Clear Books

Overview

Clear Books is UK-focused accounting software for sole traders, landlords and organisations, with bookkeeping, invoicing and tax tools. It suits users who want a plan shaped around their business or property setup, especially where UK tax support matters. Its free options are useful starting points, but bank feeds and broader organisational features sit higher up the range.

Key features

Branded invoices, recurring schedules and automated late-payment reminders support businesses that bill clients regularly. Receipt capture and inventory tracking add to its bookkeeping coverage. Small adds sales and purchase tracking and a full reporting suite, making it a more rounded fit for organisations than the narrowly scoped sole-trader and property plans.

Small, Medium and Large include bank feeds with automated matching, which can reduce manual reconciliation work. Clear Books supports VAT submissions, MTD Income Tax and quarterly updates, and is HMRC recognised and MTD-ready for UK businesses.

Paid plans include unlimited users, accountant invitations and accountant tools, useful when an external adviser needs access. Small, Medium and Large also include integrations and an API; Stripe and GoCardless are built in. Support ranges from self-service and email to phone and email support, with UK-based support.

Pricing

Clear Books uses a freemium model. Sole Trader Free and Property Free are forever-free, require no card, and have no transaction limits. Property Free covers one property or grouped properties; Foreign Property Free covers one overseas property. These are practical low-commitment choices for users within those boundaries, but the property plans do not cover multiple individual properties or overseas properties.

Sole Trader costs £5 per month plus VAT, billed monthly, and is aimed at self-employed people without VAT. It includes unlimited users, but lacks the VAT reporting specified for Sole Trader Plus. At £15 per month plus VAT, Sole Trader Plus adds MTD VAT reporting, the flat-rate scheme and VAT Domestic Reverse Charge, making it the relevant option for VAT-registered sole traders.

Property costs £5 per month plus VAT, billed monthly, and is for landlords managing multiple properties. Foreign Property is also £5 per month plus VAT, billed monthly, for landlords with multiple overseas properties. The matching free plans are more limited by property scope, while the paid plans add unlimited users.

Small costs £16 per month plus VAT, billed monthly. It serves limited companies, sole traders, partnerships and charities, and includes bank feeds with automated matching, sales and purchase tracking, invoicing and email, a full reporting suite, integrations and an API, and user permissions. It is a substantial step up from the £5 specialist plans, justified for organisations needing these features rather than a basic sole-trader or landlord setup.

Medium costs £34 per month plus VAT, billed monthly, and is aimed at businesses filing VAT and CIS. It includes unlimited budgets. Large has custom pricing; its listed term options are yearly at £39.60/month and every two years at £35.20/month, plus VAT. It is positioned for growing businesses with complex needs. Annual billing saves 10%, and two-year billing saves 20% on All Organisations plans. Paid plans include a full-access 30-day free trial; trials can be cancelled anytime without payment, and subscriptions can be cancelled anytime.

Platforms

Clear Books runs in a browser and has a mobile app for Android and iOS. It is HMRC recognised and MTD-ready for UK businesses, a meaningful fit for readers who need UK tax workflows rather than a general-purpose accounting package.

Who it's for

Clear Books is strongest for UK sole traders, landlords and small organisations whose needs map neatly to its separate plan families. Sole traders without VAT can start free or choose the £5 plan; VAT-registered sole traders have a defined upgrade path. Landlords can begin with a one-property free plan and move to a paid option when managing multiple properties. Organisations needing feeds, reporting, permissions or integrations should weigh Small or above. It is less compelling for users who need those organisational features on the lowest-cost plans.

Pros and cons

Pros: Forever-free plans have no transaction limits, so users within their property or sole-trader scope can keep costs down.

Pros: UK tax support includes VAT submissions, MTD Income Tax and quarterly updates, with a dedicated VAT upgrade for sole traders.

Pros: Paid plans allow unlimited users and accountant access, while larger organisational tiers add feeds, matching and integrations.

Cons: The free property options are constrained by property count or type, so landlords with multiple properties need a paid plan.

Cons: Bank feeds and automated matching are specified for Small, Medium and Large, not the £5 Sole Trader and Property plans.

Cons: Small starts at £16 per month plus VAT, a notable jump for users who need organisational reporting and feeds but not a larger package.

Alternatives

FreeAgent is worth considering for a sole trader seeking a different freemium option; its sole-trader plan is £10 per month, compared with Clear Books' £5 Sole Trader plan.

BUSY may suit readers who want a web-based free billing and accounting plan with multiple-company support.

Odoo Accounting is an alternative for readers who value a free one-app option and need Android, iOS, web or self-hosted access.

Dolibarr is a free open-source option for readers seeking self-hosted or on-premise ERP and CRM software.

Tryton is another free open-source choice for readers comfortable with a self-hosted server or third-party hosting.

Wave may appeal to users prioritising free invoicing and bookkeeping records; online card payments carry a 2.9% + $0.60 per-transaction fee.

Zoho Books is an option for solopreneurs and micro businesses whose annual revenue stays below $50K and who can work within its one-user, one-account free plan.

FreshBooks is a paid alternative for readers who want a service with a free trial rather than a free plan.

For specialist comparisons, browse Gym Accounting Software or Salon Accounting Software; for a broader category view, see Bookkeeping Software.

Verdict

Choose Clear Books if you are a UK sole trader, landlord or organisation that can match its plan structure to your bookkeeping and tax needs. Its strongest case is the combination of UK compliance support, focused free tiers and paid accountant access. Look elsewhere if you need bank feeds or organisational reporting at the lowest price, since those capabilities begin with Small rather than the £5 plans.