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Clear Books is an affordable accounting software that offers a robust set of core accounting features, including tax preparation. From its support of various tax types to its auto-updates for changing regulations, Clear Books was actually the best accounting software for tax preparation across our in-depth research, particularly considering the low starting price.
Other than that, though, we found Clear Books to be lacking in a lot of major categories. The help and support are not nearly as available as competitors, nor do they offer any live chat options. On top of that, Clear Books was found to be a bit difficult to use for complex functionalities, particularly when it comes to the limited financial planning features.
In this review, we’ll outline some of the features and pricing options from Clear Books, as well as provide some insight into how it compares to other accounting software alternatives, so you can make the right decision for your business.
Pros
- Intuitive search function for quick and easy access to key data.
- Efficient, straightforward customization features, such as quote creation.
- Pop-up project creation feature feels modern and user-friendly.
Cons
- No after-hours or weekend support
- No cash flow projection tools for better forecasting
- Does not track the view status of invoices
- Starts at: £13.50/month, billed monthly
- Starts at: £12.15/month, billed annually
- 30-day free trial
Clear Books Pricing
Clear Books is one of the most affordably priced accounting software options on the market, according to our in-depth research. With a starting price of only £13.50 per month and the most expensive plans only costing £36 per month, the only accounting software that we found to be more affordable was FreeAgent.
It’s worth remembering that Clear Books is a UK company, which is why the prices listed are in pounds instead of dollars. For those hoping to use the platform outside of the UK, have no fear, Clear Books offers multi-currency functionality, so you can utilize the software internationally. Here’s how the plans match up:
- Small – £13.50 per month (approximately $17.50 per month)
- Medium – £29 per month (approximately $37.50 per month)
- Large – £36 per month (approximately $46.50 per month)
As of April 2025, Clear Books is running a special deal that allows users to get 50% off the subscription cost for the first three months. This means that you’ll be able to get the Small plan, for example, for only £6.25 per month (approximately $8 per month). After those first three months, though, the price goes back to the standard rate.
Does Clear Books have a free plan?
Unfortunately, Clear Books does not offer a free forever plan. If you want to utilize the platform before you make a financial commitment, Clear Books does offer a 30-day free trial, so you can test it out before you actually buy it.
Check out our guide to the best free accounting software to learn more
Clear Books Features
Clear Books actually holds its own when it comes to features, particularly considering how much more affordable it is than other accounting platforms in our research. Still, there are some clear gaps in its functionality that could be a dealbreaker for certain businesses.
- Recurring invoices
- Multi-currency invoicing
- Payment reminders
- All tax type support
- Time tracking
- Bill tracking
- Audit trails
- Document collaboration
- Fixed asset tracking
We evaluate the features of accounting software based on three different categories: core accounting, financial planning and visibility, and operational efficiency. Below, we’ll explain exactly how Clear Books performed when it came to these categories, so you can better understand what it’s good at and what it’s not.
Core accounting
Core accounting features are one area where Clear Books seriously excelled, with one of the highest scores in our research. This is largely because it offers such robust tax preparation features, including the most supported tax types of all the accounting software we evaluated, including income, sales, VAT, and GST. It also provides automatic updates to tax processes for changing regulations, so you don’t have to worry about getting hit with penalties if you miss the news.
Clear Books also provided us with top-tier financial transactions and reconciliation features, allowing us to sync multiple bank accounts, submit expense claims, scan bills, and send receipts following transactions.
There are some features lacking from Clear Books when it comes to core accounting tools, though, particularly when it comes to journal entry. You are limited to importing and exporting data into CSV files, which can be a hassle for those trying to transition to the platform. On top of that, we weren’t able to see when a client had viewed our invoices, a feature available on most accounting platforms like QuickBooks and Xero.
Clear Books has a “quick add” button for fast sales invoice creation. Source: Tech.co testing
Financial planning & visibility
While Clear Books does hold its own when it comes to core accounting features, the financial planning and visibility options are slim pickings with this platform. The forecasting tools in particular are lacking, with no cash flow projection features or system alerts for shortfalls and surpluses. We also weren’t able to create custom reports, which hampered our effective ability to evaluate our sales.
Clear Books does shine when it comes to inventory management, though, with automatic depreciation calculations and real-time quantity updates for all users. Clear Books even allows for the tracking of fixed assets, so you can use it as a full-on asset tracking software too.
Perhaps most problematic, though, is that Clear Books is woefully non-compliant with major regulations. Clear Books is neither GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) nor IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) compliant, which could cause issues for businesses that require this kind of security. To be clear, Clear Books is ICB (International Certification Board) and ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) compliant, which could be because it is a UK-based company.
Clear Books has a bills inbox for tracking all bills in a central location. Source: Tech.co testing
Operational efficiency
This category was another one that Clear Books struggled in a bit, with one of the lowest scores in our research. We found that the accounting software was particularly bad when it came to collaboration features, namely the fact that it does not provide any client portal that allows clients to view or interact with financial data.
Clear Books is also pretty light when it comes to third-party integrations, offering only 14 different options, including PayPal, Stripe, and Plaid. The platform does provide open API access for custom integrations, though, so it was able to offer some additional functionality if you’re technically proficient enough.
AI and automation were another sore spot, with no AI-powered insights or automatic budget and forecast categories, so we had to do a lot of manual data entry to get the most out of the platform. There are helpful audit trails, though, so you can see who is inputting data and when for more accurate information.
