8.7
Spot Score
Clear Books Review: Is It The Right Accounting Software For Your Team?
Best for SMB teams
Free Trial Available
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Features
Buyer feedback
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SpotSaaS Analysis for Clear Books
Clear Books is an accounting software solution primarily used by small business owners and finance managers in companies with 1-50 employees. With a 4.5/5 rating from 254 user reviews, it is broadly validated as a reliable choice for those seeking an accessible and efficient accounting tool.
The software's user-friendly interface and intuitive design make it particularly appealing to users with minimal accounting experience, offering excellent value for money compared to competitors like Sage and Xero. Additionally, its strong customer support ensures users have access to prompt and knowledgeable assistance. However, new users may encounter a steeper learning curve when navigating advanced features, which could be a hurdle for some.
Quick facts about Clear Books
What is Clear Books?
Clear is the best cloud-based accounting software for small businesses. It makes accounting easy by using the intuitive design of a clear book. You get an at-a-glance snapshot of your business finances and can drill down to any transactions or reports you need, including: expense reports, mileage tracking, invoicing, sales dashboard, bank reconciliation and more.
Pricing
Free Trial available
Best For
Best suited for small teams and solo users
Security & Compliance
GDPRData residency:Global
Platform
Web + mobile app (iOS & Android)
Clear Books Software Demo
Clear Books was reviewed internally using user feedback, in-house testing, and market research to assess its performance, reliability, and user experience. Learn how we review products and our evaluation process.
Who should consider Clear Books
- Use cases
- Small businesses across various sectors, Fintech companies, Consulting firms
- Team types
- Finance managers, Accountants
- Company size
- 1-50 employees, Freelancers
- Workflow style
- Simple and streamlined
- Setup complexity
- Medium
Why teams choose Clear Books
User-friendly interface accessible to users with minimal accounting experience
Robust and responsive customer support with live human interaction
Simplifies compliance tasks such as MTD and VAT returns
Is Clear Books right for you?
Best cloud accounting for small businesses needing simple, clear financial management.
Choose Clear Books if
- You are a small business or freelancer seeking an intuitive, easy-to-navigate accounting tool.
- You want strong, responsive customer support with live human interaction.
- You need straightforward compliance features like MTD and VAT return simplification.
Consider alternatives if
- Your business requires advanced, customizable reporting and detailed financial breakdowns.
- You depend on extensive third-party integrations or automated bill scanning out-of-the-box.
What buyers should know before shortlisting Clear Books
Clear Books has consistently proven itself as a highly user-friendly and feature-rich accounting solution tailored for small businesses. Its intuitive interface makes tasks like invoicing, VAT submissions, and financial reporting remarkably straightforward, even for users without prior bookkeeping experience.
Many reviewers highlighted the software’s exceptional customer support, with responses being swift, patient, and solution-oriented. The well-priced subscription offers great value, and features such as bank statement imports, customizable templates, and seamless HMRC integration further enhance its functionality.
Long-term users appreciate its steady evolution, showcasing improvements based on user feedback over the years. While the wealth of features adds depth, some users found the initial navigation slightly challenging but manageable with practice.
A few others wished for enhanced integrations with third-party applications. Overall, Clear Books maintains its reputation as a reliable, efficient, and easy-to-acclimate software that significantly reduces the administrative burdens of accounting.
It’s a fantastic choice for small businesses seeking simplicity and robust functionality combined.
Clear Books pros and cons
- Clear Books pros
User-friendly interface accessible to users with minimal accounting experience
Robust and responsive customer support with live human interaction
Simplifies compliance tasks such as MTD and VAT returns
- Clear Books cons
Steeper learning curve when using advanced features
Limited integrations requiring additional costs, e.g., bill scanning
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What is the pricing of Clear Books?
Clear Books reviews and ratings
Buyer sentiment
Overall, buyers appreciate Clear Books for its ease of use, strong customer support, and value for money, though some desire more advanced features and integrations.
What buyers like
- Ease of use
- Customer support
- Value for money
Common complaints
- Learning curve for advanced features
- Limited integrations
What users are saying
C
Carol
02/13/24
Easy to use
Easy to use, someone available if help is needed.
SC
Sarah Christie
02/12/24
Top Accountancy Software and Support
The software itself does everything I need it to do and more. There have been numerous occasions I have called the support team for help both with ...
