QuickBooks Sole Trader vs Clear Books
Verified ratings, real UK pricing and the compliance detail, weighed side by side — with a written verdict at the end.
QuickBooks Sole Trader
Accounting Software
- United Kingdom
- Phone
- Live Chat
- Knowledge Base
Clear Books
Accounting Software
- United Kingdom
- Phone
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
Evenly matched on verified reviews — 4.1 against 4.0. 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 | QuickBooks Sole Trader | Clear Books |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | £9/mo | £16/mo |
| Free version | NoNo | YesYes |
| Free trial | YesYes | YesYes |
| How it rates | ||
| Overall ratingMean of verified Assaylist reviews | 4.1 | 4.0 |
| Verified reviewsVolume is evidence, not a score — this row is not a contest | 273 reviews | 299 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.
- QuickBooks Sole Trader
- Clear Books
| Dimension | QuickBooks Sole Trader | Clear Books | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 4.1 | 3.9 | 0.2 to QuickBooks Sole Trader |
| Value for money | 4.0 | 3.9 | 0.1 to QuickBooks Sole Trader |
| Customer support | 4.1 | 3.9 | 0.2 to QuickBooks Sole Trader |
| Functionality | 4.0 | 3.9 | 0.1 to QuickBooks Sole Trader |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks Sole Trader | 47% (129 reviews) | 33% (91 reviews) | 9% (24 reviews) | 8% (21 reviews) | 3% (8 reviews) |
| Clear Books | 38% (115 reviews) | 38% (113 reviews) | 14% (41 reviews) | 5% (15 reviews) | 5% (15 reviews) |
Feature by feature
Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.
- Only QuickBooks Sole Trader
- 847%
- Only Clear Books
- 953%
17 features listed across both products.
What only one of them does
QuickBooks Sole Trader
8- Accountant access
- Automatic mileage tracking
- Income and expense categorisation
- Invoicing and online payments
+ 4 more in the table below
Clear Books
9- Bank reconciliation
- Expense management
- Free MTD plan for sole traders and landlords
- Invoicing and estimates
+ 5 more in the table below
| Detail | QuickBooks Sole Trader | Clear Books |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 17 | ||
| Accountant access | YesYes | NoNo |
| Automatic mileage tracking | YesYes | NoNo |
| Income and expense categorisation | YesYes | NoNo |
| Invoicing and online payments | YesYes | NoNo |
| Mobile app | YesYes | NoNo |
| MTD for Income Tax submissions | YesYes | NoNo |
| Receipt capture | YesYes | NoNo |
| Self Assessment preparation | YesYes | NoNo |
| Bank reconciliation | NoNo | YesYes |
| Expense management | NoNo | YesYes |
| Free MTD plan for sole traders and landlords | NoNo | YesYes |
| Invoicing and estimates | NoNo | YesYes |
| Making Tax Digital for VAT | NoNo | YesYes |
| Multi user access | NoNo | YesYes |
| Reporting | NoNo | YesYes |
| UK based support | NoNo | YesYes |
| VAT returns | NoNo | 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 | QuickBooks Sole Trader | Clear Books |
|---|---|---|
| Verified against vendor documentation | ||
| HMRC-recognised for MTD for VAT | Not listedNot listed | YesYes |
| HMRC-recognised for MTD for ITSA | YesYes | Not listedNot listed |
| Making Tax Digital ready | YesYes | YesYes |
| Open Banking bank feeds | YesYes | Not listedNot listed |
| Data residency | Not stated | United Kingdom |
| UK-based support | Telephone and chat support | UK 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.
QuickBooks Sole Trader
Clear Books
Sole Trader Plus
£9/mo
- 1 user plus accountant access
- Automatic mileage tracking
- Receipt capture
Free MTD (sole traders and landlords)
FreeLower
- Making Tax Digital records
- For self employed and landlords
- Basic invoicing
No comparable tier listed
Small
£16/mo
- Invoicing and expenses
- VAT returns
- Bank reconciliation
No comparable tier listed
Medium
£34/user/month
- More users
- Advanced features
- Everything in Small
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 QuickBooks Sole Trader if
- It costs less to get started — £9/mo against £16/mo.
- It lists 8 features Clear Books does not, including accountant access.
- It covers more of the UK obligations we check — 4 of them against 3.
Choose Clear Books if
- There is a free tier you can stay on, which QuickBooks Sole Trader does not offer.
- It lists 9 features QuickBooks Sole Trader does not, including bank reconciliation.
On verified Assaylist reviews, QuickBooks Sole Trader currently rates 4.1 against 4.0 for Clear Books. That gap is not the whole story: QuickBooks Sole Trader starts at £9/mo and Clear Books at £16/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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