Customer relationship management (CRM) software for accountants and bookkeepers provides an all-in-one, cost-effective solution for client and lead management. It has account management modules, built-in collaboration features, and integration with accounting systems like QuickBooks and Xero. These tools help certified public accountants (CPAs) and firms meet deadlines, manage client inquiries, streamline financial reporting, and ensure…
Customer relationship management (CRM) software for accountants and bookkeepers provides an all-in-one, cost-effective solution for client and lead management. It has account management modules, built-in collaboration features, and integration with accounting systems like QuickBooks and Xero. These tools help certified public accountants (CPAs) and firms meet deadlines, manage client inquiries, streamline financial reporting, and ensure tax compliance.
We evaluated dozens of CRM tools and came up with nine best CRMs for accountants to help grow your accounting firm.
HubSpot CRM: Best for free accounting integrations
Zoho CRM: Best customizable CRM for accounting firms
We are able to offer our services for free because some vendors may pay us for web traffic or other sales opportunities. Our mission is to help technology buyers make better purchasing decisions, so we provide you with information for all vendors — even those that don't pay us.
Starting Monthly Price Per UserBased on annual billing on a per-month basis; monthly billing is available at slightly higher rates, unless otherwise specified.
HubSpot CRM: Best for Free Accounting Integrations
Advertisement
HubSpot CRM Pricing Plans*
Cost:
$0 for two users
Key Features:
Contact and company management
10 custom properties to associate data points with contacts, deals, and companies
Five email templates and five documents per account
Activity and pipeline tracking and list segmentation
Prospects tool for monitoring leads visiting your web pages
One deal pipeline per account
Gmail, Outlook, and Microsoft Exchange integrations
Google Chrome extension for accessing HubSpot CRM in Gmail
App marketplace access for third-party integrations
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-user monthly breakdown of the HubSpot Customer Platform. Monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. We update pricing information regularly but encourage readers to check current pricing.
**Customer Platform includes sales, marketing, customer service, a content management system (CMS), and operations software. Individual modules can be purchased for lower monthly costs.
The HubSpot and Xero integration setup page for syncing contacts, invoices, and payment data for easy record access (Source: HubSpot)
Our Expert Opinion
HubSpot CRM is the best CRM for accounting firms because of standout product attributes like quote generation, email marketing, and document storage. It has one of the best free-forever plans with a no-cost integration to accounting systems like QuickBooks and Xero, as well as all-in-one free sales, marketing, service, and content management modules. Because of its intuitive features, HubSpot CRM is on our list of the best simple CRM systems.
Zoho CRM: Best Customizable CRM for Accounting Firms
Advertisement
Zoho CRM Pricing Plans*
Cost:
$0 for three users
Key Features:
10 custom email templates
Customized home page componentsIncluding tabs, list views, and search layout
Automation for workflow rules, tasks, and email notifications
1GB file storage per organization
10MB data storage (5,000 records)
Lead, account, contact, and deal management
Document library
Tasks, meetings, and calls
Standard reports
Approve records on web forms
Zoho CRM Pricing Add-ons:
Additional file storage: $4 for 5GB per month
Additional data storage (Professional and up): $4 per 100MB for less than 200 users and $2 per 100MB for more than 200 users
Additional data backup: $12 per request
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-month breakdown. Monthly billing is available for a higher cost. Zoho CRM comes with a 15-day free trial for the paid plans. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.
Zoho CRM and Zoho Finance integration for seamless accounting operations management (Source: Zoho)
Our Expert Opinion
Zoho CRM sets itself apart with its all-around affordability. We also like the customization options of the platform—something essential when tailoring a CRM to meet industry-specific needs like bookkeeping, tax planning, and cash flow forecasting. It ensures modules meet information and process requirements of accountants. Plus, integrations with QuickBooks, Xero, and Zoho Finance Suite help manage payments and clients in one interface.
