Adobe Acrobat Reader vs. CaseWare

After creating a document, converting it into Adobe Acrobat Reader is usually very easy for storage in my computer, sending/sharing via emails, etc. This also saves a significant amount of unnecessary printing and paper waste, which is great for reducing waste. I don't have to worry about not having the right software/app to view, edit, and share with anyone.

Incentivized

CaseWare Cloud has made it much easier to manage our practice. We use CaseWare Working Papers and the SmartSync Server for all our GIFI and Compilation engagements, and it has provided many efficiencies when working on these engagements. It has also proved to be very useful when tracking time and billing our personal tax clients. We are able to keep relevant info for all our clients under the entities section, which has allowed us to maintain a high level of client service. I would recommend CaseWare Cloud and Time to anyone looking for tools to help manage their practice.

Incentivized

• It has all the tools that individuals need for reading/doing light editing of PDF files.
• It is the most secure PDF reader on the market, and it tends to get patched with timely updates on a regular basis.
• It usually works very well, as far as the software itself. It doesn't crash a lot, or is particularly an error prone software platform.

Incentivized

• Invoicing is very simple and highly customizable.
• CaseWare Time is easy to use and it is convenient to have the ability to set billing rates for individual staff and time codes.
• The memo section for entities allows us to include detailed notes and relevant info for clients in a space that is convenient to access.

Incentivized

• Being able to add image "stamps" to a document is a little tricky as the stamp has to already be in PDF format (at least on Mac) to work. This mean you have to convert the image to PDF before you can use it as a stamp.
• Being only able to save one signature and one set of initials is a bit of a pain but you can actually use stamps if you need different versions frequently used scribbles for various reasons. The stamp won't secure the document and prevent future changes the same way the signature would though.
• All of the other features you might want to use are only included with Acrobat Pro but the options are all displayed in the Reader app. When clicked they will offer the free trial that leads to a paid subscription. This is more of an annoyance but you can't fault Adobe for trying to make a sale.

Incentivized

• Under the list of entities, it is not possible to show or search phone numbers. In order to do this, we had to manually move all of our client phone numbers from each entity to their corresponding contact. It would be much more convenient if there was a way to export phone numbers from entities to contacts, or if you could simply search phone numbers from the entities screen.

Incentivized

To be honest, I do not have any say in the renewal of Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. It is managed at an enterprise level, and the decision to renew or not renew is handled well above my pay grade as an external consultant.

Incentivized

Again, Adobe Creative Suite is widely used and backed by an industry leader, making the experience very familiar and common for anyone who has used a PDF and wants more features to interact with it. It also makes copy text a lot easier than just previewing the file.

The application is pretty much "plug and play"

Incentivized

We have reviewed DocuSign in comparison to [Adobe] Acrobat Reader [DC's] e-sign capabilities. We found that DocuSign has more robust options when creating contracts and consent capabilities. DocuSign's online UI is much more suited to this type of task as well. However, we decided to stick with [Adobe] Acrobat Reader DC because of the price (DocuSign is more expensive) and we felt we didn't need all of the bells and whistles for contract signature and consent.

We researched similar products from Wolters Kluwer before making our purchase. We felt the features in CaseWare Cloud were better suited to our needs. Our previous experience with CaseWare and our desire to continue using CaseWare Working Papers is the main reason we made the decision to choose CaseWare Cloud.

Incentivized

• It's available for free, so there is no excuse to not install
• Contains features that you would normally have to pay for in competitor software, so it has a positive impact on ROI
• Reduces the amount of printing
• Decreases the amount of time spent on regulatory and governance documentation

Incentivized

• Increased accuracy of billing
• Better time management
• Secure storage of CaseWare Working Papers files
• Effective client management

Incentivized