“What’s the Difference Between Clarity HQ and Futrli?”
An honest answer to the question most accounting firms ask first.
In brief: Clarity HQ and Futrli both serve accounting firms building advisory services, but they solve fundamentally different problems. Futrli is a cash flow forecasting and business advisory platform that helps firms predict future financial scenarios, model what-if situations, and track business health through automated alerts and scenario planning. Clarity HQ is a complete advisory delivery system, combining the CLEAR methodology, Numina AI assistant, productised service model, and team enablement, that helps firms package, price, sell, and deliver ongoing business advisory. Futrli forecasts what might happen. Clarity HQ provides the system for what to do when it does.
If you’re an accounting firm building or scaling advisory services, Futrli might be on your radar. It’s a popular cash flow forecasting platform that over 70,000 businesses have used, and for good reason. It does forecasting well.
So when firms start looking at Clarity HQ, the first question is usually: “How is this different from Futrli?”
It’s a fair question. Let’s answer it honestly.
What Futrli Does (and Does Well)
Futrli is a cash flow forecasting and business advisory platform that was acquired by Sage in May 2022. It was designed specifically to help accounting firms and advisors predict business outcomes, model scenarios, and offer advisory services to their clients.
Here’s what Futrli does genuinely well:
- Cash flow forecasting using 3-way forecasting (profit & loss, balance sheet, cash flow statements)
- What-if scenario planning to model different business outcomes and decisions
- Automated business health alerts when key metrics fall outside expected ranges
- Business goal tracking and progress monitoring over time
- Advisory dashboards designed specifically for accountants delivering client advisory
- Affordable pricing ($11.25–40/month historically) making it accessible for smaller firms and SME clients
Futrli excels at answering one specific question: “What might happen to this business in the future?” It gives accountants a structured way to model financial scenarios, spot risks early, and have predictive conversations with clients.
For firms that want a forecasting tool integrated into their advisory offering, Futrli provides exactly that. It’s well-designed, affordable, and purpose-built for the accounting profession.
Where Clarity HQ and Futrli Diverge
Here’s the thing that matters.
Futrli answers one very important question: “What might happen to this business?” It forecasts future scenarios. It predicts cash flow. It models what-ifs. It tells you what’s coming.
But what happens when you know what’s coming?
That’s where most firms get stuck. You’ve modelled a forecast showing the client’s cash will drop 30% in Q3. You’ve created a beautiful scenario plan. You’ve shown them the risk. They nod. They say thanks. And then nothing changes.
The gap isn’t in the forecasting. It’s in what happens after the forecast lands on the table. Most firms have great predictive insight but no system for turning that insight into a structured advisory service, a conversation framework, or a repeatable engagement model.
The core difference: Futrli is a cash flow forecasting and scenario planning tool that predicts what might happen in a client’s business. Clarity HQ is a complete advisory delivery system that helps accounting firms structure, price, and deliver ongoing advisory services around those insights.
What Clarity HQ Does Differently
Clarity HQ isn’t a forecasting tool. It doesn’t compete with Futrli on scenario modelling or cash flow projection. Instead, it picks up exactly where Futrli stops.
Clarity HQ is the system that turns financial insight into a structured, profitable advisory service. Here’s how:
- A Defined Methodology (The CLEAR Advisory Map)
Futrli gives you the forecast. Clarity HQ gives your team a structured process for what to do with it. The CLEAR Advisory Map walks accountants through Current, Leaderboard, Endgame, Actions, Review.
This means when your team sits down with a client, they’re not winging it. They have a defined conversation framework, specific numbers to focus on, and a process that produces a tangible outcome, every time.
- A Productised Service Model with Defined Pricing
Here’s a problem Futrli can’t solve: what do you actually charge for advisory?
Most firms that use Futrli for forecasting still struggle to structure and price advisory around it. The forecast goes out, the advisor has a conversation, and there’s no defined service, no engagement letter, and no recurring fee model.
Clarity HQ includes a four-tier productised advisory model. Each tier has defined deliverables, a meeting cadence, and value-based pricing calculated from the client’s profit improvement potential. The system answers the three questions that stop most firms from monetising advisory: What do I sell? What do I charge? What does the client actually get?
- Numina: AI That Prepares the Advisory Conversation
Futrli uses data to produce forecasts. Clarity HQ’s Numina AI uses data to prepare advisory conversations.
Numina analyses up to five years of client financial data and generates specific talking points, identifies which of the 7 Key Numbers to focus on, runs sensitivity analysis against industry benchmarks, and prepares suggested actions based on the client’s sector and trends.
Futrli’s output is a forecast. Numina’s output is a prepared, confident accountant ready to have the advisory conversation.
