Magnetic vs. CCH Scan: Which is right for your tax firm?
Compare the modern LLM-powered automation of Magnetic against the enterprise-standard CCH Scan to solve your firm's data entry bottleneck.
Written by Hustlin from public information. Magnetic hasn’t joined Hustlin.
Magnetic and CCH Scan both aim to eliminate manual data entry, but they take different approaches. CCH Scan is a long-standing enterprise tool from Wolters Kluwer designed for firms already deep in that ecosystem. Magnetic is a modern alternative built by tax automation experts to handle complex, messy documents like handwritten notes and multi-state K-1s that traditional OCR often struggles to process.
Where Magnetic is strong
- High accuracy on difficult documents including handwritten notes and complex Excel spreadsheets.
- Built by the former Head of Product at Keeper with deep experience in LLM-based tax automation.
- Automates the actual data entry into tax software, not just document organization.
- Designed specifically to address the CPA talent shortage by reducing 'busy work' hours.
Where CCH Scan is strong
- Deep, native integration with the broader Wolters Kluwer CCH Axcess and ProSystem fx suites.
- Established enterprise-grade security and reliability with a decades-long track record.
- Standardized workflow familiar to many veteran tax professionals and large-scale firms.
Side-by-side comparison
| Category | Magnetic | CCH Scan | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Document Variety | Handwritten notes, Excel, and multi-state K-1s | Standard tax forms and organized PDFs | Stronger |
| Extraction Tech | Modern LLM-based OCR | Traditional template-based OCR | Stronger |
| Ecosystem | Software agnostic | Wolters Kluwer / CCH Ecosystem | Neck-and-neck |
| Data Entry | Direct automation into software | Extraction and organization for review | Stronger |
| Implementation | Fast, modern setup | Enterprise-level deployment | Neck-and-neck |
Which one should you pick?
Choose Magnetic if you are a firm struggling with a talent shortage and need to automate the processing of messy, non-standard client documents like handwritten notes or complex K-1s.
Choose CCH Scan if your firm is already fully committed to the Wolters Kluwer software suite and you require a tool that lives natively within that specific ecosystem.
Frequently asked questions
Is Magnetic better than CCH Scan?
Magnetic is better for firms that deal with messy data sources and want to automate the actual entry into tax software. CCH Scan is better for firms that prioritize deep integration with other CCH products.
How is Magnetic different from CCH Scan?
Magnetic uses modern LLM technology to read documents that traditional OCR tools often fail on, such as handwritten charity receipts or complex spreadsheets, and focuses on direct data entry.
When should I use CCH Scan over Magnetic?
Use CCH Scan if your internal workflows are strictly built around the CCH Axcess suite and you prefer a legacy enterprise vendor for all your tax preparation tools.
Does Magnetic support handwritten documents?
Yes, Magnetic is specifically designed to scan and extract data from handwritten charity notes and other non-standard client documents.
Can Magnetic handle multi-state K-1s?
Yes, Magnetic automates the extraction and entry of multi-state K-1s, which are typically a major source of manual data entry for tax professionals.
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