Clear Books vs My Tax Digital
Both are full cloud accounting tools for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax.
Clear Books and My Tax Digital start at the same true annual cost (£0, VAT included), so the choice comes down to fit rather than price.
| Clear Books | My Tax Digital | |
|---|---|---|
| True annual cost from | £0 | £0 |
| Self-employment | Yes | Yes |
| Property / rent | Yes | Yes |
| Keeps your spreadsheet | No | No |
| Accountant access | Yes | Yes |
| Type | full cloud accounting | full cloud accounting |
| HMRC status | Recognised | Recognised |
| Price verified | 2026-07-01 | 2026-07-01 |
Clear Books
Established UK cloud accounting with a genuinely free plan for sole traders and landlords — MTD for Income Tax quarterly updates and year-end filing at no cost, with low-priced paid tiers that add bank feeds and per-property tracking.
- People who want free cloud accounting from an established UK provider
- Sole traders and landlords who may later want bank feeds
My Tax Digital
A genuinely free, HMRC-recognised MTD tool from Open Answers. Works as either spreadsheet bridging or simple in-app accounting, and covers both self-employment and property income at no cost.
- Anyone who wants to comply for £0
- Sole traders and landlords with straightforward affairs
Not sure either is right? Use the finder to get a recommendation ranked by what it will actually cost you.
Prices are each tool's cheapest plan, VAT included, last verified 1 July 2026 (catalogue reconciled 1 July 2026). Links are affiliate links and never affect ranking. Not affiliated with HMRC; not tax advice.