Clear
Clear is an Indian fintech SaaS platform offering AI-powered tax compliance, accounts payable automation, invoice discounting, and supply-chain finance solutions to enterprises, SMEs, chartered accountants, and individual taxpayers across India.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersBangalore, India
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Clear does
Clear (legally Defmacro Software Pvt. Ltd., formerly ClearTax) is an Indian fintech SaaS company headquartered in Bangalore that operates a unified finance and compliance cloud for individuals, SMEs, large enterprises, and chartered accountants. Founded in 2011, the company serves more than 4,000 enterprises, 6 million individual tax filers, 400,000+ growing businesses, and 80,000+ chartered accountants across India, with early operations extending to Saudi Arabia. The platform is organized around three suites — Clear Finance Cloud, Clear Compliance Cloud, and Clear Supply Chain Cloud — and includes core products such as Clear GST (G1–G9 filing), Clear AP (AI-powered accounts payable automation), MaxITC (input tax credit optimization with 150+ fuzzy-logic reconciliation rules), E-Invoicing & E-Way Bill (IRP-certified with sub-200ms latency to GSTN), Clear TDS, and Clear Invoice Discounting/Financing (a supply-chain working-capital marketplace with Bajaj Finance as a financing partner). The company also operates CimplyFive BLISS for secretarial automation, industry-specific solutions for FMCG, Manufacturing, Logistics, Automotive, and Startups, and consumer products for income tax filing and expert-assisted tax services.
The platform's technical architecture rests on a proprietary data infrastructure called GL Stream, which underlies Clear's expanding AI-agent strategy. Clear has developed and deployed AI agents over a two-year period, including a WhatsApp-based tax-filing service for gig workers and a new clear-tax.ai platform for CFO offices. Core AI capabilities include OCR-based invoice digitization with 250+ validation rules, 60+ automated compliance checks, anomaly detection for fake invoices and non-compliant vendors, and AI-powered reconciliation. The company holds IRP certification from the GST Network and maintains certified integrations with SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft ERP systems.
Clear monetizes through a hybrid model: SaaS subscriptions (enterprise tier and individual/SME tier), transaction-based fees on invoice discounting and financing flows (via partnerships with Bajaj Finance and TReDS platforms), and professional services for expert-assisted tax filing. Go-to-market combines enterprise field sales (with dedicated demo/white-glove onboarding) for large accounts, product-led self-serve web and mobile apps for consumers and SMEs, a chartered-accountant partner program for mid-market distribution, and Google Play Store distribution via branded apps including Black by ClearTax, ClearOne, and ClearPro. Quality and security certifications include ISO 27001, ISO 27018, ISO 27701, and SOC 2 Type 2.
Clear firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Clear
- Legal name
- Defmacro Software Pvt. Ltd.
- Website
- https://clear.in
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Clear is an Indian fintech SaaS platform offering AI-powered tax compliance, accounts payable automation, invoice discounting, and supply-chain finance solutions to enterprises, SMEs, chartered accountants, and individual taxpayers across India.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Clear industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Tax Compliance Software
- akta.pro primary industry
- A2A Bill Pay & eInvoicing (Open Banking Enabled) (FSAMAFAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Data Quality, Monitoring & Observability (uptime, latency, reconciliation) (FSAGACAL)
Keywords
Where Clear is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bangalore
- HQ country
- India
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Clear business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- SaaS Subscription - Enterprise: Enterprise customers subscribe to Clear's finance cloud platform for GST compliance, e-invoicing, TDS, and accounts payable automation. Subscription tiers based on invoice volume and feature access.
- SaaS Subscription - Individual/SME: Individuals and SMEs pay subscription fees for tax filing, GST software, and business compliance tools. Includes both self-serve and expert-assisted options.
- Invoice Discounting Platform Fees: Clear Invoice Discounting enables enterprises to run early payment programs. Clear likely earns platform/margin fees on discounted invoices processed through the platform.
- Invoice Financing: Working capital financing offered in partnership with financiers like Bajaj Finance. Revenue generated through interest spread on disbursed loans.
- Tax Consultant Services: Expert-assisted tax filing and business compliance services for individuals and businesses.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise SaaS pricing for large businesses requiring GST, e-invoicing, TDS, and AP automation |
| Subscription | Per use | Individual tax filing with expert assistance option |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels14 records
Clear product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Clear (formerly ClearTax) is an Indian fintech SaaS platform that provides tax compliance, e-invoicing, accounts payable automation, and invoice discounting/financing solutions. The company offers a modular suite including Clear GST, Clear AP (AI-powered invoice processing), MaxITC for input tax credit optimization, Clear TDS, e-invoicing, and supply chain financing products for enterprises, SMEs, chartered accountants, and individual taxpayers in India.
