Clear Books vs Pandle (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 Pandle if

• Fits if you're a UK sole trader who files VAT or MTD
• Works for freelancers who want free invoicing and can skip bank feeds

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you stay free, because bank feeds, receipt uploads and projects are Pro
• Watch out: Pro is £5 plus VAT, rolling monthly, with no annual plan
• Not for you if you're outside the UK, as it's built around VAT and MTD
• Watch out: bank connections run through Plaid

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.

Pandle

• Bank feeds, receipt uploads, projects and extra users need Pandle Pro, which is £5 a month plus VAT.
• The pages are aimed at the UK, with Making Tax Digital and VAT filing.
• Pandle Pro is billed monthly only; the pricing page says there is no annual subscription.
• Pandle describes itself as an agent of Plaid Financial Ltd for its bank connections.

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.

Pandle

Invoices and quotes

Sends quotes and invoices in several currencies, with payment reminders, recurring transactions and customer statements.

VAT and Making Tax Digital

Submits VAT returns and MTD income tax updates, and produces EU VAT and EC sales lists, on the free plan too.

Bank and payment feeds

Pandle Pro pulls in bank feeds, PayPal feeds and Stripe feeds; bank rules automate the categorizing.

Receipts and mileage

Pandle Pro can upload receipts and track mileage, and the mobile app can record journeys automatically.

Projects and stock

Pro adds projects, stock control and cash flow forecasting on top of the standard business reports.

Users and companies

Pandle Pro allows unlimited users with permissions and multi-company management.

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.

Pandle

• Free£0

  Quotes and invoices, items, reports, VAT returns and MTD income tax submissions; no bank feeds or receipt uploads.

• Pandle Pro£5

  per month (+VAT), rolling monthly

  Adds bank feeds, receipt uploads, projects, user permissions, unlimited users, mileage tracker, stock control and live chat.

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.

Pandle

No public discounts listed.