Client Hub vs Double (vs Uku): Which Practice Management Platform Actually Fits Your Accounting Firm in 2026?

Choosing between Client Hub and Double for your accounting practice management often comes down to these five critical questions:

• Do you need a platform that focuses on client communication first, or one built around the month-end close process?
• Is deep integration with QuickBooks and Xero your top priority, or do you need broader workflow automation?
• Are you primarily a bookkeeping firm, or do you offer a wider range of accounting services?
• Do you want to pay per client, per user, or find a model that scales with your team?
• How important is it that your practice management software handles time tracking, billing, and business analytics in one place?

In short, here’s what we recommend:

👉 Client Hub is an all-in-one platform combining practice management with a standout client portal. Built by a former accountant who understands the pain of chasing clients for information, it shines at streamlining client communication and resolving uncategorized transactions through its deep QuickBooks Online and Xero integration. However, its per-user pricing can add up quickly for larger teams.

👉 Double (formerly Keeper) is purpose-built for the month-end close, making it ideal for bookkeeping-focused firms. Its AI-powered file review catches coding errors automatically, and the client portal is praised for strong client adoption rates. While Double excels at streamlining the close process, its per-client pricing model can become expensive as your client base grows, and it focuses more narrowly on close-related functionality rather than offering full billing and CRM modules typical of all-in-one suites.

Both platforms solve real problems for accounting firms. But here’s what most comparisons miss: they each excel in narrow use cases while leaving significant gaps in overall practice management. What if you could get comprehensive workflow automation, time tracking, automated billing, and a client portal that works, all in one platform designed for the full spectrum of accounting work?

👉 Uku offers complete practice management built around automated billing as its primary advantage—reducing invoice preparation from days to approximately 30 minutes, even for 100+ clients. Beyond billing automation, Uku provides a modular approach where firms can start with just CRM and tasks on day one, then gradually add features as needed. With integrated time tracking, an integrated client portal where clients and accountants work on the same tasks, and BI Reporting that helps firms discover ~20% more profit by identifying outdated pricing agreements, Uku addresses the entire scope of running an accounting practice. Its per-user pricing with unlimited clients means your costs stay predictable as you grow.

If you’re looking for practice management that covers everything from task automation to profitability analysis, see how Uku can transform your firm with a free 14-day trial.

Table of contents:

• Client Hub vs Double vs Uku at a glance
• The fundamental divide: Client communication vs month-end close vs complete practice management
• Client Hub wins on client experience, Double wins on close automation
• Uku bridges the gap with comprehensive workflow management
• Pricing models reveal who each platform is really built for
• Time tracking and billing capabilities vary dramatically
• Integration ecosystems serve different needs
• Reporting and analytics show where each platform truly excels
• Client Hub vs Double vs Uku: Which should you choose?

Client Hub vs Double vs Uku at a glance

Here’s the fundamental difference: While all three platforms help accounting firms manage their work, they approach the challenge from distinctly different angles.

• Client Hub emphasizes its client portal and frictionless client communication while also offering practice management features including workflow, dashboards, and time tracking.
• Double is a month-end close accelerator, built specifically for bookkeeping firms to catch errors and streamline the close process.
• Uku is a comprehensive practice management platform with a modular approach—covering workflow, billing, and analytics while letting firms start simple and scale features as needed.

	Client Hub	Double	Uku
Primary focus	Client communication & portal	Month-end close automation	Complete practice management
Pricing model	Per user ($49-79/month)	Per client ($8-50/month)	From $38/month per user
Client portal	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  Exceptional	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  Highly praised	⭐⭐⭐⭐  Integrated workspace
Workflow automation	⭐⭐⭐  Basic templates	⭐⭐⭐  Close-focused	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  Comprehensive
Time tracking	⭐⭐⭐  Included	⭐⭐⭐  Firm-wide reporting	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  One-click + flextime
Automated billing	⭐⭐  Via integrations	⭐⭐  Limited	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  30-min invoicing
AI features	⭐⭐⭐⭐  Magic workflows & emails	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  AI file review & summaries	⭐⭐⭐  Growing capabilities
Business analytics	⭐⭐⭐  Basic reporting	⭐⭐⭐  Time-focused	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  Profitability analysis
Free trial	Available	Demo required	14 days (no card required)

The fundamental divide: Client communication vs month-end close vs complete practice management

Understanding each platform’s core philosophy reveals why feature comparisons often miss the point.

