Clear Books vs ZipBooks

Clear Books is browser-based accounting software for UK businesses, sole traders, and landlords, with Android and iOS mobile apps. Its listed capabilities include bank feeds, automated reconciliation, invoice creation, receipt capture, inventory tracking, and accountant access. Users can send branded invoices, schedule recurring invoices, and automate late-payment reminders. Tax tools include VAT submissions, MTD Income Tax, and quarterly updates; Clear Books describes itself as HMRC recognised and MTD-ready. Sole Trader Free and Property Free are ongoing free plans that require no card and have no transaction limits. Property Free covers one property or grouped properties, while Foreign Property Free is for one overseas property. Paid plans start at £5 per month plus VAT, and include a full-access 30-day trial that can be cancelled without payment. Subscriptions can be cancelled at any time. Paid plans include unlimited users and accountant tools. Small, Medium, and Large include integrations and an API, with Stripe and GoCardless built in. Support options range from self-service and email to phone support, with UK-based support.

ZipBooks is accounting software for small businesses, combining invoicing, bookkeeping, reporting and business intelligence. Users can send invoices and estimates, take card payments, set recurring auto-billing and automate payment reminders. Accounting tools include bank connections, reconciliation, transaction categorization and financial reports; ZipBooks says it can import transactions automatically from thousands of financial institutions, including many banks in the U.S. and Canada. Users can track project and task time in a browser or iOS app and add time entries to invoices. The product lists Gusto integration, and supports digital payments through Square or PayPal. Time entries can sync with Gusto for payroll, with payroll transaction details recorded in ZipBooks. It is available on web, Android and iOS, and the maker is headquartered in Utah, USA. ZipBooks offers a free plan and a free trial. Their described features range from invoices, bank connections and reports to reconciliation, time tracking, team access, client account management and data migration.