Loom is a screen and camera recording tool that lets you send a short video instead of writing a long email. For accountants, the most immediate use is recording a two or three-minute walkthrough of a completed tax return, sending clients a link, and letting them watch it in their own time rather than booking a call. The free plan covers 25 videos per person with a five-minute maximum per recording, which is sufficient for most client-facing use. Paid plans start at $18 per user per month and remove both limits.
This guide explains what Loom does, how accounting firms use it in practice, what the free plan actually includes, and the UK GDPR considerations that apply before sending client financial data in a video. Named tools covered include Loom, Vidyard, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Atlassian.
What Loom does
Loom records your screen, your face via webcam, or both simultaneously. You install a browser extension or desktop app, press record, and Loom generates a shareable link the moment you stop. The recipient clicks the link to watch in a browser without installing anything.
All plans include automatic transcription in over 50 languages, so every video you send comes with a searchable written transcript. Clients who prefer reading over watching can follow the transcript while the video plays. Comments can be left at specific timestamps, and you receive a notification when the video is viewed.
On the free plan, viewer analytics show a basic view count. On paid plans, the full Engagement Insights feature shows exactly who watched, how far they got, and whether they clicked through on any links embedded in the video. For client communications, this tells you whether a client has actually reviewed the material you sent before a follow-up call.
AI features, including automatic chapter markers, video summaries, filler word removal, and transcript-based editing, are available only on the Business + AI plan at $24 per user per month. The standard Business plan at $18 per user per month includes unlimited videos and 4K recording without AI tools.
Loom holds a G2 rating of 4.7 out of 5 from approximately 2,349 reviews (figures vary, verify current data). It has been owned by Atlassian since 2023.
How accountants use Loom
The most documented use case in the accounting sector is the tax return summary video. Rather than calling a client after filing to explain the outcome, the accountant records a two to three-minute screen share covering what was filed, any tax-saving opportunities identified, and the required next steps. Kyle Walters, a CPA writing in Accounting Today, describes this approach as a referral tool: clients who receive a clear, personalised video summary are more likely to share it with contacts than a generic email confirmation.
The same format applies to other accounting outputs. Annual accounts, quarterly management reports, bookkeeping reviews, and VAT return summaries can all be walked through in a short video, giving the client visual context for the numbers without requiring them to decode figures in isolation.
Async query responses replace the need to schedule a call for straightforward questions. When a client asks why their tax bill is higher this year, a three-minute Loom showing the relevant figures and the reason is faster to produce than a detailed written response and easier for the client to understand. Avalon Accounting, a Canadian firm that documents its use of Loom, reports the tool replaced a significant number of scheduled video calls by covering the same ground asynchronously.
Internal use is equally practical. Recording how to process a month-end close, how to add a new client in your practice management software, or how to complete a specific HMRC form creates a reusable training library that reduces repetitive questions from junior staff and supports onboarding for new team members.
Client onboarding is another natural fit. A short welcome video recorded once and sent to all new clients — explaining how to submit documents, who their contact is, and what to expect in the first 30 days — saves the same explanation being repeated by phone for each new engagement.
Free plan vs paid plans
The free Starter plan includes 25 videos per creator with a five-minute maximum per recording and 720p video quality. Screenshots do not count toward the 25-video limit. Transcription is included, as are comments and basic viewer analytics. There is no cost and no credit card required.
For most sole traders and small accounting practices, 25 videos at five minutes each covers regular client communications comfortably, provided you manage the library by deleting older videos periodically. A five-minute limit is sufficient for a tax return walkthrough, a query response, or a short training clip; it is restrictive for a full onboarding video or a detailed management accounts review.
The Business plan at $18 per user per month removes both limits, raises video quality to 4K, and adds full Engagement Insights showing who watched and how much. No GBP pricing is published; UK customers are billed in USD or at a converted rate. The Business + AI plan at $24 per user per month adds automatic summaries, chapter markers, filler word removal, and the ability to edit the video by editing its transcript.
