We may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page. It never changes a score or a ranking. How we make money
It's a split decision.
Choose BILL if you need accounts payable and receivable, spend controls, and payment workflows in one platform; its paid AP/AR plans start at $49 per user monthly, while the free Spend & Expense plan excludes core AP and AR. Choose Clear Books for UK-focused bookkeeping, invoicing and MTD/VAT workflows: it has free plans and paid options from £5 monthly. These prices use different currencies and scopes, so compare the plan that matches your business—not just the headline.
01Side by side
| BILL | Clear Books | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | Free; paid AP/AR from $49 per user monthly | Free; paid options from £5 monthly |
| Free plan | Spend & Expense; excludes core AP and AR | Free plans for sole traders and property owners |
| Best for | Businesses combining AP, AR and spend management | UK sole traders, landlords and small businesses |
| Core strength | Bill payments, approvals, invoicing and spend controls | Accounting, VAT filing and MTD workflows |
| Learning curve | Ease-of-use score: 6/10; workflow complexity varies | Ease-of-use score: 6/10; workflow complexity varies |
| Integrations and data | Two-way sync with QuickBooks, NetSuite and Sage Intacct | Integrations and API listed; connected apps not specified |
| Team and seat costs | Paid AP/AR plans charge per user monthly | No per-user costs listed; some plans include unlimited users |
| Support | Support score: 5/10; plan details vary | Support score: 5/10; setup help concerns noted |
BILL Choose BILL if
- Choose BILL if you need AP and AR in one platform.
- Choose BILL if spend controls and approval workflows matter.
- Choose BILL if your accounting stack uses its listed syncs.
Clear Books Choose Clear Books if
- Choose Clear Books if you need UK VAT and MTD workflows.
- Choose Clear Books if you want a free accounting plan.
- Choose Clear Books if unlimited users matter on eligible plans.
02Pricing compared
BILL’s free Spend & Expense plan covers cards, budgets and expense tracking, but not core accounts payable or receivable. Paid AP/AR starts at $49 per user per month for Essentials; Team is $65 and Corporate is $89. Enterprise pricing is custom. The pricing page also lists transaction fees, including $0.59 for ACH/ePayment and 2.9% for card payments.
Clear Books has free plans for sole traders, landlords and overseas-property records. Paid options start at £5 per month for Sole Trader, Property and Foreign Property; company plans start at £16 monthly for Small, or £14.40 when billed yearly. Prices are plus VAT, and some add-ons have unpublished prices. These currencies and plan scopes differ, so compare the features you need, not just the entry price.
03Features and depth
BILL is the closer fit for businesses that need to move money and control spend. It supports bill payments by ACH, check, card and international transfer, plus approval workflows, invoicing, budgets and expenses. Essentials includes standard approval policies and CSV accounting integration; Team adds automatic two-way sync with QuickBooks and Xero. Corporate adds procurement and custom controls. The free plan is spend management, not a free version of the full AP/AR product.
Clear Books is accounting software aimed at UK small businesses, sole traders and accountants. Its listed capabilities include branded and recurring invoices, payment reminders, financial reports, VAT submissions to HMRC and MTD workflows. Small includes bank feeds, matching, integrations and an API; Medium adds VAT and CIS submissions, while Large adds project accounting, multi-currency and fixed assets. Auto Bills is included on paid Sole Trader and Property plans, but is an optional, separately priced add-on for company plans. Clear Books is the more directly relevant option for UK bookkeeping and tax filing; BILL’s feature set is broader for payments and spend controls.
04Ease of use and learning curve
The published details point to different setup questions. With BILL, check whether your team needs only spend controls or full AP/AR, then confirm the right tier for accounting sync, custom roles and approval policies. BILL’s review gives ease of use 6/10 and support 5/10; the review describes a broad toolkit, but not a simple one-size-fits-all plan.
Clear Books offers free plans, an accountant invitation on Sole Trader Free, and unlimited users on paid Sole Trader and Property plans. Its review also scores ease of use 6/10 and support 5/10, and flags setup help and add-on pricing as concerns. Payroll and some add-ons have no published price, so confirm the total before choosing.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between a bill and billing?
A bill is a payment request or amount owed; billing is the process of issuing or managing charges and invoices. In this comparison, BILL is the name of a financial operations platform, while its tools include bill payments and invoicing. Clear Books also offers invoicing, but serves as accounting software.
Is Clear Books completely free?
No. Clear Books lists free plans for sole traders, landlords and one overseas property, alongside paid plans from £5 per month. The free plans have specified scopes; for example, Sole Trader Free includes MTD quarterly updates and year-end filing, while paid company plans start at £16 monthly before applicable VAT.
What are the 7 books of accounts in order?
The published product information does not list seven books of accounts or give an order, so we can’t verify a sequence here. It describes Clear Books as accounting software with invoicing and financial reports, and BILL as a financial operations platform covering payments, invoices, expenses and budgets.
Where can I buy a bill book?
The published information does not identify retailers or purchasing options for a physical bill book. BILL is a financial operations platform, not a listed stationery product. If you mean software for creating invoices and handling accounts, BILL offers invoicing and Clear Books lists invoicing among its accounting features.