Side-by-side comparison

Karbon

vs

Canopy

Comprehensive comparison to help you choose the right AI tool for your needs

Karbon

AI-powered practice management for accounting firms.
Demo
August 10, 2025
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Canopy

AI‑enabled accounting practice management suite
Demo
August 10, 2025
Visit

TL;DR

Karbon

  • All-in-one accounting practice management that unifies clients, email, work, documents, time, and billing.
  • AI and workflow automation help teams save time and prevent work from falling through the cracks.
  • Built for small to enterprise accounting and tax firms needing visibility, collaboration, and control.
  • Integrates with Google/Outlook, cloud storage, and more, with API access for custom integrations.

Canopy

  • All-in-one practice management platform built for accounting, tax, and bookkeeping firms.
  • Consolidates client portal, document management, workflow, time & billing, payments, and IRS transcripts/notices.
  • Includes Canopy AI for automations and smart insights to reduce admin work.
  • Modular, mix-and-match pricing with both firm-level and per-user options.

What Is It ?

Karbon

Karbon is an AI-powered accounting practice management platform that centralizes client work, email, tasks, documents, time, and billing in one place. It helps accounting and tax firms automate low-value tasks, standardize processes, improve team collaboration, and gain firm-wide visibility and control. Positioned in the Accounting Practice Management and AI Workflow Automation categories, Karbon connects core practice operations to drive productivity and client service quality.

Canopy

Canopy is an AI‑enabled accounting practice management platform that unifies client engagement, document management, workflow automation, time & billing, payments, IRS transcripts/notices, and tax resolution in a single, modular system. It solves the fragmentation and administrative overhead common in accounting firms by consolidating firm operations around a secure client portal, connected email, and mobile app—augmented by Canopy AI and Insights dashboards. Category: Accounting Practice Management Software.

Features

Karbon

  • Workflow Automation: Automate repetitive steps, reminders, and data collection so teams focus on high-value client work and reduce manual follow-ups.
  • Project & Task Management: Plan, assign, and track jobs across the firm with clear due dates, budgets, and progress to ensure nothing falls through the cracks.
  • Integrated Email Management: Embed email directly into workflows to triage, collaborate, and action messages without leaving the platform.
  • Client Management & Engagements: Maintain a complete record of client relationships and engagements with a single source of truth for every account.
  • Client Portal: Securely share documents, collect information, and communicate with clients to streamline collaboration.
  • Document Management: Store, organize, and access files within Karbon, with support for sharing and approvals to speed up delivery.
  • Time Tracking & Budgets: Track time against budgets and jobs to monitor profitability and inform billing decisions.
  • Billing & Payments: Reconcile time, work, and invoicing in one place to shorten billing cycles and improve cash flow.
  • Reporting & Analysis: Use practice intelligence to measure performance, capacity, and efficiency, guiding data-driven decisions.
  • AI-powered Assistance (Secure AI & GPT): Accelerate tasks like drafting, summarizing, and automating routine work with AI integrated into core workflows.
  • Calendar Integration: Connect Google or Outlook calendars to plan workloads and align schedules with deadlines.
  • Integrations & API: Connect email, cloud storage, and ecosystem apps; use the API and developer tools for custom integrations.
  • Mobile Apps: iOS and Android apps provide on-the-go access for collaboration and task management.
  • Enterprise-grade Security: Built with robust security, privacy, and compliance controls suitable for firms of all sizes.

