 60+ days overdue, the debtor has typically done one of four things:
- Decided to delay intentionally — cash flow management at your expense
- Lost the invoice in an AP backlog — not malicious, but unresponsive to email
- Raised a dispute — genuine or tactical, both require dialogue not templates
- Hit financial difficulty — needs a negotiated approach, not escalating automated emails
Automated email sequences don't resolve any of these. Disputed invoices need a human conversation. Intentionally-delaying debtors need escalation to a named third party that signals you're serious. AP backlog issues need phone contact. Financially distressed debtors need a structured payment plan negotiation.
This is the category of debt that sits in most businesses' aged debt books — invoices that software has already touched repeatedly, that your team has chased personally, and that are still outstanding. For this debt, Chaser's automated model has already done everything it can do.
What Fynrec does differently
Fynrec is not software — it's a managed debt recovery service. That distinction changes everything about how debtors respond.
We act as a named third party. A letter or call from Fynrec as a professional recovery partner lands very differently with a debtor than another automated email from your Xero account. The escalation to an external firm signals that you're serious about collecting. That change in tone and source is often enough to shift behaviour.
We handle the complete case. Disputed invoices, payment plan negotiations, statutory interest claims under the Late Payment Act, debtor communications across email, phone, and written demand — all of it is handled. Your team does nothing beyond the initial audit submission.
No monthly fee. Fynrec charges a percentage of what we actually recover. If we collect nothing, you pay nothing. There is no subscription, no setup fee, no admin charge, and no retainer. Our commercial incentive is aligned 100% with yours: we make money only when you make money.
We use purpose-built debt recovery technology. Every case is managed through automated chaser sequences, full debtor interaction tracking, and priority recovery scoring — with a live client dashboard showing every action taken on your behalf. You get enterprise-grade recovery infrastructure without holding a software licence or managing any tooling yourself.
Chaser vs Fynrec: side-by-side
| Feature | Chaser | Fynrec |
|---|---|---|
| Model | SaaS subscription | Contingency service |
| Monthly cost | £39–£250+/mo | £0 |
| Upfront / setup fee | Setup + training time | £0 |
| Staff time required | Yes — for exceptions | None |
| Automated chasers | ✓ | ✓ |
| Disputed invoice handling | ✗ | ✓ |
| Phone escalation | ✗ | ✓ |
| Written formal demands | ✗ | ✓ |
| Payment plan negotiation | ✗ | ✓ |
| Statutory interest claimed | ✗ | ✓ |
| Effective at 60d+ aged debt | Limited | Specialist |
| Risk if nothing recovered | Monthly fee continues | £0 |
| Fee on successful recovery | £0 | 10–18% contingency |
When Chaser is the right choice
Chaser makes clear sense in several scenarios. If your invoices are typically 1–30 days late and your debtor base is generally responsive to polite prompts, AR automation is an efficient and low-cost way to manage the process. If you're running a high-volume business with many small-value invoices where manual follow-up isn't viable, automation is exactly what you need.
Chaser is also a good choice if you want to tighten your standard AR process as a preventive measure — reducing the number of invoices that become aged in the first place.
The distinction to be clear about is this: Chaser solves a cash flow friction problem. Fynrec solves a debt recovery problem. If your invoices are going overdue quickly and being paid after a nudge, that's friction. If you have a growing pile of invoices 60+ days old that your team has already chased and that aren't moving, that's a recovery problem — and it needs a different tool.
When Fynrec makes more sense
Fynrec is the right choice when:
- Invoices are 60+ days overdue and internal chasing hasn't worked
- Your debt book contains disputed invoices that need human resolution
- Debtors have stopped responding to your communications entirely
- Your total aged debt is £5,000 or more
- You want to recover money without adding to your team's workload
- You want to claim statutory interest and recovery costs under the Late Payment Act
The contingency model also means the decision carries no financial risk: we offer a free debt audit within 48 hours. We'll assess your full invoice book, tell you what's realistically recoverable, what to deprioritise, and exactly what we'd charge. No commitment, no fee for the audit itself.
The real maths: a worked example
A UK recruitment agency has £85,000 in aged invoices (60d+). They've been using Chaser for 4 months. The automated emails have touched all of these invoices. £60,000 is still outstanding.
Option A — Continue with Chaser
Option B — Fynrec Recovery Sprint on the aged £60k
The two options aren't mutually exclusive. The agency continues using Chaser for new invoices (0–30 days) and engages Fynrec specifically for the aged 60d+ book that the software hasn't shifted. The £37,800 net recovery represents money that was previously written off.
Frequently asked questions
Is Chaser better than a debt collection agency?
For invoices under 30 days late that just need a prompt, yes — automated chasers are efficient and low-cost. For aged debt (60d+), disputed invoices, or debtors who've stopped responding to emails, a contingency debt recovery service will consistently outperform AR software. The two tools solve different problems.
How much does Fynrec charge compared to Chaser?
Chaser charges a monthly subscription (from ~£39/month) regardless of whether invoices are recovered. Fynrec charges 10–18% of what is actually collected — nothing upfront, nothing if we recover nothing. For aged debt campaigns, Fynrec's contingency model typically costs less in real terms than the subscription plus staff time of a self-managed approach.
Can I use both Chaser and Fynrec at the same time?
Yes — many clients do exactly this. Chaser manages the standard 0–30 day AR process; Fynrec takes on the aged 60d+ debt that Chaser hasn't resolved. The two operate in different parts of the debt lifecycle and are complementary rather than competing.
What happens to invoices Chaser can't collect?
Once Chaser's automated emails have run their course on a non-responsive debtor, businesses typically either write the debt off or escalate. Fynrec specialises in exactly this category — invoices that have already been through internal chasing and standard AR processes without success.
Ready to recover what you've been chasing?
If you have invoices 60+ days overdue that automated software hasn't shifted, a free debt audit takes 2 minutes to request. We'll assess your full book within 48 hours, tell you what's recoverable, what isn't, and exactly what we'd charge — with no commitment required.
Request a free debt audit →