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An accountant works through paperwork at a desk stacked with client files.

AtlasOS: audit software for audit and assurance firms

AtlasOS is audit software for audit and assurance firms in South Africa. It runs each engagement from initiation to sign-off, with document collection, version control, audit team task assignment and compliance status across every active engagement, for firms working under IRBA and IFAC standards. Arke Technologies builds and supports it in Johannesburg.

Book an AtlasOS demoVisit the AtlasOS site  (opens atlaspractice.app)

What audit software is, and which kind AtlasOS is

Audit software is any program that helps someone plan, perform, document or review an audit. The phrase covers very different tools, from the platform a firm runs its engagements on to checklist apps for safety audits on a factory floor, so knowing which one you need shortens the evaluation.

AtlasOS is audit management software for audit and assurance firms. It holds your clients and their entities, opens each engagement, collects the documents, assigns the audit team and shows the engagement partner and audit manager where every file stands. It is the audit configuration of AtlasOS, our practice management platform for professional services firms; visit the AtlasOS site  (opens atlaspractice.app) for product detail.

Two colleagues work through documents at a shared desk in a busy practice.

An audit software list: the main types and where each fits

Audit software programs, packages and applications fall into nine broad families. The table sorts them by job and buyer, and shows where AtlasOS or Arke fits.

Type of audit softwareWhat it doesWho uses itWhere AtlasOS or Arke fits
Audit practice and engagement managementClients, engagements, document requests, team tasks, deadlines and billingExternal audit and assurance firmsAtlasOS's core: audit engagement software for the whole firm
Audit working papers softwareThe electronic audit file (often called e-audit software): risk assessment, evidence, review notes and sign-off against a methodologyEngagement teamsKeep your methodology tool; AtlasOS runs the engagement around it
Generalised audit softwareInterrogates whole data populations: sampling, duplicates, gaps, unusual journalsFinancial audit and internal audit teamsOutside AtlasOS; keep a specialist tool
Internal audit management softwareRisk-based audit plans, findings, management actions and audit committee reportingInternal audit units in companies, municipalities and departmentsSee internal audit, below
Compliance, ISO and QMS audit softwareAudit schedules, non-conformances and corrective actions for ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001Quality, environmental and safety managersOur team built ISOcore for this work
Safety, EHS, 5S and layered process audit softwareChecklists, photos and findings captured on site, often on a phoneMines, plants and warehousesOur software team builds these to order; see IT for mining and industrial operations
IT and information system audit softwareUser access reviews, file audit logs, PC and Windows asset inventories, configuration checksIT teams and IT auditorsOur IT governance and security assessment services
SEO, website, social media and digital marketing audit softwareCrawls sites, checks rankings and reviews channel performanceMarketing teams and agenciesNot our field
HR and skills audit softwareTests HR records and policies, or maps staff skills against rolesHR departmentsNot AtlasOS

Three of these families meet inside an audit firm: engagement management runs the firm, working papers hold the evidence, and generalised audit software tests the data. AtlasOS is the first of the three, and sits beside the other two.

An accountant uses a calculator beside client files in an open office.

What AtlasOS does for an audit and assurance firm

  • Engagement lifecycle

    Each engagement runs from initiation to sign-off in one record, with stages, owners and status in view.

  • Document collection

    Requests for trial balances, confirmations and schedules run as tracked workflows.

  • Version control

    Documents keep their versions, so the team works on the current one and earlier versions stay on record.

  • Audit team task assignment

    Work goes to named team members with due dates, so a manager can balance people across engagements.

  • Status across every engagement

    A portfolio view shows each engagement's stage and compliance status, with deadline alerts before work falls due.

  • Client and entity records

    Companies, trusts and individuals, with CIPC and SARS data and the links between group entities.

  • Billing and client inbox

    Time-based, retainer and fixed-fee billing with client statements; client queries and task comments stay with the engagement.

  • AI-assisted advisory

    Ask which engagements are overdue or where compliance risk is building; your people make the judgement.

  • Your firm's brand

    Your logo, colours, email templates and PDF headers.

Financial audit software for South African firms

Registered auditors in South Africa answer to the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (IRBA), which adopts the international auditing and quality management standards developed under IFAC, including ISQM 1 for a firm's system of quality management. Those standards expect a firm to show how each engagement was planned, performed and reviewed, and how it manages quality across all of them.

Financial audit software therefore has two jobs: keep each engagement's evidence in order, and give leadership a view across the portfolio. AtlasOS is designed for firms working under IRBA and IFAC standards and takes the second job. Risk-based audit software plans the work from assessed risk, which belongs to your methodology; AtlasOS adds the practice-level view of risk: engagements running late, documents outstanding, deadlines approaching.

What other markets call audit software for small CPA firms is, here, software for the small registered auditor practice, which carries the same duties at a smaller scale. The same client records serve accounting and tax work and payroll where independence rules allow, and our CIPC annual returns guide covers each client's yearly filing.

A bookkeeper runs figures on a calculator at her desk.

Internal audit software in South Africa

The Municipal Finance Management Act requires every municipality and municipal entity to have an internal audit unit (section 165), and the Public Finance Management Act requires departments and public entities to maintain a system of internal audit under an audit committee (sections 38 and 51). Companies that apply King IV look to Principle 15, on assurance.

Internal audit management software supports that work: a risk-based annual plan, findings, management actions tracked to closure, and reports to the audit committee. AtlasOS's audit configuration is built for audit and assurance firms. Where an internal audit function needs its own system, our custom software development team builds one to your methodology; see also IT for municipalities. Internal audit software for a small business is rarely worth a full system: documented key controls, a risk register and an annual independent review usually serve better.

