10 best accounting firm practice management software
Running an accounting business and looking for the best accounting firm practice management software? Here are our favorites!
There’s a wide range of B2B software aimed at accountants and accountancy firms, and at times it can seem that there’s little to choose between them.
That’s why we’ve created this rundown of accounting practice management software, to help you choose a platform that will streamline your workflow and make your working week easier.
What is accounting practice management software?
Accounting practice management software streamlines operations and manages workflow in accounting firms. This type of software centralizes client data, manages communication, schedules tasks, tracks progress, and often facilitates invoicing.
With these tools, accounting firms can operate more efficiently, reduce errors, and improve client relations. They save time, money, and effort, allowing you to concentrate on winning new clients and fulfilling the expectations of those you have.
What software do accounting firms use?
Accounting firms require specialized tools to manage their unique workflow and client needs. Beyond standard practice management software, they might also utilize tax preparation tools, auditing software, and financial analysis platforms.
Of course, they also use standard accountancy software to prepare documents, such as Xero, Sage, and Quickbooks. Accountants often employ secure document sharing and project management programs such as Asana and Monday and signing software like DocuSign or Adobe Sign.
The last category of software used by accountants is the CRM and client communication systems used by any small to medium-sized professional business. Systems like HubSpot and Salesforce allow companies to track their interactions with customers, maintain optimal relationships, and schedule important calls and meetings.
Next, we’ll hone in on practice management software aimed at accountancy firms.
10 best accounting firm practice management software
Here are the best accounting firm practice management software:
Alright, let's dive deeper into each platform.
1. Copilot
Copilot is a one-stop shop for modern service businesses — combining white-label client portals, messaging, billing, project management, document management, and more in one centralized place.
Rather than juggle a tech stack of different systems, Copilot seamlessly integrates these tools to save its users time and the effort of learning multiple platforms.
Top features of Copilot
- Seamless client communication, with client messaging and internal communications in one place, to securely preserve the record of all conversations.
- A range of automations, via a built-in app platform, integrating with tools like Calendly, Airtable, and Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio).
- A dedicated billing app, to create branded invoices and manage payments.
- Data management, including intake forms, file management, storage, and secure logins.
- Helpdesk and training features, a help center with text, images, videos, and embeds to help streamline your customer service.
Copilot pricing
- Starter: $29/user per month
- Professional: $69 user per month
- Advanced: $119/user per month
Most businesses will require the enhanced storage and features of a professional or advanced subscription. Enterprise-level firms will want the full bells and whistles of the Advanced package.
Copilot reviews
Copilot has a 4.9/5 star rating out of over 119 reviews on G2. Users love the platform’s ease of use, UX, and all-in-one extensibility. High on the list of pros is the platform’s design, which is clear, modern, and intuitive. Customizability is a big plus too.
Most critiques involve features users would like to have added to the platform, many of which may come in time.
2. Accelo
Accelo platform describes itself as a “system to boost productivity and profitability across your service business.” It’s both project and sales-focused and would suit a firm looking to scale up. It has a host of tools for optimizing your sales funnel and reporting on how individual campaigns and projects are going.
Top Features of Accelo
- Sales and project focus, including sophisticated tools for marketing funnels and project management.
- A ticketing system, so that existing clients can request jobs easily and quickly.
- A “retainers” feature, which allows you to maintain excellent relationships with valued regular clients — ideal for accountancy.
- Colorful, graphic, and expressive visual reports, with profit forecasts, due dates, and client statistics included.
Accelo pricing
Accelo is divided into six modules, with mix-and-match pricing. Modules include sales, projects, tickets, retainers, billing, and reports.
- Plus: $24 user per month
- Premium: $39 user per month
- Bundle: $89 user per month
Accelo reviews
Accelo might have more of a sales and marketing focus than you need, but you can opt out of those modules and simply pay for the project, billing, and ticketing tools if you prefer. However, this won’t approach will provide less value for money.
If reporting and project work are key to your workflow, then this could be a great system to employ. It’s much easier to master than HubSpot, for instance. Accelo has plenty of features, although it’s a little light on integrations compared to other CRMs. Scheduling and billing score highly with users, although support garners some criticism.
3. Moxo
Moxo works a little differently than many project and client management tools – it creates a dedicated “digital interaction workspace” for each account, reassuring regular clients that you are taking a fully joined-up approach.
The platform stresses efficiency, user experience (UX), and privacy, and uses the term “flow” to refer to the specific workflow related to each client. Moxo allows a mobile web app to be created, and is popular with financial institutions, winning awards as a digital banking solution.
Top features of Moxo
- Joined up project communication, with systems to help parties liaise on a project.
- Improved workflow, from client onboarding to service delivery, feedback, and reporting.
- Bank-grade security and compliance, to reassure wary clients.
- Integrations with mobile apps, allowing clients and accountants to communicate and share documents remotely.
