Try Tidyflow
Get your firm organized.
Watch a 4-minute demo, or start a free trial. No credit card required.
Ignition and Anchor solve the same problem: getting a client from “yes” to paid without anyone chasing invoices. Both turn a signed proposal into an agreement, then invoice and collect automatically. The real differences are how you pay for them, how much proposal control you get, and where your firm is based. Here’s how they compare.
Quick Comparison
| Ignition | Anchor | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Monthly subscription, tiered by active clients | No subscription, $5 per payment received |
| Starting price | $39/month (billed annually) | $0/month |
| Payment fees | Per-transaction fees on card and ACH | Card 2.9% + $0.30 (can be passed to client); no extra ACH fee |
| Proposals and engagement letters | Yes, with bulk renewals and price increases | Yes, with e-signature |
| Automatic invoicing and collection | Yes | Yes, charged on the due date |
| Regions | US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada | US (USD) |
| Integrations | Large marketplace | QuickBooks Online, Xero, Karbon, TaxDome, Financial Cents, HubSpot, Zapier, and more |
| Workflow and client portal | No (billing-focused) | No (billing-focused) |
| Best for | Established firms wanting deep proposal tooling | US firms wanting zero fixed cost |
Pricing: Active Clients vs Payments
This is the decision for most firms.
Ignition charges a monthly subscription from $39/month (Solo) up to $399/month (Pro+) when billed annually, or $49 to $499 billed monthly. Each tier is capped at a number of active clients, with overage fees of roughly $2 to $7 per extra client once you pass it. Payment processing fees apply on top, and Ignition offers a 14-day free trial.
Anchor charges nothing until you get paid, then deducts $5 from each payment. ACH carries no extra fee; card payments add 2.9% + $0.30, which you can pass on to the client.
What that means in practice, counting only Anchor’s $5 fee and assuming each client pays once a month:
| Clients billed monthly | Anchor fees per month | Ignition tier (annual billing) |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | $100 | Solo, $39/month (up to 20 active clients) |
| 50 | $250 | Core, $99/month (up to 50), where offered; otherwise Pro |
| 100 | $500 | Pro, $199–$229/month (up to 350) |
Small firms with a modest client count almost always pay less with Anchor. As the number of monthly payments grows, Ignition’s tiers start to look cheaper. Firms that bill quarterly or annually make far fewer payments, which tilts the math back toward Anchor. Model your own payment count before choosing.
Where Ignition Wins
Proposal depth. Ignition has more control over proposals: bulk renewals, bulk price increases, a client pipeline, and more flexible templates. Anchor reviewers mention limited layout and terms customisation and no preloaded engagement letter templates.
Maturity and integrations. Ignition has been in the category far longer and has a larger integration marketplace.
International firms. Ignition supports the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Anchor is built for US firms billing in US dollars.
Predictable cost at volume. For firms with many clients paying monthly, a fixed tier can cost less than a fee on every payment.
Where Anchor Wins
No fixed cost. No subscription, no onboarding fee, and unlimited users and clients. You pay only when money arrives.
Speed to start. Anchor is known for a fast setup and very high review scores for ease of use and support.
Simple fee structure. One flat fee per payment, no ACH surcharge, and no client-count tiers to monitor.
Time-tracker billing. Anchor can auto-bill hours from QuickBooks Time, Harvest, Toggl, and other trackers that sync with QuickBooks Online.
Choose Ignition If…
- You have a large client list paying monthly and want a predictable bill
- You need bulk renewals and price increases across many engagements
- Your firm is outside the US
- You want the widest integration marketplace
Choose Anchor If…
- You’re a US firm with a small to mid-size client list
- You want zero fixed software cost for billing
- Many of your clients pay quarterly or annually, so payment counts stay low
- You already have a practice management tool and only need billing automated
Or Consider Tidyflow
Ignition and Anchor share one limitation: billing lives in a separate tool from the work. Your proposals and payments sit in one system, while the monthly bookkeeping, tax returns, client document requests, and team status live in another.
Tidyflow puts both in the same place for $39/user/month ($29/user/month billed annually), with no fee per payment and no client-count tiers. Proposals and engagement letters can capture payment details at signing and bill on acceptance, on job completion, or on a recurring schedule, auto-charging the client’s saved card or bank account. Clients pay by card or ACH through Stripe at standard processing rates. The same client record carries the workflow, the client portal for documents and questions, unlimited e-signatures, and time tracking with one-click billing from WIP.
| Ignition | Anchor | Tidyflow | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | $39–$399/month by active clients | $5 per payment | $39/user/month ($29 annual) |
| Fee per payment | Processing fees | $5 plus card processing | Stripe processing only |
| Proposals and engagement letters | Yes | Yes | Yes, with A/B/C packages |
| Automatic billing and auto-charge | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Workflow and job tracking | No | No | Yes |
| Client portal and document requests | No | Payment portal only | Yes |
| Time tracking | Not built in | Not built in (auto-bills from synced trackers) | Built in |
| Free trial | 14 days | Free to start | 14 days, no credit card |
Best for: Firms that are paying for a billing tool and a practice management tool today, or still running work on email and spreadsheets, and want one system. See the full Ignition alternatives and Anchor billing alternatives breakdowns.
Try Tidyflow free. No credit card required.
