CPA firms · Audit and assurance/advisory evidence
Best AI Assistants for CPA Firms (2026)
Susan is our first choice for managed evidence administration; compare DataSnipper for source-linked Excel work, Caseware Verity for engagement-context assistance and Trullion Trulli for contract review. For CPA audit and advisory teams, the buying question is which assistant leaves a traceable draft your reviewer can accept, rather than a confident answer detached from its source.
Book a walkthroughWhich CPA assistant keeps audit evidence reviewable?
Choose the assistant that preserves the source passage, file version and reviewer decision beside the workpaper. An evidence assistant helps staff extract or compare supporting documents; it does not decide whether the evidence is sufficient. This guide is for US CPA audit and assurance/advisory teams, not tax preparation or practice-management selection.
Key takeaways
- Source-linked extraction, evidence administration and an assurance platform are different purchases.
- DataSnipper tier, Caseware region and Trullion module entitlement belong in the quote.
- Keep missing support, conflicting passages and reissued statements visible through review.
- Use the eight-check demonstration below; unsupported steps remain explicitly with your firm.
For a broader service-line investment, start with CPA tools for tax, assurance and operations. For workbook assistance and tax research, use AI assistants for accountants. For engagement coordination, use CPA practice agents.
The fixed-price usage and first-job-within-48-hours offer below applies to hosted Susan. Own-cloud setup depends on your IT granting access; your own model account has separate provider billing. Here, Susan’s proposed job is document administration and reviewer handoff, not audit testing or professional sign-off.
Our first pick
Why Susan is the best choice for most firms
Susan works like a hiring agency for AI employees: bring us the job description, and our team builds the AI employee, runs it and keeps it working, for one price you can plan around.
- One fixed monthly price. For agreed hosted workflows, model usage, hosting, monitoring and fixes are included in one fixed monthly price. Customers using their own model account pay that provider directly. Compare the named providers’ actual pricing and scope in the article’s sourced table.
- Done for you, not do-it-yourself. Bring us the job description and a screen recording of how the work is done today: if a person does it on a computer, Susan can learn it. There is nothing for your firm to configure, prompt or maintain, and the first job is running within 48 hours of signing.
- Costs less than another hire. No recruiting, training or turnover, and busy season costs the same. The work keeps moving at night and on weekends, and anything that needs approval waits for your staff.
- Support and fixes are part of the fee. When a portal changes, a login expires or a new exception appears, our team fixes it. That work is included, not billed as extra hours or left to your staff.
- The safest setup: your own cloud and your own keys. Susan can run entirely inside your firm's own Microsoft Azure subscription, with your own OpenAI, Anthropic or Azure OpenAI account, and our engineers run it there for you. Your data never has to sit on a vendor's platform: the agents, logs and keys stay in your account, under your rules, and you can see and revoke our access.
- Security from the first day. Each agent works on its own dedicated, hardened computer in a US data center. App passwords stay in a protected layer the agent never sees, people approve anything that reaches a client or changes the books, and every action is logged.
- Keeps the software you already use. Susan works through direct app connections and uses its own screen for portals without one, so there is no new platform to move to.
How we compared the evidence assistants
Susan is our managed service. We reviewed official product and pricing pages on November 9, 2026, using the same criteria: supported document output, source locator, review or commit boundary, required edition, operating owner and quote scope. These are published capability descriptions, not hands-on accuracy results or measured audit savings.
Is our client data safe? Susan can run inside your own cloud with your own model keys, operated by our engineers; model processing still follows your provider’s terms. Hosted Susan uses a dedicated hardened computer in a US data center, protected passwords and an action log. For every option, approve client separation, support access, processing providers, retention and export before uploading engagement files; no deployment label guarantees compliance.
Will it make mistakes? Require a visible hold when support is missing or contradictory. Susan checks and reads back its work, routes unusual cases to the responsible person and holds consequential or client-facing actions for staff approval; fixes are part of the agreed fee. Auditors retain methodology, materiality, evidence sufficiency and sign-off, whichever assistant prepares the draft.