Moxo pricing
Moxo pricing is a bit discreet. They don't advertise their prices directly on their website so you'll need to contact them.
There’s also a custom package designed for large enterprise firms, for which clients are advised to request a quote.
Moxo reviews
Users love how well it integrates with mobile devices, allowing remote access. There’s much praise for the software’s free trial version. Moxo may offer a few more features than accountancy firms may require, in terms of project management, and this is reflected in the higher price of the full product.
Moxo doesn’t appear to have many features for billing, however, and not many integrations overall. It may be worth trying the free version before committing.
4. TaxDome
With a name like TaxDome, you know you’re getting an accountant-led platform with a specific focus on tax returns. Indeed, this project management tool is highly specific to accountancy firms and bookkeepers. It attempts to combine all the data, project, and document management tools you’d need in one place.
TaxDome describes its aim as “to make your team focused, productive, organized, and most importantly, happy” and has been created by accountants for accountants.
Top features of TaxDome
- Workflow automation of mundane activities, to free up employee time.
- A client portal and mobile app, to grant access to information easily and simply.
- A basic CRM system to keep client data in one place, and readily accessible.
- Direct integrations with tax software and sync on the go to a “home” PC.
TaxDome pricing
Pricing is simple and transparent with just one tier:
- 1-year subscription: $800/user per year ($66 per month)
- 2-year subscription: $750/user per year ($63 per month)
- 3-year subscription: $700/user per year ($58 per month)
The pro version adds more integrations and automations. There are free trial versions of both tiers.
TaxDome reviews
With almost 3000 Capterra reviews, this is a popular platform. The highly specific automations and accountancy focus make this a strong contender, although its design and UX are a little clunkier than some alternatives.
Secure document sharing and signature is a feature that's popular, although users report a somewhat steep learning curve.
5. Karbon
Here’s another accountancy-specific practice management app, which bills itself as “a truly collaborative platform to manage workflows, communicate with teams and deliver exceptional client work.”
The platform has an unusual focus on team collaboration, decision-making and scalability, making this a good choice for a small firm looking to grow. It supports remote working and has a very high rating (4.8) on the G2 review platform.
Top features of Karbon
- Cross-Job Project Visibility, including team roles and progress monitoring.
- Automation features aimed at increasing efficiency across the board.
- Business analytics and reporting, to help inform critical decision-making.
- Team Communication tools, aiding transparency and integrating emails in one place.
Karbon pricing
Karbon is very reasonably priced, in two main tiers, plus an enterprise option:
- Team: $59/user per month (for small teams)
- Business: $89/user per month (for larger firms, with more reporting and automation)
The Enterprise option adds an optimized platform and enhanced support features; pricing is available upon request.
Karbon reviews
Unlike some other systems, Karbon has been designed with teamwork to the fore, including communication sharing, reports, and accountability. Managers of small to medium teams should love the added features for delegation and task monitoring.
Users report efficiency gains, and easy collaboration. Criticism is leveled against the lack of feedback on task progress, and some inflexibility in naming conventions. However, Karbon is popular with users for its slick design and accessibility.
6. Canopy
With a no-nonsense approach to practice management, Canopy breaks down into four main functions: document management, workflow, billing, and insights. The latter adds an analytic and reporting aspect to this elegant suite of tools.
Unusual features include tax resolution tools for various post-filing inquiries including trust fund recovery and penalty abatement. Canopy is especially good for data security, with SOC-2 compliance and 256-bit encryption. It has a dedicated “time and billing” function to help managers track efficiency and profitability.
Top features of Canopy
- Workflow automation, and templates for common actions.
- Secure document storage with a client portal, secure uploads, and no data limits.
- Data Insights, with graphic visualization, custom formulas, and sophisticated search.
- Automated tax transcripts, to save time and maximize compliance.
Canopy pricing
Canopy starts with a $150 per month client management suite for up to 2,500 clients. You can then add modules for document management, workflow, and billings in different tiers.
- Document Management: $36/user per month
- Workflow: $31/user per month
- Time & Billing: $22/user per month
There are other add-on costs for the transcripts, tax resolution, and other features.
Canopy reviews
Users like the addition of tax resolution features, and intuitive client portals which allow clients to share documents safely from mobile devices. The platform proves popular for its intuitive interface readymade templates, and convenience.
The complex and expensive pricing options aren’t quite so popular. In addition, some have criticized the lack of ability to assign and track tasks to job roles. Canopy is another popular solution, however, provided firms can afford to pay for all the facilities they’ll need.
7. Clinked
Here’s another platform aimed generically at service-based data-driven businesses. It describes itself as a “White-label Client Portal For Business,” meaning that clients will have a branded portal designed to provide easy access to the features they need most.
Two usual tools are the built-in intranet function, and the virtual data room, which allows secure and tracked access to data, helping prevent fraud and data theft.
Top features of Clinked
- Custom client portals, letting you design a bespoke management solution.
