ClearTax vs Refrens (2026): which should you pick?

Pick ClearTax if

• Fits if you're an Indian taxpayer with salary or capital gains income who wants a CA to file
• Works for self-employed people in India who want expert-assisted returns

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you're outside India, as it's rupees and Indian tax rules only
• Skip it if you need bookkeeping or invoicing, because it's a tax-filing product
• Watch out: plan prices show only inside checkout, so the figures above are the FAQ's starting prices
• Watch out: audit fees, where an audit is needed, are paid to the auditor and aren't in the plan price

Pick Refrens if

• Fits if you're an Indian business that needs GST invoices, e-way bills and GSTR reports
• Works for freelancers who share invoices over WhatsApp

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you use Free: 15 documents, then a paid plan
• Not for you if you're outside India, as it's rupees and GST
• Pricey if you want bookkeeping: that's Pro at ₹30,900 a year, and e-invoices and e-way bills need Plus at ₹16,900
• Watch out: prices exclude GST, and extras such as custom templates and digital signatures cost more
• Watch out: the pricing FAQ says there's no downloadable app, while the footer links Android and iOS apps

ClearTax

• It serves Indian taxpayers and Indian tax rules only, and prices are in rupees.
• The price of each plan is shown only inside the checkout flow; the pricing page's FAQ gives starting prices.
• Audit fees, where an audit is required, are not part of the plan price and are paid to the auditor separately.
• It is a tax-filing product, not general bookkeeping or accounting software.

Refrens

• Prices are in rupees and exclude GST; the page lists 3-month, 1-year and 3-year terms.
• The Free plan stops at 15 documents, and extras such as custom templates and digital signatures are charged on top.
• Built for Indian tax rules, with GSTR reports and e-way bills at its core.
• The pricing page FAQ says there is no downloadable app, while the footer links Android and iOS apps.

ClearTax

Self ITR filing

Upload Form 16 or other documents and the return is pre-filled, with old and new tax regimes compared.

CA-assisted filing

A tax expert files the return for salaried people, investors, traders, freelancers, NRIs and people with RSUs or ESOPs.

Capital gains import

Imports capital gains from more than 80 brokers, according to the homepage, for investors and traders.

Year-round tax support

An annual subscription to a personal tax expert is sold for people who want help beyond the filing.

Business tax products

Separate Clear products cover GST, e-invoicing, TDS compliance, vendor management and input tax credit for companies.

Refrens

Invoices and quotations

Create, customize and share invoices, quotations and purchase orders, with recurring invoices and payment reminders.

GST compliance

E-invoices, e-way bills, GSTR-1 and GSTR-2B reports with reconciliation, from the Plus plan.

Accounting

Automated bookkeeping, charts of accounts, bank reconciliation and financial statements, from the Pro plan.

Inventory

Stock tracking across locations, with batch and serial tracking and expiry reports on higher plans.

AI bill capture

OCR scanning and a WhatsApp and email assistant turn vendor bills into draft entries; 100 to 500 scans a year by plan.

Leads and vendors

Track sales leads across pipelines, and run vendor approval and onboarding workflows on Enterprise.

ClearTax

• CA-assisted: salary and house rent₹1,299

  per return and up

  Expert-assisted filing for salary and house rent income; the pricing FAQ says plans start from this figure.

• CA-assisted: crypto traders₹2,999

  per return and up

  Expert-assisted plan for people with cryptocurrency income.

• CA-assisted: capital gains₹3,999

  per return and up

  Expert-assisted plan for people with capital gains income.

• CA-assisted: self-employed₹3,999

  per return and up

  Expert-assisted plan for self-employed people and professionals.

Refrens

• Free₹0

  Create up to 15 documents, such as invoices and quotations, before a paid plan is needed.

• Lite₹8,900

  per year, excl. GST (crossed out ₹10,680)

  Unlimited documents, inventory, recurring invoices, WhatsApp sharing and OCR scanning; 2 users.

• Plus₹16,900

  per year, excl. GST (crossed out ₹20,280)

  Adds e-invoices, e-way bills, GSTR-1 and GSTR-2B reports and lead management; 3 users.

• Pro₹30,900

  per year, excl. GST (crossed out ₹37,080)

  Adds automated bookkeeping, journals, bank reconciliation, balance sheet and batch tracking; 5 users.

• Enterprise₹44,900

  per year, excl. GST (crossed out ₹53,880)

  Adds document and vendor approval workflows, RFQ and RFI links and vendor verification; 5 users.

ClearTax

No public discounts listed.

Refrens

• Annual discount

  Save 16% on 1 year and 25% on 3 years

  The Premium page marks its 1-year term as 16% cheaper and its 3-year term as 25% cheaper than the shorter terms.