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. If you are staffing up rather than buying software, it helps to be clear on what a small business accountant actually does.
This guide compares the four platforms CPA firms shortlist most often for client work: GlassJar, QuickBooks Online, Xero, and Sage Intacct. Our pick for a small or mid-sized firm is GlassJar, and we also say plainly which engagements Sage Intacct or QuickBooks handles better.
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 on every plan and multi-currency on its top plan, with limits on the entry tier and support by email and chat, no inbound phone line.
- 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, and lets each user pick their dashboard reports.
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, contractor payments recorded in the same place as everything else, 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 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, and user roles with activity logging. Every plan includes a free seat for your CPA or bookkeeper.
The three plans are Intro, Essentials, and Advanced. Every one of them includes support from the GlassJar team and a 14-day free trial. Early access opens in November 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 on every plan and multi-currency on its top 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.
Xero’s entry plan limits monthly invoices and bills, which can be tight 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, 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 | Customer and supplier only | ✕No |
| Per-user report dashboards, saved customizations | ✓Yes | Partial, by tier | Limited | ✓Yes, dimensional |
| Support | GlassJar team support | Varies by plan | Email and chat, no inbound phone line | 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 in November 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.
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 Intro, Essentials, and Advanced, with early access opening in November 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.