Client Hub was born from founder Judie McCarthy’s frustration with waiting for client information while running a Top 100 ProAdvisor firm. The entire platform is designed around solving that communication bottleneck. Core features are tied to the client portal: tasks, messages, document requests, and even uncategorized transaction resolution. If your primary pain point is spending hours chasing clients for information, Client Hub addresses that directly.

Double emerged from a different frustration. Co-founder Ben Stein, while serving as CFO of a tech startup, found the month-end close process chaotic, fragmented across spreadsheets, emails, and browser tabs. Double is laser-focused on making bookkeepers faster at closing books. The AI-powered file review catches coding errors, the client portal gets answers about transactions, and everything drives toward a cleaner, faster close.

Uku takes a broader view entirely. Created from the ground up to be international, especially for the UK and US markets, Uku was built by founders Rain Allikvee and Jaanus Lang to solve the full practice management needs of accounting firms. Task management, time tracking, automated billing, client collaboration, business analytics: Uku treats these as interconnected parts of a single system rather than separate problems to solve individually. With support for 12 languages and multi-currency capabilities, the platform serves firms across the UK, USA, and Scandinavia.

The question isn’t which platform has the most features. It’s which philosophy matches how you think about running your practice.

Client Hub wins on client experience, Double wins on close automation

Credit where it’s due: both Client Hub and Double excel in their respective specialties.

Client Hub‘s client portal is genuinely exceptional. Clients access it via a mobile app, complete tasks, upload documents, and communicate securely. The interface is designed to be so intuitive that accountants don’t have to explain how to use it. The QuickBooks Online integration allows clients to categorize their own transactions through the portal, with responses automatically syncing back to the ledger. This bidirectional flow is a significant time-saver for bookkeeping firms drowning in uncategorized expenses.

The AI-powered “Magic” features add efficiency: Magic Workflow generates task templates from natural language descriptions, Magic Messages drafts client communications, and Magic Books Review flags potential issues during month-end. These features help Client Hub punch above its weight in automation despite being primarily a communication tool.

Source: Client Hub

Double‘s month-end close automation is equally impressive in its domain. The automated file review compares current transactions against historical data to flag potential miscoding, a capability that can catch errors human reviewers might miss. The AI-powered financial summaries automatically generate client-ready commentary on financial performance, transforming raw numbers into actionable insights.

Source: Double

Double’s client portal earns particular praise, with users noting strong client adoption rates. The “Magic Link” passwordless login removes friction, and the focused design keeps clients from getting overwhelmed. For bookkeeping-focused firms, this combination of error-catching automation and high client adoption creates real efficiency gains.

But here’s what neither platform fully addresses: the broader practice management needs that extend beyond client communication and the monthly close.

Uku bridges the gap with comprehensive workflow management

While Client Hub and Double each excel in their niches, Uku approaches practice management as an integrated whole, and lets you adopt it at your own pace through its modular approach.

The workflow automation in Uku operates on three levels: task templates, client task plans, and individual tasks. This hierarchy allows firms to create standardized processes that can be customized for specific clients while maintaining consistency. The system can automate a significant portion of recurring workflows, automatically generating and assigning tasks at the right time based on predefined schedules.

Task dependencies ensure that certain work cannot begin until prerequisites are complete. Subtask checklists break complex jobs into manageable steps. Custom fields capture firm-specific data points that flow into reporting. The system even handles date-based recurrences with rules like “the 6th working day of each month,” a level of specificity that accounting workflows often require.

Time tracking integrates directly into this workflow with 90% of actions being one-click. Team members can use a stopwatch, enter time manually, or bulk-allocate across multiple tasks. The Mini Uku browser plugin allows tracking time from any website without switching tabs. This isn’t just about tracking hours; the data feeds directly into automated billing and profitability analysis.

