Clear Books vs Sage 50 Accounts
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
Sage 50 Accounts
Accounting Software
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- Phone
- Live Chat
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
Sage 50 Accounts leads on verified reviews by 0.2 of a point — 4.2 against 4.0 for Clear Books.
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 | Sage 50 Accounts |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | £16/mo | £115/mo |
| Free version | YesYes | NoNo |
| Free trial | YesYes | YesYes |
| How it rates | ||
| Overall ratingMean of verified Assaylist reviews | 4.0 | 4.2 |
| Verified reviewsVolume is evidence, not a score — this row is not a contest | 299 reviews | 201 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
- Sage 50 Accounts
| Dimension | Clear Books | Sage 50 Accounts | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 3.9 | 4.1 | 0.2 to Sage 50 Accounts |
| Value for money | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to Sage 50 Accounts |
| Customer support | 3.9 | 4.1 | 0.2 to Sage 50 Accounts |
| Functionality | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to Sage 50 Accounts |
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) |
| Sage 50 Accounts | 43% (86 reviews) | 39% (78 reviews) | 12% (25 reviews) | 4% (9 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 Sage 50 Accounts
- 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
Sage 50 Accounts
13- Advanced stock management
- AI document capture
- Automatic bank reconciliation
- Bespoke reporting
+ 9 more in the table below
Showing 22 of 22 features
| Detail | Clear Books | Sage 50 Accounts |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Advanced stock management | NoNo | YesYes |
| AI document capture | NoNo | YesYes |
| Automatic bank reconciliation | NoNo | YesYes |
| Bespoke reporting | NoNo | YesYes |
| Departments and budgets | NoNo | YesYes |
| Fixed asset register | NoNo | YesYes |
| Foreign currency invoicing | NoNo | YesYes |
| MTD for Income Tax Self Assessment | NoNo | YesYes |
| Multi company reporting | NoNo | YesYes |
| Project costing | NoNo | YesYes |
| Sage Copilot | NoNo | YesYes |
| Sales and purchase order processing | NoNo | YesYes |
| Supplier payments | 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 | Sage 50 Accounts |
|---|---|---|
| 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 support from Sage UK |
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
Sage 50 Accounts
Free MTD (sole traders and landlords)
FreeLower
- Making Tax Digital records
- For self employed and landlords
- Basic invoicing
Sage 50 Accounts Standard
£115/mo
- 2 standard users included
- MTD for VAT and Income Tax
- Automated expense management
Small
£16/moLower
- Invoicing and expenses
- VAT returns
- Bank reconciliation
Sage 50 Accounts Professional
£234/mo
- Everything in Standard
- Sales and purchase orders
- Fixed asset register
Medium
£34/user/month
- More users
- Advanced features
- Everything in Small
No comparable tier listed
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
- It costs less to get started — £16/mo against £115/mo.
- There is a free tier you can stay on, which Sage 50 Accounts does not offer.
- It lists 8 features Sage 50 Accounts does not, including bank reconciliation.
Choose Sage 50 Accounts if
- It lists 13 features Clear Books does not, including advanced stock management.
- It covers more of the UK obligations we check — 5 of them against 3.
On verified Assaylist reviews, Sage 50 Accounts currently rates 4.2 against 4.0 for Clear Books. That gap is not the whole story: Clear Books starts at £16/mo and Sage 50 Accounts at £115/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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