# How tax practice tools compare on organizers, KBA and return status

Source: https://besttaxpracticemanagementsoftware.pages.dev/compare/

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

Seven tools on six columns that decide how a tax season goes: how you pay, organizers, document collection, 8879 e-signing with KBA, the link to your tax software, and return tracking. Cells come from each vendor's own pages, checked on 10 Nov 2026, in alphabetical order.

Firmary is ours. It's practice management software for US accounting, bookkeeping, and tax firms,[^1] and it doesn't integrate with tax software.[^2] Its row shows where that leaves it in season.

| Product | How it's priced | Tax organizers and questionnaires | Document requests | E-signing | Tax software links | Recurring work and checklists |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Canopy | Per user, with per-client credits for AI intake (from $34 a credit) and Tax Resolution at $50 per user per month.[^3] | Customizable questionnaires and organizers; AI-generated intake uses per-client credits, with 5 included per plan.[^4] | Client requests, document checklists and automated reminders.[^5] | E-signing on every plan; KBA at $1.25 per credit as of 10 Nov 2026.[^6] | Saves files from UltraTax CS, Drake Tax, Lacerte and ProSeries; CCH Axcess and ProConnect Tax return-status links are marked coming soon.[^7] | Tasks and projects can repeat on a scheduler, with role-based assignment and task automations, on every plan.[^8] |
| Drake Tax | By tool or bundle, monthly or yearly, with e-signatures charged per signing event.[^9][^10][^11] | Guided Organizer is labeled coming soon.[^12] | Client checklists built from prior-year data, with uploads matched to checklist items automatically.[^13] | Drake E-Sign needs a Drake Portals subscription; KBA signings cost $2.50 down to $1.75 each by volume, with a 5-event minimum.[^11] | Drake Workflow connects with Drake Tax, Drake Tax Online, Drake Portals and Drake E-Sign.[^14] | Drake Workflow shows every return in the pipeline, with statuses updated from activity across Drake tools.[^15] |
| Firmary (Ours) | Not published.[^16] | Not among Firmary's published features.[^17] Firms can send their own reusable forms, which clients complete in PocketFirm.[^18][^19] | Document requests and forms answered in PocketFirm, or from an emailed link with a one-time code for a single request.[^19][^20] | E-signing is included.[^17] KBA for e-signing is not among Firmary's published features.[^17] | None. Firmary doesn't integrate with tax software.[^2] | Not offered today.[^17] |
| Karbon | Per user, with no reduced rate for seasonal or part-time users.[^21] | Through the StanfordTax integration, which builds personalized organizers from the firm's tax software and updates progress in Karbon.[^22] | Requests and file uploads on every plan; reminders go out automatically only on Business and Enterprise.[^23] | Sold as credit bundles, from 100 credits for $100 to 4,000 for $2,000; a KBA request uses two credits, as of 10 Nov 2026.[^24] | ProConnect Tax (Intuit): returns become repeating work items and statuses sync. Drake Tax, Lacerte, UltraTax CS and CCH aren't listed as of 10 Nov 2026.[^25] | Work templates, scheduled recurring jobs and workflow statuses on all plans.[^26] |
| Liscio | Per user, plus a charge for each organizer and tax delivery.[^27] | Smart Tax Organizers read the client's prior-year Form 1040 to build the request list and send reminders; individual returns only this season.[^28] | Client tasks and requests with due dates; Smart Client Requests open from a secure link with no app or password.[^29] | Included in Liscio Platform; KBA is $2 per signer.[^30] Smart Tax Delivery sends the finished return for review and signature.[^31] | Reads the return PDF instead of integrating, so it works with any tax software that produces a computer-generated return PDF.[^32][^28] | Client tasks, requests and due dates; recurring templates and return status aren't listed on its pricing page as of 10 Nov 2026.[^33] |
| Soraban | Not published.[^34] | A tax organizer isn't described on its Collect page as of 10 Nov 2026; Collect sends guided document requests instead.[^35] | Collect tracks every outstanding document and sends targeted reminders; clients follow a step-by-step flow with no app to download.[^36] | Deliver sends the return packet in one link for Form 8879 e-signature and payment; KBA isn't mentioned on the Deliver page as of 10 Nov 2026.[^37] | Connect posts extracted data into UltraTax CS, Lacerte, Drake Tax and CCH Axcess; ProConnect Tax is marked coming soon.[^38] | Deliver shows each return as sent, opened, signed or paid.[^39] General recurring templates aren't listed on its product pages.[^40] |
| TaxDome | Per active client, with 20 seats included; a client counts as active after any activity in the past 12 months.[^41] | Tax organizers from customizable templates, plus intake questionnaires.[^42] AI intake builds a checklist from the prior-year return on every plan.[^43] | Request lists show which documents each client has sent, and reminders go out automatically.[^44] | Unlimited e-signatures, KBA signature requests and audit trail certificates, included.[^45] | Reads prior-year returns from Drake Tax, ProSeries, UltraTax CS, ATX, CCH Axcess or Lacerte, and takes finished returns from any tax software that can print.[^46] | Customizable workflows with custom job statuses and ready-made templates.[^47] |

