Need a new task management solution now that ACI TaskTracker has been discontinued? 

If you’re a CPA or tax professional searching for a task-tracking solution that’s easy to use and streamlines client work, there are a few popular options worth considering.

In this article, we highlight five workflow alternatives successful accounting firms use to meet critical deadlines, collaborate with team members, and keep client work organized.

 

1. Jetpack Workflow

Jetpack Workflow is a leading workflow management solution built for accountants and bookkeeping professionals. 

Thousands of firms use Jetpack Workflow to consistently hit client deadlines, automate recurring work, and simplify task management so they can scale operations. 

The platform lets users program repetitive tasks, monitor who is working on what, and get an overview of upcoming due dates to ensure all work is completed on time. 

Overall, Jetpack Workflow enables seamless collaboration between teams across the firm, giving all employees a centralized location to track and update progress on client work. 

Advantages of Jetpack Workflow

  • Provides a central hub for keeping tasks, documents, and due dates organized across multiple clients
  • Automates recurring tasks to repeat daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly
  • Organize and standardize your checklists using a template builder, and apply them to a client in one click
  • Helps managers assess current workloads and the availability of staff members for better planning decisions
  • Easily filter, sort, and search through your projects so you can always find what you’re looking for
  • Unlimited clients and contacts included in every plan

Jetpack Workflow’s Shortcomings

  • Not a practice management tool or “all-in-one” solution 
  • Limited direct integrations to Gmail and Outlook, though Zapier integration bridges the gap with other accounting tools

Pricing

One paid plan is available at $30/user/month when billed annually or $45/user/month with monthly billing. Each plan includes access to full platform features, including unlimited projects, clients, templates, automation, and live chat and email support. 

Similarities Between Jetpack Workflow and ACI TaskTracker

  • Centralized management of current, upcoming, and past client work
  • Bulk updating for multiple tasks at once
  • Custom task/template creation for standard workflows
  • Sets recurring deadlines for repeat tasks
  • Views of staff assignments to monitor what each employee is working on
  • Stores notes and documents at the client level for easy reference

Key Differences Between Jetpack Workflow and ACI TaskTracker

  • Jetpack offers more advanced reporting than ACI TaskTracker, enabling users to make more informed decisions and plans
  • Jetpack features a dedicated “Planning” tab to help determine who on the team can take on more work
  • ACI TaskTracker placed greater emphasis on tax deadlines, while Jetpack Workflow includes pre-built templates and checklists for a wider range of standard accounting and bookkeeping tasks
  • Jetpack Workflow has a more modern and user-friendly interface, with new features continuously rolled out to users to expand the platform’s capabilities 

 

2. Asana

Asana is a project management tool for teams of all sizes. Organizations in all industries use it to automate workflows, track project progress, manage resources, and set company goals. 

With multiple work views and hundreds of supported integrations, Asana helps teams stay organized and collaborate more efficiently. 

Advantages of Asana

  • User-friendly interface to make organizing, prioritizing, and managing tasks easier
  • Collaboration tools to keep firm employees up to date on task progress and updates
  • Large number of supported integrations, giving teams all necessary data in one place

Asana’s Shortcomings

  • Not tailored to accounting firms, potentially requiring extra time to customize the workspace 
  • One-on-one customer support only in the highest-tier plan

Pricing

The Starter plan is $10.99/user/month, and the Advanced plan is $24.99/user/month, both billed annually. Teams needing more than 250 monthly automations, advanced reporting, and personalized support will need the Advanced plan.

There is a free plan for individuals and small teams with unlimited tasks, activities, and storage, but it only offers basic workflows and reporting tools. 

Similarities Between Asana and ACI TaskTracker

  • One dashboard/window for tracking task due dates and progress
  • Variety of display options for filtering and sorting jobs based on assignees, clients, and status 
  • Comparable pricing for the highest-tier Asana plan and ACI TaskTracker

Key Differences Between Asana and ACI TaskTracker

  • Not pre-set with common tax return due dates like ACI TaskTracker
  • More user-friendly interface with Asana compared to ACI TaskTracker’s clunky and outdated design
  • More robust resource management features in Asana to monitor individual workloads

 

3. ClickUp

ClickUp is a project management tool for small and medium-sized teams in any industry. The platform aims to be a one-stop solution for all things work management, including features for team collaboration, workflow management, time tracking, goal setting, and more. 

Though not designed exclusively for accountants, firms can customize their ClickUp workspace to their task management needs with custom fields, templates, and work views. 

