Honest Comparison
RK Sterling vs Hazel
Hazel, built by the custodian Altruist, is an AI assistant with meeting notes, email help, and tax planning. RK Sterling is an integrated AI platform that also includes CRM, documents, planning, and an advice engine. Here is an honest look at how they differ.
Facts last verified 2026-07-02
The short version
Both are good products with different shapes. The right choice depends on your firm.
Choose Hazel if…
- You want an AI assistant layered on top of your existing CRM and planning stack at a low per-seat price
- AI-generated tax plans from client documents are a priority and per-seat pricing works for your team size
- You custody with Altruist and value native data connections to your custodial platform
Choose RK Sterling if…
- You want the AI and the system of record in one place: CRM, documents, planning, and advice workflow included
- You prefer a free platform with unlimited team members over per-seat fees
- You want document storage with automatic PII redaction before AI processing, plus an advice engine that surfaces opportunities
What is Hazel?
Hazel is an AI assistant for financial advisors launched in September 2025 by Altruist, the RIA custodian, building on its acquisition of the AI meeting-intelligence startup Thyme. It handles real-time meeting notes (virtual and in-person), inbox triage and drafted replies in the advisor's tone, a daily digest that prepares advisors for the day, automatic task creation synced to CRMs, and "Ask Hazel," which offers Q&A over the firm's conversations, emails, documents, and CRM data.
In February 2026, Hazel added AI tax planning: it reads tax returns, paystubs, statements, and meeting context to generate tax strategies with interactive what-if scenario modeling (Roth conversions, home sales, withholding changes). Hazel is available to firms regardless of where they custody, and integrates with Salesforce, Wealthbox, and Redtail CRMs. Altruist states that client data is not used to train AI models.
Hazel is priced per seat: $50/seat/month for the Admin AI tier and $125/seat/month with tax planning (as published in July 2026). By scope it is an AI assistant plus tax analysis layer: it is not a CRM of record, a financial planning engine, a document vault, or a practice management platform, and it is owned by a custodian, which is a consideration some firms weigh when choosing infrastructure.
What is RK Sterling?
RK Sterling and Hazel share the thesis that advisors win by putting AI to work across their day, but they differ in architecture: Hazel is an assistant layer that connects to your existing CRM and tools, while Sterling is the platform itself, combining the CRM, documents, planning, tax analysis, and advice workflow with the AI that runs on them.
RK Sterling is an integrated AI platform for financial advisors, founded in 2025 and based in Denver, Colorado. Rather than assembling a stack of separate tools for planning, CRM, meeting notes, email, and documents, Sterling combines them in a single platform where every feature works from the same household data.
The platform includes an Advice Engine that surfaces client-specific opportunities, advice management, financial planning with One-Click Plans (AI drafts the complete plan with goals, toggles, and scenarios for advisor review), tax analysis, AI-powered research with full household context, a CRM with workflows, workspaces, and tasks, document storage with automatic PII redaction, fact extraction from documents, an AI notetaker, AI email, one-click content creation, and a Claude MCP connector.
The Sterling platform is free for every firm, with no platform fee, no seat fees, and no household tiers. AI features are usage-based, so firms pay only for the AI work they use. Client data is protected by automatic PII detection and removal before any AI processing, with audit logs for SEC examinations.
Feature comparison
Based on publicly available product information as of 2026-07-02. A dash means the capability exists with limits; see the notes below the table.
| Feature | RK Sterling | Hazel |
|---|---|---|
| Advice Engine | ||
| Advice Management | ||
| Financial Planning | ||
| Tax Analysis | ||
| Workflows | ||
| Workspaces | ||
| CRM | ||
| Tasks | ||
| Document Storage | ||
| AI Notetaker | ||
| AI Email | ||
| AI-Powered Research | ||
| Claude MCP Connector |
- Tax Analysis: AI tax planning with scenario modeling (added February 2026)
- Workflows: Automated tasks and daily prep; not a step-by-step workflow builder
- Tasks: Auto-created tasks synced to Salesforce, Wealthbox, or Redtail
- Document Storage: Multi-document parsing; not a document vault
- AI-Powered Research: "Ask Hazel" Q&A over firm conversations, email, documents, and CRM data
Pricing comparison
Hazel
Published pricing, as of July 2026
- Admin AI: $50 per seat/month
- Admin AI + Tax Planning: $125 per seat/month
- Annual billing: two months free; Enterprise: custom
- 14-day free trial
As published on hazel.ai/pricing. Verify current pricing with the vendor.
RK Sterling
Free platform. No seats, no tiers. Usage-based AI.
- The platform is free: no platform fee, no seat fees, no household tiers
- Unlimited team members and unlimited households for every firm
- AI features are usage-based; you pay only for the AI work you use
- Every new firm starts with 100 free credits
A worked example
A four-person team on Hazel with tax planning pays $500/month ($125 × 4 seats) for the assistant and tax layer, while your CRM, planning software, and document system are separate subscriptions on top. RK Sterling's platform is free for the whole firm and includes the CRM, documents, planning, tax analysis, notetaker, email, and research, with AI billed only on usage. The comparison depends on what you already pay for the rest of your stack.
Where Hazel is the better fit
- You like your current CRM and planning stack and want a capable AI assistant layered on top with minimal change
- You custody with Altruist and want the native custodial data connection
- Per-seat pricing at $50–$125/seat suits a small team that only needs the assistant layer
Where RK Sterling is the better fit
- You are consolidating tools rather than adding another layer: Sterling includes the CRM of record, document storage, and planning that Hazel connects to
- You want an advice engine that proactively surfaces client opportunities, not only Q&A and meeting automation
- You want a free platform with unlimited team members, and PII automatically redacted from documents before AI processing
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between RK Sterling and Hazel?
Both apply AI to the advisor workday, but at different layers. Hazel (by Altruist) is an AI assistant for meeting notes, email drafting, daily prep, Q&A, and tax planning that connects to your existing CRM and tools. RK Sterling is an integrated platform that includes the CRM, document storage, financial planning, tax analysis, and advice workflow itself, with AI throughout.
Is RK Sterling an alternative to Hazel?
Yes, if you want the capabilities Hazel provides (notes, email, research Q&A, tax analysis) built into a platform that also serves as your CRM and document system. If you only want an assistant layer on an existing stack, Hazel addresses that directly.
How does pricing compare?
Hazel is per seat: $50/seat/month, or $125/seat/month with tax planning (as of July 2026). The Sterling platform is free with unlimited team members and households, and AI is usage-based. Which is cheaper depends on how much AI you run and what other subscriptions each replaces.
Do I need to custody with Altruist to use Hazel, and does Sterling care where I custody?
Hazel is available regardless of custodian, though it connects natively to Altruist custodial data. RK Sterling is custodian-independent and is not owned by a custodian.
How do the two approach client data privacy?
Altruist states Hazel does not train AI models on client data. Sterling takes an additional structural step: automatic detection and removal of personally identifiable information before any AI processing, with audit logs designed for SEC examinations.
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Hazel is a trademark of its respective owner, which is not affiliated with and does not endorse RK Sterling. This comparison is based on publicly available information, including Hazel's own website and product documentation, as of 2026-07-02. Products and pricing change; verify current details with each vendor. If you spot an inaccuracy, email info@rksterling.com and we will correct it promptly.