We had a great day at Accountex 2026;
here are our key takeaways

iplicit — A big thank you to Paul Sparkes for walking us through the latest version. User Configurable Dashboards are a welcome addition but the standout for us was iplicit Insights — an AI-enabled reporting suite that lets you ask iplicit a question and get a meaningful answer or drill deeper. Pair that with AI Detect, their anomaly detection tool that flags unusual invoicing activity plus a growing library of dynamically linked Excel functions, and you have a seriously powerful platform. Their reseller network continues to grow and they are doing great things in the Students’ Union space.

AccountsIQ — Thank you to Alexander Oppe for a really impressive demo. The refreshed UI and personalised individual user homepages look great. The automated purchase invoice processing genuinely impressed — it doesn’t just read the total; it extracts individual line items, quantities, unit prices and descriptions automatically. For businesses that have outgrown their current software but don’t want enterprise complexity or cost, AccountsIQ could be the sweet spot. Oh, and the rugby ball and coffee were very much appreciated! 🏉☕

FreeAgent — At the other end of the market, but no less impressive is a no-brainer for Landlords, Sole Traders, Partnerships and small Limited Companies — especially now that Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax is here. And if you bank with RBS, NatWest or Mettle, it’s still completely free. Exciting features coming too, including improved drill-down and two decimal places on P&L and Balance Sheet reports (for the pernickety among us — you know who you are! 😄).

Allica Bank — A rapidly growing digital challenger bank focused entirely on established, mid-sized firms. You get a Relationship Manager and a high rate (in comparison to others) of interest. Firms need to be incorporated for at least 12 months and typically keep a balance of £50k or more in their account. Worth a look if that sounds like you.

Always good to stay on top of what’s out there. Roll on Accountex 2027!