Softwr

Accounting · head to head

Cledara vs Revolut

Cledara logo

Cledara

Accounting

Software subscription management with a virtual card per application, priced from £100 a month

From
£100/month
Rated
-
Revolut logo

Revolut

Personal Finance

Multi-currency financial app operating as a licensed bank in parts of the EU and as an e-money institution elsewhere

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Revolut has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Cledara control only extends to subscriptions paid on a Cledara card, so anything billed by invoice, bank transfer or a legacy company card is invisible to the system and undermines the inventory it promises.; Revolut uK customer balances have historically been held under an e-money institution licence, meaning they are not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme the way a traditional UK bank deposit is, even though Revolut was granted a restricted UK banking licence in 2024.
  • They diverge on capability: Cledara covers Virtual card per subscription, Revolut covers Multi-currency accounts.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cledara and Revolut actually diverge.

Attributes where Cledara and Revolut differ
AttributeCledaraRevolut
Starting price£100/monthFree
Pricing modelPer month by number of applicationsFree standard tier; paid plans add higher limits, insurance and perks
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebiOS, Android, Web
CategoryAccountingPersonal Finance

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Cledara

  • Virtual card per subscription
  • Cancel by card
  • Application inventory
  • Approval workflow
  • Invoice collection
  • Accounting export
  • Spend optimisation module
  • IT management and compliance modules

Only in Revolut

  • Multi-currency accounts
  • Revolut Bank EEA deposits
  • Stock, crypto and commodity trading
  • Budgeting and spending analytics
  • Virtual and disposable cards
  • Business accounts (Revolut Business)

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Cledara

  • A finance team that cannot say what software the company pays for because everything is on three people's company cardsnot Revolut
  • A company that keeps paying for tools nobody uses and cannot get the vendor to process a cancellationnot Revolut
  • A startup wanting approval on new software purchases before the first charge rather than at the auditnot Revolut
  • A finance function that spends days each month chasing SaaS invoices for the accountantnot Revolut

Revolut

  • Someone travelling or living across multiple currencies who wants low-cost exchange and spending in one accountnot Cledara
  • A user in the EEA who wants their balance held with a licensed bank covered by a deposit guarantee schemenot Cledara
  • A UK-based user who understands their balance sits under e-money safeguarding rather than FSCS bank protection, and is comfortable with thatnot Cledara
  • An investor wanting stock or crypto trading integrated with everyday spending in a single appnot Cledara

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Cledara

  • Control only extends to subscriptions paid on a Cledara card, so anything billed by invoice, bank transfer or a legacy company card is invisible to the system and undermines the inventory it promises.
  • Tier limits are set by number of applications rather than headcount, and twenty applications on the Basic plan is fewer than most companies of fifty actually run, so buyers often land on a higher tier than the entry price suggests.
  • The modules that turn it from a payment layer into a management platform, spend optimisation, IT management and compliance, are each priced at £150 to £200 a month, comparable to the base plan itself.
  • Usage data is inferred from payment and integration signals rather than deep application telemetry, so its judgement of whether a tool is underused is weaker than a discovery product built on single sign-on and API usage.
  • It is a card issuer as well as a software vendor, which adds financial counterparty considerations and means a change in its banking arrangements would affect how the company pays every one of its suppliers.

Revolut

  • UK customer balances have historically been held under an e-money institution licence, meaning they are not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme the way a traditional UK bank deposit is, even though Revolut was granted a restricted UK banking licence in 2024.
  • Regulatory status differs by country of use, EEA versus UK versus other markets, so the actual protection on a given balance depends on where the account is domiciled, not on the brand alone.
  • Customer service has been a recurring complaint, with account freezes for fraud checks sometimes leaving customers unable to access funds for extended periods with limited direct human contact.
  • The free tier caps fee-free currency exchange at a monthly allowance, after which a fair usage fee applies, so heavy multi-currency users may need a paid plan to avoid extra charges.
  • The breadth of features, banking, trading, crypto and business accounts, spans multiple regulatory regimes and legal entities, which makes the overall structure harder for a typical customer to fully understand than a single-licence traditional bank.

