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

Kick is the ledger. You connect banks and cards through Plaid, plus Stripe, PayPal, Mercury, Ramp, Gusto, and BILL. Transactions land in Kick's cash-basis books already categorized. You review the misses, keep the rules that stick, match receipts, and reconcile. Reports and the year-end tax package come out of Kick.

It does not sit on QuickBooks Online or Xero. The live books live here, which is the opposite of Double (a layer on the file you already have) or staying in Wave with a local bookkeeper. For a US service shop, Kick's job is a shorter weekly review than QuickBooks and a year-end package a CPA can use. Owner help currently gates a direct QuickBooks import to Advanced; everyone else starts from bank feeds and a CSV or statement import.

People who stick with Kick are usually DIY US owners who found QuickBooks heavier than the books they actually keep. They care most about a clean year-end handoff: a review pass and a package an accountant can use, without paying a monthly bookkeeping service.

Bank, card, and processor lines post to the cash ledger as they sync. You correct the misses and keep rules. Kick leaves a transaction uncategorized when it is not confident.

Categorize as the feed lands

Forward, photograph, or upload receipts. Kick matches them to the bank or card line instead of leaving a pile in your camera roll.

Receipt and document matching

Plus and Advanced keep multiple LLCs in one login, match intercompany transfers, and split shared bills. New entities start free for 250 transactions, then $50/month, and that count does not reset next year. Older Plus plans stay capped at 5 entities until you move to current pricing.

Multi-entity in one workspace

Download an Excel year-end package (cover, P&L, balance sheet, general ledger, trial balance) for your CPA. Flag vendors as 1099 eligible and export a 1099 report. Kick does not e-file 1099s or the return.

Tax package and 1099 review

Cash-basis books are on every plan and post as transactions sync. Plus and Advanced add an accrual ledger, classes, departments, locations, projects, and AR/AP aging. Accrual posts only after you confirm the lines or a rule auto-confirms them.

Cash ledger now, accrual on Plus

Basic and above include an MCP server and CLI so you can query or update the books from Claude, ChatGPT, or a terminal. Firms also get a REST API across every workspace they manage.

MCP, CLI, and a REST API

Kick replaces QuickBooks for US service businesses. Free to 250 expenses/year, paid from $40/mo billed annually. Multi-entity, the catch, and who should skip it.

Kick Review: AI Ledger for US Founders (Not QuickBooks)

Kick

Free

Basic

Plus

Advanced

Receipt Bot is a capture tool, not a ledger. You photograph, email, or upload receipts, supplier invoices, and PDF bank statements. OCR plus a staff check pulls supplier, dates, amounts, tax, and line items. You review, then export into QuickBooks Online or Xero as a bill, expense, invoice, or sales receipt with the image attached. You can also download Excel, CSV, or bank-import files (OFX, QBO, QIF) and skip the live sync.

The bill is the standout: unlimited users and client entities, you pay for document credits, unused credits roll six months, and a person checks the extract before you approve. Starter is $9/month for 45 credits. Standard is $27 for 150. Pro is $81 for 510. A simple invoice costs one credit. Line items cost two per page. Bank or supplier statement pages cost three. The mobile app has a free plan with 10 credits a month. Paid trials start with 30 credits and no card. As of August 2026 they also advertise 10% off the first six months.

Skip it if you need Dext-style supplier auto-fetch, an expense-report product for employees, or a US-first app with a deep review record. Documents must be English. When credits run out, processing pauses until the next bill. The Android app is mainly a camera; bank statements live on the web. Run the 30 free credits through a real month of invoices before you replace your current intake.

OCR reads the document, then qualified staff verify supplier, amounts, tax, and line items before you approve. English documents only.

Staff-checked extraction

Snap on iOS or Android, forward to a per-business inbox, upload in the web app, or pipe files through Zapier or the API.

Photo, email, web, or Zapier intake

Export creates a bill, expense, vendor credit, invoice, credit memo, or sales receipt with the image attached. Bulk export is capped at 25. You can re-export after edits.

Push to QuickBooks Online or Xero

Web-only. Reads statement pages and downloads Excel, CSV, OFX, QFX, QBO, QIF, or IIF. Each statement page costs three credits.

