Advisor Tech 2025: A Playbook for Modern Advisors

The great tech‑stack debate

A decade ago an advisor’s “tech stack” was a cobbled‑together CRM and maybe some portfolio software. Today it’s a competitive advantage. According to the 2025 T3/Inside Information Software Survey,  86 % of advisory firms still use a dedicated CRM, but that is down from 93 % last year. Some firms are replacing CRMs with project‑management tools like Trello or Asana, while others are consolidating multiple applications into all‑in‑one platforms. Meanwhile, nearly two‑in‑five advisors are already experimenting with search and generative‑AI tools – ChatGPT commands 36 % market share, Microsoft Copilot holds 12 % and Google Gemini 7 %. Perplexity.ai’s  8.26 /10 advisor rating suggests AI is more than a fad

CRM Shake-Up: Redtail loses its tail

A decade ago an adviser’s tech stack was basically a CRM and maybe some portfolio software. Now it’s a competitive advantage. According to the 2025 T3/Inside Information Software Survey, about 86% of firms still use a dedicated CRM, down from 93% last year. Orion’s Redtail remains the leader, but its share slipped to around 26% from 46%. Wealthbox capitalised on the decline, capturing roughly 22% share with a user rating near 8 out of 10. Advyzon doubled to roughly 12% share and posts the highest customer satisfaction, while Salesforce Financial Services Cloud and AdvisorEngine hover around 7% and 6% respectively. The clear trend is toward simple, modern experiences: the niche XLR8 overlay on Salesforce earned the highest rating of all CRMs. Maybe next year we’ll manage clients through Slack.

Planning software: the new Big Three

Financial‑planning tools are becoming the beating heart of the tech stack. eMoney overtook MoneyGuidePro for the first time, with about 28% market share and a rating just over 8. MoneyGuidePro fell to around 23% share and a rating close to 8. RightCapital more than doubled its share to roughly 21% and posts the highest rating at about 9. Up‑and‑comer FP Alpha, with its AI‑powered planning, holds about 4% share and an 8 rating. Collectively these “Big Three” serve nearly every advisory firm. Interestingly, most advisers now use two planning tools: 11% of MoneyGuidePro users also use eMoney and nearly 17% of RightCapital users also use MoneyGuidePro. Even planning software can’t resist FOMO.

Portfolio management: jockeys and challengers

The race for portfolio‑management supremacy is fierce. Orion Advisor Services leads with roughly 17% share and a rating around 8. Envestnet/Tamarac follows at about 12% share and a similar rating. Advyzon, once a niche player, has leap‑frogged to third with roughly 11% share and an impressive rating near 9. Black Diamond, Morningstar Office and Altruist each hold around 5–7%, while tiny Panoramix boasts the highest rating despite only about 2% share. Overall penetration stands at nearly two‑thirds as firms centralise reporting. Omaha‑based Orion now services an estimated 5 trillion dollars in assets under administration and manages about 100 billion on its wealth platform. It supports roughly 7.5 million accounts across 25 thousand firms and says its clients grow assets about 9% faster than non‑Orion peers. Being a “force multiplier” apparently pays off.

Addepar: industrial‑strength challenger

While Orion, Envestnet and Advyzon dominate the share tables, don’t sleep on Addepar. The 2024 T3 survey notes that Addepar gained market share and is one of the portfolio‑management systems getting the most attention from advisers. The platform oversees around 7 trillion dollars in client assets, up from 5 trillion the previous year, and revenue grew about 31% to roughly 275 million dollars. Addepar spends around 100 million dollars annually on research and development—about 40% of revenue—and nearly half of its staff are technologists. That investment shows up in advanced AI tools: its Alts Data Management service uses AI with human‑analyst verification to extract data from alternative investment documents, and the platform offers cash‑flow forecasts and private‑fund benchmarks generated from anonymized data across thousands of private funds. In other words, Addepar isn’t just a reporting system; it delivers scenario modelling, forecasting and predictive analytics. Advisers serving ultra‑high‑net‑worth clients or family offices may find its industrial‑strength architecture appealing.

Expanding planning horizons

Advisers are discovering that tax and estate planning technology isn’t just for accountants. Holistiplan dominates tax planning with roughly 41% market share and a stellar rating near 9. FP Alpha follows at about 5% but is growing fast. Intuit ProConnect and CCH ProSystem hover near 2% share each with solid ratings in the high 7s. Category adoption jumped from about 43% to 52% in just a year—proof that nothing concentrates the mind like looming IRS deadlines. On the estate side, the leaders are modules inside broader planning suites: eMoney (around 13% share) and RightCapital (around 10%). Stand‑alone platforms like Wealth.com (8%) and EncorEstate (3%) earn higher ratings of around 8. Category adoption climbed to roughly 43% of firms, up from 16% two years ago. Apparently clients prefer not to leave their heirs with nothing but a shoebox full of statements.

AI is here to stay

No 2025 article would be complete without mentioning AI. The T3 survey added categories for generative‑language, search and graphics AI. About 41% of advisers now use search or generative AI applications. ChatGPT leads with roughly 36% market share, but advisers rate Perplexity slightly higher at just over 8 out of 10, followed by Anthropic’s Claude. Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini lag behind but still command meaningful interest. You could say that AI is now a mandatory member of the tech stack—at least until quantum computing becomes mainstream and office plants start offering retirement advice.

Conclusion

The 2025 data show an advisor‑tech ecosystem that is both maturing and fragmenting. Market leaders like Redtail, eMoney, Orion and Holistiplan still dominate, but challengers—Wealthbox, RightCapital, Advyzon, FP Alpha and Addepar—are rapidly gaining share. Platform assets continue to balloon: Envestnet boasts more than 6 trillion dollars in platform assets and serves over 100 thousand advisers, while Orion just blasted past 5 trillion. At the same time, the rise of modular tax, estate and AI solutions suggests that advisers want best‑of‑breed tools to plug into their core platforms. The takeaway is clear: your tech stack is a strategic decision, not a “nice‑to‑have.”

Call Me, Maybe?

If you’re an adviser, now is the time to audit your technology. Are you taking advantage of modern CRM automation, AI‑powered planning and industrial‑strength reporting? Have you explored tax and estate modules that can turn complex workflows into client‑pleasing value? Your next great idea could come from a colleague a world away—or from your AI assistant. Let’s continue the conversation: connect with me on LinkedIn.

Further Reading

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Passive Portfolios: A Game-Changer For Gig Workers And Bootstrappers
Top Investment Platforms That Attract Millennials