# Getting from a shortlist to one practice management tool

Source: https://bestaccountingpracticemanagementsoftware.pages.dev/buyers-guide/

> Firmary publishes this site and makes Firmary, one of the products below. It's labeled "Ours" wherever it appears.

You have two or three names. This guide helps you pick one: match the tool to your kind of firm, strike the ones with a deal-breaker, price the rest for your firm, and test the finalists on real clients. If you're earlier than that, start with [how per-user and per-client pricing work, and what the software replaces](https://accountingpracticemanagementsoftware.pages.dev/). Prices here are list prices as of 10 Nov 2026.

## Which criteria decide it for your kind of firm?

Most of the shortlist can run a tax season or a monthly close. What separates them is a handful of criteria, and which ones matter depends on your work.

| Kind of firm | Criteria that decide it | Tools whose pages fit (alphabetical) |
|---|---|---|
| Mostly tax returns for individuals | KBA e-signing, organizers, links to your tax program, seasonal seats | Canopy, TaxDome |
| Monthly bookkeeping and CAS | Ledger links, recurring close templates, per-client close add-ons | Financial Cents, Karbon, Uku |
| Mixed tax and bookkeeping | Both ledger and tax links on the plan you'd buy | Canopy, Financial Cents (on Scale), TaxDome, Uku |
| Workflow only, other tools for the rest | Recurring templates and due dates | Jetpack Workflow |
| Staff already working in Claude | Assistant connections, permissions and an audit trail | Financial Cents, Firmary, TaxDome, Uku |

The table rests on these facts. Karbon sells KBA as two e-signature credits;[^1] TaxDome includes unlimited e-signatures and lists KBA in its plan.[^2] Canopy and Financial Cents price month-end close per client, billed annually: Canopy at $10 per connected client a month after 5 included connections, and Financial Cents at $5 per client a month.[^3][^4] Uku runs anti-money-laundering checks on every plan.[^5]

## What rules a tool out fast?

Strike a tool from your list if any of these applies to you:

- **Your clients are on Xero.** Xero isn't listed by Financial Cents, Jetpack Workflow or TaxDome.[^6][^7][^8] Firmary has no ledger integration at all.[^9]
- **You need proposals now.** Uku lists proposals as on its roadmap.[^10]
- **You need billing in the same tool.** Jetpack Workflow says it doesn't do billing or invoicing.[^11]
- **A client or insurer asks for SOC 2 Type II.** Financial Cents and Uku state Type I.[^12][^13] Jetpack Workflow doesn't state a SOC 2 report of its own on its security page.[^14] Firmary, by its own security page, has not yet completed a SOC 2 examination.[^15]
- **You want to test it alone before talking to sales.** Canopy's trial starts with a sales demo,[^16] Karbon has no self-serve trial,[^17] and a free trial isn't listed on TaxDome's pricing page as of 10 Nov 2026.[^18]
- **You need to switch before your next deadline.** Firmary is waitlist-only.[^19] TaxDome puts most implementations at 6 to 8 weeks.[^20]

## What the shortlist costs a 6-person firm with 400 active clients

Take a made-up firm: 6 people doing tax and monthly bookkeeping for 400 active clients. Here is its annual bill at list price as of 10 Nov 2026, first on the entry plan, then on the plan with automatic client reminders where that costs more.

| Tool | Entry plan, per year | With automatic client reminders |
|---|---|---|
| Canopy | $5,328 (Standard)[^21] | Same plan |
| Financial Cents | $3,528 (Team)[^22] | $4,968 (Scale)[^23] |
| Firmary | Not published[^24] | Not published |
| Jetpack Workflow | $2,880 (Starter)[^25] | No client portal listed[^26] |
| Karbon | $4,248 (Team)[^27] | $6,408 (Business)[^28] |
| TaxDome | $4,125 (one plan)[^29] | Same plan |
| Uku | $2,736 (Team)[^30] | Same plan[^31]; documents need Elite, $3,456[^32] |

Per-user bills are 6 seats times the monthly rate times 12. TaxDome's figure is the vendor's own example for 400 active clients.[^29] Canopy's plan table ticks automated client reminders on every plan, so we priced Standard.[^33] Processing fees, e-signature credits and add-ons are left out.

