Clear Books

Overview

Clear Books is accounting software for UK sole traders, landlords and organisations that need bookkeeping alongside tax and invoicing tools. It is most compelling when its UK tax support and a plan matched to a specific business or property setup matter more than a single, universal package.

Its range runs from no-cost, narrowly scoped plans to paid options with bank feeds, reporting and broader business features. The key decision is whether a free plan’s scope is enough, or whether paid VAT support and organisational tools justify the monthly cost plus VAT.

Key features

Branded invoices, recurring billing and automated late-payment reminders make Clear Books useful for businesses that invoice clients regularly. Receipt capture and inventory tracking support day-to-day bookkeeping, while sales and purchase tracking and a full reporting suite are specified for Small.

Small, Medium and Large include bank feeds with automated matching. That can reduce manual reconciliation work, but it is not a stated feature of the cheaper Sole Trader and Property paid plans. HMRC recognition and support for VAT submissions, MTD Income Tax and quarterly updates give the service a clear UK compliance focus.

Paid plans include unlimited users and accountant invitations and tools, a practical advantage for businesses that share accounts with an adviser. Small, Medium and Large also include integrations and an API, with Stripe and GoCardless built in. Support ranges from self-service and email to phone and email, with UK-based support.

Pricing

Clear Books is freemium. Sole Trader Free and Property Free are forever-free, require no card and have no transaction limits; the property option covers one property or grouped properties. Foreign Property Free also costs nothing and covers one overseas property. These options suit simple records within those boundaries, but the property plans do not cover multiple properties individually.

Sole Trader costs £5 per month plus VAT for self-employed people without VAT registration. Sole Trader Plus is £15 per month plus VAT and adds MTD VAT reporting, the flat-rate scheme and VAT Domestic Reverse Charge; it is the more relevant choice for VAT-registered sole traders. Property and Foreign Property each cost £5 per month plus VAT and are aimed at landlords with multiple domestic or overseas properties respectively. Unlimited users are included in these paid plans.

Small costs £16 per month plus VAT and is intended for limited companies, sole traders, partnerships and charities. It adds bank feeds with automated matching, sales and purchase tracking, invoicing, reporting, integrations, an API and user permissions. Medium costs £34 per month plus VAT and is aimed at businesses filing VAT and CIS; it includes unlimited budgets. Large has custom pricing. Its displayed annual and two-year rates are £39.60 per month and £35.20 per month respectively, plus VAT, for growing businesses with complex needs.

Paid plans come with a full-access 30-day trial, cancellable anytime without payment; subscriptions can also be cancelled anytime. Annual billing saves 10%, while two-year billing saves 20% on All Organisations plans. Customers can pay by direct debit, credit card or debit card.

Platforms

Clear Books runs in a browser and has Android and iOS apps, so it covers desktop web use as well as the two major mobile platforms.

Who it's for

Clear Books makes the most sense for UK sole traders and landlords who can use a free plan’s defined scope, or for small organisations that need a paid accounting package with UK tax support and accountant access. It is less suited to anyone whose requirements exceed the free property caps but do not justify a paid plan, or who needs bank feeds on a £5 plan.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Forever-free plans have no transaction limits, making them useful for eligible sole traders and landlords who need a basic scope rather than a usage cap.
• Pros: Paid plans support unlimited users and accountant access, avoiding a seat-count constraint as a business works with an adviser.
• Pros: UK tax features include MTD-ready bookkeeping and VAT support, with Small, Medium and Large adding bank feeds and automated matching.
• Cons: The free landlord options are restricted to one property or grouped properties, or one overseas property, so multi-property landlords need to pay.
• Cons: VAT-registered sole traders need the £15 Sole Trader Plus plan for the stated VAT reporting features, rather than the £5 Sole Trader tier.
• Cons: Bank feeds and automated matching are stated for Small, Medium and Large, not the lower-priced £5 plans.

Alternatives

For a broader shortlist, browse Bookkeeping Software, Gym Accounting Software or Salon Accounting Software.

FreeAgent is another freemium option with Android, iOS and web support; its listed sole trader plan costs £10 per month, compared with Clear Books’ £5 Sole Trader plan. Odoo Accounting is a freemium alternative available on Android, iOS, web and self-hosted platforms. Zoho Books may suit solopreneurs and micro businesses whose annual revenue stays below $50K, with a free plan for one user and one accountant. Wave offers a free Starter plan with estimates, invoices, bills and bookkeeping records; online card payments carry a 2.9% + $0.60 transaction fee. BUSY has a free web plan for billing and accounting. Zoho Inventory is the more focused option when inventory is the priority, with a free plan capped at 50 orders per month, one user and one location. Akaunting offers web-based cloud plans, including Standard Cloud at $12 per month for one company and one user plus one accountant. Dolibarr is a free alternative available on web, Windows, macOS and Linux.

Verdict

Choose Clear Books if you are a UK sole trader, landlord or small organisation looking for bookkeeping tied to UK tax requirements, with a free starting point or paid plans that add accountant access and reconciliation tools. Look elsewhere if the free plans’ property limits do not fit and the paid tiers’ scope or costs do not suit your needs.