- Hartley: The Client-Facing AI That Creates Revenue for the Firm
Numina prepares the accountant. Hartley works for the client. Hartley is Clarity HQ’s client-facing AI advisory assistant, now live and in beta. It connects to the client’s real financial data (via Xero, QuickBooks Online, Sage Online, or manual entry) and answers their questions between meetings, grounded in their actual numbers rather than generic guidance.
Why this matters commercially: roughly half of small business owners are already using ChatGPT or similar tools to ask questions about cash flow, margins, and hiring. Stanford research found that AI models affirm users’ decisions 50% more than a human advisor would, even when those decisions are wrong. Clients are getting validation from a stranger. Hartley fixes that.
The critical difference for the firm: Hartley does not bypass the accountant. It gives the firm full visibility into what clients are asking about between meetings. It escalates to the right person in the firm by name when a question needs a human conversation. And it creates natural advisory opportunities the firm can act on. Hartley answers the client AND creates revenue for the firm.
- A Buying Experience with Proven Conversion
Futrli helps you demonstrate predictive value through forecasting. But it doesn’t include a process for converting that demonstrated value into a paid advisory engagement.
Clarity HQ includes a structured diagnostic pathway, a “buying experience” that takes a client from an initial conversation to a signed engagement without the accountant ever needing to “sell.” The client’s own numbers make the case. Clarity HQ’s data shows a 66% conversion rate from diagnostic to ongoing advisory engagement.
- Team Enablement, Not Partner Dependency
Many firms use Futrli effectively, but only the partners know how to interpret the forecasts and have the advisory conversations. That creates a bottleneck.
Clarity HQ is designed so the entire team can deliver advisory. The CLEAR methodology provides the structure. Numina does the preparation. The productised service model defines what to deliver. A manager or senior accountant can deliver the same quality advisory conversation that used to require a partner’s decades of experience.
Clarity HQ vs Futrli: Side-by-Side Comparison
Here’s a direct comparison of what each platform provides:
| Capability | Futrli | Clarity HQ |
| Primary purpose | Cash flow forecasting and scenario planning for business advisory | Complete advisory delivery system (methodology + technology + service model) |
| Advisory methodology | Not provided, relies on the accountant’s own approach | CLEAR Advisory Map (5-step structured process for every engagement) |
| Forecasting & scenario planning | Core strength, 3-way forecasts, what-if modelling, automated alerts | Not the focus, Clarity HQ complements, not replaces, forecasting tools |
| AI capability | Forecasting engine and business health monitoring | Numina, purpose-built AI for advisory preparation and conversation readiness |
| Service packaging | Not provided | Four-tier productised service model with defined deliverables per tier |
| Pricing framework | Not provided, firms set their own fees | Value-based pricing calculated from client profit improvement potential |
| Client conversion | Demonstrates predictive value through forecasts (no structured sales process) | Structured diagnostic pathway with 66% conversion rate |
| Team scalability | Partners typically lead advisory conversations based on forecasts | Entire team delivers advisory using methodology + AI preparation |
| Acquisition & support status | Acquired by Sage in 2022; transitioning as a standalone brand | Independently operated with continuous product development |
The Real Question to Ask Yourself
When you’re evaluating tools for advisory, the question isn’t really “Clarity HQ or Futrli?” It’s “What problem are we actually trying to solve?
If your answer is: “We need to forecast client cash flow and model different business scenarios”
Then Futrli is a genuinely excellent choice. It’s one of the best forecasting platforms available for accounting firms, with proven tools for scenario planning and business health monitoring.
If your answer is: “We have forecasts and insights, but we can’t turn them into a packaged, priced, repeatable advisory service that the whole team can deliver”
That’s what Clarity HQ was built for.
And here’s the truth: for most firms, the answer is both. You probably need Futrli (or a similar forecasting tool) and Clarity HQ. They’re not competing. They’re solving different problems. Futrli helps you predict what might happen. Clarity HQ turns that prediction into a structured, recurring advisory service.
Can You Use Futrli and Clarity HQ Together?
Absolutely. And many firms will.
Think of it this way: Futrli is the forecasting layer. It predicts client cash flow, models scenarios, and alerts you to risks. Clarity HQ is the complete advisory layer. It provides the methodology, the advisory delivery mechanics, pricing, service structure, and AI preparation that turns those presentations into a recurring revenue stream.
Futrli shows the client their cash reserves will drop below the danger zone in Q3. Clarity HQ’s CLEAR methodology helps the accountants deliver advisory services and tells them which of the 7 Key Numbers to focus on. Numina prepares the talking points and sensitivity analysis. The productised service model defines what the client is paying for and how it is delivered. And the diagnostic pathway converts the conversation into a signed engagement.
Futrli and Clarity HQ are complementary, not competitive. Futrli forecasts the future. Clarity HQ builds the advisory service around it.
