AI tools sold to accounting firms: 5 tools, and none says it can run on your own hardware
Five AI tools sold to accounting firms (Rightworks Spark AI, Botkeeper, Finlens, Marble and Trullion), each read on the vendor's own site on 2026-10-18, with public prices and what each vendor says about where the AI and the data run.
Five AI tools as boxes, each with a slot on top and a pipe down to a chamber, in a row: Rightworks Spark AI, Botkeeper, Finlens, Marble and Trullion. A client document drops into each. In Rightworks Spark AI it lands inside solid walls, a private, isolated environment, as its page says. In the other four it disappears behind a blank panel marked not stated on the pages read. 1 of 5 says where its AI runs.
If your firm handles client tax data, the first question to ask about an AI tool is where your documents go. None of these five AI tools sold to accounting firms says it can run on a firm's own hardware or in the firm's own cloud account. Only one, Rightworks Spark AI, names a private environment.
The other four describe security controls or a SOC 2 attestation. That is a different promise. An attestation says how a vendor handles its controls. It does not say whether your documents reach a model that another company runs.
The tools range from bookkeeping automation to tax research. Each entry was read on the vendor's own site on 2026-10-18, with its price and what it says about where it runs. This is one group of the accounting firm software directory.
- Rightworks Spark AI. An AI assistant for accountants. It answers compliance questions on GAAP, GASB, ASC and IRS rules, drafts emails, memos and proposals, and analyses trends in data exported from the firm's apps. It says it connects with QuickBooks and Xero. Where it runs: the vendor says prompts, documents and conversations are never shared with unauthorized third-party providers. It says resources sit in a private, isolated environment behind private identity-aware gateways, and that messages and file uploads stay within Rightworks systems. It does not name the model or the data centre. Pricing: included with a Rightworks cloud subscription. Checked 2026-10-18. The hosting entry covers the rest of Rightworks.
- Botkeeper. Automated bookkeeping for accounting firms: AI-assisted transaction categorization, bank reconciliation, journal entries and a month-end review that looks for anomalies. It states SOC 2 Type 2 compliance. It says it has worked with over 200 accounting firms and their 5,000+ business clients (its own figures). Pricing per license per month billed annually: $134 for 1-4 licenses, $98 for 5-9, $71 for 10-24 and $53 for 25 or more. Billed monthly it is $149, $109, $79 and $59. Where it runs: not stated. Checked 2026-10-18.
- Finlens. Month-end automation across a firm's client book. It imports from QuickBooks Online and clients' bank and card feeds, and categorizes transactions with a confidence score on each. It drafts journal entries and accruals, and posts approved entries back to QuickBooks Online. It describes tenant isolation at the database layer, TLS 1.3 in transit and encrypted credentials. Where the AI model runs: not stated. Pricing: a Scale plan for CPA firms with custom pricing, "Talk to us". Its site also has a "Start Free" sign-up. Pricing for firms not public. Checked 2026-10-18.
- Marble. AI agents for tax professionals. They cover tax research with cited primary authority, client intake and document collection, return analysis and return preparation. It states SOC 2 compliance. Pricing per user: Free ($0, limited daily chats), Pro $600 per user per year ($50 a month) with 14 days free, and a custom Enterprise plan for firms over 100 employees. Where it runs: not stated. Checked 2026-10-18.
- Trullion. An AI-powered accounting platform for accounting and audit teams. It includes lease accounting, audit workflows and a built-in assistant called Trulli that answers questions across standards and a firm's own documents. Pricing not public. Where it runs: the site says only "a single, secure platform". Checked 2026-10-18.
What the vendors said, and what they didn't
A client document slides through a vendor's door, past a padlock that checks green: SOC 2 or security controls, how the vendor handles controls. Inside, a pipe out the back runs into a blank panel: where it goes next is not said. That is the case for Botkeeper, Finlens, Marble and Trullion. Below, a tally of the five vendors: one says where its AI runs, Rightworks, in general terms, and none says it can run on the firm's own hardware or cloud account.
Three of the five show a price: Botkeeper, Marble, and Rightworks, which includes Spark AI in its cloud subscription. Only one says where its AI runs, and only in general terms: a private, isolated environment inside Rightworks systems. No vendor here names the model, the company that runs it, or the region.
If you sell one of these and you offer a private or on-premises deployment, tell us and we'll add it.
Take it
Before client documents go into any of these tools, send the vendor these questions and get the answers in writing:
- Which model does the product use, and which company runs it?
- Which region are our prompts and documents processed and stored in?
- Are our inputs kept, and are they used to train a model?
- Is there a private or on-premises deployment?
If you are choosing an AI tool for an accounting firm and the question is where it runs, or you make one and a line here is wrong, I'd like to compare notes: mackenzie@mackenziebowes.com.