Quick summary
Choose Fathom when...
- You want client-ready, visually compelling reports: Fathom's interactive reports are built to make financial data easy to digest at a glance, helping advisors and finance teams turn numbers into real conversations with boards, investors, and clients.
- You need forecasting that's built to flex: Fathom's forecasting tools let you put together detailed cash flow forecasts, run multiple scenarios, and model out different business outcomes with ease.
- You want AI commentary that's traceable back to the numbers: Fathom's Commentary Writer generates context-aware narrative shaped by your business's own goals, strategy, and market conditions, with every figure traceable back to its source before it goes out to a client or board.
Choose Reach Reporting when...
- You want AI to build your KPIs for you: Reach Reporting's AI automatically generates business-specific KPIs based on each client's own financial structure.
- You want a spreadsheet-native build experience: Reach Reporting is built around a familiar spreadsheet environment with Excel-like formulas, so teams that like building their own logic and calculations have room to do it.
- You want AI insights surfaced proactively: Reach Reporting's AI alerts notify clients or teams via app or email when a new insight is discovered.
Quick comparison snapshot
Fathom vs Reach Reporting: Feature-by-feature comparison
Reporting capabilities
Fathom strengths:
- As a financial analysis software, Fathom ships with a large library of default financial KPIs and lets users build their own custom KPIs to track profitability, cash flow, and efficiency.
- Reports lean on interactive, design-forward visuals that make dense data easier to follow and support stronger financial storytelling, with scheduled, automated report delivery available.
- Commentary Writer layers AI-generated, context-aware narrative into reports so teams can move from numbers to board- or client-ready commentary faster, with every figure traceable back to its source before it's shared.
Reach Reporting strengths:
- Built around a spreadsheet-native editing experience, with Excel-like formulas and drag/resize/reposition controls, so reports can be rebuilt or restructured without leaving the platform.
- Reports support live text, conditional formatting, and drill-down filtering (by class, department, or period), keeping report data current and letting clients explore results themselves rather than reading a static PDF.
- Every plan includes a library of pre-built, customisable templates alongside full branding control (logos, colors, currency symbols, and disclaimers) and unlimited deliverables. There's no cap on the number of reports produced.
Forecasting and planning
Fathom strengths:
- Comes with built-in three-way forecasting that connects the P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow into one model, and supports non-financial drivers for more dynamic forecasting.
- Forecasts and scenarios can be dropped straight into reports, so firms can lay outcomes side by side and walk stakeholders through the implications directly.
- A dedicated cash flow forecasting software that lets businesses forecast from key operational inputs, like a revenue or expense change, and see the downstream effect on cash and performance immediately.
Reach Reporting strengths:
- Runs on a true three-way model, linking P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow, with automated AR, AP, and inventory forecasting built on payment and collection timing rather than manual formulas.
- Supports multi-year budgeting grouped by department or class, plus linked datasheets so teams can bring in non-financial or operational drivers for more tailored scenario planning.
- Lets users apply forecasting algorithms or build fully custom calculations, and track forecast/budget progress over time with status flags and embedded commentary on planning assumptions.
Multi-entity consolidation
Fathom strengths:
- As a financial consolidation software, Fathom supports consolidations of up to 300 entities for single-currency groups, and up to 50 for multi-currency groups.
- Group accounts stay accurate through account-level eliminations (full or partial, as needed) with foreign exchange adjustments handled as part of the process.
- Lets advisors and CFOs run comparative analysis across multiple entities on a single metric, useful for benchmarking companies, clients, or franchisees against each other.
Reach Reporting strengths:
- Multi-currency consolidation is supported, using account-matching technology to line up same-name and category accounts automatically.
- Handles intercompany eliminations automatically and converts entities to a common reporting currency using historical exchange rates, including foreign currency translation reserve (FCTR) adjustments.
- Applies consolidation to both actuals and budget data, letting teams compare planned versus actual performance across multiple entities in a single view.
Financial analysis & KPI insights
Fathom strengths:
- Offers broad KPI tracking and trend analysis so users can follow performance across profitability, cash flow, growth, and efficiency over time.
- Pairs an interactive performance dashboard with deeper analysis tools, pushing teams past surface-level reporting into genuine performance evaluation.
