- Sleek Starter costs $1,800 a year and includes quarterly bookkeeping
- Accountants Direct's Tax plan is $149 a month paid yearly; Tax + Books adds bookkeeping
- Accountants Direct publishes written service guarantees, incl. on late lodgement
- Sleek renews 30 days before term end; leaving needs 30 days' written notice
Accountants Direct vs Sleek is a choice between two Australian registered tax agents that both charge fixed fees paid yearly, so the real differences are what each plan includes, who you deal with and how you leave. We compared both providers’ plans, registration offers, guarantees and terms using each provider’s own live service pages, checked on 3 November 2026. Use this Sleek vs Accountants Direct comparison to see where Sleek’s online accounting services fit and where Accountants Direct may suit you better.
The direct answer: Sleek suits owners who want bookkeeping, BAS and the company tax return in one yearly plan, with Xero, Dext and two personal tax returns included on Pro. Accountants Direct suits owners who want a registered tax agent available by phone, written service guarantees and an individual tax return paid from the refund. Both are registered tax agents that charge fixed fees paid yearly.
Sleek vs Accountants Direct: which should you choose?
Sleek and Accountants Direct both sell fixed-fee accounting paid yearly, but Sleek bundles bookkeeping into its entry plan while Accountants Direct includes bookkeeping on its Tax + Books plan. If you’re looking at Sleek as an Accountants Direct alternative, these three points decide it.
- Entry price and what it includes: Sleek Starter costs $1,800 a year and includes quarterly bookkeeping, quarterly BAS and the company tax return. Accountants Direct’s Tax plan costs $149 a month paid yearly, which is $1,788 a year, and covers quarterly BAS and the business tax return, with bookkeeping on its Tax + Books plan.
- Who you deal with: Sleek gives every plan a dedicated accountant, and a senior Australian tax agent reviews work before lodgement. Accountants Direct gives you a dedicated registered tax agent, plus a dedicated Xero bookkeeper on Tax + Books.
- Contract and cancelling: Sleek renews automatically 30 days before the period ends and needs 30 days’ written notice to end. Accountants Direct offers a 90-Day Walk-Away, then 60 days’ notice with no exit fees.
Best for Sleek: owners who want books, BAS and tax returns handled in one plan. Best for Accountants Direct: owners who mainly want a tax agent on call and published service guarantees.
How do Sleek and Accountants Direct compare side by side?
Sleek and Accountants Direct price their accounting plans by revenue and charge fixed fees. This Sleek vs Accountants Direct table shows the lowest revenue tier on each provider’s site, as published on 3 November 2026.
| Sleek | Accountants Direct | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | Starter: $1,800/yr | Tax: $149/mo, billed yearly |
| Full plan | Pro: $3,780/yr | Tax + Books: $275/mo, billed yearly |
| Bookkeeping | Included (quarterly on Starter, monthly on Pro) | Included on Tax + Books |
| Xero & Dext | Included on Pro ($85/mo add-on on Starter) | Xero; Dext on Tax + Books |
| Personal tax returns | 2 included on Pro | Done with the company return |
| Who you deal with | Dedicated accountant | Dedicated registered tax agent |
| Company registration | From $816/yr, incl. $636 ASIC fee | $197 + $636 ASIC fee |
| Sole trader | From $1,620/yr (current offer) | Fixed fee, $0 upfront |
| Guarantees | 30-day money-back | 90-Day Walk-Away, Never-Late Lodgement + more |
| Leaving | 30 days’ written notice | 60 days’ notice after the first 90 days |
Lowest revenue tier on each provider’s website, checked 3 November 2026.
Is Sleek’s company registration free, and what does Accountants Direct charge?
Sleek’s company registration is not listed as free: Sleek’s plans start at $816 a year, including the $636 ASIC fee. Accountants Direct charges $197 plus the $636 ASIC fee, and credits the $197 if you join its Tax + Books plan within 30 days.
When you register a company with Sleek, you choose one of three plans, each priced per year and each including the ASIC fee.
- Launch, from $816 a year: registration, the legal documents you need to open a bank account, your tax registrations, and Sleek as your ASIC agent handling anniversary filings and ASIC notices.
- Grow, from $2,616 a year: everything in Launch, plus a dedicated accountant, quarterly reconciliations, BAS/IAS lodgements and your company tax return.
- Scale, from $2,916 a year: everything in Grow, plus an ASIC-registered Sydney CBD address, your home address kept off public records and official mail scanned to your inbox.
Accountants Direct’s $197 setup covers a structure session, incorporation, ABN, TFN, GST and PAYG registrations, software setup and the first year of ASIC agent management. It also offers a 5-Day Launch guarantee, refunding the $197 if registration takes longer than 5 business days after approval and complete information. The $636 ASIC fee to register a company with share capital applies from 1 July 2026, according to ASIC’s fee schedule.