Pricing, plan by plan

Cledara

£100/month
  • Basic$100/month
    • Up to 20 software applications
    • Virtual card per subscription
    • Application inventory and approvals
  • Premium$undefined/month
    • Up to 75 software applications
    • Typically 51 to 150 staff
    • 1% cashback in the first year, capped at the subscription cost
  • Pro$undefined/month
    • For organisations above roughly 150 staff
    • Scoped individually
    • 1% cashback in the first year, capped at plan cost
  • Add-on modules$200/month
    • Spend Optimization £200 a month or £1,500 a year
    • IT Management £150 a month or £1,500 a year
    • Software Compliance £150 a month or £1,500 a year

Revolut

Free
  • StandardFree
    • Free multi-currency spending up to a monthly exchange allowance
    • Basic budgeting tools
    • UK balances held under e-money safeguarding, not FSCS-protected as a standard bank deposit
  • Premium$7.99/month
    • Higher free exchange allowance
    • Travel insurance and card delivery perks
    • Priority customer support
  • Metal$14.99/month
    • Cashback on card spending
    • Higher limits across features
    • Metal card and additional insurance cover

Which should you pick?

Choose Cledara if

  • You need virtual card per subscription.
  • You also want cancel by card.

Choose Revolut if

  • You need multi-currency accounts.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want revolut bank eea deposits.

Questions people ask

Is Cledara or Revolut better?
Neither clearly leads. Cledara starts at £100/month and Revolut at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cledara or Revolut?
Revolut has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at £100/month for Cledara and Free for Revolut.
Does Cledara or Revolut run on more platforms?
Cledara runs on Web. Revolut runs on iOS, Android, Web.
Can I use Revolut for free?
Yes. Revolut has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Cledara starts at £100/month.
What is Cledara best used for?
Cledara is most often used for a finance team that cannot say what software the company pays for because everything is on three people's company cards, a company that keeps paying for tools nobody uses and cannot get the vendor to process a cancellation, a startup wanting approval on new software purchases before the first charge rather than at the audit, a finance function that spends days each month chasing saas invoices for the accountant. Of those, a finance team that cannot say what software the company pays for because everything is on three people's company cards and a company that keeps paying for tools nobody uses and cannot get the vendor to process a cancellation are not what Revolut is typically brought in for.
What can Cledara do that Revolut cannot?
Cledara covers Virtual card per subscription, Cancel by card, Application inventory, Approval workflow. Revolut covers Multi-currency accounts, Revolut Bank EEA deposits, Stock, crypto and commodity trading, Budgeting and spending analytics.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cledara: What does it cost?

Basic is £100 a month for up to 20 applications, with Premium covering up to 75 and Pro above that. Add-on modules are £150 to £200 a month each, and annual payment saves 16%.

Revolut: Is my money safe with Revolut?

It depends on your country. EEA balances are held with a Lithuanian-licensed bank and generally covered by deposit guarantee up to 100,000 euro; UK balances have historically sat under e-money safeguarding rather than FSCS bank protection, though Revolut has been working toward full UK banking status since gaining a restricted licence in 2024.

Cledara: Does it find software we did not tell it about?

Only what passes through its cards or connected integrations. Subscriptions paid by invoice or another card stay hidden, which is the main limitation of the model.

Revolut: Is Revolut a bank?

In the EEA, yes, through Revolut Bank UAB, licensed in Lithuania. In the UK, it has historically operated as an e-money institution and was granted a restricted banking licence in 2024, with full UK banking status pending completion of a mobilisation period.

Cledara: How does cancelling work?

You cancel the virtual card for that subscription, which stops the payment. It does not remove your contractual obligation, so check notice periods.

Revolut: Does Revolut charge for currency exchange?

Exchange is free up to a monthly allowance on the standard tier, after which a fair usage fee applies; paid plans raise or remove that allowance.

Cledara: Is the application limit by users or by tools?

By tools. Twenty on Basic, seventy-five on Premium. Count your actual subscriptions before assuming the entry price applies to you.

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