## Each tool in brief

### Canopy

- Best for: Firms that combine return prep with IRS notices and resolution work.[^48]
- Watch out for: KBA and AI intake are charged per use.[^6][^4] Capacity planning starts on Plus.[^49] The trial is arranged through a sales demo.[^50]
- Price: Standard $74 and Plus $109 per user per month, billed annually, as of 10 Nov 2026; Enterprise is custom.[^51]

### Drake Tax

- Best for: Firms that prepare in Drake Tax and want the client side and return status from the same vendor.[^14][^15]
- Watch out for: The bundles are non-cancelable annual subscriptions and aren't available to Pay-Per-Return users.[^10] Drake Workflow can't be canceled during its term either.[^52]
- Price: Practice Essentials (Drake Portals, Workflow and E-Sign) $599 a year with qualifying Drake Tax packages.[^10] Drake Portals alone $49.95 a month or $349.95 a year; Drake Workflow alone $299.99 a year. As of 10 Nov 2026.[^9][^52]

### Firmary (Ours)

- Best for: Practices whose clients won't create accounts: for a single request, a client answers from an emailed link after entering a one-time code.[^20]
- Watch out for: It doesn't integrate with tax software,[^2] organizers aren't among its published features, and recurring return tracking isn't offered today.[^17] It's pre-launch, with a waitlist and no published price.[^53][^16]
- Price: Not published. Firms join a waitlist and are emailed when they can join.[^16][^53]

### Karbon

- Best for: Firms on ProConnect Tax whose team runs client work from shared email.[^25][^54]
- Watch out for: Automatic client reminders need Business at $89 per user per month, billed annually.[^55] Seasonal staff pay the full seat price.[^21] Whether StanfordTax costs extra isn't stated on Karbon's page.[^22]
- Price: Team $59 and Business $89 per user per month billed annually ($79 and $99 billed monthly), as of 10 Nov 2026.[^56]

### Liscio

- Best for: Firms that want organizers built from last year's return while keeping their tax software and practice tool.[^28][^32]
- Watch out for: Invoicing and payments aren't listed on its pricing page.[^57] Organizers cover individual returns only this season,[^28] and no free trial is listed.[^58]
- Price: File Intelligence $19 and Platform $49 per user per month, billed annually, as of 10 Nov 2026.[^59] Organizers and deliveries $7 each, or $4 to $5 each in prepaid bundles.[^60]

### Soraban

- Best for: Firms that want intake, data entry into the tax software and return delivery handled as one tax workflow.[^36][^38][^37]
- Watch out for: There's no published price.[^34] Recurring templates for bookkeeping or payroll aren't listed on its product pages, so plan on another tool for that work.[^40]
- Price: Not published on soraban.com as of 10 Nov 2026; the site asks you to request a demo.[^34]

### TaxDome

- Best for: Firms with many individual clients and seasonal staff who want organizers and KBA signing in the plan.[^41][^45][^42]
- Watch out for: Each client account counts on its own, so one person with a personal and a partnership return is two active clients.[^61] The MCP connector and API need the $200-a-month AI add-on.[^62]
- Price: From $1,500 a year for 150 active clients and 20 seats, billed annually; more active clients cost $15 down to $5 each, as of 10 Nov 2026.[^63][^64]