Advantages of ClickUp

  • Custom template builder for tasks and checklists to standardize repetitive workflows
  • Consolidated view of open projects, work status, assignees, and upcoming due dates
  • AI-powered automation builder to easily configure custom workflows for routine tasks

ClickUp’s Shortcomings

  • Sometimes difficult to set up due to advanced customization features 
  • Not specifically designed for accounting and bookkeeping task management

Pricing

Paid plans start at $7/user/month with annual billing for the Unlimited plan, including unlimited storage, integrations, dashboards, custom fields, and more. 

Firms wanting access to advanced automation, time tracking, workload management, timesheets, and unlimited teams will likely prefer the Business plan at $12/user/month, billed annually. An Enterprise plan with custom pricing is available for large teams. 

The Free Forever plan is for a single user and has unlimited tasks and limited storage. 

Similarities Between ClickUp and ACI TaskTracker

  • Organizes and tracks progress on tasks
  • Sets recurring task reminders for repetitive client work
  • Offers an overview of the team’s current workload in a centralized location
  • Customizes work views with filtering and sorting based on job tags or labels 

Key Differences Between ClickUp and ACI TaskTracker

  • Unlike ACI TaskTracker, ClickUp offers a limited free plan for sole operators
  • ClickUp has a native time-tracking feature, making tracking billable hours on client work easier
  • ACI TaskTracker was specifically designed with common tax and accounting workflows in mind. ClickUp is a general work management tool

 

4. Trello

Trello is a work management tool that can be customized to fit a team’s unique projects and workflows. It offers visibility into current and upcoming tasks, including who is working on what and when the project is due. 

While not specifically designed for the accounting industry, Trello is a highly flexible and customizable solution that firms can tweak to fit their workflow.

Advantages of Trello

  • Creates recurring tasks and templates for repeatable client work
  • Integrates with hundreds of popular business applications, tracking important data in one location
  • Easy drag-and-drop system for updating task status and organizing projects 

Trello’s Shortcomings

  • No accounting-specific templates for easy setup of common tasks
  • Requires a higher-tier plan for accessing additional work views aside from Kanban

Pricing

Paid plans start at $5/user/month with the Standard plan, billed annually. It includes unlimited boards, storage, and custom fields, with a limited number of Workspace commands. 

The Premium plan is $10/user/month, billed annually, allowing access to additional Workspace views, command runs, advanced security features, and more. An Enterprise plan is available for organizations with more than 50 users with discounted pricing. 

The free plan with limited features is available to individuals with up to ten collaborators. 

Similarities Between Trello and ACI TaskTracker

  • Assigns users and due dates to individual tasks or projects
  • Use of templates to streamline deadlines and task reminders for recurring work
  • Creates custom tasks based on the firm’s specific workflows
  • Filters and sorts tasks in any field to create unique work views and reports

Key Differences Between Trello and ACI TaskTracker

  • ACI TaskTracker was built specifically to manage due dates on common tax and accounting tasks, while Trello is a general tool for companies in all industries
  • Trello is much more affordable than ACI TaskTracker, especially for smaller teams, offering several plan tiers
  • Unlike ACI TaskTracker, Trello offers a mobile app for users to track and manage tasks on the go

 

5. TaxDome

TaxDome is a practice management solution for accounting firms. It positions itself as an all-in-one platform where firms can manage both client-facing interactions and back-office operations.  

However, project and task tracking is just one of its features. TaxDome’s emphasis is to help firms build and manage client relationships through its branded client portal, proposal and engagement letter builder, and billing features. 

Advantages of TaxDome

  • Comprehensive platform for managing both front- and back-end firm workflows
  • Access to pre-built templates or custom workflow builder for standardizing and streamlining recurring tasks 
  • Workflow automation features for repeatable processes and scheduled client reminders 

TaxDome’s Shortcomings

  • Known to have a steep learning curve for new users
  • May be too robust for teams only seeking a new task management solution

Pricing

TaxDome offers one plan, which starts at $66/user/month, billed annually with discounts for a two- or three-year commitment. The plan includes access to all platform features. 

A monthly plan is also available for seasonal staff at $85/user/month. 

Similarities Between TaxDome and ACI TaskTracker

  • Ability to create custom tasks tailored to a firm’s unique needs
  • Automates deadlines for recurring tasks 
  • Tracks real-time status of current tasks and projects
  • Offers access to completed client tasks for future reference
  • Stores and manages client engagement letters for auditing purposes

Key Differences Between TaxDome and ACI TaskTracker

  • TaxDome is more than twice as expensive as ACI TaskTracker for an annual user license
  • TaxDome offers robust CRM capabilities aside from project and task tracking
  • Unlike ACI TaskTracker, TaxDome supports billing and invoicing processes

 

See Jetpack Workflow In Action

Get under the hood of Jetpack Workflow’s accounting workflow and project management platform. See some of the top features and how it helps your firm standardize, automate, and track client work more efficiently.