What We Won’t Do
We’re not going to tell you to stop using Futrli. We’d never say that. Futrli is a genuinely excellent forecasting and scenario planning tool, and the team that built it earned that reputation.
What we will say is this: forecasting alone doesn’t create an advisory service. It creates an informed prediction. What you do with that prediction, how you package it, price it, deliver it consistently, and scale it across the team, that’s the hard part. And that’s the part Futrli wasn’t designed to solve.
Clarity HQ was.
(Note: Futrli was acquired by Sage in 2022 and is transitioning as a standalone brand. If you’re evaluating forecasting tools, it’s also worth considering whether long-term stability and independent product development matter to your decision.)
The Bottom Line
Futrli forecasts the future. Clarity HQ helps you act on it.
If you’re already using Futrli and getting excellent forecasts but struggling to convert those insights into paid, recurring advisory, you’re not alone. Or, if you are the only one in your firm able to deliver those services at the moment. That’s the gap most firms are sitting in right now. Great forecasts, no system to monetise them.
Clarity HQ fills that gap. Methodology. Pricing. Service structure. AI preparation. Team enablement. The complete system for turning financial insight into advisory revenue.
That’s what Clarity HQ is building.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions accounting firms ask when comparing Clarity HQ and Futrli.
Is Futrli a competitor to Clarity HQ?
Not really. Futrli is a cash flow forecasting and scenario planning platform. Clarity HQ is an advisory delivery system. Futrli helps accounting firms predict business outcomes through 3-way forecasting, what-if modelling, and automated alerts. Clarity HQ helps firms package, price, sell, and deliver advisory services using a defined methodology, AI preparation, and productised service model. Most firms would benefit from using both.
Can I use Futrli and Clarity HQ together?
Yes, and many firms will. Futrli is the forecasting layer that helps predict business outcomes and model scenarios. Clarity HQ is the advisory layer that provides the methodology, pricing, service model, and AI-powered preparation to turn those forecasts into a recurring advisory engagement. They are complementary tools solving different parts of the same challenge.
Does Clarity HQ replace Futrli’s forecasting?
No. Clarity HQ is not a forecasting or scenario planning tool. It does not replace Futrli’s cash flow forecasting, what-if modelling, or business health alert capabilities. Clarity HQ focuses on what happens after the forecast: the advisory conversation, the engagement structure, the pricing, and the team enablement to deliver it consistently.
What is the CLEAR Advisory Map?
The CLEAR Advisory Map is Clarity HQ’s five-step methodology for delivering business advisory in accounting firms. CLEAR stands for Current, Leaderboard, Endgame, Actions, Review. It provides a structured, repeatable process that the whole team can follow, not just partners.
What is Numina and how is it different from Futrli’s forecasting engine?
Numina is Clarity HQ’s proprietary AI advisory assistant. While Futrli uses forecasting analytics to generate cash flow predictions and scenarios, Numina uses client financial data to prepare the advisory conversation itself, generating talking points, running sensitivity analysis, identifying which Key Numbers to focus on, and suggesting actions based on the client’s sector. Futrli’s output is a forecast. Numina’s output is a prepared accountant.
Does Clarity HQ help with pricing advisory services?
Yes. Clarity HQ includes a productised service model with four defined tiers of advisory, each with clear deliverables, meeting cadence, and value-based pricing calculated from the client’s profit improvement potential. This is one of the key differences from Futrli, which provides excellent forecasting but does not include a framework for pricing or packaging advisory services.
What if I already use Futrli and want to scale advisory?
That’s actually the ideal starting point. If you’re already producing excellent Futrli forecasts, you have the prediction layer sorted. What you need is the advisory system: the methodology to structure conversations, the pricing model to monetise them, the AI preparation to make them consistent, and the team enablement to scale them beyond the partners. That’s exactly what Clarity HQ provides.
What is Hartley and how does it differ from Numina?
Numina is Clarity HQ’s internal AI that prepares the accountant for advisory conversations. Hartley is the client-facing AI advisory assistant (now live, in beta) that connects to the client’s real financial data and answers their questions between meetings. Hartley gives the firm full visibility into what clients are thinking about, creates advisory opportunities, and escalates to the right person in the firm when a question needs a human conversation. Numina prepares the accountant. Hartley serves the client.
Want to see how Clarity HQ works alongside your forecasting tools? Book a 30-minute walkthrough and we’ll show you the complete system — methodology, technology, service model, and the numbers behind it.
About Clarity HQ
Clarity HQ is a NextGen Advisory system operating across 17+ countries, helping accounting firms build scalable advisory services through methodology, technology, education, and support.
Our 90-day Blueprint programme proves the model. Our Accelerator events build conviction. And our Academy builds the firm.
Learn more at clarityhq.com or check out our new client-facing AI Advisory Assistant for Accounting firms, askhartley.ai
