Ignition at ignitionapp.com is proposal and billing software for accounting firms, bookkeepers, and other professional services. It is not a car product. You send a branded proposal, with up to three package options, plus an engagement letter. The client signs and enters payment details. Ignition then creates invoices in QuickBooks Online or Xero on the schedule in the proposal, and Ignition Payments can mark those invoices paid.

TaxDome and Canopy also send proposals and take payment, inside a system that runs the firm's jobs and portal. Ignition is the agreement and the recurring bill, not that operating system. Double (formerly Keeper) closes the client file. Ignition does not categorize transactions or replace the ledger. The books stay in QuickBooks Online or Xero, which is where the invoice and the payment land.

Firms stick with it when they are tired of rebuilding a Word letter and then chasing the first payment. The card or bank details are on file before the work starts, so a monthly fee can run from the signed proposal. A scope change can be billed from the same client instead of a new contract from scratch.

Build a branded proposal from templates and a service library, with up to three options and add-ons. Engagement terms go out with it. The client signs online. Solo and Core include one signature per proposal. The US pricing table shows up to 2 on Pro and up to 10 on Pro+.

Send the proposal and the engagement letter together

The client enters a card or bank account on the proposal. Ignition can bill one-off, recurring, hourly, weekly, quarterly, or annual schedules. During the 14-day trial you can collect up to $10,000 with zero payment fees. After that, US standard cards are 2.5% + $0.30, premium cards are 3.6% + $0.30, and ACH is 1% + $0.30 with a $5 cap, plus 0.3% on the amount above $3,000.

Collect payment details before work starts

When the client accepts, Ignition creates the invoice in QuickBooks Online from the proposal lines and can match a new client or update the name. It can also import recurring QuickBooks invoices and turn them into draft proposals. The Xero integration page describes the same pattern: invoices from the proposal, and payments marked paid.

Create the invoice in QuickBooks Online or Xero

US annual prices on the pricing page: Solo is $39 for 20 active clients and 1 user (under $150k revenue), then +$7 per extra client. Core is $99 for 50 clients and 3 users, then +$5. Pro is $229 for 350 clients and 15 users, then +$3. Pro+ is $399 for 600 clients and 20 users, then +$2.

Stay inside the client and user caps

The pricing table lists single renewals on Core and bulk renewals on Pro and Pro+. Online forms are included on Pro and Pro+ and an add-on below that. The deals pipeline is included on Pro+ and an add-on on lower plans. The product page also lists billing for out-of-scope work. Add-on dollar amounts were mixed across currencies, so they are not repeated here.

Renew, reprice, and bill work outside scope

Proposals, engagement letters, and recurring invoices for firms. US Solo is $39/mo billed annually. Not a vehicle product.

Ignition Review: Proposals and Recurring Billing for Firms

Ignition

Solo

Core

Pro+

Enterprise

Clear Books is the ledger for a UK sole trader, landlord, or small company. You record income and expenses, send invoices, and file to HMRC from this file. Paid plans add bank feeds and bill and receipt capture. MTD for Income Tax quarterly updates are on the free sole trader and property plans. MTD VAT submissions are on Sole Trader Plus and on the Medium and Large organisation plans. The site has said it is UK software since 2008.

Xero and QuickBooks Online are the ledgers many accountants already know. Kick is a US replacement ledger. Dext, Hubdoc, and Veryfi capture documents and publish them into Xero or QuickBooks Online. Nanonets and DocuClipper extract invoices or statements for those same files. Clear Books is the books, not a capture add-on. Invoices, bank matching, VAT, CIS, and dividends live here, with hard plan gates. A US shop will not find 1099s in this file.

People who stay want UK support and one file that can start as a free MTD Income Tax record for a simple sole trader or a single property, then add invoicing and bank feeds. You can invite an accountant on the free plans. Limited companies, partnerships, and charities move to the organisation plans when they need journals, user permissions, dividends, and the fuller report set.

Sole Trader Free, Property Free, and Foreign Property Free cover HMRC-recognised MTD Income Tax quarterly updates and year-end filing, with no transaction cap, and you can invite an accountant. MTD VAT, the flat-rate scheme, and domestic reverse charge start on Sole Trader Plus. On organisation plans, MTD VAT submissions start on Medium. Small does not include them.

File MTD from the plan that includes it

Sole Trader and the organisation plans create and email invoices, including recurring invoices and reminders. Stripe and GoCardless are on the feature list for card and direct debit. Instant Bank Payments is an optional open-banking add-on. The pricing page does not show that add-on's price.

Invoice and collect in the same file

Paid sole trader and property plans include automated bank feeds and bill and receipt scanning. Organisation plans include a bank feed with automated matching on Small and up. The feature list also names an Auto Code pass over bank lines. The bank-feed provider is not named.

Match a bank feed and capture bills

Medium adds purchase orders, CIS reporting and submissions, and budgets, plus MTD VAT. Large adds project accounting, multi-currency with XE.com rates unless you override them, employee expense claims, mileage, and fixed assets. Stock tracking is marked on Small, Medium, and Large.

Step up for VAT, CIS, projects, and currency

The feature list says you can pay bills and payroll from Clear Books through Revolut Business. Payroll is a separate add-on with RTI submissions to HMRC and a 30-day trial. Its price is not on the pricing page. Auto Bills is included on paid sole trader and property plans and listed as an add-on on Small, Medium, and Large.

Pay bills or run payroll as add-ons

Organisation plans include journals, an audit log, user permissions, and period locks. Reports include profit and loss, balance sheet, cash flow, and trial balance, with CSV or PDF export. The accountant works in this file. There is no QuickBooks Online or Xero sync on the pages opened.

Lock a period and hand the file to an accountant

Clear Books is a UK ledger. Free MTD Income Tax plans exist. Paid plans start at £5/mo plus VAT. VAT filing is not on every plan.

Clear Books Review: UK Ledger, MTD Plans, and VAT Gates

Clear Books

Sole Trader Free

Sole Trader

Sole Trader Plus

Property Free

Property

Foreign Property Free

Foreign Property

Small

Medium

Large

Quipu is an all-in-one invoicing and treasury solution designed for freelancers, companies, and bookkeepers. It simplifies the management of invoicing, cash flow, and taxes, allowing users to focus on their core business activities. With features like automated billing processes and real-time cash flow visualization, Quipu helps users make informed financial decisions.

Easily create and send invoices while tracking their status from anywhere.

Automated Invoicing

Synchronize income sources and visualize cash flow with real-time data.

Cash Flow Management

Utilize OCR technology to register invoices quickly and reliably.

Document Digitization

Automatically associate bank movements with corresponding invoices.

Bank Reconciliation

Benefit from auto-completion of tax forms and specialized advisory services.

Tax Management

Quipu

Starter

FreeAgent is designed for small businesses, freelancers, and contractors, providing a comprehensive solution for managing finances with confidence. It offers features like cashflow forecasting, invoicing, payroll, and tax compliance, ensuring users can streamline their administrative tasks and focus on growth. With a user-friendly interface and mobile app, FreeAgent helps users stay on top of their financial position and make informed decisions.

Automated cashflow forecasting to help users project their financial future.

Cashflow Forecasting

Easy-to-use invoicing tools that allow for quick payments and automated reminders.

Invoicing

Fully integrated payroll system that submits Real Time Information directly to HMRC.

Bookkeeping and accounting software

Ignition

Clear Books

Quipu

FreeAgent