ClearGov
Public financial management (PFM) systems
Public sector software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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$995 per year
Free Trial unavailable
Free version
Small
Medium
Large
- Public sector and nonprofit organizations
- Information technology and software
- Media and communications
What is ClearGov
ClearGov is a cloud-based budgeting and financial transparency platform designed for local governments and other public-sector entities. It supports budget development, capital planning, and public-facing budget communication through configurable templates, workflows, and reporting. The product is typically used by finance teams, budget offices, and department leaders to collect requests, build budgets, and publish budget information for stakeholders.
Purpose-built for budgeting workflows
ClearGov focuses on budget preparation and related planning processes rather than positioning as a full ERP suite. It provides structured workflows for departmental submissions, review, and consolidation that align with common municipal budget cycles. This specialization can reduce reliance on spreadsheets for budget collection and narrative assembly.
Public-facing transparency outputs
The platform includes tools intended to publish budget information in a format suitable for residents and elected officials. It supports narrative and visual presentation of budget data alongside line-item detail. This can help agencies standardize how they communicate budget changes and program impacts year over year.
Cloud deployment and configuration
ClearGov is delivered as a SaaS product, which typically simplifies upgrades and reduces on-premises infrastructure requirements. It offers configurable templates and forms to match local chart-of-accounts structures and departmental intake needs. This can speed initial rollout compared with heavily customized on-premise public finance systems.
Not a full financial ERP
ClearGov primarily addresses budgeting, planning, and transparency rather than end-to-end general ledger, AP/AR, payroll, and procurement. Many organizations still need a separate core financial system of record for transaction processing. This can introduce integration and reconciliation work depending on the existing finance stack.
Integration depth varies by environment
Data exchange with existing ERP/accounting systems often depends on available exports, APIs, and local configuration. Agencies with complex fund accounting structures or multiple source systems may need additional implementation effort to align data definitions and reporting hierarchies. Integration requirements can affect timeline and total cost.
Best fit for local government
The product is oriented toward municipal and similar public-sector budgeting practices and may be less aligned with highly specialized public finance requirements in larger or non-municipal environments. Organizations with extensive enterprise performance management needs may require additional tooling for advanced modeling and analytics. Fit should be validated against reporting, audit, and governance requirements.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency / Public Profile | Free | Basic ClearGov profile & public transparency pages are available at no cost; municipalities can "claim" their profile to unlock additional features (official site states claiming a profile is free). |
| ClearGov Premier (Transparency upgrade) | $995 per year (starts at; pricing based on municipality population) | Enhanced transparency features (expanded financials, engagement tools, enhanced visualizations, additional funds, commentary, events, customization). Official site notes pricing is population-based and “starts at $995 per year.” |
| Budget Cycle Management (Operational budgeting, Digital Budget Book, Capital Budgeting, etc.) | Contact sales / Custom pricing | All-inclusive subscription; official site encourages contacting solutions advisors—no public fixed prices listed on the vendor site. |
ClearForms (Automated permitting & payments) — Usage-based (listed here as labeled pay-as-you-go): Pricing model: Pay-as-you-go (transaction fees for payment processing; subscription pricing not listed publicly). Free tier/trial: Not stated on official site for ClearForms. Example costs (official statements): Credit card payment processing: 4.9% + $0.30 per transaction. ACH payment processing: the lesser of 2.8% OR 2% + $5 per transaction. The stated credit card and ACH fees include the Stripe processor fee plus an additional 2% ClearForms fee. Chargeback fee: $15.00 plus 2% of disputed amount per dispute. Notes: ClearForms functionality pages instruct customers to "talk to our solutions advisors" for demos and implementation; no public subscription/tiered pricing for ClearForms subscription itself was found on the vendor site.
Seller details
ClearGov, Inc.
Maynard, Massachusetts, USA
2015
Private
https://www.cleargov.com/
https://x.com/cleargov
https://www.linkedin.com/company/cleargov/
