11 Best Karbon Alternatives for Accounting Practice Management (2025)

If you’re running an accounting firm, you know the importance of practice management software. It helps you organize client work, track deadlines, automate routine tasks, and keep communication centralized.

A popular platform used by mid-sized and large firms is Karbon. But while Karbon has its loyal users, it has limitations too. For example, it lacks a dedicated client portal for secure file sharing and billing.

In this blog, we share the top 11 Karbon alternatives for accounting practice management. We cover the key features, pros and cons, and the pricing of each tool on the list. Let dive in!

Summarize this article with AI ClickUp Brain not only saves you precious time by instantly summarizing articles, it also leverages AI to connect your tasks, docs, people, and more, streamlining your workflow like never before. Summarize article

Summarize this article for me please

Want to save even more time? Try ClickUp Brain free

Karbon Alternatives at a Glance

Before we begin, here’s a summary of the top Karbon alternatives to help you choose the right practice management solution for your business needs. 

Summarize this article with AI ClickUp Brain not only saves you precious time by instantly summarizing articles, it also leverages AI to connect your tasks, docs, people, and more, streamlining your workflow like never before. Summarize article

Summarize this article for me please

Want to save even more time? Try ClickUp Brain free

Why Go For Karbon Alternatives?

With deadlines, client communication, and compliance work piling up, the right practice management software can transform accounting and tax firms.

Here’s why you might want to consider Karbon alternatives:

• No dedicated client portals: Karbon integrates email, but it doesn’t provide built-in client portals for secure file sharing, e-signatures, and billing; critical for client trust and efficiency
• Higher cost structure: Karbon is priced for mid-to-large firms. Smaller firms and solo practices find the subscription model too expensive compared to leaner, more affordable tools
• Steep learning curve: The interface is feature-rich but complex, requiring a significant amount of onboarding. You might struggle with adoption initially 
• Limited project management features: Karbon handles workflows, but it lacks advanced project management capabilities like Gantt charts, workload views, and customizable dashboards offered by broader tools
• Excessive customization: It makes setup confusing, with every decision affecting reporting and structure
• AI and automation expectations: As firms embrace AI for task routing, summaries, and workflow automation, Karbon’s current functionality can feel behind newer tools that prioritize these features

Here’s what a G2 review says,

Summarize this article with AI ClickUp Brain not only saves you precious time by instantly summarizing articles, it also leverages AI to connect your tasks, docs, people, and more, streamlining your workflow like never before. Summarize article

Summarize this article for me please

Want to save even more time? Try ClickUp Brain free

The Best Karbon Alternatives to Use

Let’s look at Karbon alternatives for tax and accounting firms and the features and capabilities they offer. 

1. ClickUp (Best for flexible AI work management for accounting teams)

Modern firms need a system that does more than track tasks and manage emails; they need a platform that unites everything in one intelligent workspace. That’s where ClickUp stands out.

ClickUp is the world’s first Converged AI Workspace, bringing together all work apps, data, reporting, and workflows in one place.

Instead of dealing with the Work Sprawl of jumping between separate tools for client communication, task tracking, and reporting, ClickUp centralizes it all—so your team can focus on delivering exceptional service.

With built-in features like task automation, customizable dashboards, and AI-powered writing and summarization, ClickUp helps accounting firms boost productivity and streamline collaboration.

You get 100% context, 100% of the time, and a single place for humans and AI agents to work together.

For firms ready to move beyond traditional practice management software, ClickUp offers a unified, flexible, and cost-effective alternative built for the future of accounting operations.

Let’s explore how accounting firms and professionals can use ClickUp for Finance to streamline their financial operations.

Custom Dashboards for financial clarity

Finance teams benefit greatly when all of their data is visualized in one place. ClickUp Dashboards are the perfect solution here. They’re extremely intuitive and fully customizable. Use them to visualize budgets, track spending, and display profit margins at a glance. No need to wrangle spreadsheets; track the health of your accounting firm in real-time. 

Formula Fields for smart calculations

Avoid duplicating effort or wrestling with data in separate documents. ClickUp’s Formula Fields let you build complex calculations right in ClickUp.

For example, when billing a client, use ClickUp Formula Fields to multiply hours by billable rates, identify discrepancies between the budget and actual spend, or calculate the number of days remaining until a deadline. These live formulas update automatically across your tasks, eliminating the need to export data from spreadsheets.

