Relate Software

What Relate Software does

Relate Software is an Irish software company that develops accounting, compliance, and practice-management software for the accountancy profession in Ireland and the United Kingdom. Founded over 25 years ago (with the legal entity listed since 2001) and now operating as part of the privately-held Bright Software Group, Relate offers an integrated product suite — DRIVE CRM & Practice Management, Personal Tax Manager, Corporate Tax Manager, Company Secretary, Surf Accounts (cloud SME bookkeeping), and Surf Accounts Production (cloud accounts production) — covering time & billing, CRM, document management, workflow, statutory registers, and direct submission to Ireland's Revenue Online Service (ROS). The Company Secretary product is described as the most widely used package for managing Irish company returns under the Companies Act 2014, and Relate was the first software vendor to achieve eRMS-enabled status for electronic tax filing.

The technology stack is split between on-premise desktop products built on Microsoft SQL Server (with Microsoft Jet for Company Secretary) and a newer generation of cloud-native products hosted on Microsoft Azure (Surf Accounts, BrightAccountsProduction). Distribution is sales-led with dedicated Ireland and UK sales teams, online demo booking, free webinar-based training, and an annual ELEVATE with Relate customer event; the company maintains offices in Duleek (HQ), Dublin, Wokingham and Warwick (UK), and an engineering/support office in Kolkata, India.

Revenue is generated through software licences and subscriptions (priced per product and as an integrated suite), professional services for implementation and data conversion, and tiered training courses (€95–€695 per seat). A significant strategic shift occurred in December 2023 when the legacy desktop Accounts Production product was retired and customers were migrated to the cloud-based Surf Accounts Production. Relate's customer base consists almost entirely of small and mid-sized Irish and UK accounting practices, and the broader Bright Software Group reports 400,000 customers and 99% satisfaction across its portfolio.

Name

Relate Software

Legal name

Relate Software

Website

https://relate-software.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Relate Software develops accounting, compliance, and practice-management SaaS for accounting firms in Ireland and the UK. Its integrated suite covers DRIVE CRM, tax (Personal/Corporate), Company Secretary, and cloud accounts production under the Bright Software Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Accounting Practice Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210), Software Publishers (51321)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Accounting & Bookkeeping Services (BPAHABAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Financial Reporting & Technical Accounting Advisory (GAAP/IFRS) (BPAHABAF)

Keywords

• Practice management software
• Tax compliance software
• Company secretarial software
• Cloud accounting software
• Accounts production software

Headquarters

HQ city

Tallaght

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses and Subscriptions: Relate Software generates revenue through software licenses and subscriptions for its suite of products including DRIVE CRM, Accounts Production, Personal Tax Manager, Corporate Tax Manager, Company Secretary, and Surf Accounts. Products can be purchased individually or as a fully integrated suite.
2. Professional Services: Implementation, consultancy, and data conversion services provided to customers prior to and during software deployment.
3. Training Courses: Online and webinar-based training courses for all products with tiered pricing: €95 per participant for single businesses, €195 for unlimited businesses, €295 per participant for single accountants, €695 for unlimited accountants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Relate Software develops and sells an integrated suite of accounting practice software for the accountancy profession, including practice management (DRIVE CRM), accounts production, company secretarial, personal tax, and corporate tax products, plus cloud-based Surf Accounts for SMEs. The portfolio is sold primarily through subscription and license agreements to accounting practices and their SME clients in Ireland and the UK, with products available as a fully integrated suite or individually.

Product overview

Relate Software provides an integrated suite of accounting and practice management software specifically designed for the accountancy profession. The product portfolio includes: DRIVE CRM & Practice Management (a centralized database system combining CRM, time & billing, and practice management); Personal Tax Manager and Corporate Tax Manager (tax management solutions using ROS online calculation engines); Company Secretary (company secretarial software for managing returns and registers); Surf Accounts (cloud-based SME accounting software); and Surf Accounts Production (cloud-based accounts production as successor to the legacy desktop Accounts Production product). All products work independently or as a fully integrated suite, with the company currently transitioning from desktop solutions to cloud-based offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DRIVE CRM: Next generation time & billing with financial management for accountants, also known as DRIVE CRM & Practice Management. Voted 4 times Best Practice Management Software by Accounting Web.
• Accounts Production
• Company Secretary
• Personal Tax Manager
• Corporate Tax Manager
• Surf Accounts