Bitrix24: Best CRM for Bookkeepers With Client Management Tools
Advertisement
Bitrix24 Pricing Plans*
Cost:
$0 for unlimited users
Key Features:
Unlimited contacts, deals with sales pipeline, and activity tracking
Client management module with task planning, tracking, reminders, and autodialer
Bitrix24.Sign tool for creating, sending, and getting digital signatures for documents
Automated duplicate detection and custom data fields
Contact center with CRM forms, live chat engagement, and social media messaging
Shared team calendar
Project and task management module
Ecommerce module with order, product, inventory, and payments
CoPilot AI assistant in CRM, tasks, chat, feed, email, and texts on websites
Sales intelligence with report builder and automatic customer journey tracking
*Pricing is based on annual billing. Monthly billing is available for a higher cost. Bitrix24 offers a 15-day free trial on paid plans. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.
Bitrix24’s contact management system helps accountants and bookkeepers easily manage client profiles. (Source: Bitrix24)
Our Expert Opinion
Bitrix24 is one of the closest products you’ll find to an industry-specific CRM for bookkeepers and accountants. This is primarily due to its robust client management system where you can store contact data and documents, plan activities and calls with clients, and manage client tasks. Bitrix24’s project management module is great for tracking accounting service deliverables like tax filings, financial audits, and periodic financial statement generation.
Financial Cents: Best for Profitability Management
Advertisement
Financial Cents Pricing Plans*
Cost:
$9 per user
Key Features:
Workflow and to-do lists
Workflow automations
Client tasks and requests
Client portal
Secure file sharing
Document management
Client CRM and database
Time tracking
Budgeting and reporting
Financial Cents Pricing Add-ons:
ReCatsAutomate managing client uncategorized transactions without needing to download transaction into a spreadsheet. : $4 per client, per month
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-month breakdown of the plans. Monthly billing and enterprise-level options are available for a higher cost. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.
Financial Cents lets you track client work, respond to clients faster, and organize data and tasks for a more productive and profitable accounting firm. (Source: Financial Cents)
Our Expert Opinion
Financial Cents is an affordable CRM for accountants and bookkeepers who manage multiple clients with notable features for tracking profitability. With its project tracking and capacity management features, you can quickly analyze return on investments (ROI) and prioritize high-profit clients. We also love how this tool can help accountants attract more leads by giving them easy access to requests, documents, reports, and invoices via its client portal.
monday CRM: Best for Intuitive CRM Features for Accountants & Bookkeepers
Advertisement
monday CRM Pricing Plans*
Cost:
$12 per userThree-user minimum requirement
Key Features:
Unlimited customizable pipelines
Unlimited contacts
Unlimited boards
Templates for lead, contact, and deal management
iOS and Android apps
Unlimited free viewers
Create a dashboard based on one board
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-month breakdown. Monthly billing is available for a higher cost. Enterprise plan is also available for larger teams at custom pricing. The provider offers a 14-day free trial. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.
monday CRM dashboard shows color-coded labeling for easier access to account records. (Source: monday CRM)
Our Expert Opinion
monday CRM is a great option for accountants new to the CRM world. The entire platform is built around product simplicity and providing the user with a great experience. Between creating the CRM boards, adding and editing records, and developing workflow automations, monday CRM is the best simple solution. It also has great features relevant to accountants like client project management, onboarding task tracking, and renewal management.
Pipedrive: Best CRM for Bookkeepers With Opportunity Management Tools
Advertisement
Pipedrive Pricing Plans*
Cost:
$14 per user
Key Features:
Contact, lead, and deal management
Calendar and activity management
Customizable sales pipelines
Deal and activity reports with deal rotting notifications
Email inbox
AI-powered sales assistant
Visual dashboards with shareable links
Product catalogs
Mobile app
Caller ID and automatic call logging
Pipedrive Pricing Add-ons:
LeadBoosterLead generation tool set : Starting at $32.50 per company monthly
Web Visitors TrackingWeb tracking and lead ranking : Starting at $41 per company monthly
CampaignsCustomizable email campaigns : Starting at $13.33 per company monthly
Smart DocsSend trackable quotes, proposals, and contracts; free with Professional or Enterprise plan subscription : Starting at $32.50 per company monthly
ProjectsProject and task management : Starting at $6.70 per user monthly
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-month breakdown of the plans, though monthly billing is available for a higher cost. Pipedrive offers a 14-day free trial. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.
