6 Best Client Intake Software for Wealth Advisors 2027

Pick the intake layer before the vendor

Client intake software is a guided form and document flow that collects a new client's identity, account, and disclosure details, then writes them into the CRM and e-signature steps without re-keying. The category decision comes before any product. A wealth firm is choosing among a CRM that adds forms, an onboarding layer that sits on top of a CRM, a platform that replaces parts of the stack, or a general automation tool that your team assembles and maintains. If you already run a CRM, the decision is usually about the onboarding layer rather than a replacement.

The CRM matters because it is where the intake record ends up. Orion Redtail share: 42.53% of respondents according to PlanAdviser (2026). That is a usage survey, so it shows adoption rather than product quality.

TL;DR: If you already run Wealthbox or Redtail, shortlist onboarding layers that publish an integration with that CRM. If you run neither, get written quotes from a platform before you move any client records.

Key Takeaways

• The Launch plan on Redtail is the lower entry seat of the two wealth CRMs with published prices, but it caps at five users.

• OnBord's public site describes the most specific client-facing intake flow of the six vendors, and it names Redtail and DocuSign as the systems client data flows into.

• Four of the six vendors publish no full price, so ask for a written quote that states seats, modules, and billing period.

• Dispatch is built around custodian account opening, so its fit depends on which custodians your firm uses more than on form design.

• Intake software collects identity details, but the firm owns verification. For a broker-dealer, the customer identification rule requires a written, risk-based procedure.

• A stitched build in Zapier or Make can be inexpensive, but audit logs sit on higher tiers, and error handling and maintenance stay with your team.

Who this is for

This guide is for a small wealth firm where an owner or operations lead is close to choosing intake software and needs a direct answer. It fits firms that already keep client records somewhere and want fewer manual steps between a prospect's sign-up and an open account. It is less useful if you are shopping for a general form builder, because none of the products below competes mainly on form design.

Red flags: you have no CRM where client records live, your intake is a paper process nobody has written down, or you need custodial accounts opened the same day and no vendor will confirm your custodian in writing.

How we evaluated these tools

This is a desk review of public vendor pages, trade press, and regulatory text. The weights below are our judgment about what matters to a small firm buying intake software. They are not vendor ratings or survey scores.

Intake depth carries the largest weight because re-keying is the daily cost. CRM sync and custodian scope come next because they decide where the record lands and whether an account can actually open. Audit evidence and identity steps carry 15% because a compliance reviewer will ask for them, and the firm still owns the verification decision. Pricing transparency carries 15% because no buyer can compare vendors without it. Implementation and ownership carries 10% because it decides who maintains integrations after launch.

We left out Karbon, whose pricing page describes accounting firms rather than wealth advisors. We also left out Advisor360, whose current site does not list digital onboarding as a product.

What each vendor publishes

The table reports what public pages say, which is the factual layer. The best-fit and limitation lines in the profiles are our analysis. "Not named" means the pages we read do not name that item. It does not mean the product lacks it.

Pricing and total cost

Pricing checked October 26, 2026. Only figures read on a vendor's own pricing page appear in this section. Third-party listings are not used for price.

Basic plan on Wealthbox: $59 per user monthly according to Wealthbox (2026), with the Pro plan at $75 and the Premier plan at $99 per user per month. Enterprise is custom-priced, and the page does not state a billing period, so the annual figures below assume list price for twelve months.

The Launch plan on Redtail costs $39 per user per month billed yearly or $45 billed monthly, with a five-user maximum. The Growth plan on Redtail costs $59 billed yearly or $65 billed monthly, with unlimited users, according to Redtail (2026). Redtail's Enterprise tier has no published price and requires a minimum license commitment.

The Free plan on Zapier costs $0 for 100 tasks per month, and the Team plan on Zapier costs $69 per month billed annually for 2,000 tasks, with audit logs kept six months, according to Zapier (2026).

Quote-based: OnBord, Practifi, Dispatch, and Salesforce's Financial Services Cloud. Salesforce's pricing page lists per-user prices for its Sales and Service editions and describes them as information only. It shows no separate Financial Services Cloud price, so we do not present those edition figures as Financial Services Cloud pricing. Practifi's homepage shows no prices. OnBord's site routes buyers to a demo. Dispatch's site offers only "Get Started" and "Learn More" links to a contact page.

Billing is the largest uncertainty in this table. Wealthbox does not state a billing period, and Redtail's lowest per-user figures require yearly billing. Treat these rows as planning figures until a written quote confirms terms.

Vendor profiles

Wealthbox

Best fit: a firm that wants one CRM for contacts, tasks, and reminders and can accept list pricing. The pricing page labels its tiers "Starter CRM," "Core CRM Features," and "Advanced Features for Growth," which is the clearest guide to whether a firm needs the higher tiers.