Document management with ClickUp Docs

With ClickUp Docs, your team can draft, edit, and store all documentation in one place. It is linked directly to tasks or projects. From onboarding checklists to compliance workflows, every file lives inside your workspace. It is searchable and version-controlled, ensuring accuracy across large client portfolios.

End-to-end workflow automation with ClickUp Automations

Get rid of manual task handoffs. ClickUp Automations enable you to define rules such as “When a return is marked complete, assign the next review task” or “when status changes, notify the manager.”

For example, you can automate the client onboarding process. Every time a new client is added to your Workspace, ClickUp creates an “Onboarding checklist”, assigns a team member to help the client, and assigns tasks. 

AI-powered support with ClickUp Brain

AI in accounting is a perfect way to free up teams for strategic analysis and advisory. With ClickUp Brain, AI is integrated directly with your accounting workflows. It can analyze data, surface key insights from detailed reports, summarize client calls, auto-generate follow-up tasks, or answer questions like “which audits are overdue this quarter?”

For example, instead of manually creating tasks, you can create a client portal inside ClickUp and ask ClickUp Brain to generate a task list for quarterly invoicing and reporting. 

Once you run the request, it will create a task list as shown below.

ClickUp best features

• Bill accurately and analyze profitability: Use the built-in ClickUp Project Time Tracker to log billable hours per task or client, then export them into timesheets for invoicing and performance reporting
• Collect client data seamlessly: Create customizable ClickUp Forms to capture client intake details, project requests, or document submissions, and turn responses into tasks 
• Visualize work the way you want: Switch between 15+ ClickUp Views such as List, Board, Calendar, or Gantt to manage deadlines, audits, or recurring workflows in the layout that makes the most sense for your firm
• Eliminate manual meeting notes: With the AI Notetaker, you can automatically record, transcribe, and summarize meetings, then generate tasks from action items 

ClickUp limitations 

• It can feel a bit overwhelming for new users because there are so many features and options to choose from

ClickUp pricing

ClickUp ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.7/5 (10,000+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.6/5 (4,000+ reviews)

What are real users saying about ClickUp?

Here’s a G2 review:

💡 Pro Tip: ClickUp’s BrainGPT  is a game-changer for accounting practice management, bringing AI-powered efficiency and clarity to every aspect of your firm’s workflow. Here’s how:

• Instantly search ClickUp, Google Drive, GitHub, OneDrive, SharePoint, and ALL your connected apps, plus the web, to locate client files, tax documents, or engagement letters
• For accountants and staff who need to capture notes or instructions on the fly, Talk to Text lets you ask questions, dictate client updates, or command your work by voice—hands-free, anywhere
• Instead of juggling a patchwork of disconnected AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, BrainGPT provides a single, contextual, enterprise-ready solution that understands your accounting workflows and gives you all premium LLM models under one roof

2. Tidyflow (Best for small accounting teams) 

Tidyflow is a practice management tool built for small accounting firms that need no-code workflow management features. You can onboard yourself in under ten minutes and automate recurring bookkeeping or accounting tasks.

Using the task management system, you can create workflows, assign deadlines, and track recurring jobs. Even as a one-person firm, you can stay on top of compliance work without drowning in spreadsheets.

For client interactions, Tidyflow includes a secure client portal that simplifies file collection and communication. Your clients can upload everything directly, improving turnaround time. This ties into Tidyflow’s document storage, where all files are linked to the right tasks and client records.

Solo accountants also benefit from Tidyflow’s time tracking and capacity planning features. Billable hours can be logged directly against tasks, and workload views help practitioners avoid overcommitting during peak seasons. 

Tidyflow best features

• Integrate tools like Xero, QuickBooks Online, and Zapier to sync financial workflows
• Pre-configured key settings make onboarding easy
• Secure documents using encrypted storage via Amazon Web Services (AWS) and DigitalOcean

Tidyflow limitations 

• It offers limited native integrations, which can be a bottleneck for organizations that need interconnected workflows

Tidyflow pricing

• One plan: $19/month per user

Tidyflow ratings and reviews

• G2: Not enough reviews
• Capterra: Not enough reviews 

What are real users saying about Tidyflow?

Here’s a Capterra review:

3. TaxDome (Best for delivering unified client-centric experiences)

TaxDome is a practice management solution designed for accounting and bookkeeping firms, enabling them to unify their operations within a single interface. The key feature, workflow automation, offers pipelines with customizable stages, dependencies, and automated triggers.

With AI-powered reporting, you gain insights into invoices, time entries, job tracking, and more. The smart search allows you to quickly find relevant data and turn it into compelling reports with visualization.

