The Clear Books Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Clear Books in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Clear Books
The Insider’s Guide
UK accounting with Making Tax Digital and free sole trader plans
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among accounting and invoicing tools, read from Clear Books’s own pages.
Made by Clear Books Limited · checked Nov 12, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Clear Books’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Clear Books’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 12, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.6
GPA, above 49 of the 65 other accounting and invoicing tools we grade
Clear Books is UK accounting software for sole traders, landlords, limited companies and accountants. It offers free plans for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax filing, and paid plans add bank feeds, invoicing, VAT and CIS returns, purchase orders and project accounting. Payroll, instant bank payments and automated bill capture are optional add-ons.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Clear Books, taken from its own pages and our grades.
You'll connect a bank feed and set up your records before it saves time.
- 1
Best for UK sole traders filing under Making Tax Digital
Clear Books is UK accounting with a free plan for sole traders who only need Making Tax Digital updates.
- 2
Paid plans start at about $6.70 a month
As its pricing page puts it: £5 per month, plus VAT, billed monthly (Sole Trader).
- 3
There is a free plan
Sole Trader Free: MTD Income Tax quarterly updates and year-end filing, income and expense records, no transaction limits.
- 4
It runs on 3 platforms
Web, iOS and Android.
- 5
Making Tax Digital
Free plans cover MTD Income Tax quarterly updates and year-end filing, and the vendor calls itself HMRC recognised software.
- 6
Invoicing and payments
Create and email invoices with pay buttons for Stripe and GoCardless; Instant Bank Payments is an optional add-on.
- 7
Bank feeds and reporting
Paid plans bring in bank feeds with automated matching and a full reporting suite including a balance sheet.
- 8
A 2.6 GPA, above 49 of 65
That is against the other accounting and invoicing tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace Clear Books you would be making live feeds from your bank, which take an agreement with each bank or a service that has them. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Clear Books at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from £5 per month, plus VAT, billed monthly (Sole Trader)
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- 30-day free trial on paid plans
- Runs on
- Web, iOS, Android
- Made by
- Clear Books Limited, since 2008
- Category
- Accounting & Invoicing
- Our grade
- 2.6 GPA, good
The report card
Best for UK sole traders filing under Making Tax Digital
Clear Books is UK accounting with a free plan for sole traders who only need Making Tax Digital updates. Invoicing and bank feeds start at £5 a month plus VAT, companies pay £14.40 or more, and payroll and instant bank payments are add-ons. It follows UK tax rules only.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B | £5 a month plus VAT for a sole trader with invoicing and bank feeds, £14.40 for a small company. The first is well under the $15 that starts this category's cheaper quarter, the second just over. |
| Free plan and trial | B | Sole Trader Free covers MTD Income Tax updates and records with no transaction limits, and paid plans have a 30-day trial. A sole trader who only files can live on it. |
| Features | C | MTD, invoicing, bank feeds, VAT and CIS. Payroll, Instant Bank Payments and Auto Bills are optional add-ons, which is a gap in the core job. |
| Ease of use | C | No store rating on record. You'll connect a bank feed and set up your records before it saves time. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web, iPhone and Android, with Stripe, GoCardless, PayPal, Plaid and Revolut Business. No desktop app. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Clear Books is for
- 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
Who it is not for
- 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
Good to know
Good for
- UK sole traders who need a free way to keep Making Tax Digital records
- Landlords who want property income tracked, including overseas property
- Limited companies that need VAT returns and bank feeds
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
~$6.70
A month to start. There is a free plan too
Clear Books has a free plan. Paid plans start at £5 per month, plus VAT, billed monthly (Sole Trader).
A sole trader who only files can live on it.
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.
The free plan
Sole Trader Free: MTD Income Tax quarterly updates and year-end filing, income and expense records, no transaction limits.
Trying it first
30-day free trial on paid plans
Read from clearbooks.co.uk on Nov 12, 2026.
Ways to pay less
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.
Stated on clearbooks.co.ukAnnual 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.
Stated on clearbooks.co.uk
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
3
Places it runs: Web, iOS and Android
UK accounting with Making Tax Digital and free sole trader plans. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, invoicing, reports, bookkeeping, expense tracking, payroll.
MTD, invoicing, bank feeds, VAT and CIS.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- Stripe
- GoCardless
- PayPal
- Plaid
- Revolut Business
Clear Books is made by Clear Books Limited, and has been around since 2008.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
49/65
Other accounting and invoicing tools it is graded above
Clear Books's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 49 of the 65 other accounting and invoicing tools we grade, and level with 6.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 50 of 65) and worst on ease of use (C, above 1).