- Secure Data Room, helping minimize fraud and unauthorized access.
- Partner Portals, customizable to provide bespoke access for your clients.
- Group chat Feature, enabling better teamwork and speedier decision-making.
Clinked pricing
There are three main tiers for Clinked, with bespoke pricing for their Enterprise edition.
- Lite: $95/user per month
- Standard: $239/user per month
- Premium: $479/user per month
Lower tiers are limited by members, storage, and add-on features.
Clinked reviews
The clean, simple interface proves popular with users, as does the ability to brand client portals. Its secure document sharing, and access features also earn a big thumbs-up, and inter-team communication functions are likewise popular.
What works less well for users is the lack of a built-in spell checker, that task allocation isn’t a standard feature, and the overall expense of the paid tiers.
8. Zendesk
Zendesk offers a suite of bestselling customer service solutions, with Zendesk for Service offering the version most optimized for service-based businesses. The range of Zendesk products can be confusing, so do contact their sales team for a full rundown.
Zendesk focuses on the client experience, so don’t expect all the document storage and sharing features, or accountancy-specific tools you’d get with other products on this list.
What you do get, however, is an industry-standard ticketing, messaging, and query resolution system to support your client relationships.
Top features of Zendesk
- AI and Automation, to help resolve common queries.
- Multichannel client communication, from chat, to messaging to email.
- Ticketing routing and task assignment, to enhance efficiency and reduce response time.
- Full sales and marketing integrations, to help build new business relationships.
Zendesk pricing
Zendesk is priced in three monthly tiers, plus a bespoke Enterprise option.
- Suite Team: $55/user per month
- Suite Growth: $89/user per month
- Suite Professional: $115/user per month
Lower tiers are limited by features and all three tiers come with a free trial.
Zendesk reviews
Zendesk is one of the most popular customer service platforms around, but may not suit lower volume businesses, with smaller numbers of clients. It provides an excellent array of communication options and lots of helpful integrations.
However, it’s not very accountancy or task-focused, so may simply not provide enough practice management tools to do the job of a more rounded CRM system.
9. Client Portal
Smaller businesses whose website uses WordPress might like this “centralized client portal”, which provides familiarity and simplicity lacking in some of the more expensive solutions.
It has been built with small organizations, including law firms and accountants’ offices, in mind and dispenses with many of the enterprise-level features that smaller firms are unlikely to ever use. If you want to be up and running in days, rather than weeks, this is a user-friendly solution.
Top features of Client Portal
- Straightforward Client Portal, easy to comprehend and use.
- Easy Integrations with all standard forms and document types.
- Embed tools like Trello boards and calendars, with ease.
- Secure file upload and easy document sharing.
Client Portal pricing
Unlike the other products featured here, ClientPortal’s simplicity extends to its pricing. There is just one annual license fee, available in two tiers:
- Single Site License: $199 annual subscription
- Multi-Site License: $399 annual subscription
Client Portal reviews
A great option for start-up firms, the once-and-done license fee allows you to obtain the minimum CRM functionality you’ll need, on a WordPress platform you’re already familiar with. The annual renewal fee only applies if you want ongoing support and upgrades. Potentially, you could eschew this option and the above fees would be all you’d ever pay.
However, it’s more of a document-sharing and communication system than a fully featured CRM. There’s nothing for billings, for tracking task completion, or for reporting. Best viewed as a budget tool for WordPress users and sole traders.
10. Onehub
If one of your main concerns is secure document and data storage or sharing, then Onehub could be a useful investment. It’s a secure, cloud-based storage and management system. It organizes client documents into Workspaces, with bespoke levels of access and privacy.
Data security features include NDAs, watermarking, automatic indexing, and other tools which should ensure nothing goes astray or is misfiled. Like several of the tools here, it provides customizable client portals too.
Top features of Onehub
- Secure Data Rooms, ringfenced by client.
- Customized client access portals.
- Wide range of data security features, to enhance client confidence.
- Cloud-based storage, potentially unlimited.
Onehub pricing
Onehub is available in four separate product tiers:
- Standard: $12.50/user per month
- Advanced: $20/user per month
- Data Room Edition: $300/user per month
- Unlimited: $500/user per month
Onehub reviews
Onehub should really be thought of as a secure server, rather than a full CRM system. Without facilities for team collaboration, task tracking, or billings, it’s another sophisticated and secure document-sharing system.
While this could be very useful for a high-volume accountancy firm, if you want to add data room level security features, it can quickly prove a costly investment. However, it reportedly works seamlessly, minimizes data breaches, and increases client confidence.
Copilot: The best accounting firm client portal
After evaluating various options, Copilot stands out as the best overall accounting firm client portal.
It's robust, user-friendly, and tailored specifically to the needs of accounting professionals. With seamless communication, secure document sharing, and comprehensive task management, it's a must-have tool for modern accounting firms.
Try it for yourself and experience exemplary client liaison. Start a free trial of Copilot today.