Another practice management feature is the built-in CRM for client management. You can store contact info, client communications, documents, tasks, and onboarding workflows—all within customizable client profiles. It even supports lead capture, automated onboarding, and reminders.

And if you want a branded mobile-first way to streamline client collaboration, document sharing, and payments, there’s TaxDome’s white-labelled app. It allows you to publish branded mobile apps under your brand name in the App Store and Google Play. 

TaxDome best features

• View client messages instantly through the portal or mobile app and chat with them in real-time
• Turn unorganized PDFs into searchable records with TaxDome AI using automated document recognition and organization
• Send files directly from your tax software to the client in TaxDome, no downloads or uploads

TaxDome limitations 

• TaxDome lacks specific capabilities that some firms need, such as proposal delivery without client logins, video file support, and more visual workflow customization options

TaxDome pricing

• One-Year Plans (annual plans only)
  • Essentials: $800/year
  • Pro: $1000/year
  • Business: $1200/year

TaxDome ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.7/5 (600+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.7/5 (3,000+ reviews)

What are real users saying about TaxDome?

Here’s a G2 review:

4. Canopy (Best for tax resolution and retrieving transcripts) 

Canopy is a cloud-based practice management solution. it’s a strong Karbon alternative that’s primarily used by tax professionals. The tax resolution module streamlines complex IRS issues with built-in workflows, letter templates, and smart decision-making tools. It allows you to handle collections, penalty abatement, or spousal relief cases.

To track the health of the firm, you have the Insights feature to uncover where you’re most profitable, where you’re losing money, and who is the most efficient team member. And with client data collection features such as billing realization and client profitability, you know the problem areas at a glance.

Wondering how to use AI in accounting? Canopy makes it practical with features to auto-generate tasks and reminders based on client actions, rename and classify documents, and surface insights with simple prompts. 

Finally, Smart Intake gives your clients an AI‑powered client onboarding experience. Through predictive questionnaires, document checklists, and pre‑filled forms offered by the Smart Intake feature, you can onboard clients quickly.

Canopy best features

• Generate custom checklists and smart questionnaires for clients using last year’s documents or proforma data with Canopy AI
• Add formulas, run calculations, replace nulls, or build IF-THEN-ELSE logic to your searches for extracting insights
• Integrate IRS e-Services to pull transcripts for tax resolution and response automation 

Canopy limitations 

• Starter Plan: $60 per user/month (for firms with up to 4 users)
• Essentials Plan: $88 per user/month (for firms with up to 4 users)
• Base Client Engagement Platform: $150/month (flat rate for unlimited users, contacts up to 2,500)
• Add-on Document Management Module: $36 per user/month
• Add-on Workflow Module: $32 per user/month
• Add-on Time & Billing Module: $22 per user/month

Canopy pricing

• Standard: $150/month for unlimited users
• Pro: $175/month for unlimited users

Canopy ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.6/5 (400+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.5/5 (200+ reviews)

What are real users saying about Canopy?

Here’s a G2 review:

5. Jetpack Workflow (Best for automating recurring client work)

Jetpack Workflow helps accounting professionals manage bookkeeping, payroll, tax prep, and client advisory services by automating recurring tasks and deadlines. You can standardize workflows using service checklists and templates, so everything runs smoothly.

As work progresses, you can use labels to flag tasks as “urgent,” “waiting on,” or “in review.” These tags are customizable; you can change the text, choose colors, and even assign multiple labels to track projects.

Within this simple practice management tool, you can message your team, alert them to important information, and add permissions for critical client documents.

Jetpack handles client handoffs and next steps automatically. All your data is stored securely in Amazon’s S3 data centers, with multiple backups to keep client records safe.

Jetpack Workflow best features

• Use the ‘Planning’ tab to compare clients, staff, or durations and easily reassign tasks to balance workloads
• Access 70+ ready-to-use templates for everyday accounting and bookkeeping tasks
• Connect with 2,000+ apps via Zapier, including all major accounting software, to manage workflows

Jetpack Workflow  limitations 

• Lacks advanced automations such as triggers or dependencies

Jetpack Workflow pricing

• Starter Monthly: $45/month per user 

Jetpack Workflow  ratings and reviews

• G2: Not enough reviews
• Capterra: 4.8/5 (50+ reviews)

What are real users saying about Jetpack Workflow?

Here’s a G2 review:

6. Financial Cents (Best for centralizing firm and client data)

Financial Cents is a user-friendly practice management platform for accountants, bookkeepers, and CPAs. It centralizes your firm’s workflow, from client tasks to team collaboration.

