Fathom, Jirav, Spotlight, Reach and More: What Each Tool's AI Covers

A dated, sourced comparison of AI features and prices across reporting, forecasting and ledger tools used by fractional CFO firms, plus a three-way test.

Most reporting and forecasting tools that fractional CFO firms use have added some form of AI. Before you pay for anything new or build your own, it helps to know what each one actually covers. This comparison uses the vendors' own pages and one aggregator list, with dates. Prices and features change, so check the vendor page before you decide.

The short version

If you already pay for Fathom Pro, you have AI commentary included. Test it first.
Forecasting tools (Jirav, Float, LivePlan) mostly use AI, if at all, for the forecast rather than the written story.
AI-native ledgers (Digits, Puzzle) apply AI to bookkeeping: categorization and accuracy checks.
General AI (Claude, ChatGPT) writes well but has no live data unless you bring it.
No single tool we found combines the ledger, the forecast and your own notes from last month.

Reporting tools

Fathom

Fathom's AI Commentary Writer drafts commentary on reports. Its webinar page describes three features: Business Context, "Symbolic Attribution" (tracing each number to its source) and Response Controls (for example, generating questions a CEO is likely to ask). Fathom says it deliberately held off launching AI in 2023.

Pricing per Fathom's own page (fetched Oct 2026): Pro is $450 a month for 25 companies plus $17 per extra company, and includes the Commentary Writer. Enterprise (51+ companies) is custom. The Portfolio plan ($67 a month for 100 companies) does not list it. An aggregator lists Fathom in Australian dollars with a different plan structure (Rework, Jul 2026); we used Fathom's own page where the two disagree.

What we could not confirm: when the Commentary Writer launched, and whether it carries memory of prior months' commentary.

Spotlight Reporting

Spotlight lists "AI Suggestions" as a feature and ran a "Reporting Unplugged: AI Updates" webinar on June 9, 2026 (Spotlight). The specific commentary features were not described on that page. Pricing per Rework (Jul 2026): Basic $295 a month for 10 organizations, Super VCFO 25 at $495, Super VCFO 75 at $995, Enterprise custom.

Reach Reporting

Reach Reporting, based in Springville, Utah, added AI "preliminary business intelligence analysis" overviews to reports, dashboards and meetings for all paid users, aimed at businesses, CPAs (certified public accountants) and advisors (press release, Aug 2024). That release is older; current capabilities were not confirmed.

Syft

Rework lists Syft from $23 a month for one entity (Standard) up to $799 (Advanced), with AI add-ons priced extra (Rework, Jul 2026).

Forecasting and cash tools

Jirav

Jirav's Intelligent Forecasting builds forecasts from historical data, with methods set per department or account, and is aimed at letting client advisory services (CAS) practices scale (Jirav). Jirav says it is CPA.com's preferred provider. We found no mention of variance narrative or commentary. Rework puts partner pricing at about $50 to $150 per client per month (Rework, Jul 2026).

Float and LivePlan

Both are listed without AI described (Rework, Jul 2026). Float: $59, $99 or $199 per business per month by tier. LivePlan: Standard $15 a month billed annually, Premium $30, with an Expert add-on.

Vareto, Fluidly, Futrli

Rework lists Vareto's AI features as free to all customers, and Fluidly and Futrli (Sage) as producing AI cash forecasts (Rework, Jul 2026). Fluidly and Futrli are UK- and Sage-centered.

AI-native ledgers

Digits: AI categorization and an AI copilot; Core $100 a month, Full-Service from $350, with outcome-based pricing for firms (Rework, Jul 2026).
Puzzle: AI categorization (Puzzle claims up to 98%, vendor figure) and an AI accuracy review; free under $20,000 a month in transaction volume, $30 to $360 a month above that (Rework, Jul 2026).

These help the books arrive cleaner. They don't write your board narrative.

General AI: Claude and ChatGPT

Rework lists Claude for memos, client explanations and scenario analysis, noting it is "not a live ledger connection," and lists Claude Team at $25 to $125 per seat per month with a five-seat minimum (Rework, Jul 2026; check Anthropic's site for current pricing). The strength is writing and reasoning across whatever you give it, including your own notes. The weakness is that someone has to bring the data, every time, for every client.

Side by side

Tool	Main AI use	Writes narrative?	Sees your notes from last month?
Fathom Pro	Commentary on reports	Yes	Not confirmed
Spotlight	"AI Suggestions"	Not described	Not described
Reach Reporting	Analysis overviews	Overviews (2024)	Not described
Jirav	Forecast building	Not described	Not described
Float, LivePlan	None described	Not described	Not described
Digits, Puzzle	Bookkeeping	No	No
Claude, ChatGPT	Writing and analysis	Yes	Only if you paste them in

How to test before you spend

Pick one client with a typical month.
Generate commentary three ways: your reporting tool's built-in AI (if you have it), a general AI with the template from our narrative post, and your usual handwritten version.
Have a CFO score each on accuracy of figures, quality of causes and usefulness to the CEO.
Time the edits. The version that needs the least editing to be board-ready wins for that client.

If the built-in tool wins, you're done and it cost you nothing extra. If the general AI with your notes wins, the question becomes whether to keep doing it by hand or wire it up, which we cover in the capacity math. Either way, set your client data rules first.

Want a second pair of eyes on your monthly cycle? Lunan offers a free conversation: we ask how your close-to-board-pack month runs, which tools you use and how you bill, then send a short written note on where drafting would save the most time and where your current tools already cover it. Start a free conversation.