Clear Books vs QuickFile (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 QuickFile if

• Fits if you're a UK sole trader or small company with under 1,000 ledger entries a year
• Works for people who want MTD VAT returns without a subscription

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you're busy: 1,001 entries or more moves you to £60 plus VAT a year
• Watch out: bank feeds cost £15 plus VAT a year and extra storage £9.99 per GB, with 1 GB included
• Watch out: Power User features cost extra on the free tiers, and the page doesn't state the price
• Skip it if you're an accountant or bookkeeper: you're directed to QuickFile Affinity instead

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.

QuickFile

• Prices exclude VAT; the paid tiers apply from 1,001 ledger entries in a rolling 12 months.
• Bank feeds cost an extra £15 plus VAT a year, and extra file storage is £9.99 per GB a year, with 1 GB included.
• Power User features cost extra on the free tiers, and the pricing page does not state that price.
• Accountants and bookkeepers are directed to the separate QuickFile Affinity product.

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.

QuickFile

Invoicing and estimates

Branded invoices and quotations, with a client area, reusable inventory items and multi-currency support.

VAT returns

MTD-compatible VAT returns on every plan; MTD VAT bridging and MTD ITSA readiness are listed as Power User features.

Purchases and receipts

Receipt and purchase management, with receipts photographed and stored from the iOS and Android mobile app.

Banking automation

Automated bank feeds are an add-on at £15 plus VAT a year; the vendor lists the supported banks.

Power User features

Segmented profit and loss, custom trading styles, invoice revision history, cryptocurrency tracking and bulk invoice entry.

API access

API access and free unlimited users are included on all plans, along with two-factor authentication and daily backups.

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.

QuickFile

• Extra Small, Small and Medium£0

  Up to 1,000 ledger entries in 12 months; Power User features are a separate paid subscription.

• Large and Extra Large£60

  per year, plus VAT

  For 1,001 ledger entries and up, including Power User features; accounts over 40,000 entries need an enterprise quote.

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.

QuickFile

No public discounts listed.