Best for: Sleek if you want registration bundled with accounting or a registered address; Accountants Direct if you want a low one-off setup fee and will decide on accounting later.
What’s included in each accounting plan?
Sleek Starter includes quarterly bookkeeping at $1,800 a year, while Accountants Direct’s Tax plan at $149 a month paid yearly covers tax agent work, quarterly BAS and the business return, with bookkeeping on Tax + Books. Both providers price by revenue, so check the tier that matches your turnover.
Here is the Accountants Direct pricing and Sleek pricing at the lowest tier on each site, with the items each plan card lists.
- Sleek Starter, from $1,800 a year: quarterly bookkeeping and reconciliations, quarterly BAS and IAS lodgements, company tax return, the Sleekbooks app and a dedicated accountant. The plan card marks personal tax returns, accounts payable and receivable support, tax planning and priority support as not included.
- Sleek Pro, from $3,780 a year: monthly bookkeeping and BAS, company tax return, a Xero and Dext subscription with integration support, a direct line to an Australian accountant, two personal tax returns, tax planning with a senior tax agent and priority support by phone, SMS and email.
- Accountants Direct Tax, from $149 a month paid yearly: a dedicated registered tax agent, quarterly BAS lodgements, the business tax return, unlimited ASIC changes and resolutions, and unlimited advice.
- Accountants Direct Tax + Books, from $275 a month paid yearly: everything in Tax, plus a dedicated Xero bookkeeper, its 30-Day Clean Books turnaround with 10 free catch-up hours, profit and tax reviews and priority support.
Three items catch buyers out. On Sleek Starter, Xero accounting and Dext are an $85 a month add-on, and personal tax returns come only with Pro. On Accountants Direct pricing, bookkeeping sits in the Tax + Books plan rather than the Tax plan.
For context on what accountants charge outside these two providers, see our cost guide. Best for: Sleek Starter if you want books and BAS done at the entry price; Accountants Direct Tax if you already keep clean books yourself.
Which is better for sole traders, Sleek or Accountants Direct?
Sleek suits sole traders who want year-round books and BAS on a yearly plan, while Accountants Direct suits sole traders who only want their tax return done. Sleek publishes sole trader prices; Accountants Direct quotes a fixed fee instead.
Sleek’s sole trader accounting plans start at $1,620 a year for Starter and $3,213 a year for Pro. On 3 November 2026 these were shown as discounts of 10% and 15% off $1,800 and $3,780, so check the live price before you buy. Both plans include the sole trader tax return, and Starter adds quarterly bookkeeping and BAS.
Accountants Direct prices tax returns as a fixed fee you approve first, with $0 upfront and the fee taken from your refund when the ATO pays. Best for: Accountants Direct for a one-off return; Sleek for year-round books and BAS.
Who will I actually deal with at Sleek and Accountants Direct?
At Sleek you get a dedicated accountant on every plan, with a senior Australian tax agent reviewing work before lodgement. At Accountants Direct you get a dedicated registered tax agent, plus a dedicated Xero bookkeeper on Tax + Books.
Sleek Pro adds a direct line to an Australian accountant and priority support by phone, SMS and email. If you’re comparing a small business accountant on service model alone, that direct line is the main thing that separates Pro from Starter.
Accountants Direct offers appointments by phone and online, with evenings and weekends available, and onboards a maximum of 12 new clients a month. Each provider publishes its own guarantees.
- Sleek: 30-day money-back guarantee on Sleek’s fee, excluding government and third-party fees.
- Accountants Direct: Never-Late Lodgement (it pays the ATO’s failure-to-lodge penalty for lodgements in its control, where you supplied complete information on time), 48-Hour Answer (questions answered within 48 business hours or that month’s fee credited), 90-Day Walk-Away, 30-Day Clean Books and 5-Day Launch.
Best for: Accountants Direct if after-hours phone access matters most; Sleek if you want one accountant across books, BAS and returns with a senior tax agent check.
Can I cancel Sleek or Accountants Direct, and do plans renew automatically?
Yes, you can leave either provider, but the terms differ. Sleek subscriptions renew automatically 30 days before the period ends and need 30 days’ written notice to end, while Accountants Direct lets you walk away in the first 90 days and then leave on 60 days’ notice with no exit fees.
- Sleek: renewal happens 30 days before the end of the subscription period (Terms cl. 8.3). Either party can end services with 30 days’ written notice (cl. 11.1). Sleek doesn’t refund cancellations (cl. 11.2), apart from its 30-day money-back guarantee on Sleek’s fee, and you can export your company records for 12 months after termination (cl. 11.3).
- Accountants Direct: its 90-Day Walk-Away lets you leave with no exit fees and take your clean Xero file. After 90 days, its registration page says you can leave on 60 days’ notice, and its bookkeeping page says your rate “never rises while you remain a client”.
