# Questions about accounting practice management software

Source: https://accountingpracticemanagementsoftware.pages.dev/faq/

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

Each answer stands on its own and cites the vendor's page wherever it states a product fact. Prices quoted are list prices on 10 Nov 2026.

## What is accounting practice management software?

Accounting practice management software is the system an accounting, tax or bookkeeping firm uses to run its client work. It tracks clients, repeating jobs and due dates, document requests, e-signatures, proposals, invoices and staff time. It doesn't keep a client's books or prepare returns; the firm's ledger and tax software still do that.

## Is practice management software the same as accounting software?

No. Accounting software such as QuickBooks Online or Xero is the client's ledger. Practice management software runs the firm's own work around that ledger: requests, deadlines, signatures and billing. Some practice tools sync with the ledger, for example Financial Cents with QuickBooks Online on every plan.[^1]

## Does practice management software replace tax software?

No. Tax preparation stays in programs such as Drake, Lacerte or UltraTax. Practice management software handles what surrounds the return: organizers, document collection, e-signing and status. TaxDome, for example, reads a client's prior-year return from six named tax programs to build the document checklist.[^2]

## What is the difference between per-user and per-active-client pricing?

Per-user pricing charges for each staff seat, so the bill grows when you hire; Karbon says client count doesn't change its price.[^3] Per-active-client pricing charges for clients with activity in the past 12 months, with seats bundled; TaxDome includes 20 seats and starts at 150 active clients.[^4][^5]

## What counts as an active client in TaxDome's pricing?

TaxDome counts a client as active after any activity in the past 12 months, such as logging in, uploading, messaging or receiving an invoice.[^4] Contacts without activity cost nothing. Each client account counts separately, so a person with a personal and a partnership return is two active clients.[^6]

## How much does accounting practice management software cost?

At list price as of 10 Nov 2026, billed annually, Canopy starts at $74 per user a month,[^7] Financial Cents at $19 a month for one user,[^8] Jetpack Workflow at $40 per user a month[^9] and Karbon at $59 per user a month.[^10] TaxDome starts at $1,500 a year for up to 150 active clients.[^5] Add-ons and payment fees come on top.

## Does a two-person accounting firm need practice management software?

Often not yet, in our view. If both people see every client email and the due-date list is current, the software mostly adds a subscription. It starts to pay once someone has to ask where a client's work stands, or the same documents get chased every season. One-user plans exist, such as Financial Cents Solo.[^8]

## Is a client portal the same as practice management software?

A client portal is one part of practice management software: the side clients use to upload, answer, sign and pay. The rest is the firm's side, with work, deadlines, time and billing. Jetpack Workflow is the reverse case: a workflow tool that lists no client portal, and the vendor says firms needing one pair it with other tools.[^11]

## Is workflow software the same as practice management software?

Workflow software covers one part of practice management: repeating jobs, checklists, due dates and assignments. Practice management software adds the client side, signatures, proposals and billing. Jetpack Workflow describes itself as a workflow tool rather than a full practice management suite, and says it doesn't handle billing.[^12][^13]

## How long does it take to switch practice management software?

It depends on the vendor and how much you move. Canopy refunds its $199 self-guided implementation fee if six setup milestones are done within 60 days.[^14] Karbon puts its expert-led billing and payments go-live at 3 to 4 weeks.[^15] By TaxDome's account, most firms complete implementation in 6 to 8 weeks.[^16]

## Can I get my data out of practice management software if I leave?

Usually some of it, and the amount varies. Canopy's help center describes a client list export to CSV.[^17] Firmary lets an owner export the whole firm as a ZIP of CSV files and documents.[^18] TaxDome exports accounts, jobs, invoices and time as zipped CSV files.[^19] Run a test export before you commit.

## When did TaxDome switch to per-client pricing?

TaxDome switched new firms from per-seat to per-active-client pricing for sign-ups from 2 Nov 2026 and merged its three plans into one.[^20] Existing customers keep their plan and price until their first renewal on or after 1 Jan 2027, when they move to the new pricing.[^20]

[^1]: Financial Cents, "Our two-way QuickBooks Online sync keeps your accounting data up to date by ensuring that client records, invoice statuses, and payment details are automatically reflected in both systems." https://financial-cents.com/billing/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^2]: TaxDome, "Works with Drake, ProSeries, UltraTax, ATX, CCH Axcess, and Lacerte." https://taxdome.com/taxdome-ai (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^3]: Karbon, "Karbon is priced per user. ... Your client count and document volume do not determine the subscription price." https://karbonhq.com/pricing/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^4]: TaxDome, "An active client is a client with any activity in the past 12 months, such as logging in, uploading documents, sending messages, or receiving an invoice. Contacts without activity cost nothing." https://taxdome.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^5]: 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)
[^6]: 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)
[^7]: Canopy, "Standard $74 user/month ... Plus $109 user/month" https://www.getcanopy.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^8]: 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)
[^9]: 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)
[^10]: 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)
[^11]: 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)
[^12]: Jetpack Workflow, "Jetpack Workflow is a workflow tool, not an all-in-one practice management suite. ... This is deliberate: the trade is depth in recurring work and speed of setup, instead of breadth." https://jetpackworkflow.com/llms.txt (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^13]: 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)
[^14]: 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)
[^15]: Karbon, "Go live with Karbon Billing & Payments in 3-4 weeks, with expert-led setup, data imports, and training." https://karbonhq.com/services/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^16]: TaxDome, "Most firms complete TaxDome implementation in 6–8 weeks." https://taxdome.com/migration-guidance (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^17]: Canopy, "Check if your role has the "Export client & contacts" permission enabled. ... Your clients will be downloaded to a .CSV file named" https://support.getcanopy.com/en/articles/9375770-export-client-lists-from-canopy (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^18]: 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)
[^19]: TaxDome, "To export all the data from your active accounts to a CSV file ... You'll receive a zipped CSV file containing all your time-tracking data ... If you want your documents to be stored on your computer, copy their folders from ... then paste them to your local drive." https://help.taxdome.com/article/278-how-do-i-back-up-all-my-account-data (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^20]: TaxDome, "Firms that signed up before Nov. 2, 2026 can still pay per seat, based on plan tier, and their plan and price stay the same until the first renewal on or after Jan. 1, 2027." https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/taxdome-switches-from-per-seat-to-per-client-pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)