Spotlight vs Fathom

Depending on the kind of advisory your practice provides, you have the choice between either as both platforms are highly functional and reputable, however, the final decision of which software you choose will completely depend on your client's needs. To know which is right for your practice, there is no straight answer for that, as both platforms have their pros and cons. It is worth noting that both platforms integrate with Xero, Quickbooks, MYOB, and even Excel.

Here are some key points to consider for each software:

Spotlight:

• Very templated – making use easy
• Quick to set up – you can use it quickly for multiple clients.
• Integrates with Workflow Max
• Integrates with Google Analytics
• Reports have limited editing capability for layouts – this is a downfall when you or your clients aren’t happy with a layout of a report.
• Slightly cheaper monthly plans
• Created by accountants

Fathom:

• Tailored reporting structure – very customizable reporting.
• Templates also available
• Highly customizable – create attractive, informative reporting for your clients.
• More complex to set up – as the reporting is more customizable, naturally they take longer to set up.
• Need to invest time to get reporting right – This needs to be factored in.
• Created by business analysts, designers, and developers
• Additional reporting features such as KPI setting – these features are all nice to have, and if they are of interest to you or your client, then it is worth paying that bit more for Fathom.

In our practice, we use both depending on our client's need, data source, and type of work we’re providing. Fathom has some fantastic reporting features and great-looking reports, however, these do take time to set up which needs to be factored in. If you use WorkflowMax, Spotlight feeds into that beautifully.

If you want more information about Spotlight or Fathom, we have a webinar with practical examples and a thorough comparison. You can view this here