Inform Direct is company secretarial software — share register, director changes, PSC management, and CH forms. PenaltyProof is a deadline alert service. They serve adjacent needs and are genuinely complementary for most practices; this comparison explains where each tool applies and where they overlap.
What Inform Direct is
Inform Direct is cloud-based company secretarial software for accountants and business owners. Its core features are statutory register management (directors, shareholders, PSC), electronic filing of Companies House forms (CS01, AP01, SH01, PSC forms, director changes, charges, and others), share transactions, dividend vouchers, and document management. It also supports client identity verification.
The pricing model is a subscription recalculated monthly by live company count: £10/month for the first company, £0.69/month each for companies 2–50, with lower per-company rates for larger portfolios (£0.52 for 51–250, £0.34 for 251–500). At 50 companies the monthly cost is approximately £10 + (49 × £0.69) = £43.81. The subscription covers unlimited CH form submissions with no per-transaction fees. A pay-as-you-go option also exists.
Inform Direct's primary value is in executing Companies House filings and maintaining the statutory record — it is a filing and record-keeping tool, not primarily a deadline alert service.
What PenaltyProof is
PenaltyProof monitors deadlines and sends advance email alerts. It does not file forms, manage share registers, or maintain statutory records. The product reads the CH public API daily, detects upcoming annual accounts and confirmation statement deadlines, and also monitors 10 HMRC and compliance obligation types configured per client.
It does not integrate with HMRC — HMRC deadlines are calculated from rules and client-specific settings you configure once (VAT stagger group, CT period end, pension staging date). For Companies House deadlines, PenaltyProof reads directly from the CH API.
Where Inform Direct is as good or better
Inform Direct has substantial advantages over PenaltyProof in several areas that PenaltyProof does not attempt to compete with:
- CH form filing: Inform Direct electronically files CS01s, AP01s, SH01s, PSC changes, and a full range of CH forms. PenaltyProof does not file anything — it only sends alerts.
- Statutory registers: Inform Direct maintains the company's statutory record — share register, director history, PSC register. PenaltyProof stores no statutory records.
- Company secretarial work: Share transfers, dividend vouchers, share certificates, and corporate governance records are Inform Direct's core product. PenaltyProof has no equivalent.
- ECCTA identity verification tooling: Inform Direct includes tools for the client identity verification requirements introduced under the Economic Crime and Transparency Act. PenaltyProof alerts when ECCTA verification deadlines approach but does not provide the tooling to complete verification.
- Portfolio size pricing: For very large portfolios (500+ companies), Inform Direct's per-company rate drops well below £0.50/company/month. PenaltyProof Pro at £39/month is fixed regardless of company count, which is cheaper for smaller portfolios but may be comparable or different at very large scale depending on the mix.
Comparison table
| Feature | PenaltyProof | Inform Direct |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Deadline alert service | Company secretarial software — filing, registers, governance |
| CH form filing | Not available | Yes — CS01, AP01, SH01, PSC forms, and many others |
| Statutory registers | Not available | Yes — shareholders, directors, PSC, charges |
| Pricing model | Per-practice (£29/mo up to 50 cos; £39/mo unlimited) | Per company: £10 first + £0.69/mo each (cos 2–50); lower at scale |
| 50-company cost (approx.) | £29/mo (Starter, covers up to 50) | ~£43.81/mo (£10 + 49 × £0.69) |
| HMRC obligation alerts | 10 types (VAT, CT, CIS, RTI, P11D, SA, pension, ECCTA, MTD ITSA) | Not a feature — filing and record-keeping tool only |
| Alert cadence (paid) | 30, 14, 7 days before deadline; overdue notices | Not a core feature |
| ECCTA verification | Alerts when deadline approaches | Full ECCTA tooling — completes the verification process |
The complementary case
The most common pattern for accountants who use Inform Direct is to also want advance deadline alerts — particularly for HMRC obligations that Inform Direct does not track. PenaltyProof covers the alert layer (when is the CT due, when is the VAT return due, when is the pension re-enrolment window opening) while Inform Direct handles the execution and record-keeping layer (filing the CS01, managing PSC changes).
They are not competing for the same job. An accountant who needs company secretarial tooling and deadline monitoring will typically need both, or a larger practice management suite that bundles CoSec, workflow, and alerts together.
Who should use each
Inform Direct is essential when you need to file CH forms electronically, manage statutory registers, handle share transactions, or produce governance documents for clients.
PenaltyProof is the right complement (or standalone choice) when you need advance email alerts across CH and HMRC deadlines — particularly CIS, RTI, P11D, VAT, CT, Self Assessment, and pension re-enrolment — without a company secretarial filing capability.
PenaltyProof is the alert layer that Inform Direct doesn't provide: advance email notifications across Companies House and HMRC obligations, monitored daily for every client in your portfolio. Try Starter (£29/month, up to 50 companies) free for 30 days with advance alerts 30 days, 14 days, and 7 days before each deadline, plus due-date and overdue alerts. Cancel any time during the trial.
Start 30-day free trial →or monitor free for up to 5 companies with Companies House monitoring (no card).
Related guides
Deadline Alert Services vs Practice Management Suites
Senta, Karbon, Pixie, and BrightManager vs a dedicated alert service. When a suite is the right answer, when it is overhead, and what the honest-loss cases are for a standalone alert tool.
PenaltyProof vs PracticeFlow
PracticeFlow is workflow management software with deadline tracking; PenaltyProof is a dedicated alert service. An honest comparison on price, HMRC coverage, and when each fits a practice.
PenaltyProof vs ComplyTrack
ComplyTrack covers Companies House filings for SMEs and directors; PenaltyProof covers HMRC and CH obligations for accountant portfolios. A price-for-coverage comparison.
PenaltyProof vs Companies House eReminders
Companies House's free eReminders service covers two filing types. PenaltyProof covers nine obligation types across the same client list. An honest comparison of what each does and when to use both.