Product overview
Clear (formerly ClearTax) offers a comprehensive suite of tax compliance and financial management solutions for individuals, businesses, chartered accountants, and enterprises in India. The platform operates as a modular architecture built around the Clear Finance Cloud platform, which interconnects Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Tax, and Treasury functions. Core enterprise products include Clear GST for G1-G9 filing compliance, Clear AP (Accounts Payable) for AI-powered invoice automation, MaxITC for input tax credit optimisation, E-Invoicing & E-Way Bill for bulk invoicing with GSTN integration, Clear TDS for tax deduction compliance, and Clear Invoice Discounting/Financing for supply chain working capital solutions. Consumer-facing products include Income Tax e-Filing and Tax Consultant Services. The portfolio also includes CimplyFive BLISS for secretarial automation, industry-specific solutions for FMCG, Manufacturing, Logistics, Automotive, and Startups, and CFO Solutions for finance leadership. The platform has expanded into AI-powered services including clear-tax.ai for CFO offices and WhatsApp-based tax filing agents.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ClearTax: Tax filing and compliance platform for individuals and businesses
- Clear Finance
- Clear Finance Cloud
- Clear Compliance Cloud
- Clear Supply Chain Cloud
- ClearOne
- MaxITC
- CimplyFive
- BLISS
- ClearPro
- Black by ClearTax
Products and services
- Clear GST G1-G9 filing ASP/GSP solution for GST compliance covering GSTR-1, GSTR-3B, GSTR-9 annual returns, and input tax credit management for businesses and tax practitioners in India.
- Clear AP (Accounts Payable) AI-powered accounts payable automation engine for enterprises that automates invoice capturing and processing with OCR, runs 60+ compliance checks, manages vendors, and provides working capital visibility.
- MaxITC Input Tax Credit (ITC) optimization solution that improves profitability by up to 8% through automated ITC management and reconciliation with 150+ fuzzy logic matching rules.
- E-Invoicing & E-Way Bill IRP-certified bulk e-invoicing and e-way bill solution that runs within any ERP, applying 200+ validation rules and real-time GSTN sync for sub-200ms IRN generation.
- Clear TDS Cloud-based e-TDS return filing solution that generates Form 16 and manages TDS compliance for businesses in India.
- Clear Invoice Discounting Supply chain credit platform where suppliers are paid early by corporate customers against a discount; AI/ML-powered with dynamic bidding, integrating treasury, TReDS, and bank/NBFC financing options.
- Clear Invoice Financing Instant working capital financing for MSMEs against sales invoices; collateral-free funding with disbursement within 2-4 hours via partnership with Bajaj Finance.
- CimplyFive BLISS SaaS-based secretarial automation software (Board Leaders Integrated Software Solution) for Companies Act 2013 and SEBI LODR compliance, with modules for listed companies, unlisted companies, board portal, and overseas subsidiaries.
- Income Tax e-Filing (ITR Filing) Self-serve platform for individuals to file Indian income tax returns in 3 minutes with 100% auto-fill, maximum tax savings identification, and no manual data entry.
- Tax Consultant Services Expert-assisted tax filing and business compliance services for individuals and businesses, provided by Clear's in-house tax consultants as an add-on to self-serve products.
- ClearOne Billing and invoicing software solution for SMEs with integrated GST compliance, available as a self-serve mobile and web product.
- Clear Finance Cloud Unified connected finance ecosystem platform that weaves interconnected processes between accounts payable, accounts receivable, tax, and treasury through common information flow, digitally synchronizing the sales and purchase invoice lifecycle.
- Clear Compliance Cloud GST and direct tax compliance platform suite that auto-manages direct and indirect taxes for enterprises, eliminating compliance risk from tax and supply chain convergence.
- Clear Supply Chain Cloud Complete supply chain solution providing control, collaboration, and compliance across the supply chain finance and tax lifecycle.
- clear-tax.ai AI-powered platform that assists CFO offices with tax and accounting functions, built on Clear's proprietary GL Stream data infrastructure and supporting AI agents for various tax-related tasks.
