Clear Books vs QuickBooks Online
Verified ratings, real UK pricing and the compliance detail, weighed side by side — with a written verdict at the end.
Clear Books
Accounting Software
- United Kingdom
- Phone
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
QuickBooks Online
Accounting Software
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- United States
- Canada
- Australia
- Phone
- Live Chat
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
Evenly matched on verified reviews — 4.0 against 4.1. Price and fit will decide this one, not the score.
The short version
What each one costs and how each one rates, side by side. Only the rows where leading means something are marked; vendor and availability are in the overview above.
| Detail | Clear Books | QuickBooks Online |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | £16/mo | £14.33/mo |
| Free version | YesYes | NoNo |
| Free trial | YesYes | YesYes |
| How it rates | ||
| Overall ratingMean of verified Assaylist reviews | 4.0 | 4.1 |
| Verified reviewsVolume is evidence, not a score — this row is not a contest | 299 reviews | 262 reviews |
Highlighted where one clearly leads. Rows without a highlight are not a contest.
How reviewers score them
Across the four dimensions we ask every reviewer about — and, below, the star split each average is built from.
- Clear Books
- QuickBooks Online
| Dimension | Clear Books | QuickBooks Online | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to QuickBooks Online |
| Value for money | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to QuickBooks Online |
| Customer support | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to QuickBooks Online |
| Functionality | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to QuickBooks Online |
What each average is made of
Two products can share an average and not share a reputation. These bars show the star split behind each score.
| Product | 5 star | 4 star | 3 star | 2 star | 1 star |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clear Books | 38% (115 reviews) | 38% (113 reviews) | 14% (41 reviews) | 5% (15 reviews) | 5% (15 reviews) |
| QuickBooks Online | 44% (115 reviews) | 35% (93 reviews) | 13% (34 reviews) | 6% (17 reviews) | 1% (3 reviews) |
Feature by feature
Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.
- Both products
- 15%
- Only Clear Books
- 836%
- Only QuickBooks Online
- 1359%
22 features listed across both products.
What only one of them does
Clear Books
8- Bank reconciliation
- Expense management
- Free MTD plan for sole traders and landlords
- Invoicing and estimates
+ 4 more in the table below
QuickBooks Online
13- Automated bank feeds
- Batch invoicing
- Budgets
- Calculate and submit CIS
+ 9 more in the table below
Showing 22 of 22 features
| Detail | Clear Books | QuickBooks Online |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 21 | ||
| Bank reconciliation | YesYes | NoNo |
| Expense management | YesYes | NoNo |
| Free MTD plan for sole traders and landlords | YesYes | NoNo |
| Invoicing and estimates | YesYes | NoNo |
| Multi user access | YesYes | NoNo |
| Reporting | YesYes | NoNo |
| UK based support | YesYes | NoNo |
| VAT returns | YesYes | NoNo |
| Automated bank feeds | NoNo | YesYes |
| Batch invoicing | NoNo | YesYes |
| Budgets | NoNo | YesYes |
| Calculate and submit CIS | NoNo | YesYes |
| Class and location tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| Custom reporting | NoNo | YesYes |
| Inventory management | NoNo | YesYes |
| MTD for Income Tax ready | NoNo | YesYes |
| Multiple currencies | NoNo | YesYes |
| Project profitability tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| Receipt capture and mileage tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| Role based access control | NoNo | YesYes |
| Workflow automation | NoNo | YesYes |
| Where they match · 1 | ||
| Making Tax Digital for VAT | YesYes | YesYes |
A dash means the vendor has not published a feature list — which is not the same as the feature being unavailable.
How they handle UK obligations
Checked against the vendor's own documentation or HMRC's published list. A dash means we have not verified it — never that it is missing.
| Detail | Clear Books | QuickBooks Online |
|---|---|---|
| Verified against vendor documentation | ||
| HMRC-recognised for MTD for VAT | YesYes | YesYes |
| HMRC-recognised for MTD for ITSA | Not listedNot listed | YesYes |
| Making Tax Digital ready | YesYes | YesYes |
| CIS support | Not listedNot listed | YesYes |
| Open Banking bank feeds | Not listedNot listed | YesYes |
| Data residency | United Kingdom | Not stated |
| UK-based support | UK support team | Telephone and chat support |
What each tier costs
Both line-ups on one ladder, so the middle tier on one side sits next to the middle tier on the other.
Clear Books
QuickBooks Online
Free MTD (sole traders and landlords)
FreeLower
- Making Tax Digital records
- For self employed and landlords
- Basic invoicing
Simple Start
£14.33/mo
- 1 user plus accountant
- Making Tax Digital for VAT
- Calculate and submit CIS
Small
£16/moLower
- Invoicing and expenses
- VAT returns
- Bank reconciliation
Essentials
£34.20/mo
- 3 users plus accountant
- Multiple currencies
- Employee time tracking
Medium
£34/user/monthLower
- More users
- Advanced features
- Everything in Small
Plus
£50.40/mo
- 5 users plus accountant
- Inventory management
- Budgets
Rungs are matched by position in each vendor’s own line-up, not by what the tiers include — an entry plan on one side may cover more than the other. Prices exclude VAT unless stated, and per-seat plans are quoted per seat. Always confirm on the vendor’s own site.
Which should you choose?
Two answers, because there are two right ones depending on what you need.
Choose Clear Books if
- There is a free tier you can stay on, which QuickBooks Online does not offer.
- It lists 8 features QuickBooks Online does not, including bank reconciliation.
Choose QuickBooks Online if
- It costs less to get started — £14.33/mo against £16/mo.
- It lists 13 features Clear Books does not, including automated bank feeds.
- It covers more of the UK obligations we check — 5 of them against 3.
On verified Assaylist reviews, QuickBooks Online currently rates 4.1 against 4.0 for Clear Books. That gap is not the whole story: Clear Books starts at £16/mo and QuickBooks Online at £14.33/mo, so the right answer depends on the tier you actually need and on which one handles your UK obligations. Read both profiles before you commit, and confirm current pricing on the vendor's own site.
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