Tool comparison
Clear Margins vs. Fathom
Fathom is a reporting layer on top of your accounting software — it tells you what your numbers were. Clear Margins is the decision layer in front of a commitment — it tells you what your numbers need to be. Both are useful; neither replaces the other.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Clear Margins | Fathom |
|---|---|---|
| Core job | Model the decision before you make it | Report on what already happened |
| Data source | Manual inputs — no integration required | Accounting software (QuickBooks, Xero, MYOB) |
| Works pre-revenue or without clean books | Yes | No — requires historical data |
| Forward-looking pricing math | Purpose-built (13 calculators) | Not a design goal |
| Historical cash-flow reporting | Not offered | Core feature |
| Break-even ROAS before a campaign | Two inputs, instant result | Not available |
| Runway check without accounting integration | Instant — enter burn and cash | Requires connected books |
| KPI dashboards and goal tracking | Pro plan — scenario history | Comprehensive dashboards |
| Multi-entity consolidation | Not offered | Core feature |
| Plain-English result benchmarks | Built into every result | Raw numbers from books |
| Free tier | All 13 calculators — no account needed | Paid subscription, trial only |
| Price | Free core; Pro $19/mo | From $39/mo |
When to use each
Use Clear Margins when
- You need to model a decision that has not happened yet — price, campaign, hire, reorder
- Your books are not connected, not current, or do not exist yet
- You want a benchmarked plain-English answer, not a dashboard to interpret
- You are pre-revenue or in the first year of operations
- You need a fast answer before a meeting, call, or commitment
Use Fathom when
- You have clean books in QuickBooks, Xero, or MYOB and want them visualized
- You need multi-entity consolidation or executive KPI dashboards
- You are producing board reports or investor updates from historical data
- Your accountant or CFO needs structured reporting across accounts
The integration requirement gap
Fathom's value comes from its data: it reads your actual transactions from connected accounting software and surfaces patterns in them. That's powerful — but it requires clean books, a paid accounting subscription, and time to set up the integration.
Clear Margins requires none of that. You enter the numbers you know — your burn rate, your product cost, your ad spend — and get a benchmarked result in under a minute. For operators without a full accounting stack, or for questions about decisions that have not happened yet, that zero-setup answer is what actually helps.
Frequently asked questions
Does Clear Margins connect to QuickBooks or Xero?
No — and intentionally so. Clear Margins is designed for forward-looking decisions, not reporting on historical data. Manual inputs keep the tool fast, independent, and useful even when your books are not current.
What if I want both reporting and decision math?
Use both. A common workflow: use Fathom monthly to review what happened in your books, then use Clear Margins weekly to model what to do about it — repricing, adjusting ad spend, planning a hire. The tools complement each other.
Can Clear Margins track runway without accounting data?
Yes. The runway calculator takes your current cash balance and monthly burn — both of which you can estimate — and returns months of runway and a cash depletion date with a plain-English recommendation. No accounting integration required.
Answer the next decision before it hits the books.
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