Best for: Accountants Direct if you want a trial window before committing; Sleek if a 30-day money-back guarantee on the first purchase is enough.
Is Sleek Australian, and are both providers registered?
Is Sleek Australian? Yes: Sleek Australia is an Australian company (ACN 652 594 397) based in Sydney, and both Sleek and Accountants Direct are registered tax agents.
If you’re asking “is Sleek Australian?” because you want local accountability, here is what its own pages show: TPB tax agent number 26131380, ASIC Registered Agent No. 47659 and ISO 27001 certification, with a senior Australian tax agent reviewing returns before lodgement. Sleek also operates in Singapore, Hong Kong and the UK.
Accountants Direct is 100% Australia-owned, has operated since 2012 and is Registered Tax Agent No. 2243 3005 (ABN 16 155 811 448). Before you sign with any agent, check it on the Tax Practitioners Board register.
Where is Accountants Direct the better choice?
Accountants Direct is the better choice if after-hours access to a tax agent, written guarantees or a refund-funded tax return matter more to you than bundled bookkeeping and software. Here is where it comes out ahead on its own published terms.
- You want a registered tax agent available by phone, including evenings and weekends.
- You want written guarantees, such as its promise to pay the ATO’s penalty if a lodgement in its control is late.
- You want monthly bookkeeping and don’t need personal returns or a bundled Xero and Dext subscription: Tax + Books starts at $3,300 a year paid yearly, against Sleek Pro at $3,780 a year.
- You only need an individual or sole trader tax return and want to pay from your refund.
Where is Sleek the better choice?
Sleek is the better choice if you want bookkeeping included at the entry price, software and personal returns bundled, or registration and accounting in one plan. As an Accountants Direct alternative, Sleek is strongest in these cases.
- You want bookkeeping at the entry price: Sleek Starter at $1,800 a year includes quarterly bookkeeping, while Accountants Direct includes it from its Tax + Books plan at $275 a month paid yearly.
- You want Xero and Dext, monthly BAS and two personal tax returns inside one plan (Sleek Pro).
- You want company registration bundled with accounting (Grow) or with a Sydney CBD registered address and mail scanning (Scale).
- You run, or plan, entities in Singapore, Hong Kong or the UK, where Sleek also operates.
- You want a 30-day money-back guarantee on Sleek’s fee.
How hard is it to switch between Sleek and Accountants Direct?
Switching either way is a routine handover, and both Sleek and Accountants Direct say they handle it with your old accountant. The main things to watch are your notice period and renewal date.
- What moves: access to your Xero file, prior-year lodgement history, BAS handover, your ATO tax agent nomination and, for companies, the ASIC registered agent change.
- Who does the work: Sleek says “We handle the switch”, and Accountants Direct says it chases your old accountant and migrates your file.
- Leaving Sleek: give 30 days’ written notice and check your renewal date, because plans renew 30 days before the period ends.
- Leaving Accountants Direct: after the first 90 days, 60 days’ notice applies.
For a step-by-step checklist, read our guide to switching accountants.
How can Sleek help you decide?
If you’re still weighing Accountants Direct vs Sleek, a 15-minute call with a Sleek accountant can map your current setup against Starter or Pro. Sleek Starter starts at $1,800 a year, with a dedicated accountant and a 30-day money-back guarantee on Sleek’s fee.
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FAQs on Sleek vs Accountants Direct
Is the tax return included, or is it an extra?
Sleek includes the company tax return on both Starter and Pro. Accountants Direct includes the business tax return on its Tax and Tax + Books plans. Neither plan card lists the company return as an extra charge.
Is my personal tax return included as well?
On Sleek, two personal tax returns are included on the company Pro plan but not on Starter. At Accountants Direct, directors’ and beneficiaries’ personal returns are done in the same engagement as the company return.
Does it cost extra to add payroll?
Yes, on Sleek: Sleek payroll is added from $25 per payslip per employee, as list pricing from July 2026. Accountants Direct prices payroll per payslip, and payroll is included in the fee on its Tax + Books plans.
Can I keep my existing Xero file if I switch?
In most cases, yes: you give your new accountant access and the history stays in Xero. Sleek Pro includes a Xero and Dext subscription, while Sleek Starter runs on Sleekbooks unless you add Xero and Dext for $85 a month. Accountants Direct works in Xero, and your Xero file goes with you if you leave.
Which is better for a brand-new company?
In year one, Sleek Grow costs $2,616, covering registration, the ASIC fee, quarterly reconciliations, BAS and the company tax return. Accountants Direct’s $197 setup plus the $636 ASIC fee and the Tax plan at $1,788 a year comes to $2,621, with bookkeeping added through Tax + Books. Best for: Sleek Grow if you want books included from day one; Accountants Direct if you want a structure session and will keep your own books.
