Can I try Simple Books without creating an account?
Yes. The public demo uses sample business records so you can explore the product without adding your own information. Do not enter real personal or business information into the demo.
Simple Books FAQ
Questions before you get started?
Find clear answers about how Simple Books works, what each plan includes and what you can expect before deciding whether it fits your business.
Getting started
A practical way to explore
Do I need to be an accountant to use Simple Books?
No. Everyday areas such as invoices, bills, expenses, mileage, clients and projects use understandable business wording. Deeper accounting reports are available when they are useful, but you do not need accounting expertise to begin keeping records.
What if I currently use Excel or spreadsheets?
Spreadsheets can be perfectly suitable. Simple Books is an option when you want everyday records, projects, planning and reporting connected in one place instead of maintained across separate files.
Can I keep using my accountant?
Yes. Simple Books can sit alongside professional support by helping you keep organised records and download useful reports or exports. Pro also includes the Accountant Pack. Simple Books does not replace professional financial or tax advice.
Plans and pricing
Start free, then add capacity if it helps
Compare plansIs Starter really free?
Yes. Starter is £0 per month, with no monthly subscription charge. It includes the core record-keeping and planning areas, subject to its project and monthly AI allowances.
What does Pro cost?
The current Pro subscription is £15 per month through Stripe Checkout.
When would I need Pro?
Pro becomes useful when you want unlimited active projects, higher AI allowances, complete Business Insights, the four accounting reports or the Accountant Pack. Everyday record keeping remains available on Starter.
Can I use Starter indefinitely?
Yes. There is currently no time limit on the Starter plan. You only need to consider Pro if its additional capacity or reports become useful.
What happens when I reach an AI allowance?
Further uses of that AI feature are blocked when its monthly allowance is reached. Starter offers a Pro upgrade for a higher allowance; otherwise access becomes available again when the monthly allowance resets.
How many active projects are included?
Starter includes up to 5 active projects. Pro includes unlimited active projects.
What are the monthly AI allowances?
Starter includes 10 AI Assistant questions and 10 document scans per month. Pro includes 500 AI Assistant questions and 500 document scans per month.
Which reports are included with Pro?
Pro includes complete Business Insights, Trial Balance, General Ledger, Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet and the Accountant Pack. Starter includes a practical Business Insights preview.
Features and records
The day-to-day work in one place
What records can I keep in Simple Books?
You can manage invoices, supplier bills, expenses, mileage claims, clients and projects. Simple Books also includes connected dashboards, budgets, cashflow tools, banking imports and accounting reports according to your plan.
Can I export my information?
Yes. The Excel export covers invoices, bills, expenses and mileage in a multi-sheet workbook. The JSON download covers core account, invoice, bill and client or customer records. Pro users can also prepare an Accountant Pack ZIP containing reports, record exports and available supporting documents.
Can Simple Books scan bills or receipts?
Yes. Document scanning can extract possible details from a selected bill or expense document. You review the result, choose whether to use it in the form and complete the normal save action yourself.
What can the AI Assistant do?
It answers focused questions about the invoices, bills, expenses, projects, budgets and cashflow already recorded in Simple Books. It explains your existing records and does not create, edit or delete them.
Banking
Statement import and review
Does Simple Books connect directly to my bank?
No. Simple Books does not currently connect to a live bank feed and does not ask for your online-banking credentials. The current workflow is not a live Open Banking feed.
What can the Banking feature do today?
You can select a CSV bank statement, preview it in your browser, map its columns and import the mapped transactions. The import checks for duplicates, and Simple Books can suggest possible matches to invoices, bills and expenses for review.
Does it reconcile transactions automatically?
No. This is not a completed automatic reconciliation workflow. Matching suggestions are review-only and are not applied automatically.
Security and data
Specific, checkable answers
Read about security and dataHow is my information handled?
Structured business records are stored in Firestore under user-specific paths. Supporting documents and company logos use authenticated, user-specific Firebase Storage paths, while some local working copies and preferences use browser storage. See the Security page for the verified detail.
Do you store my card details?
Card entry takes place on Stripe's pages. Simple Books stores the customer and subscription references needed to manage access and may retain the card brand and final four digits for display, but it does not store the full card number in its business records.
Does the demo use my data?
The demo is populated with sample records. You do not need to provide your own business records to explore it, and you should not enter real business or personal information there.
Accounting and tax
Does Simple Books replace an accountant?
No. Simple Books is business-management and accounting software that helps you organise records and understand your figures. It is not a substitute for professional financial or tax advice, and it does not currently submit tax returns or VAT returns to HMRC.
Take a look before deciding
Explore at your own pace
Use the sample demo, review the current features or start with the free Starter plan.