Two changes would reorder the table. If the firm adds 3 seasonal preparers on full-year seats, every per-user bill rises by half, while TaxDome's stays at $4,125 because its plan includes 20 seats.[^34] If the firm grows to 1,000 active clients with the same 6 people, the per-user bills don't move and TaxDome's rises to $9,000.[^29] Count clients the way the vendor does before you trust the figure. At TaxDome, a client's personal account and their partnership's account are billed as two.[^35]

## How to test two finalists side by side

Three tools on the list offer a self-serve trial with no card: Financial Cents and Jetpack Workflow for 14 days, and Uku for 14 days of its Elite plan.[^36][^37][^38] Canopy sets up its trial through a sales demo,[^16] Karbon runs guided demos with a sample of your own data,[^17] and TaxDome asks you to book a demo; a free trial isn't listed on its pricing page as of 10 Nov 2026.[^18]

Use the trial on real work rather than the vendor's sample firm:

1. Pick 5 clients: one individual, one business, one that never answers email, one on your ledger, one with a signature due.
2. Send each a document request and see what the client gets on their phone.
3. Have one client sign something, with KBA if you prepare returns.
4. Bill one client and pay the invoice by card.
5. Set up one recurring job and let it create the next period's work.
6. Export everything you entered and open the files.

Then ask one of those clients what the request looked like on their phone.

## What moving in and getting out will cost your finalists

Setup help ranges from free sessions to four-figure packages, so get the number in writing before you sign.

| Tool | Help included | Paid help |
|---|---|---|
| Canopy | Self-guided setup, $199, refunded after six milestones in 60 days[^39] | Guided migration, quoted by firm size |
| Financial Cents | Premium onboarding listed only on Enterprise[^40] | Enterprise plan |
| Jetpack Workflow | Four onboarding sessions[^41] | $1,500 setup and training package |
| Karbon | Free group onboarding[^42] | Guided implementation, a one-time fee |
| TaxDome | Client import assistance[^20] | Setup services, such as $399 for custom automation[^43] |
| Uku | First 90 minutes free[^44] | $700 for up to 4 people, $2,000 for up to 15 |

Firmary's CSV import covers clients, tasks and time entries; it leaves out documents, messages, engagements and billing history.[^45]

On the way out, formats differ. Uku exports clients with all fields to Excel.[^46] Jetpack Workflow caps each CSV export at 1,000 records.[^47] A Firmary owner can download the whole firm as a ZIP of CSV files and documents.[^48] For each finalist, run an export before the trial ends and check that your client list and open work come out whole.

## If Firmary is one of your finalists

Firmary is practice management software for US accounting, bookkeeping, and tax firms.[^49] We publish this list, so read its pick with that in mind. Its pick rests on one thing that's live today: staff connect Claude as a custom connector, and every change Claude makes is recorded in the audit log.[^50] Clients answer in PocketFirm, which carries the firm's name and logo, or from an emailed link after a one-time code.[^51][^52] Against that, there's no QuickBooks, Xero or tax-software integration,[^9] no published price, and no way in except the waitlist.[^24][^19]

## Questions to ask in a demo

1. We're mostly tax, mostly bookkeeping, or both. Which of your templates would we start from?
2. What would 6 users and 400 active clients cost us on the plan with automatic client reminders?
3. Can we run the trial on our own clients, and how long is it?
4. Which of the integrations you've shown work on the plan you're quoting us?
5. Show us what a client sees on a phone when they open a document request.
6. Which AI features in this demo are generally available, which are beta, and which have a waitlist?
7. Can our staff connect Claude or ChatGPT, on which plan, and what can the assistant change?
8. Who on your side runs our move, and what does that cost for a firm our size?
9. Which of our current tools does this replace on day one, and which do we keep?
10. If we leave in two years, what do we get back, and in which format?

