The BrightManager alternative with AML included, not metered
BrightManager (formerly AccountancyManager) is strong on UK onboarding with Companies House and HMRC built in, and bills AML checks by credit. ZenWorkflow includes screening, risk assessments, billing, time, leave and multi-entity support from €39 per user per month.
Choose ZenWorkflow if you want
- AML screening and risk assessment included in the plan, not bought in credits
- A firm outside the UK, or a group with several entities
- Client ownership records: directors, shareholders, beneficial owners
- Monthly billing per user with no add-on list
BrightManager is the better fit if
- You are a UK practice that lives in Companies House and HMRC data
- Automated proposals, engagement letters and onboarding emails are the priority
- You want a white-labelled client portal (paid add-on)
- Credas identity verification matters to your process
ZenWorkflow vs BrightManager at a glance
BrightManager is deeply UK. ZenWorkflow is built for regulated firms anywhere in the EU and beyond.
| ZenWorkflow | BrightManager | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From €39/user/month | From £42.63/user/month + add-ons |
| Free plan | Free plan for one user and 10 clients | |
| Workflow and job management | Templates, checklists, owners, budgets and approvals | Automated tasks by deadline |
| Client records and ownership | Contacts, directors, shareholders, ownership and history | CRM with Companies House sync |
| Time tracking and timesheets | Weekly timesheets with submit-and-approve | Time recording |
| Invoicing, estimates and credit notes | Invoices, estimates, credit notes and receipts | Invoicing |
| AML/KYC screening and risk assessment | PEP and sanctions screening, risk assessments, document expiry | Add-onAML checks by credit, Credas ID verification |
| Staff leave and capacity | Requests, balances and a team leave calendar | |
| Multiple firms or entities | Several firms or entities from one login, fully isolated | One firm per account |
| Client portal | Secure magic-link sharing, no full client portal | Add-onWhite-labelled portal, monthly fee |
| Integrated email inbox | Automated client emails | |
| Document storage | Per-client files, Google Drive sync | Document storage |
| AI assistant | In-app assistant plus Claude and ChatGPT connection | Limited |
| Reporting | Capacity, profitability, compliance and billing reports | Reporting |
| Contract | Monthly or yearly, no minimum seats | Monthly, yearly, or 12 to 24 months on some plans |
BrightManager details from its public pricing and feature pages and independent reviews, checked October 2026. Plans change: confirm on their site before deciding.
From €39/user/month (Practice) or €58/user/month with AML/KYC, billed monthly or yearly.
Everything is included at each tier: workflows, clients, time, billing, leave, reporting and the AI assistant, with AML/KYC on the Practice + AML plan. There are no per-module fees and no minimum number of users, and the free plan covers one user and ten clients.
From £42.63 + VAT per user per month billed monthly, or £409.25 + VAT per user per year.
That is the Essential plan for 2 to 12 users; single-user Premium and Advanced plans are £57.85 + VAT a month on 12- or 24-month contracts. AML checks are bought as credits (£2.99 for five), the white-labelled portal is £20.50 a month, and company secretarial work is priced per client.
Why firms move from BrightManager
UK firms rate its onboarding. The moves come from the add-on list and the borders.
AML by the credit
Every check draws down a credit balance. ZenWorkflow includes screening and risk assessments in the Practice + AML plan.
Built around UK registries
Companies House and HMRC are the backbone, which does little for firms elsewhere. ZenWorkflow is country-neutral.
No staff leave
Capacity and time off sit outside the product. ZenWorkflow plans work around leave.
One firm per account
Groups and multi-office practices juggle logins. ZenWorkflow isolates each entity under one login.
Screening and risk assessment, included
PEP and sanctions screening on clients, directors and beneficial owners, structured risk questionnaires and expiry tracking, with the full history on the client record.
The whole structure on one record
Directors, shareholders, related parties and share capital, kept with the services you provide, so ownership questions are answered from the record and not from a registry search.
Several firms, one login
Each entity gets an isolated workspace with its own clients, workflows and billing. Switch between them in a click, with access controlled per person.
Switching from BrightManager in three steps
Guided onboarding imports your data and validates it with you before go-live. Most firms are running within a few weeks.
Export clients and tasks
Export your client list, contacts and task history from BrightManager to CSV.
Import into ZenWorkflow
Import clients, contacts, directors and shareholders; upload KYC documents to the client record.
Templates and go live
Recreate deadline-driven work as templates and run the next cycle from ZenWorkflow.
ZenWorkflow vs BrightManager: questions firms ask
Straight answers on pricing, migration and where each tool wins.
Yes for firms that want AML included rather than metered, run several entities, or operate outside the UK. UK practices whose process is built around Companies House and HMRC automation should weigh that integration carefully.
The Essential plan is £42.63 + VAT per user per month billed monthly, or £409.25 + VAT per user per year, for 2 to 12 users. AML checks are bought as credits and the white-labelled client portal is a separate monthly fee.
UK-specific automation: Companies House sync, HMRC deadlines, automated engagement letters and proposals, and Credas identity verification. ZenWorkflow is country-neutral.
Yes. Export clients, contacts and tasks to CSV and import them with guided onboarding.
The Practice plan is €39 per user per month, or €390 per user per year. Practice + AML, which adds PEP and sanctions screening, risk assessments and KYC document tracking, is €58 per user per month or €580 per year. A free plan covers one user and ten clients, and every paid plan starts with a 14-day free trial. There are no module fees or minimum seat counts.
Yes. ZenWorkflow is built in the EU and is used by accounting, audit, tax, legal and corporate-services firms across Europe and beyond. It bills in EUR or USD, supports multiple entities from one login and includes the AML/KYC due-diligence that EU and UK regulated firms need, without a US-tax or Companies-House-only focus.
Yes. Start a free trial with no credit card, import a handful of clients and run one real engagement end to end. Book a demo if you would rather see your own workflows set up first.
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