Unlike traditional portals where tickets must be connected to work items, Uku’s client portal mirrors the exact same task on both sides. Clients and accountants work on the same item with all communication, documents, and time tracking in one place. When clients make requests through the portal, notifications appear on the accountant’s dashboard, and they can immediately start tracking time within that same task. 

The portal is highly customizable wherein firms can create unique menus for each client, run onboarding with forms, share business insight reports, and display price lists. Uku also offers one-click document digitalization, sending documents directly into accounting software, a level of automation unique in the practice management space.

What sets Uku apart is how these components connect. Time tracked on tasks flows into invoices. Invoices reflect client agreements. Reports compare agreed work against actual effort. The entire system works as a feedback loop that helps firms understand not just what work was done, but whether it was profitable.

Pricing models reveal who each platform is really built for

The pricing structures tell you everything about each platform’s target customer.

Client Hub charges per firm user:

• Solopreneur: $49/month (annual billing, single user)
• Practice Manager: $59/month per user (annual) or $79/month (monthly)
• Practice Manager Plus: $79/month per user (annual) or $99/month (monthly)

This model works well for smaller teams where user count is limited, but costs scale linearly with team size. A 10-person firm would pay $590-790/month on annual billing before considering any add-ons.

Double charges per client:

• Lite: $8/client/month
• Core: $10/client/month
• Plus: $25/client/month
• Scale: $50/client/month

For a firm with 50 clients on the Core plan, that’s $500/month. But Double includes unlimited users, so the cost stays flat regardless of team size. The catch? As your client base grows, so does your bill. A 200-client firm on the Plus plan would pay $5,000/month.

Uku charges per team member with unlimited clients and offers flexible monthly or annual billing:

• Solo: Free (1 user, 25 clients)
• Team: From $38/month per member
• Elite: $48/month per member (includes Client Budgeting, Document Management)
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

For a 10-person firm on the Team plan, that’s $380/month with unlimited clients. As your client base grows, your costs stay predictable. The free Solo plan provides an entry point for freelancers to experience the platform, and firms can choose between monthly flexibility or annual savings (23% discount).

The math is straightforward: Client Hub favors small teams, Double favors firms with small client counts (or those willing to pay premium per-client rates), and Uku favors firms that want predictable costs and flexible billing options as they scale their client base.

Time tracking and billing capabilities vary dramatically

For many accounting firms, time tracking and billing are make-or-break features. Here’s where the platforms diverge significantly.

Client Hub includes time tracking in all plans, allowing firms to track time on jobs and compare against budgets. The feature is functional but not the platform’s focus. Billing is handled through integrations with tools like Anchor rather than natively, which means managing another subscription and ensuring data flows correctly between systems.

Source: Client Hub

Double provides firm-wide time tracking and reporting, with data feeding into their analytics. However, billing capabilities are limited. While Double can track time, the invoicing itself needs to happen in external systems. This is consistent with Double’s focus on the close process rather than the full business cycle.

Source: Double

Uku treats time tracking and billing as core functionality, and automated billing is the platform’s primary competitive advantage. Multiple tracking methods (stopwatch, manual entry, bulk allocation, browser plugin) accommodate different working styles, with 90% of actions being one-click. The flextime management feature helps firms manage overtime, vacations, and work-life balance.

More importantly, Uku’s automated billing transforms tracked time into invoices with minimal manual intervention. The system supports complex price lists based on quantity, time, and materials, with sophisticated rounding rules; for example, a one-minute unplanned call can be automatically billed as 15 minutes. Firms set up contract templates once, then time tracking automatically calculates billable amounts in real-time. The result: generating and sending invoices for 100+ clients takes approximately 30 minutes instead of days.

This integrated approach means work tracked flows directly to revenue captured, reducing manual transcription and data reconciliation between systems.

Integration ecosystems serve different needs

Each platform approaches integrations based on their core use case.

Client Hub’s integration strategy centers on QuickBooks Online and Xero. The two-way sync for resolving uncategorized transactions works well for expenses and checks, though deposits remain one-way sync only. Beyond accounting software, Client Hub connects with Anchor for billing and Zapier for broader automation. Email integration supports Microsoft 365 and Google Mail.