- Built with finance review and advisory workflows in mind, giving accountants and advisors a way to present insights, recommendations, and strategic guidance directly to clients or stakeholders.
Reach Reporting strengths:
- AI-powered analysis can review any combination of financial metrics and statements, removing guesswork from preliminary reporting and analysis.
- Generates business-specific KPIs based on each client's own financial structure, rather than a fixed, one-size-fits-all metric set.
- Supports real-time insight during client meetings via live dashboards, plus AI alerts that flag newly discovered insights to clients through the app or email between meetings.
AI and automation capabilities
Fathom strengths:
- Commentary Writer shapes its output using Business Context (goals, strategy, market conditions) and Report Context (what happened in the current period), so the AI narrative reflects why the numbers actually moved.
- Symbolic Attribution lets users trace every figure in a piece of AI commentary back to its source before it goes external, which matters for defensibility in board- or client-facing reporting.
- Offers both pre-built and custom prompts, plus a Prompt Library teams can use to keep commentary style consistent across reports and users.
Reach Reporting strengths:
- AI is positioned to automate variance analysis and full report generation.
- Generates client-ready dashboards and narrative insights automatically, and surfaces business-specific KPIs without requiring a dedicated financial analyst to build them manually.
- AI alerts proactively notify clients or teams of newly surfaced insights through the app or email.
Integration ecosystem
- Fathom: An Intuit Accountant Platinum Partner that connects to both QuickBooks Online and Desktop. Online data updates daily, with the option to trigger a manual sync at any time.
- Reach Reporting: Connects to both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop via a secure, read-only integration, so reporting data stays live without ever writing back to the accounting file.
- Fathom: An official Xero partner with a 5/5 rating on the Xero App Store, supporting daily or on-demand manual syncing.
- Reach Reporting: Integrates with Xero on the same read-only basis as its other connections, with reports and dashboards updating automatically as new data posts.
Excel/Google Sheets:
- Fathom: Supports Excel/CSV/Google Sheets imports for financial data where an accounting system isn't directly supported, and lets users bring in non-financial or operational data via Excel or Google Sheets to enrich reports.
- Reach Reporting: Connects directly to Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel.
Comparison deep dive
Included in Fathom Pro plans, with rolling and scenario-based cash flow forecasting built into the core reporting suite.
Included on every plan as part of the 3-way FP&A solution, with automated cash flow projections tied to P&L and balance sheet changes.
Full management reporting, forecasting, consolidations and KPIs are included under the Pro plan. The Portfolio plan is limited to summary reports and dashboards.
Full reporting, dashboards, and templates are included on every plan.
Included in the Pro plan, with up to 300 entities supported for single-currency consolidations and up to 50 for multi-currency.
Included on every plan, with multi-currency conversion, automated eliminations, and drill-down by department or location.
Deep financial analysis tools built directly into the reporting suite, with live-updating visuals designed for client presentations, as well as AI-generated commentary support.
AI-powered analysis is layered on top of dashboards and templates, generating business-specific KPIs and narrative insights automatically.
Commentary Writer generates sourced, context-aware narrative with a traceable audit trail back to the underlying figures.
AI insights automate variance analysis and dashboard build-out.
Uses a tiered subscription model. Pricing varies by plan (Pro or Portfolio) and scales with the number of companies added.
Uses a single, feature-inclusive pricing model based on the number of data connections.
Scales efficiently as firms add more companies, reducing the average cost per entity under higher tiers.
Scales by adding data connections, with per-connection cost decreasing at higher volume tiers.
User experience comparison
Learning curve
Fathom:
- Intuitive setup: The platform's interface is designed to be usable independently from day one, with onboarding support available if needed.
- Minimal configuration: Out-of-the-box KPIs and pre-built templates cut down on setup time before the first report goes out.
- User-friendly: The financial insights dashboard is built to be accessible to finance and non-finance stakeholders alike.
Reach Reporting:
- Spreadsheet-familiar interface: Because the platform is built around a spreadsheet-style environment, teams already comfortable in Excel tend to pick it up without a steep learning curve.
- Fast implementation: Reach describes onboarding as requiring almost no formal "implementation" as training can begin almost immediately after signup.
- Guided training included: Video and live training are provided as part of the plan, rather than as a paid add-on, to help new users get their first report or dashboard live.