Clear Books offers an import overview for uploading data. Source: Tech.co testing
Clear Books Usability
The bright spot of the Clear Books interface is the search function. This intuitive feature allows you to easily and quickly find what you’re looking for just by entering a few words in the search bar. It proved to be the most efficient means of navigating the platform, largely because the rest of the interface was a bit of a mess.
In our research, we found the navigation experience to be inconsistent and complicated, with poorly categorized sections and naming inconsistencies between dashboards and reports. Customization was also a big downside for usability, with simple features like logo design becoming more rigid than it should be.
If you’re keeping it simple, though, Clear Books could be a good fit, as core accounting tools — like contacts, sales, and purchases — were clearly labeled, and filling out invoices was a breeze. All in all, beginners could feel right at home, but for advanced functionality, you might want to look elsewhere.
Check out our guide to accounting trends to learn more
Major features can be toggled on or off through the Clear Books interface. Source: Tech.co testing
Clear Books Help & Support
We’re going to give it to you straight; Clear Books was the worst accounting software provider when it came to help and support across our in-depth research. Why? Well, there were a couple of reasons.
For one, Clear Books customer support availability is not great, exclusively offering service during business hours, from 9am to 5pm during the week (Monday to Friday). Additionally, you’ll only get phone and email support, as there is no live chat option at all for any users.
There is a user forum and knowledge center for self-service help, but we found it to be a bit limited, with no information available on payment links or transaction fees. You will find video tutorials on how to get set up, but overall, the onboarding process lacked clarity and generally felt unnecessary.
How Does Clear Books Compare with Other Providers?
Unfortunately, Clear Books ended up being the lowest-ranked accounting software in our research, with poor help and support options, a difficult-to-use interface, and minimal financial planning and visibility features keeping it near the bottom of the list. As a result, you might be on the lookout for some Clear Books alternatives to address your accounting needs.
Zoho Books was our top choice, offering a robust feature catalog for accounting and forecasting, all in the easiest to use interface across our research. Even better, Zoho Books offers a free forever plan, so small businesses can get started at no cost. Another popular tool is FreshBooks, which offers 24/7 customer support, so you can get any help you might need with setting up and utilizing the system to its full potential.
If you want to learn more about your accounting software options, be sure to check out the best accounting software guide to learn more about the features, pricing, and usability of some of the best platforms on the market.
| Starting price | Free trial | Best for | Pros | Cons | Try now | ||
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| 30 days | 14 days | 30 days | 30 days | 30 days | 30 days | ||
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| Get Quotes | Try Zoho Books | Try Xero now | Try QuickBooks | Get Quotes | Try FreshBooks |
At Tech.co, we take our impartial research and analysis seriously, so you can have complete confidence that we're giving you the clearest, most useful recommendations.
After conducting an initial investigation to identify the most relevant, popular, and established accounting tools in the market, we conducted further research, including testing six major accounting software platforms.
Based on years of market and user needs research, we've established an accounting software testing methodology that scores these platforms against six main categories, and 25 subcategories - with a total of 1512 areas of investigation being considered overall.
We also put the platforms through their paces with hands-on testing to gain a deeper grasp of their average user experience. We dedicated 57 hours to carrying out 37 user tests, with a total of 555 tasks being completed in total.
Our main testing categories for accounting software are:
- Core accounting features - We check how adept a platform will be at managing accounting tasks, focusing on key bookkeeping features like invoicing, tax preparation, journal entry, time tracking, financial transactions, and payment support.
- Operational efficiency - We determine how capable a system is at ensuring day-to-day processes run seamlessly, paying close attention to third-party integrations, collaboration tools, AI automation, and customization options.
- Financial planning - We assess how capable a system will be at measuring income, profits, and losses. Specifically, we check for the presence and quality of forecasting and budgeting, inventory management, reporting, and compliance tools.
- Help and support - We asses how useful and reliable a platform's support system is, focusing on support options, whether it's 24/7, knowledge center accuracy, as well as cloud backup, and security safeguards.
- Pricing - We compare the overall cost of each platform, taking factors like monthly costs, set-up fees, hidden fees, and free plans into account. We also measure how strict contracts are, and how much it would cost for a business to terminate them early.
- User experience - An overall judgment of how easily users can interact with the platform. We tested each accounting platform and got our team to report how easy they were to use, how they felt when they were using them, and how likely they were to recommend the platform to another business.
When it comes to calculating a product's final score, not all testing areas are weighted evenly, with factors like ‘core accounting features’ and ‘operational efficiency’ being prioritized for small businesses, while sector-specific features are valued more highly for businesses across different industries.
We understand that accounting software is always evolving. That’s why at Tech.co, we have full-time product researchers to re-run this testing process regularly. It’s the only way to ensure our results remain reflective of the present day.
Learn more about our research.
Verdict: Is Clear Books Right for You?
We’ve been pretty honest in this review, and we aren’t going to stop here. In most cases, Clear Books probably isn’t right for your business. The limited planning features, the poor customer support, and the difficult to complex usage make it a hard accounting software platform to recommend for most businesses.
However, there are some that may like this platform. If you need advanced tax functionality, but you don’t want to pay a lot and won’t require a lot of advanced functionality, Clear Books could be exactly what you’re looking for. It offers more tax type support than any option in our research, and the low starting price makes it a clear choice for small businesses with complex tax needs.
To learn more about this kind of platforms, make sure to check out our best accounting software for small business guide to inform your decision.
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