Products and services

• DRIVE CRM & Practice Management Next-generation CRM and practice management software for accountants combining time & billing, financial management, contact database, communications management, document management, and workflow management. Voted 4 times Best Practice Management Software by Accounting Web.
• Personal Tax Manager Personal tax management software that uses the Revenue Online Service (ROS) online web-based calculation engine along with a comprehensive workflow module to calculate F11 and control personal tax requirements for Irish tax practitioners.
• Corporate Tax Manager Corporate tax management software that uses the Revenue Online Service (ROS) online web-based calculation engine along with a comprehensive workflow module to calculate CT1 and control corporation tax requirements for Irish tax practitioners.
• Company Secretary The most widely used package for managing company returns and maintaining company registers in Ireland, fully compliant with the Companies Act 2014 and combining diary and alert management to ensure timely filing. Includes PSC register management.
• Surf Accounts Cloud-based invoicing and accounts software for SMEs providing instant access to client accounts, enabling accountants to extend their relationship with clients while making day-to-day bookkeeping easier.
• Surf Accounts Production Cloud-based accounts production software that is the successor to Relate Accounts Production, featuring online browser login, financial statement templates, audit engagement letters, electronic signatures, and DEXT Prepare integration. Includes automated compliance updates reflecting the latest Companies House filing and legislative changes, with BrightAccountsProduction tiered at €1,735.76 per year for 1-30 clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4 consecutive years of Accounting WEB Software Satisfaction Awards
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Microsoft AzurecoreTechnology or IntegrationCloud infrastructure partnership using Microsoft Azure Cloud platform for BrightAccountsProduction and related cloud products, ensuring enterprise-grade security and reliability.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• IRIS Software Group: UK-headquartered vendor of accounting practice, payroll and HR software (IRIS, PTP, Star, Earnie) serving accountancy practices — a direct competitor to Relate's DRIVE CRM, Personal Tax and Accounts Production in the same Irish/UK customer base.
• TaxCalc: UK accountancy practice software covering accounts production, tax, MTD and practice management — a direct specialist competitor to Relate's Personal Tax, Corporate Tax and Accounts Production products in the UK.
• BTCSoftware: UK-focused accountancy software for accounts production, tax and Companies House filings — closely comparable to Relate's core compliance suite and targets the same UK practice customer.
• Karbon: Cloud practice management workflow software for accounting firms (Triage, Work, Templates, Practice Insights) — directly comparable to DRIVE CRM & Practice Management for modernising mid-market accounting practices.
• Taxfiler: UK/Ireland cloud-based accounts production, corporation tax and self assessment software — a close specialist competitor to Relate's tax and accounts production offerings in the same geographic footprint.

Broad incumbents

• CCH (Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting): Global incumbent in tax and accounting compliance software for accountants (CCH iFirm, CCH Personal Tax, CCH Accounts Production) — competes head-to-head with Relate's tax and accounts production modules but as part of a much broader professional information portfolio.
• Sage: Global incumbent in accounting and payroll software (Sage 50, Sage 200, Sage Intacct, Sage for Accountants) — overlaps with Relate's Surf Accounts SME product and competes indirectly on practice management workflows.
• Xero: Cloud accounting platform for SMEs and their accountants (Xero Practice Manager, Xero Tax, Xero for Accountants) — a broader incumbent that competes for the same end-customers and integrates into Relate's BrightAccountsProduction.
• Intuit QuickBooks: Global SME accounting platform (QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks for Accountants) — a broad incumbent overlapping with Surf Accounts and a key integration partner for BrightAccountsProduction trial-balance imports.

Emerging players

• Practice Ignition: Cloud client engagement and proposal/billing automation platform for accountants — an emerging specialist intersecting with DRIVE CRM's engagement-letter, billing and client workflow capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RelateSoftware
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/relatesoftware
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/relate-software
• TikToktiktok.com/@brightsg

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Relate Software