Daily usage
Fathom:
- Dashboard navigation: Reporting, forecasting, and consolidation are all accessible from a single, unified interface.
- Quick report creation: Pre-built templates support consistent, client-ready reporting packs, with scheduled delivery available for recurring reports.
- Visual financial storytelling: Interactive visual reports are designed to open up conversations with clients rather than just present figures.
Reach Reporting:
- Spreadsheet-style editing: Reports, dashboards, and forecasts are all built and edited within the same familiar spreadsheet-style canvas, using formulas rather than a fixed report builder.
- Live, self-updating reports: Because everything syncs automatically from connected accounting data, reports and dashboards refresh without a manual re-pull.
- Interactive client access: Clients can filter and drill into their own reports through the client portal, rather than only receiving a static, finished document.
Support
Fathom:
- Highly rated support: Provides in-app messaging, email (support@fathomhq.com), and phone support 24/5 globally, with messages typically answered within 15 minutes. Full customer success access is included on all subscription plans, with no tiered restrictions.
- High satisfaction ratings: Fathom consistently maintains customer satisfaction scores (CSAT) above 95%.
- Award-winning service: Recognised as "Customer Service Organisation of the Year" at the 2022 Australian Service Excellence Awards.
- Comprehensive help center: Detailed guides, tutorials, and articles cover every platform feature, alongside on-demand resources like product walkthroughs and webinars.
Reach Reporting:
- Live chat support: In-app live chat is available for quick questions, alongside a searchable knowledge center covering setup, consolidation, and forecasting workflows.
- Video training library: A training video library and regular blog content support self-serve learning outside of live support.
Use case scenarios
Consider Fathom when...
- You need management reporting software that produces polished, board-ready reports designed to clearly communicate financial performance and insights.
- You want advanced forecasting and planning capabilities, including three-way forecasting, scenario modelling, and tools built to support long-term strategic decisions.
- You want AI-generated commentary that's traceable back to the numbers, so every insight shared with a client or board can be sourced and defended.
Consider Reach Reporting when...
- You want one flat, feature-complete plan rather than choosing between tiers that unlock different capabilities.
- Your team is comfortable working in spreadsheet-style tools and wants that same flexibility for building custom reports and forecasts.
- You want AI insights surfaced with alerts sent via app or email to ease your day-to-day work.
Final thoughts
Fathom delivers a polished financial reporting platform with strong visual reporting, built-in three-way forecasting, and workflows designed around client-facing communication. Reach Reporting, by comparison, leans into a spreadsheet-native build experience and a flat pricing structure where consolidation, forecasting, and AI insights are included from the start rather than reserved for higher tiers.
Ultimately, the right choice depends on your business needs, reporting complexity, and how your team prefers to build reports. The best way to decide is to explore both platforms firsthand and see which fits how your team actually works.
Try Fathom today
Start with a free 14-day trial or speak to our team to see Fathom in action.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the main difference between Fathom and Reach Reporting?
Fathom focuses on polished, template-based reporting and advisory-ready forecasting, while Reach Reporting is built around a spreadsheet-native editing experience.
- What's the difference between Fathom and Reach Reporting forecasting?
Fathom's forecasting is built around three-way modelling that links the P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow, with scenario modelling embedded directly into reports. Reach Reporting also offers three-way forecasting, with automated AR/AP/inventory projections and formula-based drivers for custom calculations.
- Can both Fathom and Reach Reporting handle multi-entity consolidation?
Yes. Fathom supports consolidations of up to 300 entities (single currency) or 50 (multi-currency). Reach Reporting includes multi-currency consolidation and automated eliminations.
- How do pricing models differ between Fathom and Reach Reporting?
Fathom uses a tiered subscription model (Pro or Portfolio), with feature access varying by tier and pricing scaling by company count. Reach Reporting uses a single pricing structure based purely on the number of data connections, with the full feature set included at every tier.
- Can both Fathom and Reach Reporting integrate with Xero or QuickBooks?
Yes, both integrate with Xero and QuickBooks Online/Desktop.
- How different are the support channels for Fathom or Reach Reporting?
Fathom offers multi-channel support (in-app messaging, email, and phone) available across all paid plans. Reach Reporting provides live chat support and a self-serve knowledge center, also without tiered restrictions.