Four options by output, review boundary and quote scope
| Option / primary source | Best for | Document output | Source and review control | Setup / module / region | Price / unit | Who operates and repairs | Material limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. SusanPrimary source | Managed evidence administration and reviewer handoffs | Agreed document routing, missing-item follow-through and review-pack preparation | Staff approve consequential work; auditors retain evidence judgments and sign-off | Scope the job, approved access, input versions and destination; no specialist audit-tool integration assumed | Fixed monthly quote for agreed hosted work; model usage, hosting, monitoring, support and fixes included | Fixed Labs sets up, operates and repairs agreed work; firm supplies rules and reviewer | A proposed administrative assignment, not a demonstrated audit deployment or assurance engine |
| 2. DataSnipper DocuMine / Excel AgentsPrimary source | Document answers beside Excel workpapers | DocuMine source-referenced answers and Snips in Excel | Staff validate source references and approve or reject suggested answers | Accelerate includes DocuMine, Excel Agents and AI Extractions; Elevate adds Alwin and cloud Review Workflow | Quote; no numeric list price on inspected page. Confirm license unit; Financial Statement Suite and UpLink are add-ons | Firm staff run the work; name an administrator and confirm vendor support scope | Start is not the quoted AI configuration; demonstrate export and retained source access |
| 3. Caseware VerityPrimary source | Engagement-context assistance inside Caseware Cloud | Cited guidance and document summaries; separately scoped disclosure-checklist drafts | Check cited standards, methodology and engagement context; disclosure responses are reviewed before commit | Confirm Cloud product, region, methodology and agent entitlement; Disclosure Checklist Agent is US only | Quote; no numeric rate in inspected pages. Confirm Verity, disclosure agent and content licenses separately | Firm engagement team operates and reviews; administrator owns permissions and vendor escalation | Legacy AiDA access does not establish every Verity or disclosure capability |
| 4. Trullion Trulli / Audit SuitePrimary source | Contract clauses, summaries and document comparisons | Source-linked clause tables with Excel export and document comparisons | Staff inspect source passages and decide what belongs in the workpaper | Confirm Trulli entitlement; Data Extract, Data Match and Financial Statement Validation have separate scope questions | Quote; no numeric rate or standard license unit verified in inspected official pages | Firm staff supply documents and review outputs; agree configuration and support ownership | An exported table is not proof its source links remain usable in the archive or that all suite modules are included |
1. Susan: managed evidence administration, with a firm reviewer
Choose Susan first when the recurring problem is unowned follow-through around the workpaper. Our managed CPA workflows include document routing, missing-item follow-up and review preparation. Bring the job description and a redacted screen recording; our team sets up, operates and maintains the agreed process.
For an evidence-administration assignment, agree the input register, permitted destination, missing-item queue and reviewer. A useful proposed output is a review pack that keeps source versions and unresolved items together. We would scope and demonstrate that job before relying on it; this is not a claim of an existing audit deployment or integration with the three specialist products below.
Trade-off: Susan is not a licensed assurance methodology engine. Your team decides what evidence is needed and accepts professional conclusions. Hosted work has one fixed monthly quote including usage, hosting, monitoring, support and fixes. The first hosted job runs within 48 hours of signing; own-cloud timing and your own model-provider bill are separate.
2. DataSnipper: source-linked document answers in Excel
DocuMine answers questions across documents with source references. Staff validate the proposed answers with Snips and approve or reject them within the Excel workflow. That fits a team whose accepted workpaper already lives in Excel and whose immediate need is finding and checking support.
The pricing page places DocuMine, Excel Agents and AI Extractions in Accelerate. Elevate adds Alwin and the cloud Review Workflow. Financial Statement Suite and UpLink are separately listed add-ons. No numeric list price was shown; request the exact plan and license unit.
Trade-off: a Start quote cannot stand in for the AI configuration above. Have a staff reviewer open the underlying passage, inspect its context and reopen the exported workpaper without the preparer’s session. Agree who owns the Excel setup, review queue and support escalation rather than assuming the license includes operating your firm’s process.