Pipedrive creates a signable proposal with SmartDocs for accountants and bookkeepers to streamline agreement or contract approval for winning more opportunities. (Source: Pipedrive)
Our Expert Opinion
If you’re an accountant or bookkeeper, you can greatly benefit from Pipedrive’s opportunity management tools. It is the best CRM for bookkeepers and accountants who need to set up progressive billing and proposals through accounting system integrations like with Xero.
Easily access quotes, payment history, sales trends, and receivables, as well as generate invoices and receive real-time updates. Plus, you can use Pipedrive’s proposal management tools to land more clients and further boost your accounting practice’s income.
Client management tools like CRM, documents, and organizers (client intake)
Revenue operations tools for proposals, engagement letters, and time tracking
Client experience tools like client mobile app, client portal, and client tasks
Integrations like Internal Revenue Service (IRS) transcripts, QuickBooks Online, and tax software
TaxDome Pricing Add-ons:
Seasonal Staff: $85 per user, per month (billed monthly)
*Pricing is based on annual billing. Two- and three-year subscriptions are available with a lower annual or monthly cost. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.
TaxDome simplifies document operations like Form 1040. (Source: TaxDome)
TaxDome dashboard shows uploaded tax form files for seamless document and workflow management. (Source: TaxDome)
Our Expert Opinion
TaxDome is the best CRM for accounting firms looking for tax management features with seamless tax software integrations. Whether you’re a freelance accountant, a new accounting firm, or a seasoned bookkeeper, TaxDome’s cloud-based solution can help you stand out from your competitors. You won’t feel restricted in your workflows because it’s equipped with unlimited accounts, storage space, and electronic signatures.
Capsule CRM: Best CRM for Vendor Invoice Management
Advertisement
Capsule CRM Pricing Plans*
Cost:
$0 for two users
Key Features:
Up to 250 contacts
50MB storage per user
Xero integration via Zapier
Integration with Gmail and Mailchimp
Unlimited customization of contact data
Track potential sales like bids, proposals, or deals
Sales dashboard and activity reports
Data segmentation tools such as lists, filters, and tags
Create, assign, and automate tasks
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-month breakdown. Monthly billing is available for a higher cost. Capsule CRM offers a 14-day free trial. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.
Capsule CRM exports an account’s data to Xero for managing invoices on a centralized platform. (Source: Capsule)
Users have two options when handling suppliers’ info between Capsule and Xero for seamless and secure vendor or supplier invoicing and account management. (Source: Capsule)
Our Expert Opinion
Capsule CRM’s supplier management features make it the best CRM accounting software for CPA firms handling vendor invoices. If you have clients with multiple suppliers, you can protect sensitive information with Capsule CRM by keeping data only visible to authorized users. Another notable feature is its Xero integration, allowing you to generate invoice summaries for a quick look at payment due dates and other important data.
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-month breakdown. Monthly billing is available for a higher cost. Insightly offers a 14-day free trial. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.
Insightly CRM project management system from account record management helps streamline managing a client’s accounts and projects. (Source: Insightly)
Our Expert Opinion
Insightly CRM is the best CRM accounting software with project management capabilities. We recommend this CRM to solopreneurs and freelance accountants who want to build client relationships and oversee service deliverables in one system. Promote seamless accounting project delivery by using Insightly CRM to track your KPIs and build automated tasks and events.
