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BrightManager
What BrightManager is
BrightManager is cloud-based practice management software for accounting practices, bookkeepers and payroll bureaus. It creates tasks and subtasks from compliance deadlines, with workflow templates, task assignment and progress tracking to coordinate work. Its onboarding process can cover professional clearance, proposals, engagement letters, AML checks, risk assessments and requests for HMRC agent authorisation codes. A client portal handles secure document sharing, e-signatures and form submissions, and can carry a practice’s branding. Reporting covers productivity, aged work in progress, task efficiency and client profitability; time tracking separates chargeable and non-chargeable work. The listed functions also include billing and invoicing, document management and deadline tracking. Integrations include Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent, Sage, Companies House, Ireland’s CRO and Bright’s proposal, accounts production and tax products. Bright says its applications are hosted in certified public cloud data centres in European regions, with TLS 1.2 or higher for data in transit and database encryption at rest. Pricing starts at £42.63 per user per month, with a 30-day trial and no free plan. The product is web-based.
Who it suits
BrightManager suits accounting practices, bookkeepers and payroll bureaus that need to coordinate compliance work, onboarding, client documents and time. Its reports and client portal may also suit practices tracking profitability and providing branded client access.
What it does well
- Creates tasks and subtasks from compliance deadlines.
- Client portal supports e-signatures and form submissions.
- Tracks chargeable and non-chargeable time.
- Reports on client profitability and aged work in progress.
- Integrates with accounting, filing and Bright products.
What to know first
- No free plan is offered.
- Essential is limited to 2–12 users per user licence.
- Premium and Advanced are single-user plans with fixed contract terms.
Limits
There is no free plan. Essential is priced per user for 2–12 users; Premium is a single-user plan with a 24-month contract, while Advanced is single-user with a 12-month contract.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | annually; per user; 2-12 users; +VAT · 30-day free trial | £409.25 a year |
| Essential | monthly; per user; 2-12 users; +VAT · 30-day free trial | £42.63 a month |
| Advanced | monthly equivalent; single user; 12-month contract; billed annually; +VAT · Branded Portal · Proposal Tool · Customer Success | £57.85 a month |
| Premium | monthly; single user; 24-month contract; +VAT · Branded Client Portal · Pricing & Proposal Tool · Customer Success Membership · free additional user licence | £57.85 a month |
| Premium | annually; single user; 24-month contract; +VAT · Branded Client Portal · Pricing & Proposal Tool · Customer Success Membership · free additional user licence | £694.26 a year |
| Advanced | annually; single user; 12-month contract; +VAT · Branded Portal · Proposal Tool · Customer Success | £694.26 a year |
As brightsg.com lists them, read 21 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Open the BrightManager website.
- Start the 30-day free trial.
- Choose a plan: Essential supports 2–12 users; Premium and Advanced are single-user plans.
- Access BrightManager on the web.
Verdict
Choose BrightManager if your accounting practice needs deadline-driven workflows, client onboarding and a branded portal alongside time and profitability reporting. The main reasons to look elsewhere are the paid-only model and plan-specific user and contract limits.
Questions
How much does BrightManager cost?
Essential is £42.63 per month per user, billed monthly, for 2–12 users. Premium is £57.85 per month, billed monthly with a 24-month contract; Advanced is £57.85 per month, billed annually with a 12-month contract.
Is there a free plan or trial?
There is no free plan. A 30-day free trial is available.
Which platforms does BrightManager support?
BrightManager is available on the web.
What does its client portal do?
It supports secure document sharing, e-signatures and form submissions, and can be branded to match a practice website.
Which products does BrightManager integrate with?
Listed integrations include Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent, Sage, Companies House, Ireland’s CRO, BrightPropose, BrightAccountsProduction and BrightTax.
What security measures does Bright describe?
Bright says its applications are hosted in certified public cloud data centres in European regions. It mandates HTTPS with minimum TLS 1.2 for data in transit and transparent database encryption at rest.
Facts from BrightManager's own pages
- Accounting integrations
- The official product page lists Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent and Sage integrations. · brightsg.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Acquisition history
- Bright states that it acquired AccountancyManager and uses it as its practice-management product. · brightsg.com, 21 Oct 2026
- AML tools
- The AML guide states that users can run Veriphy identity and credit checks, store risk assessments and assign low, medium or high client-risk ratings. · brightsg.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Automated communications
- The system can automatically send clients record and tax-payment requests by email and SMS. · brightsg.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Bright integrations
- BrightManager connects with BrightPropose, BrightAccountsProduction and BrightTax, including task creation after accepted proposals and synchronized client details. · brightsg.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Client portal
- The portal supports GDPR-compliant document sharing, e-signatures, forms and practice branding. · brightsg.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Client timeline
- The client timeline records actions such as opened emails, signed documents and shared forms with timestamps. · brightsg.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Compliance
- Bright says it is aligned to ISO 27001 and complies with GDPR and the UK Data Protection Act 2018. · brightsg.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Encryption
- Bright states that HTTPS with minimum TLS 1.2 is mandated for data in transit and transparent data encryption is mandated for databases at rest. · brightsg.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Founded
- 2021 · brightsg.com, 28 Sept 2026
- Insights Hub
- Insights Hub reports on productivity, aged work in progress, task efficiency and client profitability. · brightsg.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- Listed integrations include Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent, Sage, Companies House, Ireland’s CRO, BrightPropose, BrightAccountsProduction and BrightTax. · brightsg.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Legal entity
- UK Companies House lists Bright Software Group Ltd as an active private company incorporated on 18 April 2023 at Aura, 1 Harrison Way, Leamington Spa. · find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk, 21 Oct 2026
- Limit: collaboration
- SelectHub says reviewers find collaboration limited because the product lacks robust tagging and threaded discussions. · selecthub.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Limit: mobile apps
- TaxDome's comparison says BrightManager lacks native client mobile apps, native chat and team messaging. · taxdome.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Limit: reporting
- SelectHub says users consider analytics and insights less sophisticated than competing products. · selecthub.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Limit: workflow depth
- TaxDome's comparison characterizes BrightManager automation as less flexible, with fewer conditional and customization options. · taxdome.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Maker founded
- Bright says it was founded in 2021 when Thesaurus Software and Relate Software combined. · brightsg.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Maker headquarters
- LinkedIn lists Bright headquarters in Duleek, County Meath, Ireland, with 201-500 employees. · linkedin.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Notable news
- Bright's 21 June 2026 article says BrightManager and Xero reaffirmed their integration, including two-way contact and invoice synchronization. · brightsg.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Notable plan limits
- The Essential plan is priced per user for 2–12 users; Premium and Advanced are each described as single-user plans with 24-month and 12-month contracts respectively. · brightsg.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Onboarding
- Onboarding covers professional clearance, proposals, engagement letters, AML checks, risk assessments and HMRC agent-authorisation requests. · brightsg.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Outages
- StatusGator records BrightManager slowness on 27 July 2026 and white-label portal outages on 25 July 2026. · statusgator.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Praise: automation
- SelectHub reports repeated praise for automating onboarding, communications, task lists and deadline reminders. · selecthub.com, 21 Oct 2026