Limitations: the pricing page does not describe client-facing intake forms, and its Enterprise tier is custom-priced. Its share of CRM usage fell in the 2026 survey coverage from PlanAdviser, so confirm that its integrations cover your custodian and e-signature tools before committing.

Implementation: the Wealthbox integration page for OnBord says client information syncs into existing Wealthbox contact records and that onboarding tasks are created in Wealthbox. Wealthbox's developer reference describes a personal access token sent in the ACCESS_TOKEN header for personal integrations and testing, and OAuth 2.0 for other access. A firm-wide intake flow should plan for OAuth.

Redtail

Best fit: a firm already running Redtail, which the 2026 survey coverage found to be the most widely used CRM among its respondents. A team larger than five people should look at the Growth tier, which removes the five-user cap.

Limitations: the Launch tier stops at five users, and Enterprise needs a minimum license commitment. Redtail's onboarding workflow templates cover onboarding and annual reviews, according to the InvestmentNews guide. Its pricing page does not describe a client-facing form. Redtail is now owned by Orion, which matters if your firm weighs vendor roadmaps.

Implementation: OnBord's site says client information goes directly into Redtail and is not stored on OnBord's side. Redtail API access is therefore the first prerequisite to confirm with your administrator.

OnBord

Best fit: an advisor firm that wants a client-facing flow. OnBord's site describes a sequence in which the advisor creates a client record, OnBord texts the client a link, the client enters account information, the data goes to integration partners for a signing step, and reminders go out for skipped fields. The site also says clients can save progress, and that Form ADV 2A, Form CRS, and advisor ADV 2B documents are sent automatically to account holders.

Limitations: no price is published, and the site directs visitors to a demo. Its named integrations are Redtail and DocuSign. Custodians are not named, so custodian forms need written confirmation.

Implementation: the prerequisites are Redtail and DocuSign accounts with API access, plus a written list of the custodian forms your firm needs. The site does not say which custodian forms it supports.

Practifi

Best fit: RIA firms that want to replace their CRM with a configurable platform. Practifi's homepage describes Naya as "a proven, highly configurable CRM for firms that want to shape technology around their operating model" and Sentir as "a new CRM experience designed with AI at its core."

Limitations: the homepage does not describe an intake or onboarding workflow. "Workflow Automation" appears only as a menu item. It names no custodian, e-signature, or third-party CRM integrations, and it shows no prices.

Implementation: this is a platform decision, not an add-on. Configuration takes internal admin time, so budget staff hours alongside the license cost.

Salesforce Financial Services Cloud

Best fit: firms that already run Salesforce or want one platform for prospecting, onboarding, and servicing. The product page says the platform can "orchestrate every step from prospecting through onboarding on a single platform built for financial services" and can "streamline account opening so opportunities move faster."

Limitations: the price is quote-based for this product, the page describes no client intake form, and it does not name an e-signature provider. Its listed prebuilt APIs include Experian and Onfido. Whether they cover your firm's identity checks is a contract question the page does not settle.

Implementation: a platform rollout needs Salesforce administrators and a data migration plan, so budget for both before comparing license quotes.

Dispatch

Best fit: firms whose intake ends with opening accounts at major US custodians. Dispatch's site lists four products: Client Onboarding, Account Opening, Advisor Transitions, and Data Syncing. It describes Client Onboarding as bringing a new client into the firm "from intake through firm paperwork."

Limitations: no price is published. The coverage percentages on the site are company-stated, so treat them as claims until a demo shows them for your custodians. The pages we read do not name CRM or e-signature integrations.

Implementation: custodian requirements drive the data. Confirm which custodians your firm uses and whether the account types you open are covered before a demo.

Where the pain lives in intake

Onboarding is where most of the manual work sits, and the independent evidence points the same way. Top friction point: onboarding at 72% according to InvestmentNews (2026). That figure comes from a May 2026 F2 Strategy survey, which is a small sample, so treat it as directional. The same guide reports that proposal generation and client onboarding tools rose from 15.84% of market penetration in 2025 to 21.45% in 2026.

A proposed configuration for the capture step would start with a trigger: a prospect submits the firm's intake form, or an advisor creates a prospect in the CRM. The workflow would create or update the contact through the CRM's API, send the client a secure form link, and send one reminder if required fields are still empty after a waiting period the firm sets. The output is one intake record with a list of missing fields and an advisor review task. Prerequisites are API or export access to the CRM, a firm-owned integration account, and a form host that compliance has approved. The review point is the advisor reading every identity and account detail before the record is marked complete, because the firm's own verification procedure decides whether an identity is accepted. US Tech Automations would build this as a configurable design. Its public integration list names Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Sheets, HubSpot, QuickBooks, and Stripe, among others, but no wealth CRM, so a CRM connector has to be confirmed before any build starts.

