Clearbooks vs. Catalyst, by EBM Software

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Clearbooks
Score 7.0 out of 10
N/A
ClearBooks Accounting is simple cloud accounting software, from Clear Books plc located in the UK, that is tailored to the needs of small businesses and start ups in the UK, or bookkeepers and accountants. It contains core accounting features like automated invoicing, document / image importing for capturing receipts, VAT returns direct to HMRC and a customizable dashboard (tax management), expense and purchase management with recurring billing capability, basic financial reporting features for…N/A
Catalyst, by EBM Software
Score 7.8 out of 10
N/A
Catalyst from EBM Software in Minneapolis is a cloud-based business performance application suite, designed to provide an environment and workflow for understanding business profitability.N/A
Pricing
ClearbooksCatalyst, by EBM Software
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
ClearbooksCatalyst, by EBM Software
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
Additional Details—Flexible and tiered pricing structures available - monthly, 1-3-5- contracts, and more
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
ClearbooksCatalyst, by EBM Software
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
ClearbooksCatalyst, by EBM Software
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
Clearbooks
5.0
1 Ratings
39% below category average
Catalyst, by EBM Software
-
Ratings
Accounts payable5.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Accounts receivable5.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Cash management5.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Bank reconciliation5.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Expense management5.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Fixed asset management5.01 Ratings00 Ratings
BI Standard Reporting
Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Clearbooks
-
Ratings
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.1
2 Ratings
12% below category average
Customizable dashboards00 Ratings7.12 Ratings
Report Formatting Templates00 Ratings7.12 Ratings
Ad-hoc Reporting
Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Clearbooks
-
Ratings
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.7
2 Ratings
7% below category average
Drill-down analysis00 Ratings7.12 Ratings
Formatting capabilities00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Report sharing and collaboration00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Report Output and Scheduling
Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Product A and Product B
Clearbooks
-
Ratings
Catalyst, by EBM Software
8.0
2 Ratings
2% below category average
Publish to PDF00 Ratings7.92 Ratings
Report Delivery Scheduling00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Data Discovery and Visualization
Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Product A and Product B
Clearbooks
-
Ratings
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.7
1 Ratings
1% above category average
Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Predictive Analytics00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Access Control and Security
Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Product A and Product B
Clearbooks
-
Ratings
Catalyst, by EBM Software
8.0
2 Ratings
8% below category average
Multi-User Support (named login)00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Role-Based Security Model00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Mobile Capabilities
Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Product A and Product B
Clearbooks
-
Ratings
Catalyst, by EBM Software
8.0
2 Ratings
0% above category average
Responsive Design for Web Access00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Budgeting, Planning, and Forecasting
Comparison of Budgeting, Planning, and Forecasting features of Product A and Product B
Clearbooks
-
Ratings
Catalyst, by EBM Software
8.0
2 Ratings
4% below category average
Long-term financial planning00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Financial budgeting00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Forecasting00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Scenario modeling00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Management reporting00 Ratings8.92 Ratings
Consolidation and Close
Comparison of Consolidation and Close features of Product A and Product B
Clearbooks
-
Ratings
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.2
1 Ratings
11% below category average
Financial data consolidation00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Journal entries and reports00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Multi-currency management00 Ratings6.01 Ratings
Intercompany Eliminations00 Ratings5.01 Ratings
Minority Ownership00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Local and consolidated reporting00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Financial Reporting and Compliance
Comparison of Financial Reporting and Compliance features of Product A and Product B
Clearbooks
-
Ratings
Catalyst, by EBM Software
8.0
1 Ratings
3% below category average