On the team management side, Financial Cents offers capacity management, giving you real-time visibility into team workloads. You can set capacity limits, rebalance assignments, and avoid burnout during peak periods.

Email integration enables you to connect Gmail or Outlook directly to the platform, transforming messages into actionable tasks and keeping every client conversation linked to the relevant workflow or project.

When it comes to client management features, Financial Cents serves as both a CRM software for accountants and a billing hub:

• Use its client CRM and database to store profiles, contact details, documents, notes, and audit history for each client in one secure place
• The platform also handles billing and payments, allowing you to send one-off or recurring invoices, sync payments with QuickBooks Online, and produce profitability reports to organize your finances

Financial Cents best features

• Build engagement letters directly into the proposal to outline scope and terms
• Integrate time tracking with QuickBooks to send invoices to your clients and manage payroll
• Link client vaults directly to their profiles for secure and streamlined document management using SmartVault  

Financial Cents limitations 

• Users express dissatisfaction with billing issues, noting confusing billing processes and a delayed payout timeline compared to other Karbon alternatives 

Financial Cents pricing

• Team: $69/month per user
• Scale: $89/month per user
• Enterprise: Custom pricing 

Financial Cents ratings and reviews

• G2: 5/5 (100+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.8/5 (100+ reviews)

What are real users saying about Financial Cents?

Here’s a G2 review:

7. Xero (Best for tracking business cash flow) 

Xero is a popular accounting software with a suite of tools for accountants and bookkeepers. Beyond core bookkeeping, Xero is a practice management solution with features designed to simplify compliance, staff oversight, and client collaboration.

With Xero Workpapers, your accounting firm can manage compliance workflows seamlessly, preparing and reviewing financial statements with built-in templates and standardized processes. Xero HQ acts as the central hub for managing clients, staff, and queries. It gives visibility into deadlines, communications, and upcoming work.

To streamline day-to-day operations, Xero Practice Manager offers workflow automation and management tools that cover jobs, tasks, timesheets, and invoicing.

You can upload client bills or forward them via email, and Xero’s AI pulls out details to draft bills for approval. Using Xero Me, you get snap receipts, and the app automatically extracts and logs the necessary data. 

Xero best features

• Crete branded invoice templates and get paid directly within Xero
• Automate reminders for due or overdue payments
• Use Gusto payroll to calculate pay, tax, and deductions with built-in compliance

Xero limitations 

• Limited customization in reporting, which means tailored reports require external tools 

Xero pricing

• Started: $29/month per user
• Standard: $50/month per user
• Premium: $75/month per user

Xero ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.3/5 (700+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.4/5 (3000+ reviews)

What are real users saying about Xero?

Here’s a G2 review:

8. QuickBooks (Best for automating client communication and data collection)

QuickBooks centralizes accounting by giving you visibility over your business’s finances. From income statements and balance sheets to tracking cash flow, you can see everything in a single dashboard. 

With batch invoicing and batch expensing, you can create and send dozens of invoices or expense entries in one go—critical during tax season or client billing cycles. With the AI-driven Finance Agent (available in Advanced), QuickBooks goes beyond numbers.

It automatically forecasts revenues, flagging performance variances, and guiding firms toward strategic financial goals. For firms managing multiple client books, QuickBooks Online Accountant offers real-time financial insights, client access under one login, and professional-grade reporting dashboards for holistic client advisory.

QuickBooks best features

• Automatically pull in billable hours and add them to invoices using Google Calendar
• Track assets and calculate depreciation schedules automatically with QuickBooks Advanced
• Create and e-file 1099 forms for contractors and pay them with next-day direct deposit

QuickBooks limitations 

• QuickBooks can be difficult for users without accounting experience—setup and navigation aren’t always intuitive for beginners

QuickBooks pricing

• 30-day free trial
• Simple Start: $38month per user
• Essentials: $75/month for 3 users
• Plus: $115/month for 5 users
• Advanced: $275/month for 25 users

QuickBooks ratings and reviews

• G2: 4/5 (3000+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.3/5 (8000+ reviews)

What are real users saying about QuickBooks?

Here’s a G2 review:

9. Firm360 (Best for centralizing and automating project workflows)

Beyond its accounting practice management features, Firm360 also offers project management features. With its visual Project Workflow Builder, you can map out recurring projects, like tax returns, audits, and extensions. Track both the target and deadline dates, including federal and state due dates and extensions within each project. 