Canopy

  • Client Portal & Mobile Apps — Provide clients and staff with a branded, secure portal and mobile experience to exchange documents, sign forms, and collaborate without email chaos.
  • Document Management with Unlimited eSign — Centralize files with secure exchange, unlimited eSignatures, retention policies, desktop sync/print driver, annotations, and granular folder permissions.
  • Workflow Automation — Manage projects and tasks with templates, recurrences, custom statuses, and automation to standardize engagements and reduce manual follow-ups.
  • Time & Billing + Payments — Track time and WIP, generate invoices, and collect ACH/card payments with surcharging options to improve cash flow and revenue integrity.
  • Engagements & Proposals — Create proposals and engagement letters with built-in eSignature to accelerate client onboarding and define scope up front.
  • CRM & Client Management — Maintain accounting‑specific client, contact, and entity records with tagging/segmentation and connected email for a complete interaction history.
  • IRS Transcripts & Notices — Pull transcripts and manage notices directly within Canopy to streamline tax resolution workflows.
  • Canopy AI — Reduce repetitive work with AI‑assisted automations and insights that help practitioners prioritize tasks and surface key information.
  • Insights Dashboards — Monitor firm health with pre-built dashboards covering utilization, capacity, profitability, and operational KPIs.
  • Access Controls & Secure Links — Apply role-based permissions and share secure links with clients who prefer not to log in, balancing security with convenience.

Who Is It For ?

Karbon

  • Small, mid-sized, and enterprise accounting firms seeking unified practice management.
  • Tax firms managing high-volume seasonal workflows and client document collection.
  • Client Accounting Services (CAS) and advisory teams standardizing recurring work.
  • Operations and practice managers who need capacity, visibility, and process control.
  • PE-backed firm groups and M&A-focused networks consolidating tooling across practices.
  • Partners and engagement leaders looking to improve collaboration and client delivery.

Canopy

Canopy is an AI‑enabled accounting practice management platform that unifies client engagement, document management, workflow automation, time & billing, payments, IRS transcripts/notices, and tax resolution in a single, modular system. It solves the fragmentation and administrative overhead common in accounting firms by consolidating firm operations around a secure client portal, connected email, and mobile app—augmented by Canopy AI and Insights dashboards. Category: Accounting Practice Management Software.

Key Uses And Applications

Karbon

  • Standardizing tax, bookkeeping, and audit workflows with automated reminders and task handoffs.
  • Centralizing client communications by linking emails, notes, and documents directly to jobs.
  • Capacity planning and resource management using unified job and time data.
  • Client onboarding with templated engagements, data requests, and due date scheduling.
  • Time tracking, budget monitoring, and billing to improve utilization and profitability.
  • Secure document sharing and e-signatures to accelerate approvals and reduce back-and-forth.
  • Practice analytics to identify bottlenecks, track SLAs, and guide staffing decisions.
  • Integrating the accounting tech stack to eliminate duplicate data entry and manual reconciliation.

Canopy

  • Centralizing client collaboration with a branded portal, secure links, and unlimited eSignatures.
  • Standardizing tax and bookkeeping workflows using templates, automation, and recurring tasks.
  • Accelerating billing with integrated time tracking, WIP, invoicing, and online payments.
  • Managing IRS transcripts and notices inside the same system to speed tax resolution.
  • Gaining operational visibility through pre-built dashboards for utilization and capacity planning.

Pros & Cons

Karbon

  • Intuitive, accounting-focused workflows unify email, tasks, clients, and documents.
  • Automation and templates reduce manual admin and standardize processes across teams.
  • Robust visibility into work, capacity, deadlines, and budgets improves planning.
  • Secure AI features accelerate drafting, summarizing, and routine task execution.
  • Strong ecosystem with calendar, storage, and communication integrations plus an API.
  • Premium implementation, training, and support options help teams onboard successfully.
  • Comprehensive feature set can present a learning curve and require structured onboarding.
  • Configuring advanced automations, templates, and reporting may take time and internal ownership.
  • Maximizing value depends on broad team adoption and process standardization, which can require change management.

Canopy

  • Modular architecture lets firms adopt only the components they need and scale over time.
  • Secure client portal with mobile apps consolidates communication, eSignatures, and file exchange.
  • Robust document management with unlimited eSignatures and retention policies reduces risk and admin overhead.
  • Built-in payments and invoicing shorten billing cycles and improve cash collection.
  • Pre-built dashboards and AI capabilities help leaders monitor utilization, capacity, and profitability.
  • Key analytics and role features are labeled PRO in several modules, meaning important capabilities may require higher tiers.
  • Module-by-module and per-user pricing can become complex to budget for as teams grow.
  • Annual contracts apply to some modules (e.g., Transcripts & Notices, Tax Resolution), reducing flexibility for short-term needs.
  • Knowledge-based authentication (KBA) incurs per-credit fees, adding incremental cost to certain eSignature workflows.
  • Implementing a firm-wide operating system may involve a meaningful setup and change-management effort.

