Clear Books
UK online accounting with MTD filing, VAT, and payroll.
Overview
Clear Books is UK accounting software, and the UK part matters. Everything in it is shaped by HMRC rules: Making Tax Digital filing, UK VAT schemes including flat rate, the Construction Industry Scheme, and Self Assessment. It is not a global tool with a UK option bolted on.
The range runs from very small to small-business. Sole traders and landlords get a free tier that covers basic MTD filing, which is a genuinely cheap route to getting compliant, then paid sole trader plans from about GBP 5 a month add bank feeds, invoicing, and reporting. Business plans for limited companies, partnerships, and charities start around GBP 16 a month and climb as you add VAT submissions, purchase orders, CIS, project accounting, and multi-currency.
Payroll is built in rather than a separate product, and bank feeds plus document capture through AutoEntry or Dext keep the data entry down. The whole thing is priced in GBP, with a 30-day free trial on the paid plans.
Clear Books connects to AutoEntry, Dext, Stripe, PayPal, GoCardless, Plaid, and HMRC, and runs on web and mobile. It serves the UK only, so it suits UK sole traders, landlords, small companies, and the practices that look after them, rather than mid-market groups or businesses based elsewhere.
Key facts
- Starting price
- Custom pricing
- Pricing model
- Flat
- Free trial
- Yes
- Free tier
- Yes
- Deployment
- Cloud, Mobile
- Geography
- UK
- Founded
- 2008
- Support
- Phone, Chat, Email, Knowledge Base, Community Forum
- Languages
- English
- Works with
- Autoentry, Dext, Stripe, Paypal, Gocardless, Plaid, Hmrc
- Last verified
- 2026-05-25
Pros and Cons
Pros
- UK sole traders, landlords, and small limited companies that need HMRC-recognised MTD filing.
- Small UK practices wanting affordable accounting software with VAT, payroll, and CIS built in.
- Businesses that want a free MTD filing tier before moving to a paid plan.
Cons
- Firms outside the UK. Clear Books is built around HMRC and UK VAT rules only.
- Mid-market or multi-entity groups needing consolidation. Clear Books targets small UK businesses.
- Teams wanting USD pricing. Clear Books is priced in GBP for the UK market.
Pricing
| Tier | Price | Billing | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sole Trader Free | Custom | Free (GBP 0 per month) | HMRC-recognised MTD filing and basic income and expense recording, with community-forum support. |
| Sole Trader | Custom | From GBP 5 per month plus VAT | Bank feeds, invoicing, quotes, and business reporting, with phone and email support. |
| Small (Business) | Custom | From GBP 16 per month plus VAT | For limited companies, partnerships, and charities, with invoicing, bank feeds, stock tracking, and integrations. |
| Medium and Large (Business) | Custom | From GBP 34 per month plus VAT | Adds VAT submissions, purchase orders, CIS reporting, and at the top tier project accounting, multi-currency, and fixed assets. |
Frequently asked questions
What is Clear Books?
How much does Clear Books cost?
Does Clear Books handle Making Tax Digital?
Who is Clear Books built for?
User reviews
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Alternatives to Clear Books
Other AI tools in the Core ledger and bookkeeping category.
Last verified 2026-05-25. Pricing and features come from vendor-published specs. See our methodology.