Financial Statement Reporting00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Management Reporting00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Excel-based Reporting00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Automated board and financial reporting00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Analytics and Reporting
Comparison of Analytics and Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Clearbooks
-
Ratings
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.2
2 Ratings
11% below category average
Personalized dashboards00 Ratings7.12 Ratings
Color-coded scorecards00 Ratings6.01 Ratings
KPIs00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Cost and profitability analysis00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Key Performance Indicator setting00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Benchmarking with external data00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Integration
Comparison of Integration features of Product A and Product B
Clearbooks
-
Ratings
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.4
2 Ratings
11% below category average
Flat file integration00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Excel data integration00 Ratings7.12 Ratings
Direct links to 3rd-party data sources00 Ratings7.12 Ratings
Best Alternatives
ClearbooksCatalyst, by EBM Software
Small Businesses
QuickBooks Self-Employed
QuickBooks Self-Employed
Score 9.1 out of 10
IBM Planning Analytics
IBM Planning Analytics
Score 8.3 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Accounting Seed
Accounting Seed
Score 8.3 out of 10
Centage
Centage
Score 9.6 out of 10
Enterprises
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Score 8.1 out of 10
Anaplan
Anaplan
Score 8.7 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
ClearbooksCatalyst, by EBM Software
Likelihood to Recommend
7.0
(1 ratings)
7.9
(2 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
8.8
(2 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
7.8
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
ClearbooksCatalyst, by EBM Software
Likelihood to Recommend
Clearbooks
Larger companies, multi-currency. Clearbooks is in a competitive environment with Xero, SageOne, FreeAgent, Intuit etc., etc.
Read full review
EBM Software
[Catalyst, by EBM Software] is well suited to track invoices from vendors to get them paid on time to avoid late fees. [Catalyst, by EBM Software] is less appropriate when paying vendor because that is not a function they currently have. If the system was an all in one system that could track and pay your invoices it would be an amazing software.
Read full review
Pros
Clearbooks
  • SaaS, so accessible by anyone, anywhere in the world via a browser
  • Clear and straight forward navigation
  • Good choice of management reports
Read full review
EBM Software
  • The GUI is easy to navigate on the iPad mini, which we use for charting.
  • The options are simple so there is very little room for mistakes.
  • Charting is easy and the setup allows for necessary fields that must be completed so charting stays uniform.
Read full review
Cons
Clearbooks
  • Like any SaaS product, Clearbooks is continuously evolving and being improved
  • Some of the reports still need some work
Read full review
EBM Software
  • The browser closes unexpectedly at times when refreshing the page and you get logged out
  • The incorrect vendor is chosen by Catalyst a few times
  • The Catalyst file is occasionally not placed on time in the folder
Read full review
Usability
Clearbooks
No answers on this topic
EBM Software
Well.... when it works... it's good. When it doesn't it is very frustrating for our staff.
Read full review
Support Rating
Clearbooks
No answers on this topic
EBM Software
The support for Catalyst is great and they are usually within the 48 hour response time. There could be a little quicker upload time for invoices that are submitted. They usually show up until the next day on the system and sometimes gives us a stress on time. Overall, the support is quite good
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Alternatives Considered
Clearbooks
Clearbooks was chosen 5 years ago as our accountant recommended it. There is an element of inertia in moving accounts packages.
Read full review
EBM Software
[Catalyst, by EBM Software] is a very easy system to use and is very user friendly. It gives you different ways of researching an invoice and not just one. Catalyst also helps to allow us to research an invoice within seconds and eliminates a lengthy and confusing process. It is a great software for first time users to learn quickly and efficiently.
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Return on Investment
Clearbooks
  • I am not sure that ROI is an appropriate measure for an accounts package. The cost is around £250/year, which is a tiny fraction of the cost of a bookkeeper/finance controller/finance director/CFO.
Read full review
EBM Software
  • Catalyst is better than pencil and paper data analysis. But the app can be very frustrating when it's not working the way it did last week.
  • The GUI is very simple. Sometimes too simple, like there is no way to go back in and edit SOAP note options.
  • New feature roll-outs are mandatory. I understand that no one would opt in to being the guinea pig, but it would be nice if you weren't the first user to try it.
  • The integration with billing software has streamlined the billing notes and saved us money over having two separate systems.
Read full review
ScreenShots