PDF bank statement conversion

Paid plans include unlimited staff, clients, and businesses. No per-client fee. Firms get a practice dashboard and co-branding.

Unlimited users and entities

Unused paid credits carry up to six months. When the balance hits zero, processing stops until the next billing date or you upgrade.

Credits that roll, then pause

Receipt Bot reads receipts, invoices, and PDF bank statements, then you push coded bills into QuickBooks Online or Xero. Credit-priced, no per-client fee.

Receipt Bot Review: Receipt Capture for QuickBooks and Xero

Receipt Bot

Basic (mobile)

Starter

Standard

Premium

Gekko is designed specifically for small entrepreneurs, providing an easy-to-use accounting system with all necessary features. Users can manage expenses, scan receipts, create invoices, and track time and trips seamlessly. The Gekko Costs app allows users to digitize receipts effortlessly, eliminating the need for physical storage. Gekko offers a free basic plan with unlimited use, making it accessible for all entrepreneurs.

Scan and manage receipts using the Gekko Costs app, keeping expenses organized.

Receipt Management

Create and send professional invoices and quotations directly from the platform.

Invoicing

Track billable and non-billable hours with a clear overview and integration with calendars.

Time Tracking

Connect your bank account for real-time updates on incoming and outgoing payments.

Real-Time Bank Integration

Automatically track business trips using GPS for accurate mileage logging.

Trip Management

Gekko

Gekko Basic

Gekko Premium

Receiptor AI automates the process of capturing receipts and invoices from your email and WhatsApp, allowing businesses to save time and streamline bookkeeping. The platform processes over 7.2 million emails and extracts more than 550,000 receipts, freeing up significant hours for users. It is designed for small businesses, freelancers, and accountants, providing features like smart categorization and audit-ready reports.

AI with transaction context for automatic categorization of receipts.

Smart Categorization

Generate reports that are ready for audits.

Audit-Ready Reports

Extract receipts from past emails automatically.

Retroactive Extraction

Process receipts and invoices in real-time.

Real-time Processing

WhatsApp Support

Receiptor

STARTER

GROWTH

SCALE

KashFlow is an intuitive cloud-based accounting software designed for small business owners. Founded in 2005 by Duane Jackson, it aims to simplify the accounting process, allowing users to manage their accounts anytime, anywhere. The software includes features for invoicing, VAT management, and payment processing, making it suitable for sole traders and small businesses.

Create and send customized invoices quickly and easily.

Easy Invoicing

Automatically manage and submit VAT online.

VAT Management

Link bank accounts to match actual bank statements.

Bank Reconciliation

Get paid faster with integrated payment solutions.

Payment Processing

Manage your accounts on the go with a mobile app.

Mobile Access

KashFlow

Business

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.

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

Payroll

Generate MTD-compatible VAT returns and file them directly to HMRC.

Tax Compliance

Manage finances on the go with the FreeAgent mobile application.

Mobile App

FreeAgent

Monthly Plan

Introductory Monthly Plan

Annual Plan

Introductory Annual Plan

Free Plan

Wave is a small business software that provides a unified system for accounting, invoicing, payments, and more. It helps users gain financial clarity and stay tax-ready year-round. Designed for small business owners and solopreneurs, Wave simplifies bookkeeping and tax preparation, making it easy to track income, manage cash flow, and create professional invoices.

Track income and expenses, manage cash flow, and access reporting.

No Sweat Accounting

Create beautiful, professional invoices and estimates in just a few clicks.

Allow customers to pay via credit card, bank transfer, or Apple Pay.

Secure Online Payments

Manage payroll for employees and contractors without legal complications.

Painless Payroll

Wave

STARTER Plan

PRO Plan

FreshBooks is an all-in-one accounting software designed for small businesses, freelancers, and solopreneurs. It simplifies invoicing, billing, payments, and payroll, enabling users to manage their finances efficiently. With features like mobile receipt scanning and automated expense categorization, FreshBooks helps users save time and reduce stress during tax season.

Create professional invoices in minutes, automatically add tracked time and expenses, calculate taxes, and customize payment options.

Get paid faster with automated invoices, secure online payments, and built-in reminders.

Bookkeeping and accounting software