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The Modern Accounting Tech Stack

A practical guide to the tools every UK accounting firm should know about — with honest recommendations from our team.

Accounting Software

The core platform your firm runs on. Everything else integrates with this.

Xero

Our Pick

Cloud-native accounting with the strongest integration ecosystem in the UK.

Best for: Most UK firms, especially those wanting best-in-class integrations

QuickBooks Online

A solid all-rounder with strong automation and built-in payroll.

Best for: Firms with international clients or those wanting built-in payroll

Sage Accounting

A well-known UK brand with solid compliance features and improving cloud capabilities.

Best for: Firms already invested in the Sage ecosystem

FreeAgent

Best Value

Simple, clean accounting built for sole practitioners and micro-firms.

Best for: Sole practitioners and micro-firms (1–5 staff)

Practice Management

Track client work, manage deadlines, and keep your team coordinated.

Karbon

Our Pick

Purpose-built workflow management for accounting firms.

Best for: Growing firms (10+ staff) wanting a single source of truth

Senta

Best Value

Affordable practice management with powerful automation.

Best for: Smaller firms wanting automation without the price tag

Document Management

Capture, process, and organise client documents automatically.

Dext

Our Pick

AI-powered receipt and invoice capture that posts directly to your accounting software.

Best for: Any firm still manually entering receipt data

HubDoc

Best Value

Free document capture included with every Xero subscription.

Best for: Xero users wanting a free document capture solution

AutoEntry

Pay-per-document pricing for firms with variable volumes.

Best for: Firms wanting flexible, volume-based pricing

Client Communication

Secure, professional ways to communicate with clients and share files.

Ignition

Our Pick

Proposals, engagement letters, and payment collection in one streamlined tool.

Best for: Firms wanting to streamline proposals and get paid faster

Automation & Integration

Connect your tools together so data flows automatically between them.

Zapier

Our Pick

Connect your tools and automate workflows with no code required.

Best for: Quick automations between tools that do not natively integrate

Make

More powerful and affordable automation for complex workflows.

Best for: Firms wanting complex, multi-step automations

Reporting & Analytics

Turn your data into insights for clients and for your own firm.

Spotlight Reporting

Our Pick

Beautiful management reports and forecasts built for accountants.

Best for: Firms offering advisory services or management reporting to clients

Futrli

Cash flow forecasting that helps clients understand their financial future.

Best for: Firms wanting to add cash flow forecasting as a service

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The Modern Accounting Tech Stack — Tools Guide for UK Firms | NerdNumbers