iscoverNew research has detailed the current and future investments in accounting technology among firms big and small, and highlights a “widening tech divide”.
1 in 2 accounting firms have not adopted new tech in last 5 years
22 July 2025
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9 minute read
Market research agency Agile Market Intelligence has released the interim results from its 2025 Agile Market Intelligence Accounting Tech Review, which has collected survey responses from 501 accountants and bookkeepers across Australia since March 2025.
The report aimed to benchmark platform performance across private practice and in-house accounting professionals, and capture perceptions around functionality, service quality and platform features.
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Tech adoption slowing
According to the research, one in two (49 per cent) professionals and their firms have not adopted any new accounting tech in the last five years, with only 14 per cent of those surveyed having adopted a new platform in the past year. Just 7 per cent have onboarded new tech in the last six months.
The median number of tech platforms being used by firms is five, Agile reported, with firms at the 75th percentile using up to seven different platforms.
The number of platforms per firm remains high, the interim results detailed, yet adoption of new tools is limited-highlighting a maturing market with entrenched systems.
This suggests, Agile posited, that the current focus is on integration and optimisation rather than expansion.
“We’ve reached a point where most firms are running multiple platforms, but very few are adding new ones. This points to an opportunity for consolidation and deeper integration between tools,” Michael Johnson, director of Agile Market Intelligence, said (pictured).
Spend dependent on firm size
The research also showed that nearly two in five (63 per cent) sole traders in the profession are spending less than $5,000 per year on accounting technology. This is in sharp contrast to firms with between 200 and 1,000 employees, where 57 per cent of such firms are spending between $100,000 to $200,000 annually.
Interestingly, among sole traders, 44 per cent plan no change in their tech spending, and only 9 per cent expect a significant increase, compared to three in four (75 per cent) large firms planning moderate spending increases.
While spending growth is evident across mid-to-large firms, Agile said, the smallest practices are holding steady.
This bifurcation in spend, it submitted, suggests growing capability gaps across the sector.
“As larger firms invest in tech-enabled efficiency, smaller firms may fall behind without support or strategic guidance,” Agile said.
“We’re seeing larger firms accelerate investment in accounting platforms, not just to improve efficiency, but to future-proof client services. The risk for smaller practices is getting caught in a widening tech divide,” added Johnson.
Spending authority
Elsewhere, the research found that most decision makers are in-house, and spending authority is centralised.
The interim results noted that 49 per cent of respondents identify as the primary decision-maker for accounting tech, and a further 32 per cent are key influencers with input but no final say.
Decision-making power is largely concentrated in senior roles, Agile said, with purchasing driven from the top. This top-down control structure, it suggested, reinforces the need for vendors to focus messaging on strategic outcomes and ROI.
“With half of respondents holding ultimate purchasing power, vendors need to frame their propositions around tangible business outcomes, not just product features,” Johnson said.
Agile’s survey closes at the end of July, and a public version of the report will be made available to participants and industry in early November.
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