At one UK firm, a single set of year-end accounts took around 25 hours to produce. Multiply that across a client portfolio in busy season and the strain on the team is clear. Adding another AI tool doesn’t help if it sits outside the files where that work happens.
The reality is that most firms aren’t short of AI tools. They’re short of tools that work inside the files. That’s not a technology problem. It’s a workflow problem.
The short answer: Silverfin is the top pick for firms where accounts production and advisory capacity are the main constraints. More than 1,000 accounting firms use it, including all Big 4 firms. The other six picks each cover one workflow stage: Fathom for management reporting commentary, Dext for document capture, ChatGPT for drafting and research, TaxDome for client portals, Microsoft 365 Copilot for internal productivity and Karbon for team workflow.
Key takeaways
- Silverfin says firms can cut the time spent on client files by up to 50%, and more than 1,000 firms across 18 countries use the platform.
- AI tools for accountants work best when chosen by workflow stage, not by feature list.
- Platforms that sit above the bookkeeping layer let firms keep the bookkeeping software they already use.
- Multi-client handling is the main difference between tools built for firms and tools adapted from single-entity use.
Why are firms still short of capacity when so many AI tools exist?
Many of the tools firms adopt sit outside the files where the accounting work happens. Time saved in one place reappears as manual re-entry somewhere else. The human cost is real. According to caba, 41% of chartered accountants have considered changing careers or leaving the profession.
The pressure on firms isn’t easing either. ICAEW’s 2026 research on mid-tier accountancy firms finds that private equity investment, AI and a more complex economic and regulatory environment are all shaping firm strategy.
Accounts production is where this tension is sharpest. Accounts production is the process of preparing a client’s year-end financial statements from bookkeeping data through to a signed set of accounts. When AI tools don’t connect to that process directly, they add steps rather than removing them.
What criteria were used to select these seven tools?
Each tool was assessed on three criteria. First, workflow fit for multi-client accounting firms. Second, the ability to handle many client files rather than a single entity. Third, how each tool connects to bookkeeping data without a separate export step.
Tools two to seven sit alongside a central accounts production platform, not as rivals to each other. Pricing isn’t compared, because value per file and capacity freed for advisory work matter more than headline cost.
Expectations of AI are high. A KPMG survey found that 77% of business leaders expected generative AI to have the largest impact on their businesses of any emerging technology over the next three to five years. Most comparisons skip the question of where each tool actually fits in the workflow.
At a glance, which tool covers which part of the accounting workflow?
| Tool | Workflow stage | Multi-client handling | Bookkeeping connectivity | Firm size fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silverfin | Accounts production and advisory reporting | Built for multi-client | 50+ integrations, sits above the bookkeeping layer | Mid-size to large firms, including all Big 4 |
| Fathom | Post-close management reporting | Multi-client supported | Connects to bookkeeping platforms via data feed | Small to mid-tier |
| Dext | Pre-bookkeeping document capture | Multi-client supported | Feeds into bookkeeping software | All firm sizes |
| ChatGPT | Drafting and research | Not purpose-built for firms | No native bookkeeping connection | Individual use |
| TaxDome | Client portal and practice management | Multi-client supported | Separate from bookkeeping layer | Small to mid-tier |
| Microsoft 365 Copilot | Email, Excel and meetings | Not purpose-built for firms | No native bookkeeping connection | All firm sizes |
| Karbon | Team workflow and email triage | Built for multi-client | Separate from bookkeeping layer | Small to mid-tier |
How does Silverfin reduce accounts production time and free capacity for advisory work?
Silverfin is a cloud platform for working papers, accounts production, tax and advisory reporting. It sits above the bookkeeping layer, so firms keep Xero, Sage, QuickBooks or whichever of its 50+ supported bookkeeping systems they already use. Working papers are the documentation trail that supports a set of accounts. Silverfin holds those papers, the accounts and the advisory output in one place, connected by live client data.
Silverfin says firms can cut the time spent on client files by up to 50%. At BKL, a set of accounts that took around 25 hours now takes 12.5 hours. More than 1,000 accounting firms in 18 countries use the platform, including all Big 4 firms.
The AI sits inside the files where the work happens. Live client data flows into working papers with the support of AI mapping, which pre-populates accounts production schedules. AI input and Silverfin Assistant are further AI features built into the platform.
Talking Points, launched in March 2026, gives accountants a structured way to capture discussion points during file review and follow up with clients. In early access, firms captured more than 40,000 client discussion points across 400 clients. Of those, 85% were advisory points spotted during routine compliance work.
Insights is Silverfin’s portfolio and advisory reporting module. Silverfin also offers an Open API, so firms can connect their own tools to its structured data.
Where does Fathom fit in a firm’s reporting workflow and which clients benefit most?
Fathom is a management reporting tool that generates narrative commentary and visual dashboards from financial data after the month-end close. Firms use it for client-facing reporting, board packs and performance reviews.
Fathom connects to bookkeeping platforms via a data feed and pulls in profit and loss, balance sheet and cash flow data. Its AI commentary feature drafts narrative explanations of variances. That saves time at the reporting stage for clients who want a written summary alongside the numbers.
