For small and medium-sized businesses in the UK, selecting the right accounting software can be pivotal to improving efficiency and maintaining financial compliance. Clear Books is a popular accounting software provider catering to this segment, offering a range of features designed to simplify bookkeeping, VAT returns, and financial reporting. But how does its pricing structure stack up against its competitors, and is it the right choice for your business? Let’s take a closer look in this Clear Books pricing review.
What is Clear Books?
Clear Books is a UK-based cloud accounting software that provides user-friendly tools to manage your business finances.
Known for its simplicity and focus on UK tax compliance, Clear Books is particularly well-suited for sole traders, freelancers, and small businesses.
It integrates seamlessly with HMRC’s Making Tax Digital (MTD) requirements, making it a reliable choice for businesses needing streamlined VAT submissions.
Clear Books features review
Clear Books offers a range of features designed to cover most of your accounting needs:
- Invoicing: Create and customise professional invoices and track payments.
- Expense management: Upload receipts, categorise expenses, and manage outgoings effortlessly.
- Bank feeds: Automatically import and reconcile bank transactions, saving time and reducing errors.
- VAT returns: Submit VAT returns directly to HMRC using MTD-compliant tools.
- Reporting: Access financial reports such as profit and loss, balance sheets, and cash flow statements.
- Multi-currency support: For businesses dealing with international clients, Clear Books provides multi-currency functionality.
Clear Books pricing plans review
Clear Books offers two main pricing tiers, catering to businesses with varying needs and budgets:
Small plan (£10 per month + VAT)
Designed for sole traders and micro-businesses, this plan includes:
- Invoicing and expense tracking
- Bank reconciliation
- VAT submissions
- Access for one user
- Limited reporting functionality
While this plan covers the basics, it lacks advanced features, making it ideal for businesses with simpler accounting needs.
Large plan (£22 per month + VAT)
Suitable for small and growing businesses, this plan includes everything in the Small plan, plus:
- Enhanced reporting options
- Multi-currency support
- Unlimited users
- Project accounting
- Additional integrations
This plan is better suited for businesses that require detailed financial analysis or have more complex operations.
Clear Books free trial
Clear Books also offers a 30-day free trial for both plans, allowing businesses to test the platform before committing to a subscription.
Pros and cons of Clear Books
Pros:
- User-friendly interface: Clear Books is intuitive and easy to use, even for business owners with little accounting experience.
- UK-focused features: Compliance with HMRC and MTD requirements makes it a great fit for UK businesses.
- Affordable pricing: Compared to competitors like Xero and QuickBooks, Clear Books is a cost-effective solution.
- Unlimited users on Large plan: Businesses with multiple team members will benefit from this feature.
Cons:
- Limited features on the Small plan: Businesses requiring multi-currency support or advanced reporting will need to opt for the higher-tier plan.
- Fewer integrations: While it supports popular tools like PayPal and GoCardless, it has fewer integrations than competitors like QuickBooks.
- Not ideal for large enterprises: Clear Books is tailored for small and medium-sized businesses, so larger companies may find its features insufficient.
Review verdict – Is Clear Books the right choice for your business?
Clear Books is a solid option for UK-based small and medium-sized businesses seeking affordable, HMRC-compliant accounting software. Its straightforward pricing, user-friendly interface, and UK-specific features make it particularly appealing to sole traders, freelancers, and small businesses with straightforward needs.
However, if your business requires a wide range of integrations, complex project management tools, or operates on a larger scale, you may find that competitors like Xero or QuickBooks provide better solutions—albeit at a higher price.
Final thoughts
To conlcude our pricing review, Clear Books strikes a good balance between affordability and functionality, making it a top choice for businesses with simpler accounting requirements. By offering a free trial, it allows business owners to evaluate its suitability risk-free. For many small and growing businesses, Clear Books delivers the right mix of features at a competitive price point.
If you’re in the market for accounting software and value a UK-focused solution, Clear Books could be the perfect fit. Take advantage of the free trial to see how well it aligns with your business needs.
FAQ – Clear Books pricing review
Clear Books is ideal for small and medium-sized UK businesses, particularly sole traders, freelancers, and startups looking for straightforward accounting solutions tailored to UK tax compliance.
Yes, Clear Books integrates with payroll software, allowing businesses to manage payroll and accounting in a streamlined way. This is particularly helpful for small businesses looking to centralise their financial processes.
Clear Books primarily focuses on UK tax compliance, including HMRC’s Making Tax Digital requirements. While it supports multi-currency transactions, businesses outside the UK or with complex international tax requirements might need additional tools.
Clear Books provides customer support via email, phone, and an online help centre. They also offer webinars, guides, and video tutorials to help users get the most out of their software.
Clear Books is versatile and can be adapted to various industries, but it does not offer industry-specific templates. Customisable invoicing and reporting tools allow businesses to tailor the platform to their needs.
Clear Books uses bank-level encryption and secure servers to ensure that all data is protected. Regular backups are performed to minimise the risk of data loss.
No, Clear Books operates on a flexible monthly subscription model, so users can cancel their plan at any time without long-term commitments.
Yes, Clear Books allows data migration from other platforms. While some data can be imported directly, more complex migrations may require assistance from their support team or a Clear Books partner accountant.
Clear Books is accessible via a mobile-friendly web interface, allowing users to manage their finances on the go. However, the platform does not currently offer a dedicated mobile app.
Clear Books is regularly updated with new features and enhancements. These updates are automatically applied to ensure users have access to the latest tools and improvements.