Accounting CS vs. Athena Workflow Comparison Chart

Canopy is an all-in-one accounting practice management platform built for tax, bookkeeping, advisory, and CPA firms. It centralizes everything your firm needs—workflow, documents, billing, and client communication—so you can stop toggling between tools and start working smarter. Key features include customizable task templates, time tracking, client CRM, secure document sharing, eSignature, and integrated payments. Canopy’s Smart Intake and Engagements tools help streamline client onboarding with AI-driven questionnaires and branded proposals. The built-in client portal keeps your team and clients aligned in one secure place. With automation, AI, and real-time collaboration, Canopy helps firms reduce admin work, eliminate scope creep, and deliver an exceptional client experience. Whether you're a solo practitioner or a growing team, Canopy scales with your firm—helping you run a more efficient, connected, and modern practice.

Soraban is the tool to get more 1040s out the door and so much more. An Intelligent Tax Workflow Solution built specifically for accounting and tax firms, designed to automate client data intake, document collection, and workflow coordination. Stop chasing clients for documents and let Soraban handle it with dynamic, customizable questionnaires that auto-remind clients via SMS, email, or voicemail. Integrated with legacy tax software, Soraban automatically enters data, applies e-signatures for IRS forms, and coordinates tax return delivery with minimal human intervention. Handling repetitive administrative duties frees professionals to focus on advisory work while improving efficiency, reducing errors, and enhancing the client experience through mobile-friendly, seamless interactions.

8am™ is business management software for professional service firms designed to help law firms, accounting firms, and other professional services organizations run more efficiently from client intake to payment. Bringing together trusted products like LawPay, MyCase, CasePeer, DocketWise, CPACharge, and ClientPay, the platform delivers a unified solution for practice management, case management, document management, billing and invoicing, payment processing, accounting, and financial reporting. With enterprise-grade security, seamless integrations, and award-winning support, the platform empowers professional service firms to work smarter—not harder. Over 260,000 professionals and 175+ associations trust 8am technology to power their practices, simplify operations, and drive sustainable growth.

Sage Intacct is a premier cloud-based financial management software designed for growing businesses. It offers comprehensive features including core financials, accounts payable and receivable, cash management, and multi-entity consolidations. Sage Intacct's advanced modules cater to complex financial needs, ensuring scalability as your business grows. The software integrates seamlessly with other business applications, providing real-time financial and operational insights. Its user-friendly interface and customizable dashboards empower your team to adapt quickly and make data-driven decisions. Sage Intacct's robust reporting capabilities and automation of key financial processes help improve accuracy, efficiency, and compliance. Trusted by thousands of organizations, Sage Intacct streamlines financial operations, enhances visibility, and drives business growth. With award-winning customer support and continuous innovation, Sage Intacct is your partner.

QuickFee (ASX: QFE) is a leading provider of payments, financing, and accounts receivable automation solutions for professional services firms, including 40% of the IPA Top 300 firms. Our platform is designed to streamline the Accounts Receivable process and accelerate revenue growth by integrating multiple online payment options and powerful invoicing tools within your practice management system. With QuickFee, firms can significantly reduce aging receivables, improve cash flow, and increase client spending. Clients can easily make payments using credit or debit cards, ACH/EFT transfers, or QuickFee's exclusive financing solution that allows them to spread payments over 3 to 12 months—while firms receive full payment upfront without incurring additional costs. Operating in the United States and Australia, QuickFee focuses on delivering scalable and affordable solutions backed by exceptional customer service.

Save 90% for 4 months on Xero's award-winning accounting and online bookkeeping platform for businesses of all sizes and stages of growth. Beautifully simple, Xero covers a wide range of features that help businesses manage their finances effortlessly, including invoicing, inventory, bank connections, payroll, reporting and more. Xero also offers users free online support 24/7. Xero offers a robust ecosystem of connected apps and integrations with banks and financial institutions, enabling small businesses to access a wide range of solutions within Xero's open platform to streamline operations and manage finances. Additionally, accounting and bookkeeping firms benefit from efficient compliance tools, advanced practice management software, and a cloud-based unified accounting ledger for all clients, centralized in one place.

Multi-Entity Cloud Accounting Software for Growing Businesses Gravity Software® is a cloud-based accounting solution designed for companies that have outgrown QuickBooks but don’t need the cost or complexity of Sage Intacct or larger ERP systems. Built natively on the Microsoft Power Platform (Dynamics 365), Gravity delivers robust multi-entity financial management with seamless integration to Microsoft 365, Power BI, Teams + Copilot — no third-party add-ons required. 🎈 Multi-entity & multi-location accounting 🎈 Automated intercompany transactions 🎈 AP automation & multi-level approvals 🎈 Real-time consolidated reporting & dashboards 🎈 Advanced analytics with Microsoft Power BI 🎈 Easy navigation from accounting to sales & service Trusted by growing companies in real estate, family offices, professional services, healthcare, hospitality, and nonprofits, Gravity helps businesses simplify complex accounting, improve cash flow, and scale with confidence.

Built on the most precise calculation engine in the financial planning market, NaviPlan® empowers firms to cater their services to any client, from simple goals-based assessments to advanced cash flow planning analysis. From simple goals-based assessments to advanced retirement income scenarios and estate planning, NaviPlan equips financial professionals with the ability to best serve any client who walks through their door. Leverage the strength of NaviPlan calculations across unlimited scenarios including business planning, stock options, insurance recommendations, detailed tax analysis, estate planning, cash flow analysis and budgeting, Monte Carlo analysis, and retirement income strategies. NaviPlan tax planning software is built on the most precise calculation engine in the financial planning market. It offers advisors a slate of detailed tax planning tools, including federal and state tax projections, to cater their service to any client.

FISPAN partners with your bank to deliver embedded, automated ERP banking solutions for accounts payable, accounts receivable, bank feeds, and cash management. Eliminate error-prone manual processes and embrace secure, seamless ERP-to-bank connectivity. Integrate your banking directly into leading ERP and accounting platforms, including NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Workday, QuickBooks, and Xero. Streamline AP workflows, initiate vendor payments, manage expense reimbursements, automate cash application, and send detailed remittance advice emails, all without leaving your system of record. Access near real-time account balances and transactions across entities, initiate book transfers, and automate reconciliation with secure API connections. No file uploads. No bank statement formatting. Just reliable, scalable embedded ERP banking powered by FISPAN.

Collect! is a highly configurable debt collection software serving collection agencies, debt buyers, law firms, government, healthcare providers, educational institutions, property managers and other creditors. Collect! offers good value for startups and full functionality for large agencies. Built for flexibility, Collect! offers configurability and features to enable users to automate and track contacts and payments, manage judgments, manage sales, communicate from the system, create payment plans, report to bureaus and manage month-end reporting. Importantly, configurations and customizations remain available through updates, upgrades, and moving to larger editions. Features and tools include robust import-export functions, large set of stock reports and letter templates, report generator tool, account segmentation tool, flexible trust accounting, account level forms and document attachments, consumer portal, client portal, reporting dashboard, HIPAA and SOC 2.