Clear Books vs Sage Sole Trader
Both are full cloud accounting tools for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax.
Clear Books and Sage Sole Trader start at the same true annual cost (£0, VAT included), so the choice comes down to fit rather than price.
| Clear Books | Sage Sole Trader | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
Sage Sole Trader
Sage's genuinely free MTD for Income Tax app for sole traders and landlords (formerly Sage Individual). Digital records, bank feeds, quarterly updates and the final declaration at no cost — from one of the biggest names in UK accounting.
- Sole traders and landlords who want a free tool from a major brand
- Non-VAT-registered people who want zero-cost compliance
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.