Source: Client Hub

Double’s integrations also focus on QuickBooks Online and Xero, with similar bidirectional sync capabilities. They support export to e-filing tools like Track1099 and Tax1099 for 1099 management. Zapier enables connections to other platforms, and direct integrations exist with Ping and Abacor for meeting summaries.

Source: Double

Uku offers a broader integration ecosystem reflecting its comprehensive approach and international focus. Accounting software integrations include Xero, QuickBooks, e-conomic, Merit Aktiva, Fortnox, Tripletex, and others. Document management connects with Google Drive, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Dropbox. The Companies House integration (for UK firms) automatically pulls statutory company information. A public API enables custom connections for firms with advanced needs.

If your world revolves around QuickBooks or Xero, all three platforms serve you adequately. If you need broader connectivity, particularly for European accounting software, document management systems, or custom integrations, Uku offers more options.

Reporting and analytics show where each platform truly excels

The depth of reporting capabilities reveals how each platform thinks about helping firms grow.

Client Hub provides dashboards showing job status, client task status, and time versus budget comparisons. The reporting is functional for monitoring work completion but doesn’t extend deeply into business analytics.

Source: Client Hub

Double offers reporting on time usage and the close process, along with broader management-reporting packages. Firms can track time spent by clients and employees, monitor outstanding tasks, and analyze workflow efficiency through time tracking reporting. The AI-generated financial summaries for clients are a differentiator, but these are client-facing reports rather than firm analytics.

Source: Double

Uku approaches reporting as a business intelligence tool through its BI Reporting capabilities. The system tracks both sales prices and actual cost prices, if an employee costs €30/hour but bills at €45/hour, managers can see if they’re profitable. When employees work eight hours but only six are billable, the reports provide insights into whether the issue is employee efficiency, client difficulty, or pricing structure. Firms report discovering ~20% more profit by identifying outdated agreements where they were billing for eight hours while employees were doing 20 hours of work.

The business analytics reports compare agreed work scope against actual time spent, providing real-time profitability insights at the client level. Team performance reports show workload distribution and individual productivity. The Elite plan ($48/month) adds Client Budgeting for tracking agreed vs. actual work and Document Management for streamlined file handling. 

Custom fields flow into reports, enabling firms to track metrics specific to their operations. A public API allows integration with external business intelligence tools like Power BI for firms with advanced analytical needs.

Client Hub vs Double vs Uku: Which should you choose?

The right choice depends on your firm’s specific situation and priorities.

Choose Client Hub if:

• Client communication is your biggest bottleneck
• You spend significant time chasing clients for information and documents
• You’re a smaller team where per-user pricing makes sense
• QuickBooks Online or Xero integration for uncategorized transactions is essential
• You want a client portal that clients will actually use
• AI-assisted workflow creation and email drafting appeal to you

Explore Client Hub’s client-first approach to practice management.

Choose Double if:

• You’re a bookkeeping-focused firm centered on the month-end close
• Catching coding errors automatically would significantly improve your work quality
• Per-client pricing works with your current client count and service mix
• You need AI-generated financial summaries for client reporting
• Your team is larger but client count is manageable
• 1099 and W-9 management is a significant part of your workflow

See how Double can accelerate your month-end close process.

Choose Uku if:

• You want to minimize your team’s admin time through one-click actions and automated processes
• You value fast onboarding and modular scaling, starting simple and adding features as needed
• Automated billing that reduces invoicing from days to 30 minutes would transform your practice
• You need to understand client profitability and discover outdated pricing agreements
• Per-user pricing with unlimited clients and flexible monthly billing fits your growth plans
• You’re transitioning from Excel and want the easiest implementation path
• You need multilingual or multi-currency support for international operations
• You want a system your team will actually enjoy using

Start your free 14-day Uku trial and experience complete practice management with no credit card required.

The accounting practice management landscape continues to evolve, with specialized tools solving specific problems effectively. Client Hub and Double each deliver genuine value in their focus areas. But for firms looking beyond point solutions toward integrated practice management, Uku offers a comprehensive approach that treats client work, team productivity, and business growth as connected parts of a single system.

Sometimes the best tool isn’t the one that excels at one thing. It’s the one that handles everything well enough that you don’t need three different platforms to run your practice.