Clear Books vs FreeAgent
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
FreeAgent
Accounting Software
- United Kingdom
- Phone
- 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 | FreeAgent |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | £16/mo | £19/mo |
| 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 | 297 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
- FreeAgent
| Dimension | Clear Books | FreeAgent | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to FreeAgent |
| Value for money | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to FreeAgent |
| Customer support | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to FreeAgent |
| Functionality | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to FreeAgent |
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) |
| FreeAgent | 42% (126 reviews) | 32% (96 reviews) | 16% (49 reviews) | 7% (20 reviews) | 2% (6 reviews) |
Feature by feature
Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.
- Both products
- 210%
- Only Clear Books
- 733%
- Only FreeAgent
- 1257%
21 features listed across both products.
What only one of them does
Clear Books
7- Bank reconciliation
- Expense management
- Free MTD plan for sole traders and landlords
- Multi user access
+ 3 more in the table below
FreeAgent
12- Bank feeds
- CIS support
- Corporation Tax tracking
- Director Self Assessment
+ 8 more in the table below
Showing 21 of 21 features
| Detail | Clear Books | FreeAgent |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 19 | ||
| Bank reconciliation | YesYes | NoNo |
| Expense management | YesYes | NoNo |
| Free MTD plan for sole traders and landlords | YesYes | NoNo |
| Multi user access | YesYes | NoNo |
| Reporting | YesYes | NoNo |
| UK based support | YesYes | NoNo |
| VAT returns | YesYes | NoNo |
| Bank feeds | NoNo | YesYes |
| CIS support | NoNo | YesYes |
| Corporation Tax tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| Director Self Assessment | NoNo | YesYes |
| Dividend documentation | NoNo | YesYes |
| Expense and mileage tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| Mobile app | NoNo | YesYes |
| MTD for Income Tax | NoNo | YesYes |
| Payroll | NoNo | YesYes |
| Radar business insights | NoNo | YesYes |
| Tax timeline with amounts and deadlines | NoNo | YesYes |
| Time tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| Where they match · 2 | ||
| Invoicing and estimates | YesYes | YesYes |
| 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 | FreeAgent |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| RTI-compliant payroll | Not listedNot listed | YesYes |
| CIS support | Not listedNot listed | YesYes |
| Open Banking bank feeds | Not listedNot listed | YesYes |
| Data residency | United Kingdom | United Kingdom |
| UK-based support | UK support team | UK based support team |
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
FreeAgent
Free MTD (sole traders and landlords)
Free
- Making Tax Digital records
- For self employed and landlords
- Basic invoicing
Free with NatWest, RBS, Ulster or Mettle
Free
- Full product, not a limited version
- For as long as you hold the account
- Mettle requires one transaction a month
Small
£16/moLower
- Invoicing and expenses
- VAT returns
- Bank reconciliation
Sole trader
£19/mo
- Self Assessment preparation
- MTD for Income Tax
- Invoicing and expenses
Medium
£34/user/month
- More users
- Advanced features
- Everything in Small
Limited company
£33/moLower
- Corporation Tax tracking
- Dividend documentation
- Director Self Assessment
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 £19/mo.
- It lists 7 features FreeAgent does not, including bank reconciliation.
Choose FreeAgent if
- It lists 12 features Clear Books does not, including bank feeds.
- It covers more of the UK obligations we check — 7 of them against 3.
On verified Assaylist reviews, FreeAgent currently rates 4.1 against 4.0 for Clear Books. That gap is not the whole story: Clear Books starts at £16/mo and FreeAgent at £19/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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