Looking for a BrightManager alternative?
BrightManager (formerly AccountancyManager) has been part of Bright Software Group since March 2022. If you're reviewing your options at renewal, here's an honest look at how Sodium compares — including what BrightManager does well.
Why firms are reviewing BrightManager
AccountancyManager was founded in 2017 and became one of the UK's most popular practice management tools. In March 2022 it was acquired by Bright Software Group — a private-equity-backed group (Hg Capital) that also owns BrightPay — and was rebranded BrightManager.
Since then, two things have changed that prompt firms to look around at renewal. First, pricing: BrightManager no longer publishes its prices — as of July 2026, getting a quote means booking a demo. Second, ownership: buying decisions that used to be made by a founder-led product team now sit inside a larger group with a broad product portfolio.
Neither of those makes BrightManager a bad product. But if your renewal quote has changed, or you'd simply rather buy from a vendor that publishes its pricing, it's a reasonable moment to compare.
What Sodium offers instead
Sodium is UK-built practice management from Sodium Software — founded by Duane Jackson, who previously founded KashFlow and Staffology. It's independent and founder-owned, with no external investment.
Pricing is public and tiered by client count: free for up to 5 clients, from £25/month (+VAT) for up to 25 clients, with up to 25 users included and no per-user charges. The feature set covers workflows, a client portal, proposals and engagement letters, email, document management, and a built-in MCP server so AI assistants like Claude can work with your practice data.
Where Sodium’s time and billing goes further
BrightManager does this properly, and it’s worth saying so: a WIP ledger, WIP allocated onto invoices — reallocated or unallocated as needed — cost of work and profit against that WIP, and a sync into Xero. The difference is narrower than the feature list makes it look, and it’s about what happens when the fee doesn’t match the time.
Sodium records time against clients, tasks, workflow steps and services, with timers that can start and stop with a workflow step, and puts your whole unbilled position on one screen. Bill a fixed fee against the time logged and the shortfall is written off there and then with a reason attached, entry by entry — or left in WIP to bill later. Write-off analysis by reason, recovery rates and open WIP all come off those same entries. Read more about time tracking, WIP and write-offs.
Each person also carries a cost rate alongside their charge rate, so approved hours turn into contractor pay runs — the part of the loop that neither BrightManager’s WIP allocation nor its Insights Hub covers in what Bright publishes. It’s in the price of every package: no time add-on, and no per-user charge.
What BrightManager does well
Credit where it's due: AccountancyManager earned its user base. BrightManager has a mature feature set shaped by years of UK accountant feedback, strong client onboarding heritage, and it sits alongside the wider Bright suite — if you already run BrightPay payroll and want one vendor relationship across payroll and practice management, that bundling has genuine value.
Side by side
| BrightManager | Sodium | |
|---|---|---|
| Public pricing | Not published — pricing via a demo booking | Yes — free for up to 5 clients, from £25/month (+VAT); full pricing calculator online |
| Ownership | Bright Software Group (acquired AccountancyManager in March 2022; Bright is backed by Hg Capital) | Independent and founder-owned — no external investment |
| Free trial | — | Free one-month trial, no card required |
| AI assistant access | — | Built-in MCP server — connect Claude and other AI assistants to your practice data |
| Companies House | — | Companies House built into the core client record |
| Time tracking and WIP | Time tracking with a WIP ledger, and WIP allocated onto invoices — reallocated or unallocated as needed — with Xero sync | Six ways to log time — against clients, tasks, workflow steps and services — including timers that start and stop with a workflow step, calendar and timesheet views, and your whole unbilled position on one screen |
| Fee billing and write-offs | Fixed-fee work can be allocated to invoices; write-off reasons and recovery rates are not stated | Bill a fixed fee against logged time and write off the shortfall with a reason, or leave it in WIP to bill later — with write-off, recovery and open-WIP reporting |
| Staff cost and profitability | Cost of work and resulting profit shown against WIP | A cost rate per person alongside their charge rate, contractor pay runs for approved hours, and cost against profit and recovery on the same entries |
Last checked 11 July 2026. BrightManager pricing and features may have changed since — always confirm current details with the vendor. Time and WIP rows describe what each vendor publishes on its own website as at 10 September 2026. A dash means the capability is not stated in the vendor's published material, not that it is unavailable — check with the vendor. A dash (—) means the item wasn't listed on the vendor's public site when we last checked.
Moving your data
You can export your clients and services from BrightManager as CSV files and import them into Sodium with the built-in import tools — clients, contacts, and service assignments come across in a few minutes, and if you want to you can also bring your in-progress tasks across too. Follow our step-by-step guide to migrating from BrightManager, and if you get stuck, you'll get help directly from the people who built the product.
Common questions
Can I import my clients from BrightManager into Sodium?
Yes. Export your clients and services from BrightManager as CSV files and use Sodium's import tools to bring across clients, contacts, and service assignments. You can bring your tasks across too if you want to. There's a step-by-step migration guide at sodiumhq.com/guides/migrating-from-bright-manager.
How much does Sodium cost compared to BrightManager?
Sodium's pricing is public: free for up to 5 clients, then tiered by client count from £25/month (+VAT) for up to 25 clients, with up to 25 users included and no per-user charges. BrightManager does not publish its pricing (as of July 2026) — you'll need to request a quote to compare.
Is there a free trial of Sodium?
Yes — one month free with no card details required, and the free tier for up to 5 clients has no time limit.
Who is behind Sodium?
Sodium is built in the UK by Sodium Software Ltd, founded by Duane Jackson, who previously founded KashFlow and Staffology. It's independent and founder-owned with no external investment.
Does Sodium do accounts production or tax filing?
Not today. Sodium is practice management — clients, tasks, workflows, portal, proposals, engagement letters, email, and documents. Compliance modules are on the long-term roadmap but you'll still need your existing accounts production and tax software.
“I've tried other practice management solutions but find they're always heavy work to get them set up - but yours feels a breeze!” — Anne Sievewright, charlesblack.co.uk
Ready to make the switch?
Sodium is free for up to 5 clients, with no card required. Turn off the features you don't need and it fits a practice with 5 clients or 5,000 — import your clients, contacts and services in minutes.