CCH Axcess Practice vs Instead

CCH Axcess Practice is practice management software for accounting firms, covering time entry, billing, client payments and profitability reporting. Firms can bill hourly, at fixed fees or by progress, create and edit invoices, and use multiple billing fee agreements or batch billing. Staff can enter time on one screen, use automated clocks, or record time in the mobile app; clocks are accessible from a route sheet and tax return. Reports include productivity ratios, work-in-progress and accounts-receivable analysis, and profit by office or project. Supported payment partners let clients pay electronically through a Pay Now button in invoice emails, invoice templates or the client portal, with payments appearing automatically in Accounts Receivable. The product is part of CCH Axcess, a cloud solution Wolters Kluwer describes for work from home, travel and client visits using a laptop. CCH Axcess APIs support firm-built integrations, and Marketplace lists software integrations. The product page offers a quote request and demonstration registration. Pricing is available on request.

Instead is a web-based AI agent for tax research, planning, preparation, filing, and defense. It lists support for individual 1040, C corporation 1120, S corporation 1120-S, partnership 1065, and trust and estate 1041 returns. Users choose which workflows to run, and credits are consumed only when they start a task; the credit estimate is shown beforehand. Users can review the agent’s work before filing. Google Drive, OneDrive, and Box are live integrations with two-way sync, version tracking, and automatic folder mapping. Instead says it is IRS-approved and supports e-filing in 48 or more state jurisdictions, as well as local filing. Federal and state e-file and prior-year import are listed. The free Instead Platform plan is free and includes unlimited users, entities, e-file and print file, multi-entity support, and collaborators and viewers. Instead Agent is billed per credit, with pricing dependent on volume and usage; purchased credits are valid for 12 months. The service lists a free trial, US-based customer support, and 24/7 support, with email responses within 24 business hours.