Loom vs the alternatives
Vidyard is the most direct competitor and is better suited to firms that need deep CRM integration, such as embedding video analytics in HubSpot or Salesforce. Its free plan is more restrictive than Loom's, capped at five videos per month, and paid plans start at $59 per user per month. For accounting firms whose primary use is client communication rather than sales engagement, Loom is the more cost-effective choice.
Asynchronous video works best when the communication is one-directional: a summary, an update, an explanation. Synchronous calls via Zoom or Teams remain better for real-time questions, sensitive conversations such as restructuring or redundancy advice, and relationship-building with new clients who are not yet comfortable with video messages. The two approaches complement each other rather than replacing one another; Loom reduces the number of calls that need to be scheduled while calls remain available for the interactions that require them.
UK GDPR and data considerations for accountants
Loom stores data on AWS infrastructure. From May 2026, data residency options are available in Germany (EU) or the United States only. There is no UK-specific data residency option. UK customers whose data is hosted in the EU Frankfurt region benefit from the EU-UK adequacy decision, renewed in December 2025, which permits data transfers between the UK and EU. However, as Atlassian is a US-incorporated company, the US CLOUD Act means US federal authorities could compel Atlassian to disclose data regardless of where it is physically stored. This is a known consideration for cloud tools generally, not unique to Loom.
Loom is GDPR compliant and publishes a data processing addendum via Atlassian's trust documentation. You can review the list of sub-processors and the DPA terms before onboarding client data.
The practical guidance for accounting firms is to avoid sharing personally identifying financial information on screen in Loom videos where possible: use general references ("your self-assessment return") rather than displaying a client's National Insurance number, UTR, or detailed financial figures visibly on screen. If you record a walkthrough that does include personal financial data, the video is personal data under UK GDPR and should be treated accordingly, including ensuring the sharing link is sent only to the relevant client and not made publicly accessible.
If you are building out the full digital tools stack for your practice, our guide to marketing tools and analytics for accounting firms covers booking software, GA4 setup, CRM tools, and more.
Key Takeaways
- Loom's free plan includes 25 videos per person with a five-minute maximum, automatic transcription, and basic viewer analytics — sufficient for most small accounting firm client communication needs.
- The most common accounting use case is the post-filing tax return walkthrough: a short screen-share video sent to clients in place of a call or a detailed written explanation.
- The Business plan at $18 per user per month removes the 25-video and five-minute limits and adds full viewer engagement analytics showing who watched and how far they got.
- There is no UK data residency option; UK customer data defaults to Loom's EU Frankfurt AWS region, covered by the EU-UK adequacy decision but subject to US CLOUD Act jurisdiction as Atlassian is US-incorporated.
- Loom is better suited to one-directional client communications (summaries, walkthroughs, updates) than to real-time discussion; it reduces calls rather than replacing them entirely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Loom free for accountants?
Loom offers a free Starter plan that includes 25 videos per creator with a maximum of five minutes per recording, 720p quality, automatic transcription, and basic viewer analytics. There is no credit card required. For most sole traders and small accounting firms sending occasional client videos, the free plan is usable, though the 25-video cap requires periodic tidying of older recordings. The paid Business plan at $18 per user per month removes both limits.
Can Loom tell you if a client has watched your video?
On the free plan, Loom shows a basic view count for each video. On the paid Business plan and above, the full Engagement Insights feature shows the identity of viewers who are logged into a Loom account, completion rates, and call-to-action conversion data. For clients without a Loom account, the tool cannot identify them by name but records that a view occurred from their device. Views are not counted if the viewer blocks cookies or if the creator watches their own video.
Is Loom GDPR compliant for UK accounting firms?
Loom (owned by Atlassian) publishes a data processing addendum and is GDPR compliant. UK customer data is stored on AWS infrastructure, with EU Frankfurt as the default region from May 2026. This transfer is covered by the EU-UK adequacy decision renewed in December 2025. However, there is no UK-only data residency option, and as a US-incorporated company Atlassian is subject to the US CLOUD Act. Accounting firms should review Atlassian's DPA and avoid displaying sensitive client financial data on screen in recordings wherever possible.