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Prepared by Sydney Collect
Updated 18 August 2026 · Pricing and product claims verified against each provider's own site, week of 18 August 2026
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Short answer: if you've got one or a few specific overdue client invoices you want acted on this week, a flat $29 lawyer-backed letter from SydneyCollect is the fastest, cheapest formal step — and it stays in your name, not a third party's. If your firm is chasing dozens of invoices across a growing client book and wants the follow-up process automated permanently, an AR subscription like Chaser is solving a different, ongoing problem worth a monthly fee. If you'd rather hand the whole thing to someone else and accept a cut of what's recovered, that's what a commission-based agency is for — worth knowing the trade-off before a debtor who might also be a referral source gets a call from a stranger.

The comparison table

None of the options below are wrong — they're built for different-sized problems and different appetites for risk to the relationship. The table compares what each actually is, not just what it costs.

Provider What it is Pricing Turnaround Best for Limitations
SydneyCollect Our pick One-off lawyer-backed letter of demand $29 flat per letter; 10% commission managed recovery if escalated Same-day (5 min) A specific overdue client invoice you want acted on today Not an ongoing AR workflow tool
Chaser Accounts receivable automation SaaS — automated follow-up sequences, cash-flow forecasting, credit control workflow AUD 399–1,799/month across three published tiers (Compact, Core, Complete); Custom tier quote-based Continuous, ongoing (not a one-off action) Firms with a large recurring client book wanting fewer invoices to go overdue in the first place Monthly subscription regardless of outcome; not built to act on one urgent invoice today
CreditorWatch Collect Accounts receivable automation SaaS — automated follow-ups, payment processing, risk prioritisation Not publicly disclosed — 14-day free trial, then contact for pricing Continuous, ongoing (not a one-off action) Firms already comparing AR automation tools — see our full CreditorWatch Collect vs InDebted comparison No public price; subscription commitment
Commission-based agency (e.g. Marshall Freeman) Third party chases the debtor directly on your behalf Typically 10–30% commission on the amount recovered, min $150–$300 per account Account intake days, active collection weeks A debtor who has already ignored formal demands and shows no sign of paying voluntarily A stranger contacts your client directly — a real risk if that client is also a referral source

Sources: each provider's own published website, verified week of 18 August 2026. Chaser and CreditorWatch Collect pricing pulled directly from their own pricing pages. See the Methodology section and the Sources list below for exactly what was and wasn't confirmed.

If you're choosing right now: a specific overdue client invoice needs a letter sent today, not a subscription signup or a third party calling your client. Send a $29 lawyer-backed letter and decide on an ongoing tool separately. Send a letter — $29

Methodology — how these were compared

This is a comparison, not a ranking — the four options below solve genuinely different problems, and "best" depends on which problem you have. Worth noting for consultants, accountants and agencies specifically: professional, scientific and technical services is the safest major industry in Australia by insolvency risk, at just 1.34 external administration appointments per 1,000 businesses per year — 0.4× the national average (Sydney Collect 2026 Debt Collection Report, §5). Yet the same sector also supplies 11 of the 40 slowest-paying large businesses in Australia's Payment Times Reports Register — 27.5% of the entire named list (§6). Put plainly: your client almost certainly isn't going broke. They've just decided your invoice isn't urgent. The framework used to compare each option below:

  • What it is — the actual product category: a one-off legal document, a subscription automation tool, or a third party taking over the relationship. Confusing these is the most common mistake professional services firms make when shopping this category.
  • Pricing — taken directly from each provider's own published site as of the week of 18 August 2026. Where a provider does not publish a price (CreditorWatch Collect), that is stated explicitly rather than estimated.
  • Turnaround — the realistic time from decision to action, based on the provider's own stated process.
  • Best for — the buyer situation where each option's shape actually fits.
  • Limitations — the trade-off that makes each option a mismatch for other situations, including relationship risk where relevant.

Chaser — accounts receivable automation, priced by the month

Chaser is credit control and receivables automation software: automated follow-up sequences, multi-user workflows, and cash-flow forecasting, built for small to mid-sized businesses and accounting firms specifically. Its own pricing page publishes Australian dollar figures directly — the Compact tier from AUD 399/month (4 users, 30 follow-up templates, 4 automated workflows), Core at AUD 1,199/month (unlimited users, templates and workflows, multi-entity support), and Complete at AUD 1,799/month (adds a dedicated account manager and receivables forecasting), with annual billing saving 10%. A Custom enterprise tier is quote-based above that.

That's real, quotable AUD pricing — more transparent than most tools in this category — but it's still a subscription decision, not a one-off fix. The entry Compact tier at AUD 399/month works out to AUD 4,788 a year — money that goes out every month whether or not any invoice actually needs chasing that month. It makes sense once your firm's overdue-invoice volume is high and constant enough to justify running software permanently, not for a single slow-paying client.

