Clear Books vs Zoho Books
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
Zoho Books
Accounting Software
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- United States
- Canada
- Australia
- India
- 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 | Zoho Books |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | £16/mo | Free |
| Free version | YesYes | YesYes |
| 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 | 240 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
- Zoho Books
| Dimension | Clear Books | Zoho Books | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 3.9 | 4.1 | 0.2 to Zoho Books |
| Value for money | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to Zoho Books |
| Customer support | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to Zoho Books |
| Functionality | 3.9 | 4.1 | 0.2 to Zoho Books |
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) |
| Zoho Books | 48% (114 reviews) | 29% (69 reviews) | 15% (36 reviews) | 7% (17 reviews) | 2% (4 reviews) |
Feature by feature
Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.
- Both products
- 14%
- Only Clear Books
- 833%
- Only Zoho Books
- 1563%
24 features listed across both products.
What only one of them does
Clear Books
8- Expense management
- Free MTD plan for sole traders and landlords
- Invoicing and estimates
- Making Tax Digital for VAT
+ 4 more in the table below
Zoho Books
15- 50+ reports
- API access
- CIS contractor tracking
- Customer portal
+ 11 more in the table below
Showing 24 of 24 features
| Detail | Clear Books | Zoho Books |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 23 | ||
| Expense management | YesYes | NoNo |
| Free MTD plan for sole traders and landlords | YesYes | NoNo |
| Invoicing and estimates | YesYes | NoNo |
| Making Tax Digital for VAT | YesYes | NoNo |
| Multi user access | YesYes | NoNo |
| Reporting | YesYes | NoNo |
| UK based support | YesYes | NoNo |
| VAT returns | YesYes | NoNo |
| 50+ reports | NoNo | YesYes |
| API access | NoNo | YesYes |
| CIS contractor tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| Customer portal | NoNo | YesYes |
| File CT600 Corporation Tax | NoNo | YesYes |
| File SA100 Self Assessment | NoNo | YesYes |
| Final Accounts filing | NoNo | YesYes |
| Inventory management | NoNo | YesYes |
| Mileage tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| MTD for Income Tax | NoNo | YesYes |
| MTD for VAT | NoNo | YesYes |
| Projects and time tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| Property tracking for landlords | NoNo | YesYes |
| Receipt autoscans | NoNo | YesYes |
| Recurring invoices | NoNo | YesYes |
| Where they match · 1 | ||
| Bank reconciliation | 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 | Zoho Books |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Not stated |
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
Zoho Books
Free MTD (sole traders and landlords)
Free
- Making Tax Digital records
- For self employed and landlords
- Basic invoicing
Free
Free
- 1 user plus 1 accountant
- File SA100 with HMRC
- MTD for Income Tax
Small
£16/mo
- Invoicing and expenses
- VAT returns
- Bank reconciliation
Standard
£12/moLower
- 3 users
- Connect bank feeds
- Final Accounts filing
Medium
£34/user/month
- More users
- Advanced features
- Everything in Small
Professional
£24/moLower
- Projects and time tracking
- Inventory management
- Purchase orders
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 lists 8 features Zoho Books does not, including expense management.
Choose Zoho Books if
- It costs less to get started — Free against £16/mo.
- It lists 15 features Clear Books does not, including 50+ reports.
- It covers more of the UK obligations we check — 4 of them against 3.
On verified Assaylist reviews, Zoho Books currently rates 4.1 against 4.0 for Clear Books. That gap is not the whole story: Clear Books starts at £16/mo and Zoho Books at Free, 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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