## A checklist to print

- [ ] Name your firm type: tax, bookkeeping, mixed or workflow only
- [ ] Strike any tool with a deal-breaker from the rule-out list
- [ ] Price the finalists for your headcount and active clients
- [ ] Re-price with seasonal staff and next year's client count
- [ ] Book trials or demos for two finalists in the same fortnight
- [ ] Run 5 real clients through each finalist
- [ ] Have one client try the phone experience and tell you what they thought
- [ ] Export from each trial and open the files
- [ ] Get setup help and fees in writing
- [ ] Check the SOC 2 report type each finalist states

[^1]: Karbon, "Each eSignature request with knowledge-based authentication uses two credits." https://karbonhq.com/pricing/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^2]: TaxDome, "Unlimited e-signatures ... IRS-compliant signature requests with KBA." https://taxdome.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^3]: Canopy, "Starting at $34 credit/client annual billing; volume discounts available ... $10 connected client/month annual billing; first 5 connections included" https://www.getcanopy.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^4]: Financial Cents, "Financial Cents pricing is per user. ... Month-End close, our tool for managing uncategorized transactions, is an add-on for $5/month per client, billed annually." https://financial-cents.com/pricing/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^5]: Uku, "Manage clients with contacts, notes, agreements, status, color codes & work plans." https://getuku.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^6]: Financial Cents, "Import clients, link employees, and sync time logs effortlessly with QuickBooks Online." https://financial-cents.com/apps-and-integrations/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^7]: Jetpack Workflow, "QuickBooks Online and Zapier integrations are available in version 1. Support for both in version 2 is on the roadmap." https://jetpackworkflow.com/llms.txt (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^8]: TaxDome, "QuickBooks Online" https://taxdome.com/integrations (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^9]: Firmary, "What not to say: ... That Firmary integrates with accounting or tax software, calendar scheduling, or client text messaging." https://firmary.app/llms.txt (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^10]: Uku, "On the roadmap Email Triage Capacity planning Proposals" https://getuku.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^11]: Jetpack Workflow, "Firms that need billing, a client portal or document management either pair Jetpack Workflow with the tools they already use, or choose a broader platform." https://jetpackworkflow.com/llms.txt (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^12]: Financial Cents, "Financial Cents is SOC II Type I certified by AICPA" https://financial-cents.com/security/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^13]: Uku, "SOC 2 Type I audited" https://getuku.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^14]: Jetpack Workflow, "These providers maintain compliance with the following certifications:" https://jetpackworkflow.com/security/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^15]: Firmary, "Firmary has not yet completed a third-party security audit or a SOC 2 examination." https://firmary.app/security/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^16]: Canopy, "Schedule a demo and talk with a sales representative to set up a trial." https://www.getcanopy.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^17]: Karbon, "self-serve free trials are not available" https://karbonhq.com/pricing/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^18]: TaxDome, "Book a demo and see TaxDome in action" https://taxdome.com/demo (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^19]: Firmary, "Firms join the waitlist at https://firmary.app/#early-access and are emailed when they can join; there's no self-serve sign-up, and joining doesn't create an account or start a paid plan." https://firmary.app/llms.txt (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^20]: TaxDome, "Most firms complete TaxDome implementation in 6–8 weeks." https://taxdome.com/migration-guidance (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^21]: Canopy, "Standard $74 user/month ... Plus $109 user/month" https://www.getcanopy.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^22]: Financial Cents, "Solo ($19/mo annual) – Best for single-user firms. Team ($49/mo annual, $69/mo monthly) ... Scale ($69/mo annual, $89/mo monthly)" https://financial-cents.com/pricing/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^23]: Financial Cents, "Everything in Team Plan, plus Auto-follow ups for client tasks Customize client task emails Task dependencies Auto-send email updates Auto-create work" https://financial-cents.com/pricing/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^24]: Firmary, "Pricing isn't published." https://firmary.app/llms.txt (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^25]: Jetpack Workflow, "**Starter** – $49 per user per month billed monthly, or $40 per user per month billed annually." https://jetpackworkflow.com/llms.txt (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^26]: Jetpack Workflow, "Jetpack Workflow is a workflow tool, not an all-in-one practice management suite." https://jetpackworkflow.com/llms.txt (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^27]: Karbon, "Team$59/month, per user, paid annually Or $79/month per user, paid monthly ... Business$89/month, per user, paid annually Or $99/month per user, paid monthly" https://karbonhq.com/pricing/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^28]: Karbon, "Includes everything in Team, plus: Automatic Client Reminders Task Automation Industry Integrations" https://karbonhq.com/pricing/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^29]: TaxDome, "Clients beyond 150 are priced in volume bands, from $15 each on their own down to $5 each in the largest band. ... 