Read more
LW
Lesley Woo
02/11/24
Clearbooks, simple to use, effective and good value
Using Sage Accounts for 25 years, I needed to source a more cost effective alternative. I shortlisted 4 providers and selected Clearbooks. I was ...
Read more
J
Janice
02/08/24
We are a small company (actually just…
We are a small company (actually just the 2 of us) we have our own roles and one of mine is submissions. When MTD came into force I had no idea where ...
Read more
CC
Chloe Constantine
02/07/24
Really good value
Really good value in comparison to others, we have gone from excel to this for both our businesses, it’s clear and easy to use. End of the year p&L ...
Read more
JP
Jessica Pointing
02/07/24
I can't fault Clearbooks
I can't fault Clearbooks. The system is easy to use and nicely laid out. We had one issue to do with a VAT amount not being able to be split when ...
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- Real pricing — no sales pressure
- A demo or quick answers, your call
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What are the features of Clear Books?
The overall accounts payable (AP) balance of a corporation at a given moment in time will appear in the current liabilities column of its ba…
The term "accounts receivable" refers to a company's unpaid bills or the money owed to it by customers. Accounts that a company is entitled…
A bank reconciliation statement reconciles an entity's bank account with its financial records. The statement lists all deposits, withdrawal…
An invoice and a bill are documents that convey the same information about the amount owing for the sale of goods or services. Still, a comp…
The practice of collecting and managing cash flows is known as cash management. Individuals and businesses both benefit from good cash manag…
Keeping track of your expenses is a crucial component of building a budget for your small business. The financial health of your budget is i…
The practice of tracking and managing an organization's physical assets and equipment is known as fixed asset management. Vehicles, computer…
A general ledger is a financial data record-keeping system that includes debit and credit account records confirmed by a trial balance. It h…
Your firm will be able to hold funds in multiple currencies if you have a multi-currency bank account. When conducting a business across bor…
The process of paying salaries is referred to as payroll. It begins with preparing a payroll list and concludes with the recording of expens…
Project accounting is a sort of managerial accounting that focuses on managing and delivering projects. It entails tracking, reporting, and…
Purchasing is a method by which an individual or organization acquires goods or services to achieve its objectives. Despite the efforts of n…
A tax is a governmental mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on a taxpayer to fund certain public expenses. The taxation system is cri…
Clear Books security and data handling
Key compliance certifications and security features for IT and security teams evaluating Clear Books.
Certifications
Security features
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Why buyers keep looking beyond Clear Books
Lacks inventory management and CRM integration — teams needing these features typically add separate tools
Businesses in specialized industries often need sector-specific compliance features that Clear Books doesn't provide
Pricing is higher than competitors offering similar accounting features — common reason for switching to Xero or FreshBooks
Customer support response times are slower than competitors, and the user community is smaller — teams needing quick help often switch
Outgrows at higher transaction volumes — businesses processing 500+ monthly transactions typically migrate to Sage or Xero
Clear Books Support Options
Frequently Asked Questions About Clear Books
Common questions buyers ask before choosing Clear Books.
Clear Books is a Accounting Software. Clear Books offers Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Bank Reconciliation, Billing and Invoicing, Cash Management and many more functionalities.
Clear Books is a strong fit if: You are a small business or freelancer seeking an intuitive, easy-to-navigate accounting tool.; You want strong, responsive customer support with live human interaction.. Consider alternatives if: Your business requires advanced, customizable reporting and detailed financial breakdowns.; You depend on extensive third-party integrations or automated bill scanning out-of-the-box..
Buyers commonly note the following limitations of Clear Books: Steeper learning curve when using advanced features; Limited integrations requiring additional costs, e.g., bill scanning; Some reporting features lack detailed summaries or breakdowns.
Some top alternatives to Clear Books includes Xero, Zoho Books, Quickbooks, Freshbooks and Busy Accounting Software.
Clear Books offers Free Trial, Subscription pricing models
The starting price is not disclosed by Clear Books. You can visit Clear Books pricing page to get the latest pricing.
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About the reviewer
Rajat Gupta is the founder of Spotsaas. Over the past two years, he has reviewed 2,000+ tools across CRM, HR, AI, and finance — applying hands-on product research and a background in commerce and the CFA program to evaluate software through a business and ROI lens. His goal: help teams make software decisions they won't regret.
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Disclaimer: This research has been collated from a variety of authoritative sources. We welcome your feedback at [email protected].