Its paid plans start at about $6.70 a month, against a middle price of $18.09 for the category: 5 of the 54 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 3 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 66 accounting and invoicing tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Clear Books’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 48 of 65
- BFree plan and trialAbove 50 of 65
- CFeaturesAbove 4 of 65
- CEase of useAbove 1 of 65
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 13 of 65
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 58 accounting and invoicing tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Clear Books is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Clear Books you would be making live feeds from your bank, which take an agreement with each bank or a service that has them. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.6 is higher than 49 of the 65 other accounting and invoicing tools we grade. It costs $80.39 a year.
What you could make
- Invoicing, expense tracking and reports: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Live feeds from your bank, which take an agreement with each bank or a service that has them.
- Payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It plugs into other products, Stripe, GoCardless and PayPal among them, and has an API.
What this rests on. Clear Books’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
QuickBooks Online, Xero, FreeAgent, IRIS KashFlow and QuickFile
The 5 tools Clear Books is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.4GPA
QuickBooks Online
Free plan · from $38/mo
Cloud accounting from Intuit, from a free plan to 25-user Advanced.
- 2.6GPA
Xero
Free trial · from $27/mo
Cloud accounting for small businesses, with unlimited users.
- Clear Books has a free plan. Xero does not, though it has a free trial.
- 2.2GPA
FreeAgent
Free trial · from $27/mo
Accounting for freelancers and small firms, built in the UK.
- Clear Books has a free plan. FreeAgent does not, though it has a free trial.
- Clear Books also covers payroll.
- FreeAgent also covers time tracking.
- 2.2GPA
IRIS KashFlow
Free trial · from £13.50/mo
UK online accounting for sole traders and limited companies.
- Clear Books has a free plan. IRIS KashFlow does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Clear Books lists iOS and Android apps.
- IRIS KashFlow also covers quotes and estimates.
- 3.0GPA
QuickFile
Free plan · from £60/yr
UK online accounting, free for smaller ledgers.
- Clear Books also covers payroll.
- QuickFile also covers quotes and estimates.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
15
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Clear Books free?
Clear Books has a free plan. Sole Trader Free: MTD Income Tax quarterly updates and year-end filing, income and expense records, no transaction limits.
How much does Clear Books cost?
Clear Books lists 6 plans. Sole Trader Free: £0.
What platforms does Clear Books work on?
Clear Books is available on Web, iOS and Android.
Does Clear Books offer any discounts?
Clear Books publicly lists the following: 50% off the first 3 months; Save 10% yearly, 20% every two years.
Does Clear Books have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Clear Books is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does Clear Books have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Clear Books is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is Clear Books open source?
Clear Books is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Does Clear Books have an API?
Yes. Clear Books offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Clear Books integrate with?
Clear Books's listing names Stripe, GoCardless, PayPal, Plaid and Revolut Business.
Does Clear Books have a free trial?
Yes. 30-day free trial on paid plans.
Who makes Clear Books?
Clear Books is made by Clear Books Limited. It dates from 2008.
What are the alternatives to Clear Books?
The closest alternatives to Clear Books in our directory are QuickBooks Online, Xero, FreeAgent, IRIS KashFlow and QuickFile.
How does Clear Books compare with other accounting and invoicing tools?
Clear Books's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 49 of the 65 other accounting and invoicing tools we grade, and level with 6.
Is Clear Books good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Clear Books B for value for money. Its paid plans start at about $6.70 a month, against a middle price of $18.09 for the category: 5 of the 54 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Clear Books?
To replace Clear Books you would be making live feeds from your bank, which take an agreement with each bank or a service that has them.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Clear Books’s own pages on Nov 12, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 12, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Clear Books's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Clear Books Limited. Prices change, so check clearbooks.co.uk before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
5,038
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
5,038
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Clear Books, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/clearbooks
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Clear Books: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 12, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/clearbooks
Know someone choosing between accounting and invoicing tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/clearbooks/guide
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See our other guides
The best-graded accounting and invoicing tools after Clear Books, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Accounting & Invoicing Insider's GuideEvery one of the 67 accounting and invoicing tools we grade, compared
- Zoho Invoice Insider's GuideFree invoicing app from Zoho for freelancers and small businesses3.6 GPA
- Zoho Books Insider's GuideOnline accounting from Zoho, with a free plan and six paid tiers3.4 GPA
- Odoo Insider's GuideBusiness app suite whose Accounting app is free when used on its own3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Clear Books’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Clear Books is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Clear Books Limited. Prices and plans change: check clearbooks.co.uk before you buy.