Pricing Info

Karbon

Team

$59/month, per user, paid annually Or $79/month per user, paid monthly

The essential workflow and collaboration tools for small accounting firms.

  • Integrated Email
  • Team Collaboration Tools
  • Workflow and To-Do Lists
  • Time Tracking & Budget Reporting
  • Billing & Payments

Business

$89/month, per user, paid annually Or $99/month per user, paid monthly

Workflow automation and integrations to increase efficiency and visibility for growing practices.

  • Includes everything in Team, plus:
  • Automatic Client Reminders
  • Task Automation
  • Industry Integrations

Enterprise

Custom Pricing

Collaboration, security and reporting tools for large accounting firms.

Includes everything in Team and Business, plus:

  • Enterprise Platform
  • Dedicated Karbon Contact
  • Customization
  • Unlimited Usage Limits

Canopy

  • $150 per month — for unlimited users
    Includes: Client Portal; Mobile App for Clients & Firm; Connected Email; @mentions; CRM; Engagements & Proposals with eSignature; Client Requests; Questionnaires & Organizers; Custom Roles (PRO); Custom Reports & Formulas (PRO).
  • $36 per user/per month — for Document Management
    Includes: Secure File Exchange; Unlimited Document Storage; Unlimited eSignatures; Retention Policies; Customizable Folder Permissions; Native File Annotations; Firm Workpaper Storage; Desktop Sync & Print Driver.
  • $31 per user/per month — for Workflow
    Includes: Projects & Tasks; Automation; Workflow Templates; Recurrences; Custom Statuses; Roles for Task Assignment (PRO); Custom Reports & Formulas (PRO); Staff Utilization Report (PRO); Capacity Planning Report (PRO).
  • $22 per user/per month — for Time & Billing
    Includes: Generate & Send Invoices; Time Tracking; WIP; Collect Card & ACH Payments; Surcharging; Pre-Built Reports; Profitability Report (PRO); Custom Reports & Formulas (PRO).
  • $50 per user, per month — for Tax Resolution (annual billing)
    Includes: Transcripts and Notices.
  • $50 per user, per month — for Transcripts & Notices (annual contract)
  • $100 per collections case — add-on pricing.
  • $1.25 per KBA credit — add-on pricing for knowledge-based authentication.

FAQS

Karbon

Yes. Karbon embeds email into workflows and integrates with Google/Outlook calendars, cloud storage, and other ecosystem apps. An integrations directory and API are available for broader connectivity.
Karbon includes Secure AI and GPT features integrated into workflows to help automate tasks and work faster, such as drafting and summarizing while maintaining security controls.
Yes. Karbon offers a Developer Center and API documentation so teams can build custom integrations and automate data flows across systems.
Karbon provides enterprise-grade security, privacy, and compliance resources, including a Trust Center, security documentation, and GDPR information suitable for firms of all sizes.
Book a demo to discuss your firm’s needs. Pricing is not publicly listed; contact the Karbon sales team. Guided implementation, training, and support services are available.

Canopy

Yes. Canopy provides mobile apps for both clients and firm staff, enabling secure document exchange, messaging, and task collaboration on the go.
Canopy is modular. You can mix and match components such as Document Management, Workflow, Time & Billing, Transcripts & Notices, and Tax Resolution based on your firm’s needs.
Canopy supports unlimited eSignatures within its Document Management module. Knowledge-based authentication (KBA), when required, is billed per credit.
The pricing page does not list a free plan or free trial. Canopy offers a guided demo to evaluate the platform.
Yes. Insights provides pre-built dashboards for utilization, capacity, profitability, and operational KPIs, with additional PRO-level reporting options in certain modules.