The second configuration covers paperwork. The trigger is the advisor marking the intake record ready for paperwork. The workflow would assemble the firm's own disclosure and account-opening packet from approved templates, send it through the firm's e-signature account, and write each status change back to the CRM. The output is a signed packet filed to the firm's document store, plus a status record that shows which signatures are still open. Prerequisites are e-signature API access, a document-store folder path, and the firm's written list of required forms. The review points are a principal or compliance reviewer who approves the packet before it goes out, and a rule that the workflow never chooses the form set on its own. US Tech Automations would stop at status tracking and filing. The account opening itself would still run in the custodian's system or through a vendor such as Dispatch, and the custodian's requirements would decide which data it needs.

Stitching it yourself with Zapier or Make

A general automation tool is a fair alternative, and many small firms will look at it first. Zapier's Pro, Team, and Enterprise plans include autoreplay, which retries tasks that fail from temporary errors. Audit logs start at the Team tier, and Free and Pro have none, per the Zapier pricing page. Make's free plan gives 1,000 credits per month, according to Make (2026). Its error-handler modules, including Rollback, Break, Resume, Commit, and Ignore, use no credits, per the same page.

Those tools can support run histories, retries, error branches, and audit evidence when configured. The buyer must still design and own four things. The first is idempotency, so a retried run does not create a duplicate contact. The second is escalation, meaning who receives an alert and how fast. The third is access controls over who can edit the flows and who can see client data. The fourth is maintenance, because CRM and e-signature APIs change. A managed build from US Tech Automations would configure the retries, error branches, and run logs as part of a proposed design, but the firm still decides who gets alerts and who can see client data.

What a four-person firm would spend

Take a hypothetical four-person firm that opens 40 new client households a year, with six automated steps per intake: create the contact, send the form link, send one reminder, route the e-signature packet, file the record, and notify the advisor. That is 240 tasks a year, or 20 a month, if each step counts as one Zapier task. Four users on the Pro plan on Wealthbox at $75 per user per month come to $300 a month, or $3,600 a year at list price, according to Wealthbox (2026). The Team plan on Zapier at $69 a month billed annually adds $828 a year, according to Zapier (2026), and Team is the lowest Zapier tier with six-month audit logs. The CRM and automation layer together come to $4,428 a year before build hours and maintenance. The Wealthbox connection needs planning too. Its developer reference describes the ACCESS_TOKEN header as a personal access token for personal integrations and testing, so a firm-wide flow should plan for the OAuth 2.0 path instead.

Common mistakes

• Choosing from a demo before mapping the fields your custodian and disclosure documents require.

• Treating a completed form as identity verification. The firm's written procedure still decides.

• Leaving e-signature and custodian prerequisites until after purchase.

• Assuming "integrates with" means two-way sync. OnBord's site describes data flowing into Redtail, and Wealthbox's integration page describes syncing into contact records, so check the direction and the fields.

• Running an automation without a named owner or an alert when a step fails.

Checklist before you request a quote

• List the intake fields that your custodian, disclosure documents, and CRM require, in writing.

• Ask whether the sync runs both ways and exactly which fields it writes.

• Ask for each price per user, per module, and per custodian, with the billing period stated.

• Confirm that your CRM and e-signature account are supported, and who holds the API credentials.

• Name one owner for alerts, access, and integration maintenance before launch.

When a simpler tool wins

Skip US Tech Automations if your CRM already has an intake form and signature step your firm uses, because a separate layer adds a second system to audit. Skip it also if you open only a few accounts a year at one custodian whose own forms are enough, since the custodian's portal may cost less than any added layer. Skip it if you need a packaged product that opens custodial accounts with validation now. Dispatch's published scope is built around that step, and a configured design from US Tech Automations would not replace it.

Frequently asked questions

Which product should a small wealth firm buy first?

Start with the CRM you already use, and add an onboarding layer only if it publishes an integration with that CRM. Then get written quotes from at least two options before committing.

Does OnBord work with Wealthbox or only Redtail?

OnBord's own site names Redtail and DocuSign, and the Wealthbox integration page documents a sync into Wealthbox contact records and creation of onboarding tasks. Confirm the exact fields and direction with both vendors before you rely on either one.

Are the published prices enough to budget?

No. They are list prices, Wealthbox does not state a billing period, and four of the six vendors publish no full price.

Can Zapier or Make replace a purpose-built intake tool?

For simple flows, yes, if your team owns error handling, access control, and maintenance. Audit logs require a paid tier, so price that tier into the decision.

Does intake software satisfy identity verification?

No. For a broker-dealer, the rule requires a written customer identification program, and it says that the program "must include risk-based procedures for verifying the identity of each customer," according to Cornell Law School. Intake software collects the data that process uses, but the firm still owns the procedure.

Bottom line

For a small wealth firm that already runs a CRM, the decision comes down to an onboarding layer with a published integration into that CRM, a written quote, and one named owner for maintenance. If your firm has no CRM yet, get quotes from a platform before choosing one, because moving client records is the step that is hardest to undo. For teams that want to see how a configured intake design would connect to their own CRM and e-signature accounts, see how US Tech Automations configures this.