Canopy
Cloud practice management for accounting firms with client management, document management, workflow, time and billing modules.
Access Practice Management (formerly APS)
Website: www.theaccessgroup.com
Access Practice Management (formerly APS) at a glance
- Best for
- Australian accounting practices
- Regions
- AU, NZ
Access Practice Management (formerly APS) is an integrated practice management system for accounting firms in Australia and New Zealand. It was acquired by The Access Group in August 2022 as part of the Reckon Accountants Group acquisition (A$100M). It covers workflow management, time recording, billing, client relationship management, and performance reporting in a single platform.
Firms use it to track job progress, record time against client engagements, generate invoices, and report on staff utilisation and job profitability. The system supports recurring job templates for compliance work (tax returns, BAS, financial statements) and provides visibility into upcoming deadlines and workload distribution across the team.
The platform integrates with Australian and New Zealand tax and accounting platforms, including Xero and MYOB. It is best suited for mid-sized ANZ accounting firms that need practice-wide visibility into jobs, billing, and team performance. Smaller firms may find it more feature-rich than they need.
Pricing
Contact The Access Group for current pricing.
Reviews
Review data being updated.
Features
Workflow Management
| Feature | Supported |
|---|---|
| List view | Yes |
| Kanban view | — |
| Job/work templates | Yes |
| Recurring jobs | Yes |
| Subtasks | — |
| Task dependencies | — |
| Automations | — |
| Custom statuses | — |
| @Mentions | — |
| Statutory due dates | — |
Client Management
| Feature | Supported |
|---|---|
| Client directory | Yes |
| Contacts | Yes |
| Client groups | Yes |
| Custom fields | — |
| Tags | — |
| Notes | Yes |
| Leads | — |
| CRM sync (QBO) | No |
| CRM sync (Xero) | Yes |
Client Portal
| Feature | Supported |
|---|---|
| Client portal | Yes |
| Client tasks/requests | — |
| File uploads | — |
| Secure messaging | — |
| Scheduling | — |
| E-signatures | — |
| White label/custom branding | — |
| Feature | Supported |
|---|---|
| Outlook integration | — |
| Gmail integration | — |
| Shared inboxes | — |
| Email-to-task | — |
| Email templates | — |
| AI email drafting | No |
| AI email summarization | No |
| View all client comms | — |
Time Tracking & Billing
| Feature | Supported |
|---|---|
| Time tracking | Yes |
| Timers | Yes |
| Invoicing | Yes |
| Fixed fee & hourly billing | Yes |
| Recurring billing | — |
| Online payments | — |
| WIP tracking | Yes |
| Write up/down | Yes |
| Realization reporting | Yes |
| QBO invoice sync | No |
| Xero invoice sync | Yes |
Document Management
| Feature | Supported |
|---|---|
| Document storage | Yes |
| Folders | — |
| Folder templates | — |
| File sharing with clients | — |
| SharePoint integration | — |
| Google Drive | — |
| Dropbox | — |
Reporting
| Feature | Supported |
|---|---|
| Time reports | Yes |
| Billing reports | Yes |
| Capacity/workload | Yes |
| Revenue insights | Yes |
Proposals & Engagement
| Feature | Supported |
|---|---|
| Proposals | — |
| Engagement letters | — |
| E-signatures on engagements | — |
Integrations
| Feature | Supported |
|---|---|
| QuickBooks Online | No |
| Xero | Yes |
| Outlook | — |
| Gmail | — |
| Zapier | — |
| Make | — |
| API | — |
| Webhooks | — |
Security & Admin
| Feature | Supported |
|---|---|
| User roles | Yes |
| Custom permissions | Yes |
| 2FA/MFA | — |
| SSO | — |
| SOC 2 | — |
| Client access controls | — |
AI Features
| Feature | Supported |
|---|---|
| AI email drafting | No |
| AI email summarization | No |
| AI task suggestions | No |
| AI document classification | No |
| AI search | No |
Mobile
| Feature | Supported |
|---|---|
| Mobile-friendly (internal) | — |
| Native mobile app (internal) | — |
| Native mobile app (client portal) | — |
Compliance & Regulatory
| Feature | Supported |
|---|---|
| HMRC integration | No |
| Companies House integration | No |
| ATO integration | Yes |
| IRS transcript pulls | No |
| MTD support | No |
| Statutory deadline tracking | Yes |
Support & Onboarding
| Feature | Supported |
|---|---|
| Chat support | — |
| Email support | Yes |
| Phone support | Yes |
| Dedicated rep | — |
| Onshore support | Yes (AU) |
| Free onboarding | — |
| Paid onboarding packages | — |
| Knowledge base/docs | Yes |
Feature data is incomplete
We have confirmed answers for 47% of the feature checklist used across our practice management entries. A dash (—) means we have not verified it yet, not that Access Practice Management (formerly APS) lacks it. Treat the gaps as unknown rather than unsupported, and confirm with the vendor.
Unverified areas: Proposals & Engagement Letters, E-Signature, Scheduling, Communication & Collaboration, Project Management, CRM.
Access Practice Management (formerly APS) Alternatives
Other practice management tools for accounting firms, ordered by how much of Access Practice Management (formerly APS)'s functionality they cover. Our feature data is still incomplete for BrightManager (formerly Accountancy Manager), so it ranks lower here than a full assessment might place it.
Qount
Qount is a unified practice management platform for multi-service accounting firms covering workflow automation, billing, and client management.
Tidyflow
Practice management platform for accounting firms combining workflows, client requests, documents, email, proposals, time tracking, and billing.
BrightManager (formerly Accountancy Manager)
UK practice management software for accountants with automated deadline tracking, client onboarding, and HMRC/Companies House integration.
Firm360
Firm360 is a practice management platform for small accounting firms covering workflow, time and billing, payment processing, and client communication.
Financial Cents
Accounting practice management platform that helps firms track work status, automate client data collection, manage workflows, and measure profitability.