Quantifiable outcome
- 80% processing cost savings with AP automation
- +9 more outcomes
Companies that use Clear
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments9 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Clear technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
AI capability7 records
Feature10 records
Clear partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- SAPcoreSAP integration certified; Clear seamlessly integrates with SAP ERP workloads across GST, e-Invoicing, and ITC reconciliation modules. Certified integration partner.
- OraclecoreOracle ERP integration for seamless data synchronization with Clear's finance and compliance modules.
- GST Network (GSTN)coreOfficial IRP (Invoice Registration Portal) provider, approved by the GST Network in India. Deep regulatory integration for real-time e-invoice processing.
Scale indicators16 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Clear competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Vyapar: India-focused GST invoicing and accounting app for small businesses and retailers, with mobile-first UX similar to ClearOne. Directly comparable in the SME GST/billing segment where Clear competes for the same long-tail of Indian businesses.
- myBillBook (FloBiz): Mobile-first invoicing, GST, and accounting app for Indian micro and small businesses, backed by India's digital SME ecosystem. Directly comparable to ClearOne in the bottom of the SMB market for billing plus GST compliance.
- Zoho (Books/Invoice): Global SaaS suite whose Zoho Books and Zoho Invoice products offer GST-compliant invoicing, AP, and expense management for Indian SMBs and enterprises. Closely comparable product surface and PLG-led GTM against Clear's SME and mid-market motion.
- Tally Solutions: India's dominant on-premise accounting and GST compliance software with deep penetration among SMEs and CAs. Most directly comparable to Clear's GST, invoicing, and tax-filing offerings and competes head-on in the same Indian compliance category.
Broad incumbents
- Razorpay: India's largest payments gateway and broader fintech platform with invoicing, tax, and lending adjacencies. A broader incumbent in Indian SMB fintech that increasingly competes with Clear in payments-linked compliance and finance automation.
- BharatPe: Indian fintech offering payments, lending, and merchant-facing financial services to SMEs. Broader than Clear, but overlaps on invoice-based working-capital products and SME distribution, making it a partial substitute for Clear Invoice Financing.
Emerging players
- Karza Technologies: Indian data, KYC, and compliance analytics provider for BFSI and lending use cases. Partially comparable to Clear's data and compliance infrastructure (e.g., vendor KYC, compliance checks) that underwrites the invoice financing business.
- Cashfree Payments: Indian payments and banking-as-a-service platform offering payouts, collections, and vendor payouts. Comparable in the Indian AP/payments workflow that Clear Invoice Discounting and Financing plug into, though focused on the rails rather than compliance.
- Karbon Business (Karbon Card): Indian fintech focused on corporate cards, expense management, and AP automation for SMEs. Comparable to Clear's AP and vendor-management modules as an emerging alternative for Indian businesses digitising finance ops.
Regional players
- Avalara: US-listed global tax compliance SaaS covering VAT, GST, sales tax, and invoicing for multinational enterprises. Closest international analogue to Clear's enterprise tax-compliance franchise but operating outside India and not a direct competitor in Clear's home market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Clear social profiles
Digital presenceClear compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
Clear financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Clear leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Clear subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Clear funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Clear M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Clear
What does Clear do?
Clear (formerly ClearTax) is an Indian fintech SaaS platform that provides tax compliance, e-invoicing, accounts payable automation, and invoice discounting/financing solutions. The company offers a modular suite including Clear GST, Clear AP (AI-powered invoice processing), MaxITC for input tax credit optimization, Clear TDS, e-invoicing, and supply chain financing products for enterprises, SMEs, chartered accountants, and individual taxpayers in India.
Is Clear a public or private company?
Clear is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Clear founded?
Clear was founded in 2011. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Clear based?
Clear is headquartered in Bangalore, India, in the Asia region.
How does Clear make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. SaaS Subscription - Enterprise is the primary driver. The others are saaS Subscription - Individual/SME, invoice Discounting Platform Fees, invoice Financing and tax Consultant Services.
Who are Clear's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Vyapar, myBillBook (FloBiz), Zoho (Books/Invoice) and Tally Solutions. Broad incumbents are Razorpay and BharatPe. Emerging players are Karza Technologies, Cashfree Payments and Karbon Business (Karbon Card). Avalara is listed as a regional player.
Does Clear have an API?
No public API is recorded for Clear.
What industry is Clear in?
Clear's product category is Tax Compliance Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMAFAL, A2A Bill Pay & eInvoicing (Open Banking Enabled), with a secondary code of FSAGACAL, Data Quality, Monitoring & Observability (uptime, latency, reconciliation).