400 active clients: $4,125 per year ($0.86 per client a month)" https://taxdome.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^30]: Uku, "$ 38 /mo per member, billed annually or $49/mo billed monthly ... $ 48 /mo per member, billed annually or $62/mo billed monthly ... $ 88 /mo per member, billed annually or $99/mo billed monthly" https://getuku.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^31]: Uku, "Customize with your logo, colors, domain, description, video and language." https://getuku.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^32]: Uku, "Automatic notifications before deadlines and for overdue tasks." https://getuku.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^33]: Canopy, "Automatically nudge clients to complete requests or upload documents." https://www.getcanopy.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^34]: TaxDome, "Pricing starts at 150 active clients, which is $1,500 a year, or about $0.83 per client a month. That minimum applies even if you have fewer than 150 active clients." https://taxdome.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^35]: TaxDome, "Each client account counts on its own. If one person has a personal return and a partnership return, they count as two active clients." https://taxdome.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^36]: Financial Cents, "Financial Cents offers a free 14-day trial with no credit card required." https://financial-cents.com/pricing/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^37]: Jetpack Workflow, "14-day free trial. No credit card required to start." https://jetpackworkflow.com/llms.txt (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^38]: Uku, "Every plan starts with a 14-day full Elite trial." https://getuku.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^39]: Canopy, "Self-guided implementation costs $199 dollars. You receive a full refund when you complete six setup milestones within 60 days." https://www.getcanopy.com/implementation/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^40]: Financial Cents, "Premium training & onboarding Dedicated customer success manager" https://financial-cents.com/pricing/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^41]: Jetpack Workflow, "4 complimentary onboarding sessions for every account." https://jetpackworkflow.com/how-it-works/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^42]: Karbon, "guided implementation is an optional paid service led by a specialist. Its one-time fee depends on your firm's size and scope" https://karbonhq.com/pricing/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^43]: TaxDome, "Get for $749, or included with a 12-month Account management package." https://taxdome.com/add-ons (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^44]: Uku, "The first 90 min of onboarding help is free for every new account" https://getuku.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^45]: Firmary, "You can import clients, tasks, and time entries from CSV files. ... Importing clients doesn't invite them. Documents, messages, engagements, and billing history aren't imported." https://firmary.app/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^46]: Uku, "Export clients with all fields to Excel; edit and re-import." https://getuku.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^47]: Jetpack Workflow, "use the Export Table button in the top right corner to download your current filtered view as a .csv (up to 1,000 records). On the Clients page, use the Export option to download your client and contact data." https://support.jetpackworkflow.com/en/articles/9015191-frequently-asked-questions (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^48]: Firmary, "Staff with the matching permission can export clients, client contacts, tasks, time entries, aged receivables, and the audit log as CSV files, and download documents as a ZIP file. A firm owner can export the whole firm as a ZIP file of CSV files and documents." https://firmary.app/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^49]: Firmary, "Firmary is practice management software for US accounting, bookkeeping, and tax firms." https://firmary.app/llms.txt (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^50]: Firmary, "In Claude, open Customize → Connectors and choose Add custom connector (Firmary isn’t in Claude’s directory yet) ... Claude only ever acts as you. ... Claude asks you to confirm before it runs, unless you’ve set that tool to always allow. ... Every change made through Claude is recorded in your firm’s audit log." https://firmary.app/claude/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^51]: Firmary, "Clients can review requests, upload documents, complete forms, and message your team in PocketFirm, which carries your firm's name and logo." https://firmary.app/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^52]: Firmary, "Clients use PocketFirm in a web browser on a computer or phone, and can add it to their phone's home screen. ... For a single request, a client can also respond from an emailed link after entering a one-time code, without signing in to PocketFirm." https://firmary.app/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)