The commission-agency trade-off — right tool, wrong client sometimes

A commission-based agency has a real place: once a debtor has ignored two or more formal demands and shown no intention of paying, handing the file to someone whose full-time job is recovery can be the right call. But for a professional services firm, the debtor is often also a referral source, a repeat client, or someone in the same small industry network — and agencies typically contact the debtor directly by phone, which is a blunt instrument compared with a formal letter sent in your own name. Most Australian commercial agencies (Marshall Freeman among them) charge 10–30% commission on whatever is recovered, with a minimum fee of $150–$300 per account, and you only find out the true cost once the money is back — minus a meaningful slice of it.

Decision guide — which one actually fits your situation

  • One or a few specific overdue client invoices, want action this week, want to keep the relationship in your own hands: send a $29 letter of demand. No subscription, no third party calling your client.
  • A large, growing client book with recurring overdue invoices, want fewer of them going overdue at all: an AR automation platform like Chaser fits into your ongoing invoicing workflow. Budget for a genuine monthly subscription, not a per-letter fee.
  • A debtor who has already ignored two or more formal demands and shows no sign of paying voluntarily: that's when a commission agency's dedicated recovery effort earns its 10–30% cut — just weigh it against the relationship if the debtor is also a referral source.
  • The debt is disputed, or turns on a scope-of-engagement or contract interpretation question: loop in a solicitor before sending anything formal — none of the other three options are built for genuine legal disputes.

Many professional services firms will use more than one of these over time: a $29 letter for this month's slow payer, an AR automation subscription once overdue-invoice volume justifies the monthly cost, and a commission agency reserved for the accounts that have gone truly cold.

If your firm is carrying many small overdue invoices across a wide client book — say a bookkeeping or advisory practice with a dozen or more clients each a few hundred to a few thousand dollars behind — chasing each one individually rarely happens; it's too much admin for too little each. Bulk Debt Recovery sends a formal letter to every one of those accounts at once, for one flat price rather than a percentage of what comes back, built for 10 or more unpaid accounts.

Disclosure: SydneyCollect is one of the providers compared on this page. Every pricing and feature claim about Chaser and CreditorWatch Collect was verified against their own published websites — where a provider does not publish a price, this page says so rather than estimating one. If you spot a factual error, email [email protected] and we will correct it within 24 hours.

Frequently asked questions

Is SydneyCollect cheaper than Chaser for a professional services firm? ▼
They solve different problems, so the comparison depends on what you actually have. SydneyCollect is $29 flat for one lawyer-backed letter of demand, sent today, for a specific overdue client invoice. Chaser is a subscription accounts receivable automation platform — its own site lists AUD 399/month for the entry Compact tier, rising to AUD 1,199/month for Core and AUD 1,799/month for Complete, plus a Custom enterprise tier on request. If you have one or a handful of slow-paying clients, the $29 letter is far cheaper. If you're a firm with dozens of ongoing client invoices and want the follow-up process automated permanently, a monthly subscription like Chaser is solving a genuinely different, ongoing problem.
Will chasing an unpaid invoice damage a client relationship? ▼
A lawyer-backed letter of demand is a formal, professional step — not a phone call from a commission-based agency chasing the debtor directly on your behalf. Commission-based collection agencies typically take 10-30% of whatever they recover and their staff contact the debtor directly, which can be a blunt instrument if that debtor is a referral source or repeat client. A letter of demand puts the request in writing, from you, in a way that is firm but does not involve a third party cold-calling your client.
What's the difference between a letter of demand and an AR automation subscription like Chaser? ▼
A letter of demand is a one-off, lawyer-backed formal document for a specific unpaid invoice, sent once at a flat price. An AR automation platform like Chaser is software your firm runs continuously — automated email and reminder sequences across your entire client book, designed to reduce how many invoices become overdue in the first place. A firm chasing one slow-paying client today needs a letter; a firm wanting to overhaul its whole invoicing follow-up process needs a subscription tool.
How much does Chaser cost in Australia? ▼
Chaser publishes Australian dollar pricing on its own site: the Compact tier starts at AUD 399/month, Core at AUD 1,199/month, and Complete at AUD 1,799/month, with a 10% discount for annual billing. A Custom tier for larger firms is quote-based. All tiers are ongoing subscriptions, not one-off fees.
What's the fastest way for a consulting or accounting firm to chase one overdue invoice? ▼
A $29 lawyer-backed letter of demand, sent the same day. Chaser is built around an ongoing subscription and setup process across your whole client book, and a commission agency involves handing the relationship to a third party — neither is designed to act on a single invoice today.

Sources