QuickFile vs Clear Books Free
Side-by-side comparison for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax.
QuickFile
UK-built, genuinely free under 1,000 transactions/year.
QuickFile is a UK-built cloud accounting platform with a generous free tier, free for small businesses with fewer than 1,000 nominal ledger entries in a year, and £60/yr above that. Full MTD support for VAT and Income Tax, HMRC-recognised on the free tier with no MTD features held back behind the paywall. Probably the most capable free accounting tool in the UK market, with Pandle and Clear Books as the closest free alternatives.
Visit QuickFileClear Books Free
Free tier from an established UK accounting brand.
Clear Books offers a free tier aimed at small sole traders and landlords. HMRC-recognised for both MTD VAT and MTD Income Tax.
Visit Clear Books FreeFull feature comparison
| QuickFile | Clear Books Free | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & compliance | ||
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free tier | ✓ | ✓ |
| HMRC-recognised | ✓ | ✓ |
| Features | ||
| Bank feeds | ✓ | – |
| Mobile app | – | – |
| Receipt scanning | – | – |
| CIS support | – | – |
| Furnished holiday let support | – | – |
| VAT submission | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bridging software | – | – |
| Invoicing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multiple properties | – | – |
| Accountant access | ✓ | ✓ |
| Best suited to | ||
| Sole Traders | ✓ | ✓ |
| Landlords | ✓ | ✓ |
| Airbnb / Short-let Hosts | – | – |
| CIS Subcontractors | – | – |
| Uber & Gig Drivers | – | – |
| Freelancers | ✓ | – |
| Spreadsheet Users | – | – |
| Simple Affairs | ✓ | ✓ |
| Accountants | – | – |
| VAT-Registered | ✓ | – |
✓ = supported. Based on each provider's published plans; check their site for the latest details.
QuickFile verdict
The best free accounting option for sole traders who've outgrown HMRC's basic tool, with double-entry bookkeeping, bank feeds, and MTD filing all included on the free tier.
Clear Books Free verdict
A solid free alternative to HMRC's barebones tool.