3. Caseware Verity: engagement context inside Caseware Cloud
Caseware Verity combines engagement context with standards and firm methodology, showing what informed a response. It fits teams already working in Caseware Cloud that need assistance grounded in their engagement rather than another standalone document workspace.
The Disclosure Checklist Agent is a separate scope question: it drafts responses from selected financial statements with exact passages, then staff review and commit approved answers. The checked page says US only. Confirm the Cloud product, content license and agent entitlement in writing; no numeric rate was published on the inspected pages.
Caseware’s July 28, 2026 explanation describes AiDA evolving into Verity. Trade-off: do not infer every current capability from an older AiDA license or desktop guide. Ask your administrator to demonstrate the quoted experience in your country and show which acceptance decisions need renewed review after financial statements change.
4. Trullion Trulli: contract clauses and document comparisons
Trullion’s Trulli tutorial describes extracting contract clauses into a structured table with Excel export, source-linked summaries and side-by-side document comparisons. This is worth evaluating when advisory or assurance staff need the exact terms of agreements beside a draft workpaper.
The Audit Suite page also lists Data Extract, Data Match and Financial Statement Validation. Ask which modules the quote includes; a Trulli demonstration does not establish entitlement to the entire suite. No numeric rate or standard billing unit was verified in the inspected pages.
Trade-off: source links and an Excel table do not guarantee a self-contained retained file. Ask another authorized reviewer to reopen the package, locate a clause and see unresolved differences between versions. Staff retain the decision about which terms matter and how the conclusion is documented.
Eight checks for an evidence-to-workpaper buying demo
Use firm-approved sample material: a debt agreement, amendment, board minutes, debt schedule, current and reissued financial statements, and a draft workpaper. This proposed checklist is a purchasing aid, not a completed vendor test, audit program or professional standard. Ask each provider to demonstrate only its supported scope and record the remaining work with your firm.
| Check | Sample condition | Required evidence or hold | Record to retain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engagement boundary | A prior-year agreement for Entity B is mixed with Entity A’s current financials. | Hold the wrong entity or year. Identify the intended procedure and workpaper before extraction. | Entity, fiscal period, source register, workpaper reference and held-item reason. |
| Source completeness | The debt schedule arrives without a referenced amendment or page. | List supplied files and versions against the request. Leave missing support open with an owner. | Input manifest, missing-page request and responsible engagement owner. |
| Statement to source | A covenant clause becomes a value in an Excel table. | Open the exact passage and surrounding qualifications; connect it to the destination cell or reference. | Clause text, source version, page or stable locator and draft workpaper reference. |
| Conflicting evidence | Board minutes mention a waiver that the signed amendment does not support. | Keep both passages visible. Refer the unresolved conflict to the auditor instead of choosing a convenient answer. | Both source locators, issue, reviewer and follow-up status. |
| Procedure and population | A supplied-row analysis omits records that appear in the source schedule. | If analytics are in scope, reconcile counts and relevant control totals. Record procedures not performed; the auditor sets scope and sufficiency. | Period, mapping, counts, totals, exclusions and separate procedural judgment. |
| Reissued financials | Revised statements arrive after a cited response was approved. | Identify affected extracts, tie-outs and responses for renewed review. Do not silently reuse earlier acceptance. | Old and new versions, affected references, superseded approval and new review decision. |
| Review and commit | A junior has prepared a cited draft; the manager has not accepted it. | Keep extracted, prepared, reviewed and committed states separate. No automatic client release or audit sign-off. | Preparer, reviewer, dated disposition, open notes and committed version. |
| Archive and access | An authorized reviewer opens the exported workpaper without the preparer’s session. | Locate the support and review disposition from the retained package. Record broken links and permission dependencies. | Export, source manifest, locators, review history and named owner for access gaps. |
Copy this decision record into the evaluation file: product / plan / region; supported task; entity / period; input versions; procedure / workpaper reference; source locator; conflicting evidence; review note and disposition; reviewer / date; reissued-source impact; export and access dependencies; remaining firm work; quote unit, modules, setup and maintenance.