To help accountants and bookkeepers choose the best CRM, we evaluated the features relevant to an accountant for managing payments and clients. For instance, document storage, appointment scheduling, and project management are all useful for providing solid professional services. We ranked the best CRM for bookkeepers and accountants not just based on the availability of these features but also their extensiveness and user experience. Regardless if the CRM is industry-specific or general-use, we always look at other product attributes, such as affordability, customer support availability, and integration options. In this case, we looked at integrations with accounting systems such as Xero and QuickBooks. The criteria below offer insight into our evaluation process of the best CRM for accountants.
Methodology weights
Pricing 10%
General Features 25%
Niche Features 25%
Ease of Use 15%
Help and Support 15%
Expert Score 10%
Pricing considered free-forever plan availability and affordable scalable options available for purchase. We also looked at billing flexibility for a subscriber to either pay monthly or save by paying annually. Finally, we looked at the costs specifically for the features applicable to accountants, like access to integrations, invoice generation, and proposal management.
We looked at general features we feel are crucial to any CRM system, regardless of its primary industry or use case. For instance, a mobile app would let bookkeepers manage their sales and clients while on the go. We also wanted to see the product offer reporting and analytics tools and a high degree of system customization to tailor for accounting operations.
Niche and advanced features were among the most heavily weighted criteria. These took into account expanded capabilities that set accounting CRMs apart such as integration with Xero and QuickBooks systems and internal chat tools to collaborate with team members. Additionally, features like appointment scheduling, project management, a built-in phone system, and invoicing are also useful features for accounting businesses.
To assess the ease of use, we checked if the provider has built-in templates or automations. We also searched reputable review sites to gauge general user sentiment regarding its learning curve and ease of setup. In addition, we considered its plan options to see if it is easily scalable when we evaluated the best CRM and accounting software on the market.
Extensive support helps prevent poor user experiences while investing and adopting any of these accounting CRM systems. This was evaluated in terms of service hour availability and the support channels like phone, live chat, and email. We also wanted each provider to offer a knowledge base or community forum for self-service options.
In addition to our first-hand experience with these CRM systems, we assessed what actual users say about each product according to online reviews. These help us better understand the product’s ease of use and how users feel about the CRM features. It also allows us to evaluate the perceived value subscribers obtain in terms of product ROI.
Advertisement
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
A CRM for accounting refers to software that lets bookkeepers, tax preparers, and auditors oversee payments and client management operations. It will contain useful modules, such as lead, account, and project management, as well as tools particularly valuable to accountants like meeting scheduling, invoice generation, document storage, and a built-in phone system. It will also integrate with popular accounting systems such as QuickBooks and Xero.
The short answer is no. QuickBooks is a financial management platform that lets businesses send invoices, collect payments, pay expenses, track account balances, and generate financial statements. That said, because of its invoicing capabilities, businesses could use it to store contact data, which is a key CRM feature. Nevertheless, most CRMs integrate with QuickBooks to send invoices and sync data between the CRM and accounting system.
Many CRM systems for accountants and bookkeepers like HubSpot CRM, Zoho CRM, and Bitrix24 offer a free plan. Financial Cents’ paid plans start at $9 per user. And it offers client management and workflow automation tools to seamlessly manage routine tasks like tax auditing.
Bottom Line
The best CRM software streamlines an accounting firm’s operations with its automation, appointment scheduling, and document management capabilities. With accounting system integrations like Xero and QuickBooks, firms can focus more on core tasks like managing expenses and write-offs, inter-client relationship building, and managing employees. While HubSpot CRM is our pick for the best CRM for accountants overall, consider other platforms based on your feature needs.
Lorraine Daisy Resuello is a specialist at Fit Small Business who focuses on Sales and Customer Service topics and she has experience in customer service in business process outsourcing (BPO). At present, she uses her decade-long writing experience to provide FSB readers with the best answers to their questions.
Loading more content…
Our mission is to provide small business owners with the information you need to succeed. Learn how to start, market, run, and grow your business today!
Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.