Two colleagues work through documents at a shared desk in a busy practice.

Audit software price: what drives the cost

Across the market, audit software price depends less on the product than on the shape of your firm:

  • Users. Many audit software products are licensed per user.
  • Modules. Engagement management, working papers, data analytics and methodology content are often priced separately.
  • Deployment. Cloud-based audit software is a subscription; installed Windows programs bring server, backup and upgrade costs.
  • Migration, training and support. Moving open engagements, training each role, and support during your busiest season.

We do not publish AtlasOS pricing on this site; we price after a demo, once we understand your firm. Book an AtlasOS demo or visit the AtlasOS site  (opens atlaspractice.app).

Moving your firm onto AtlasOS

  1. Demo

    We show AtlasOS on engagements like yours before we propose anything.

  2. Configuration

    We map your engagement stages, team and billing, then set up roles and branding.

  3. Data migration

    Client records and open engagements, reconciled against your source; see data migration.

  4. Training and go-live

    Training by role, away from your peak reporting season.

  5. Support

    From the team that builds AtlasOS.

In production at Evolv Accountants

AtlasOS is in production at Evolv Accountants, the reference site, which runs its compliance work, UIF declarations, salary schedules, inbox and tasks on the platform. Evolv is an accounting practice rather than an audit firm; the audit configuration runs on the same core of client records, compliance workflow, billing, communications and tenant isolation. Read AtlasOS at Evolv Accountants.

Atlas OS gives us visibility across 89 entities that we simply did not have before. The compliance tracking alone has saved us significant time every month.

Evolv AccountantsAtlasOS client, South Africa

Governance, security, POPIA and procurement

  • Governance and reporting. Engagement partners report from one portfolio view of stages, owners and deadlines. Support incidents are prioritised on our P1 to P4 scale, with response and resolution targets agreed in your AtlasOS agreement. AI assistance supports your people's decisions without replacing their judgement.
  • Cloud-based and isolated. AtlasOS runs on Google Cloud, with PostgreSQL on Google Cloud SQL, sign-in through Firebase Authentication and each firm's data separated at the database level.- POPIA. Your firm remains the responsible party for its clients' personal information; we never train AI models on client data without explicit consent.
  • Continuity and support. Your firm's data and documentation are yours, and so is the decision to leave. Existing clients reach the team that builds AtlasOS at support@arketechnologies.com.
  • Procurement. Arke Technologies (Pty) Ltd is a Level 1 B-BBEE contributor (sworn affidavit available on request), giving buyers 135% procurement recognition; company documents, our CSD supplier number and SARS tax compliance status are available on request. The route is a demo, a written proposal, then an agreement and your purchase order.

Related platforms and guides

Book an AtlasOS demo

See how AtlasOS handles client and entity management, SARS and CIPC compliance workflows, billing and client communications for a firm like yours. Product detail is on the AtlasOS site  (opens atlaspractice.app).

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Frequently asked questions

What is audit software? Show answer

Audit software is any program that helps plan, perform, document or review an audit. It ranges from audit management software that runs a firm's engagements, through working-paper files and data-analytics tools, to checklist apps for safety and ISO audits. AtlasOS is audit management software for South African audit and assurance firms, running each engagement from initiation to sign-off.

What are the benefits of audit software for an audit firm? Show answer

The main benefits of audit software are one record per engagement, fewer missed deadlines and a clear trail of who did what. Instead of status living in inboxes and spreadsheets, managers see every engagement, document request and task in one view, balance the team's load and bill the work accurately.

What is generalised audit software useful for? Show answer

Generalised audit software is useful for testing whole populations of data rather than samples. Examples include extracting journals posted at odd hours or by unusual users, finding duplicate payments and checking sequences for gaps. Weighing the pros and cons, the advantages are coverage and repeatable tests; the disadvantages are data-extraction effort, training and licence cost. AtlasOS is not a data-analytics tool, but it tracks that testing as tasks within each engagement.

What audit software do the Big Four and other international firms use? Show answer

The large international audit networks generally run platforms built around their own global methodologies, often developed in-house and not sold to other firms. For an independent South African firm the useful question is different: which tools run your engagements, hold your working papers and test client data, and how well each fits IRBA and IFAC expectations at your scale.

How much does audit software cost? Show answer

Audit software cost depends on users, modules, deployment, migration, training and support rather than a single list price. Across the market, cloud subscriptions spread the cost monthly, while installed software adds server and upgrade costs. We do not publish AtlasOS pricing on this site; we price after a demo, once we understand your engagements and team.

Is there free or open-source audit software? Show answer

Yes. Free and open-source audit software exists, including free tiers of audit management tools, open-source file audit utilities for IT teams and free PC audit tools; free website audit tools serve marketers. They suit a trial or a sole practitioner. For a firm, the gaps are an engagement lifecycle, an accountable supplier for security and POPIA, and busy-season support.

Is AtlasOS cloud-based audit software, and does it run on Windows? Show answer

Yes. AtlasOS is cloud-based audit software that runs in a web browser, so there is nothing to install on each Windows PC. It runs on Google Cloud, with PostgreSQL on Google Cloud SQL, Firebase Authentication and each firm's data isolated at the database level. Your firm remains the POPIA responsible party for its clients' information.

See AtlasOS on your own engagements

Book a demo to see AtlasOS run engagements like yours. Email info@arketechnologies.com or call 010 447 2445.

Book an AtlasOS demoVisit the AtlasOS site  (opens atlaspractice.app)