Clear Books vs Ramp (2026): Pricing, Features & Verdict
Ramp is our pick, scoring 7.8/10 against 5.9/10 for Clear Books on our Finance Software criteria. Its biggest advantage: higher Scalability score (8/10 vs 3/10). Both Clear Books and Ramp have a free plan.
Last updated: November 2026
Clear Books
5.9/10
UK cloud accounting software for sole traders, landlords, small companies and accountants, with HMRC Making Tax Digital filing, bank feeds, invoicing and payroll.
Ramp
7.8/10
Ramp is a US spend management platform that combines corporate cards, expense management, bill pay, AR invoicing and AI accounting automation for finance teams.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 5.9/10 | 7.8/10 |
| Scalability | 3/10 | 8/10 |
| Analytics | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Compliance | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Integration | 4/10 | 8/10 |
| Security | 5/10 | 8/10 |
| Support | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Cost | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Customization | 4/10 | 7/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 | 9/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | £5/mo Property | $15/user/mo Plus |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Free Property Free | Free Free |
| Features | ||
| Accountant Access | ||
| Accounts Payable | ||
| Audit Trail | ||
| Expense Management | ||
| Invoicing | ||
| Multi-currency | ||
| Online Payments | ||
| Bank Reconciliation | Not listed | |
| Budgeting and Forecasting | Not listed | |
| Corporate Cards | Not listed | |
| Financial Reporting | Not listed | |
| General Ledger | Not listed | |
| Multi-entity Consolidation | Not listed | |
| Payroll | Not listed | |
| Tax Compliance | Not listed | |
Clear Books vs Ramp cost by team size
| Team size | Clear Books | Ramp |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeProperty Free | FreeFree |
| 5 users | FreeProperty Free | FreeFree |
| 10 users | FreeProperty Free | FreeFree |
| 25 users | FreeProperty Free | FreeFree |
| 50 users | FreeProperty Free | FreeFree |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Who Clear Books and Ramp suit
Clear Books fits freelancers better; Ramp fits enterprise better.
| Audience | Clear Books | Ramp |
|---|---|---|
| Freelancers | 8/10A free MTD Income Tax plan and a £5 sole trader tier are aimed squarely at self-employed users. | 2/10Ramp requires an incorporated business with a business bank account, so sole freelancers are generally not eligible. |
| Enterprise | 2/10There is no multi-entity consolidation, and the tool is aimed at small UK firms. | 7/10The Enterprise tier adds Workday and Oracle Fusion integrations and local cards in 30+ countries, and enterprise spending on the platform has grown, though AP depth trails dedicated suites. |
| Accountants and Bookkeepers | 6/10Accountants can be invited into client books and get journals, lock dates and an audit log. | 7/10Accounting firms get an Advisor Console to switch between client accounts and manage staff access, along with a partner program. |
| Small Business | 8/10Plans priced from £16 a month for UK limited companies include MTD VAT, CIS and payroll. | 7/10The free plan works well for small firms, but businesses need to be a US corporation or LLC with a meaningful cash balance. |
| Construction | 6/10CIS reporting and submissions are included from the Medium plan, and subcontractor support is on the free sole trader plan. | Not rated |
| Finance Teams | Not rated | 9/10Cards, bill pay, accruals and ERP sync are designed to cut close time for controllers and AP staff. |
| Mid-Market | Not rated | 9/10The Plus plan adds multi-entity support, NetSuite and Sage Intacct sync, custom roles and audit logs, which growing mid-market finance teams need. |
| Real Estate | 6/10Dedicated landlord plans track profitability across UK and overseas properties. | Not rated |
| Startups | Not rated | 9/10The free plan, the card with no personal guarantee and a quick setup suit venture-backed startups, which Kruze reports mostly stay on the free tier. |
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Clear Books
- Higher Compliance score (8/10 vs 7/10)
- Better fit for freelancers (8/10 vs 2/10)
Why choose Ramp
- Higher Scalability score (8/10 vs 3/10)
- Higher Integration score (8/10 vs 4/10)
- Better fit for enterprise (7/10 vs 2/10)
Pros & Cons
Clear Books
Pros
- Free MTD Income Tax plans for sole traders and landlords have no transaction limits.
- It is on HMRC's list of MTD-compatible software for both VAT and Income Tax Self Assessment.
- CIS reporting is built in, which suits UK construction contractors and subcontractors.
- Company plans cost £16 to £44 a month, with up to 20% off for two-year billing and no setup or per-invoice fees.
- Trustpilot reviewers rate it 4.3 out of 5 from 477 reviews and often praise quick, friendly support.
Cons
- It follows UK tax rules only, so it does not suit businesses outside the UK.
- Multi-currency, expense claims and project accounting require the top £44 Large plan.
- Users report that editing or deleting entries is awkward and that voiding is the workaround.
- Its integration ecosystem is small compared with Xero or QuickBooks.
- Some reviewers say email support replies can be slow.
Ramp
Pros
- The Free plan includes unlimited cards, bill pay, AR invoicing and QuickBooks and Xero sync, so small teams can get a lot without paying for software.
- The corporate card needs no personal guarantee or credit check, and Kruze's review reports 1.5% cash back on card spend.
- Reviewers consistently praise how easy it is to issue cards and capture receipts. G2 averages about 4.8 out of 5 from roughly 2,400 reviews.
- There are more than 200 integrations, including over 40 ERPs and major HR and payroll systems such as ADP, Gusto and Workday.
- Month-end accruals post with automatic reversals, and the AI Accounting Agent auto-codes transactions to speed up the close.
- Security includes SOC 2 Type II, PCI compliance, SSO with Okta, Google or Azure, and MFA for every user.
Cons
- Ramp is built for US corporations and LLCs, and a cash balance of around $75,000 is typically expected, which rules out sole traders and many very small firms.
- Card purchases in currencies other than USD carry a 3% foreign transaction fee, and local-currency cards in other countries require Enterprise.
- Multi-entity support, NetSuite and Sage Intacct sync, custom roles and the audit log all require the paid Plus plan, which adds a platform fee on top of per-user pricing.
- Some users describe AP and bill pay as basic and say ERP sync runs in daily batches rather than in real time.
- Some users report thin onboarding and support that relies on bots, and Kruze's reviewer survey gives customer service its lowest score.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Ramp scores higher on our Finance Software criteria: 7.8/10 against 5.9/10 for Clear Books. The largest gap is in Scalability: 3/10 for Clear Books and 8/10 for Ramp.
Yes, both Clear Books and Ramp have a free plan.
Clear Books is the better fit for freelancers: we rate it 8/10 for them, against 2/10 for Ramp.
