Clear Books vs Countingup (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Clear Books if

• Fits if you're a UK sole trader who needs MTD filing and little else
• Works for small UK limited companies that want invoicing, VAT and bank feeds

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you need invoicing or bank feeds on the free plan: it has neither
• Not for you if you're outside the UK, because it's built for UK tax rules
• Watch out: payroll, Instant Bank Payments and Auto Bills are add-ons
• Watch out: prices exclude VAT, and MTD VAT reporting needs Sole Trader Plus at £15 a month
• Pricey if you need projects, multi-currency or fixed assets: that's the Large plan at £39.60 a month

Pick Countingup if

• Fits if you are a UK sole trader or a one-or-two-director limited company who does admin from a phone
• Works for owners who want business banking and VAT filing under one login

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want a browser or desktop app, because the listing shows phone apps only
• Not for you if you are a partnership, charity or trust, or your company has more than two directors or corporate shareholders
• Pricey if money flows through it, since the fee rises from £5 to £12 to £20 as deposits grow
• Watch out: more than 3 free transfers or Direct Debits a month cost 27p each, ATM withdrawals £1 and foreign card spending 3%

Clear Books

• All prices are in pounds and exclude VAT, and the product is built for UK tax rules.
• Property and Foreign Property plans (free or £5 a month) are not shown in the plan list above.
• Payroll, Instant Bank Payments and Auto Bills (on Small, Medium and Large) are optional add-ons.
• Accountants use a separate partner programme, with unlimited MTD from £50 a month.

Countingup

• Open to UK residents aged 18 or over who are sole traders or directors of limited companies; partnerships, charities and trusts are not supported.
• Limited companies must be limited by shares, with up to two directors and all shareholders being individuals.
• Fees apply beyond 3 free account transfers and outgoing Direct Debits a month (27p each), plus £1 per ATM withdrawal and 3% on foreign transactions.
• An app is needed to open and use the account; no desktop or browser app is listed on the pages read.

Clear Books

Making Tax Digital

Free plans cover MTD Income Tax quarterly updates and year-end filing, and the vendor calls itself HMRC recognised software.

Invoicing and payments

Create and email invoices with pay buttons for Stripe and GoCardless; Instant Bank Payments is an optional add-on.

Bank feeds and reporting

Paid plans bring in bank feeds with automated matching and a full reporting suite including a balance sheet.

VAT and CIS

MTD VAT reporting starts on Sole Trader Plus and Medium, and CIS reporting for construction subcontractors on Medium.

Auto Bills and receipt capture

Forwarded supplier bills are read and posted automatically, and receipts can be snapped in the mobile apps.

Payroll add-on

Optional payroll with RTI submissions to HMRC, charged for the employees you run, with its own 30-day trial.

Countingup

Business account with accounting

Payments in and out are categorized automatically, with cashflow and performance reporting in the app.

Invoices and payment links

Create and send invoices from the app, see which are unpaid and get a notification when a payment lands.

Receipt capture

Photograph receipts in the app and attach them to the matching transaction.

VAT and tax

VAT returns are filed to HMRC through a Making Tax Digital-compliant tool at no extra cost, with a running tax estimate and deadline reminders.

Tax pots

A tax pot sets money aside, and the page says deposits into it earn 1.45% variable interest.

Accountant access

An Accountant Hub lets an accountant see the data they need through secure access.

Clear Books

• Sole Trader Free£0

  Making Tax Digital for Income Tax filing and income and expense records, with no bank feeds or invoicing.

• Sole Trader£5

  per month, plus VAT, billed monthly

  For sole traders not registered for VAT: bank feeds, invoicing, receipt scanning, reporting and unlimited users.

• Sole Trader Plus£15

  per month, plus VAT, billed monthly

  Adds MTD VAT reporting, the flat-rate scheme and the VAT domestic reverse charge for VAT-registered sole traders.

• Small£14.40

  per month, plus VAT, billed yearly (£16 billed monthly)

  Limited companies, partnerships and charities: bank feed matching, invoicing, API, dividends tool; £12.80 billed every 2 years.

• Medium£30.60

  per month, plus VAT, billed yearly (£34 billed monthly)

  Adds MTD VAT submissions, purchase orders, CIS returns and unlimited budgets; £27.20 billed every 2 years.

• Large£39.60

  per month, plus VAT, billed yearly (£44 billed monthly)

  Adds project accounting, multi-currency, employee expense claims and fixed assets; £35.20 billed every 2 years.

Countingup

• Entry£5

  per month while total monthly deposits are £0 to £750

  Includes all banking, accounting and tax features. The page does not name the tiers; they are set by deposits.

• Mid£12

  per month while total monthly deposits are £750.01 to £7,500

  Same features as the entry tier, priced by how much money comes into the account.

• Unlimited deposits£20

  per month for unlimited monthly deposits

  Same features, with no cap on deposits.

Clear Books

• Other savings

  50% off the first 3 months

  New monthly, yearly or two-year subscriptions are 50% off for 3 months when bought within 30 days of registration.

• Annual discount

  Save 10% yearly, 20% every two years

  Paying yearly saves 10% and paying every 2 years saves 20% on the Small, Medium and Large plans.

Countingup

No public discounts listed.