Fathom fits best at the post-close stage, after bookkeeping is complete. The clients who benefit most are owner-managed businesses that receive regular management accounts and want a readable narrative rather than a spreadsheet. Firms that use both tools keep accounts production in Silverfin and client reporting in Fathom.
How does Dext reduce manual data entry at the document capture stage?
Dext uses OCR to read receipts, invoices and bank statements and extract the relevant data before it reaches bookkeeping software. OCR stands for optical character recognition. It converts text in images and PDFs into structured data that software can process.
Before a transaction can be recorded in bookkeeping software, someone has to enter the supplier name, date, amount and category. Dext automates that step. Documents come in by email, photograph or supplier feed, and Dext pushes the extracted data into the bookkeeping platform.
Dext suits firms whose clients submit high volumes of receipts and invoices. The time saving appears at the pre-bookkeeping stage, before any accounts production work begins. Cleaner bookkeeping data also means fewer corrections later, at the accounts production stage.
ChatGPT: best for drafting and research
ChatGPT is a general-purpose large language model that accountants use to draft client emails, summarise technical documents and research accounting questions. It doesn’t connect to accounting files or bookkeeping data without additional configuration.
ChatGPT is useful at the drafting stage: covering letter text, explanatory notes for clients, or a first draft of a technical summary. Partners at smaller firms often use it alongside purpose-built tools rather than instead of them.
The question ‘is there a ChatGPT for accounting?’ comes up often. General large language models and accounting platforms serve different stages of the workflow. ChatGPT handles language tasks outside the files. Silverfin handles the structured financial work inside them.
TaxDome: best for client portal and practice management
TaxDome is a practice management platform that handles client communication, document requests, e-signature workflows and job tracking in one place. It reduces the administrative load on client-facing work, particularly during busy season when request volumes are high.
TaxDome suits small to mid-tier firms that want to move client approvals and document collection out of email and into a structured portal. It operates separately from the bookkeeping layer and from accounts production, so it complements production tools rather than replacing them.
Microsoft 365 Copilot: best for email, Excel and meeting summaries
Microsoft 365 Copilot is an AI assistant built into the Microsoft 365 suite. It helps staff draft emails, summarise meeting notes and work with data in Excel. It has no native connection to accounting files or bookkeeping platforms.
For accounting firms, Copilot is most useful at the internal productivity stage: drafting emails, producing meeting summaries after client calls and helping staff analyse spreadsheet data. Accounts production and client reporting sit outside its scope.
Karbon: best for team workflow and email triage
Karbon is a practice management platform for accounting firms that brings team workflow, job tracking and client email into one place. During busy season, it shows practice managers which jobs are moving and which are stalled.
Karbon’s email triage brings client emails into a shared team inbox, so no job sits waiting in one person’s inbox. Job templates and workflow automation help firms standardise their process across the team. That matters when partners want to spend their time reviewing work rather than chasing status updates.
Karbon fits small to mid-tier firms where workflow visibility is the main bottleneck. It covers the team coordination stage and complements accounts production tools rather than replacing them.
How to choose the right AI tools for your firm
Start with these questions before evaluating any tool:
- Does the tool connect directly to your existing bookkeeping software, or does it need a separate data export step?
- Was it built for multi-client handling, or designed for a single entity and adapted for firms?
- Which workflow stage does it cover, from document capture to client reporting, and is that stage your firm’s biggest bottleneck?
- How much setup does it need before a team of 10 to 50 staff can use it?
- Does it sit above the bookkeeping layer, or does it mean replacing your bookkeeping software?
- Is there verifiable adoption among firms of a similar size? The number of firms on the platform, or Big 4 clients, are useful signals.
Silverfin is the strongest fit for firms where accounts production time and advisory capacity are the main constraints. Firms can cut time on client files by up to 50%, and more than 1,000 firms already use it, including all Big 4 firms. That’s a verifiable record at the workflow stage where most busy season pressure builds up.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Silverfin cost?
Silverfin doesn’t publish prices. Pricing varies by region and by the package a firm chooses.
How long does it take to set up Silverfin in a firm that already uses Xero or QuickBooks?
Silverfin integrates with 50+ bookkeeping systems, including Xero, Sage and QuickBooks, and sits above the bookkeeping layer rather than replacing it. Setup time depends on the size of the firm and the number of client files in scope.
Does Silverfin replace working papers software?
Silverfin includes working papers. Working papers, accounts production and tax run on one connected platform, so data flows from the working papers into the accounts.
What happens if a client’s bookkeeping system changes?
Silverfin is built to work across bookkeeping systems and supports 50+ integrations. A change of bookkeeping software doesn’t mean a change of accounts production platform.
How do firms measure return on investment from AI in accounts production?
The clearest measure is time recovered per client file during busy season. Firms compare hours logged per file before and after implementation. BKL, for example, reports that a set of accounts dropped from around 25 hours to 12.5 hours. The second measure is where that time goes: into advisory conversations, or back into production work.