What’s more, completing a task can automatically trigger the next one. Project templates control this flow. When a project moves to the next status, new tasks activate automatically, keeping work moving without manual updates.

Choose from customizable templates for recurring workflows, enabling consistency across the firm, standardization of processes, and reduced setup time. And what about seasonal workload spikes during tax seasons? Using automated task generation and intuitive dashboards, your team can plan ahead even during the busiest times. 

Firm360 best features

• Visual Project Workflow Builder tailored for accounting engagements
• Recurring projects regenerate automatically based on start dates
• Clear workload visibility for capacity tracking and staff balance

Firm360 limitations 

• Time tracker feels rigid; you need to stop and save the entry to make a small edit while the timer is running

Firm360 pricing

• Basic: $49/month per user
• Standard: $79/month per user
• Premium: $99/month per user

Firm360 ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.4/5 (80+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.7/5 (100+ reviews)

What are real users saying about Firm360?

Here’s a G2 review:

10. Bonsai (Best for consolidating billing operations)

Bonsai helps you send and track invoices, all while staying connected to your projects, time entries, and client records. For clients on retainers or recurring services, you can automate billing cycles to keep payments coming in on time.

Expense tracking is simple. You can log expenses in any currency, and Bonsai will convert them using live exchange rates. Each expense is linked to time entries, retainers, or invoices, so you can track how much you’ve earned and spent. You can mark expenses as billable or non-billable, and add a custom markup when passing those costs on to clients.

Bonsai includes a built-in rate card system that helps you define standard rates for different service types or create custom rates for specific clients and projects. You can download Schedule C or write-off reports in minutes using Bonsai’s built-in templates, and set up reminders for upcoming estimated tax payments. 

Bonsai best features

• Sync invoice data both ways with QuickBooks Online and Xero to keep your accounting records accurate
• Supports payments in 100+ currencies, so you can get paid easily no matter where you or your clients are
• Track budgets in real time using live budget bars, alerts, and forecasts to identify overspending and control  

Bonsai limitations 

• Lacks onboarding documentation, which makes migration from other tools difficult 

Bonsai pricing

• Basic: $15/month per user
• Essentials: $25/month per user
• Premium: $39/month per user
• Elite: $59/month per user

Bonsai ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.3/5 (100+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.6/5 (90+ reviews)

What are real users saying about Bonsai?

Here’s a G2 review:

11. Pixie (Best for small to medium-sized accounting)

The Karbon alternative Pixie combines project coordination, client workflows, and automation for accounting and bookkeeping firms.

You also get team management and reporting features. Internal notifications keep you updated when tasks are completed or emails are read, and customizable work reports help you monitor productivity at both firm and staff levels.

Additionally, it has one-click templates that can be scheduled weekly, monthly, or annually, complete with instructions and checklists. You can even embed training videos to create repeatable workflows.

Pixie offers pre-built and customizable onboarding workflows, including welcome emails with secure upload links, task checklists, and automated reminders. You can also set up automated emails within these workflows—whether it’s reminding clients to upload documents or sending a quick note when a task is complete. 

Pixie best features

• Use automation to create recurring jobs, auto-assign work to the team, or request statements from clients 
• Create secure client portals where you ask clients for e-signatures and have clear audit trails 
• Create to-do lists and assign them to clients or internal stakeholders 

Pixie limitations 

• You may need workarounds when generating complex reports or looking for deeper insights

Pixie pricing

• 30-day free trial
• Less than 250 users: $129/month for unlimited users
• 251-500 users: $199/month for unlimited users
• 501-1000 users: $329/month for unlimited users
• Custom pricing

Pixie ratings and reviews

• G2: Not enough reviews
• Capterra: 4.8/5 (30+ reviews)

What are real users saying about Pixie?

Here’s a G2 review:

Summarize this article with AI ClickUp Brain not only saves you precious time by instantly summarizing articles, it also leverages AI to connect your tasks, docs, people, and more, streamlining your workflow like never before. Summarize article

Summarize this article for me please

Want to save even more time? Try ClickUp Brain free

Ready to Upgrade Your Accounting Workflow?

Karbon isn’t your only option. If you’ve made it this far, you’re already considering a switch or at least wondering if there’s something better out there.

ClickUp gives your accounting team the flexibility to work the way you actually work without losing structure from recurring tasks to deadlines. 

All your workflows, people, and clients in one place, working together.🧩

Sign up on ClickUp for free. And explore if it is the right fit for your accounting team. 

Everything you need to stay organized and get work done.

Sign Up Contact Sales