Stop acceptance for untraceable material output, a wrong entity or year, missing support treated as complete, a suppressed contradiction, or an old approval carried across a relevant source change. If the retained package loses agreed support, name the repair owner before accepting it. The auditor still determines whether the overall evidence and procedure are sufficient.
Choose the missing step, then price the retained deliverable
Keep the present workpaper environment if it works. For Excel document review, ask DataSnipper to demonstrate Accelerate’s exact scope. For engagement-context help already inside Caseware Cloud, evaluate Verity and any separately entitled agent. For agreement terms and comparisons, inspect Trulli’s export and source path. For ongoing administrative follow-through, scope Susan’s operating responsibility.
Request a written quote for the same supported task: license unit, users or capacity, country, content and modules, setup, data preparation, reviewer work, archive access and maintenance. Leave an unknown price unknown until the vendor supplies it. A managed monthly job and an unspecified software seat do not buy the same responsibility.
For full assurance-platform or analytics procurement, return to the CPA service-line comparison covering CoCounsel Audit & Accounting, Fieldguide and MindBridge. For the managed operating model, see Susan for CPA firms. Keep extraction assistance separate from an audit conclusion.
Book a walkthroughAbout the author
Manuel Castillo is AI Lead Engineer at Fixed Labs. His author profile links to his professional background and the work behind Susan.
Frequently asked questions
Which AI assistants are best for CPA audit teams?
Our shortlist is Susan for managed evidence administration, DataSnipper for source-linked work in Excel, Caseware Verity for engagement-context assistance in Caseware Cloud, and Trullion Trulli for contract clauses and document comparisons. This guide concerns audit and assurance/advisory documents beside current workpapers. Choose the supported output and review boundary first; a tax research subscription or practice-management agent solves a different problem.
Does a source citation make an AI answer valid audit evidence?
A citation gives the reviewer a place to check; it does not settle whether the document is complete, relevant or sufficient for the procedure. Open the passage and its qualifications, verify the entity, period and source version, and preserve contradictory support. The engagement team decides the methodology, materiality, evidence sufficiency and conclusion. A source-linked extraction can assist that work without becoming an audit opinion.
How much do these CPA evidence assistants cost?
No numeric public rate was verified for the selected competitor configurations in the official pages checked November 9, 2026. Request a quote naming the plan, license unit, modules, region, setup and support. Hosted Susan uses one fixed monthly quote for agreed workflows, including model usage, hosting, monitoring, support and fixes. Using your own model account means a separate provider bill; compare that configuration separately.
Is Caseware Verity the same as AiDA?
Caseware’s July 28, 2026 explanation describes AiDA evolving into Caseware Verity. The current Verity page places engagement-context assistance inside Caseware Cloud. Do not treat an older AiDA entitlement or desktop setup guide as proof that every Verity feature is enabled. Ask for your exact Cloud product, country, methodology and licensed agents; the separately described Disclosure Checklist Agent is available only in the US on the checked page.
What should happen when financial statements are reissued?
Keep the previous and revised versions, identify which extracts and workpaper references relied on the earlier statements, and ask the reviewer to reconsider affected acceptance decisions. An unchanged answer does not prove that an earlier review remains valid. During the buying demonstration, require the vendor to show this change path or record the manual work your firm must perform. Retain the new review disposition with the accepted version.
Can Susan operate our specialist audit software?
Do not assume a DataSnipper, Caseware or Trullion integration from this comparison. Susan is our managed AI employee for agreed recurring computer work; the evidence-administration assignment here must be scoped with supported access, actions and reviewer handoff. Bring a redacted process recording rather than client audit files. Fixed Labs runs and maintains agreed work, while your firm keeps professional judgments, methodology decisions and final sign-off.
Bring the evidence-administration job, not client audit files.
Show us a redacted process, the missing-item handoff and the reviewer’s acceptance requirement. We will discuss supported actions, what stays with your firm and a fixed monthly price for Susan to run the agreed job.
Book a walkthrough