A CPA firm that does client bookkeeping lives in its software all day. Accounting software for CPA firms gets used the way a contractor uses a truck, and an extra screen per transaction, a duplicate contact, or a report that has to be rebuilt in Excel before it goes to a client gets multiplied by the number of clients and the number of months. The software choice is a staffing decision in disguise.
This guide compares the four platforms CPA firms shortlist most often for client work: GlassJar, QuickBooks Online, Xero, and Sage Intacct. We’ll be upfront that GlassJar is the one we’d steer a small or mid-sized firm toward, and equally upfront about the engagements where Sage Intacct or QuickBooks is the better answer.
Key Takeaways
- The two workflows that decide the choice are transaction entry and client reporting. Time both with real data before anything else.
- QuickBooks Online is what most client files arrive in. It’s familiar, and its per-file pricing and update-driven layout changes are the main complaints.
- Xero offers unlimited users and multi-currency on every plan, with caps on the entry tier and no inbound phone support.
- Sage Intacct is built for larger practices with multi-entity engagements, with an implementation to match.
- GlassJar enters every transaction from one screen, keeps one contact per company, lets each user pick their dashboard reports, and includes live chat on every plan.
What a CPA firm should judge
Start with the two workflows that eat the most hours: how many clicks it takes to record a bill, an invoice, an expense, and a journal entry, and whether a client-ready report can be built once, saved, and rerun without an export. Then bank feeds, since a feed that lags across many accounts creates a backlog every morning. Then user roles: can a client’s read-only view, a junior’s data entry, and a partner’s approval be kept separate? Finally, 1099 tracking in the same place the payments are recorded, and whether one contact can be a customer, a vendor, and a contractor without turning into three records.
GlassJar for CPA firms
GlassJar is cloud accounting software built for bookkeepers, accounting firms, and the small businesses they serve. For professional use, the differences show up fast. Every transaction type, journal entries included, is entered from one screen, so high-volume data entry stops meaning constant navigation. One contact record can be a customer, a vendor, and a 1099 contractor at once, so a client who is also a supplier stops being two records. And each user chooses which reports appear on their dashboard, so the reports a given client needs are the ones in front of you, customized once and saved.
The foundation is standard double-entry accounting, with bank connections and reconciliation, invoicing, bill management, expense tracking, budgets with variance reporting, check printing, custom tags for reporting by engagement or project, user roles with activity logging, and 1099 contractor management. Every plan includes more than one user, and you can leave a note on a transaction for the client or a colleague to see next time they are in the books.
The three plans are Foundation, Core, and Advanced; every one of them includes live chat support and a 14-day free trial. Early access opens October 1, 2026. What it doesn’t have yet: an app marketplace or a certification program, both a function of being new. Firms should also confirm during the trial how client organizations are set up and billed at their practice size.
How the others compare
QuickBooks Online
Most client files already live here, which is the strongest argument for it. QuickBooks Online Accountant gives a firm one login to view its client files, and the app marketplace is the largest in the category, with native payroll as an add-on.
Firms tend to raise the same complaints. Each client file is a separate subscription, so costs scale with the client list. Updates change navigation, column titles, and report layouts without much notice, which breaks saved reports and memorized workflows. Each transaction type has its own screen, and the same company must exist as both a customer and a vendor. The GlassJar and QuickBooks comparison covers the differences one by one.
Xero
Xero includes unlimited users and multi-currency on every plan, and its advisor dashboard gives a firm one view of connected client organizations. Bookkeepers tend to like its reconciliation screen. The ecosystem has more than 1,000 app connections.
The entry plan caps invoices at 20 and bills at 5 per month, which limits it for active clients. Reporting relies on two tracking categories, custom reports usually mean an add-on, U.S. payroll goes through a partner, and support is email and chat with no inbound phone line. The Xero comparison has the detail.
Sage Intacct
Sage Intacct is aimed at mid-sized and larger practices managing high-volume, multi-entity engagements. Dimensional reporting lets a firm slice data by location, department, or project without duplicating the chart of accounts, consolidation combines entities into one set of statements, and the audit trail is thorough.
The tradeoff is weight. Implementation runs weeks rather than days, the interface has more menu layers than the cloud-native options, and a small firm will pay for modules it never opens. The Sage Intacct comparison covers where the line falls.
Side by side
| What a firm needs | GlassJar | QuickBooks Online | Xero | Sage Intacct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Every transaction type from one screen | ✓Yes | ✕No | ✕No | ✕No |
| One contact for customer, vendor, contractor | ✓Yes | ✕No | ✕No | ✕No |
| Per-user report dashboards, saved customizations | ✓Yes | Partial, by tier | Limited | ✓Yes, dimensional |
| Live chat on every plan | ✓Yes | Callback-based | Email and chat | Account-based |
| Unlimited users | ✕No, plan-based | ✕No, per user | ✓Yes | Licensed |
| Multi-entity consolidation | ✕No | ✕No | ✕No | ✓Yes |
| Typical setup time | Same day | Same day | Same day | Weeks |
Scroll sideways to see all columns.
All four vendors change plan details regularly, so confirm current limits on their pricing pages.
What to look for when a firm switches
Start with how the team enters data. If staff record dozens of transactions a day across client files, a platform that reduces the screens per entry saves hours a week. Next, the reporting workflow: can the monthly client package be built once, saved, and rerun without an export? Then bank feeds, because a feed that lags creates a backlog of uncategorized lines every morning across every client.
Finally, user roles. A firm needs to give clients read-only access, let junior staff enter data, and hold approval with partners. Software that only offers full access or no access forces workarounds, and workarounds are where errors live.
Where GlassJar fits
GlassJar was built around the places a firm touches its software a hundred times a week: how many screens a transaction takes, whether the same business shows up twice, and how far you scroll to find the report a client actually asked for. For a small or mid-sized firm doing client bookkeeping, that’s most of the job. Early access opens October 1, 2026, and the first 14 days are free. Plan details are on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
What matters most when choosing accounting software for a CPA firm?
Transaction entry and client reporting, because those two workflows are most of the hours. Time both with real client data during a trial before comparing anything else.
Can GlassJar track 1099 contractor payments for clients?
Yes. Payments are assigned to 1099 categories as they are recorded, history is kept per contractor, and the year-end report is exported from the same data.
Does GlassJar consolidate multiple entities?
No. Firms with multi-entity consolidation engagements should look at Sage Intacct for that specific need.
Is there a free trial?
Yes, 14 days on Foundation, Core, and Advanced, with early access opening October 1, 2026.
How does GlassJar reporting compare?
Each user picks which reports appear on their dashboard, customizes them, and saves the result, and custom tags add reporting dimensions without new accounts. It doesn’t include Sage Intacct’s dimensional consolidation.