## When another tool is a better fit than Firmary

- **Canopy**: Your practice answers IRS notices as well as filing returns. Canopy's Tax Resolution add-on pulls IRS transcripts, tracks notices and fills federal and state forms.[^48] Resolution work is not among Firmary's published features.[^17]
- **Drake Tax**: You prepare in Drake Tax. Drake Workflow updates each return's status from activity across Drake's tools,[^15] and Firmary has no view of a return's status, because it doesn't integrate with tax software.[^2]
- **Karbon**: You prepare in ProConnect Tax. Karbon turns ProConnect Tax returns into work items and syncs their statuses,[^25] and Firmary has no tax software link.[^2]
- **Liscio**: You want organizers built from each client's prior-year 1040 without changing your tax software. Liscio reads the return PDF to build the request list.[^28] Organizers aren't among Firmary's published features.[^17]
- **Soraban**: Your bottleneck is keying client documents into the return. Soraban posts extracted data into UltraTax CS, Lacerte, Drake Tax and CCH Axcess for review.[^38] Firmary doesn't integrate with tax software.[^2]
- **TaxDome**: You file hundreds of individual returns, add seasonal preparers, and need KBA on every 8879. TaxDome includes unlimited e-signatures, KBA[^45] and 20 seats in its plan.[^63] KBA isn't among Firmary's published features either.[^17]

## How we compared them

The six columns follow a return through the season, from organizer to signed 8879. Each cell quotes the vendor's own pricing, product or integration page as read on 10 Nov 2026, and the footnote links to it. When we write that something "isn't listed" or "isn't mentioned", we mean on the page named, on that date. Prices are US list prices before discounts, taxes and payment fees. We left out CCH Axcess Practice because its product pages blocked our page reader on 10 Nov 2026, so we had no page to quote for any column. That reflects our check, not the product. We haven't used these tools on real returns. The Firmary row draws only on what firmary.app publishes.

[^1]: Firmary, "Firmary is practice management software for US accounting, bookkeeping, and tax firms." https://firmary.app/llms.txt (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^2]: 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)
[^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]: Canopy, "Questionnaires and checklists you build and send without AI never use a credit." https://www.getcanopy.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^5]: Canopy, "Automatically nudge clients to complete requests or upload documents." https://www.getcanopy.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^6]: Canopy, "$1.25 per KBA credit" https://www.getcanopy.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^7]: Canopy, "CCH Axcess (Coming Soon) ... Intuit Proconnect (Coming Soon) ... Save files from Drake Tax to Canopy." https://www.getcanopy.com/integrations/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^8]: Canopy, "Automate task dates, notifications, status and assignee changes, and automate questionnaires and document checklists" https://www.getcanopy.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^9]: Drake Tax, "$349.95Yearly 5 GB included Additional storage for $99.95/yr per 25GB Custom branding and portal URL" https://www.drakesoftware.com/products/drake-portals/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^10]: Drake Tax, "Practice Essentials and Practice Essentials Plus are annual subscriptions that begin on the date of purchase and automatically renew each year. Subscriptions cannot be canceled, modified, or refunded during the active term." https://www.drakesoftware.com/bundles/practice-essentials/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^11]: Drake Tax, "KBA E-Signatures Identity-verified signing Events Cost Per Event 0-99 $2.50 100-499 $2.25 SAVE 10% 500+ $1.75 SAVE 30% Minimum purchase: 5 E-Sign events" https://www.drakesoftware.com/products/drake-e-sign/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^12]: Drake Tax, "Guided Organizer and Advanced Analytics — labeled coming soon in Drake Portals® and Drake Hub, respectively" https://www.drakesoftware.com/products/drake-intelligence/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^13]: Drake Tax, "Client Checklists help you track which documents your clients have uploaded. Checklists are dynamic and based on the prior year's data entry." https://www.drakesoftware.com/products/drake-portals/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^14]: Drake Tax, "Drake Workflow integrates seamlessly with Drake Tax, Drake Tax Online, Drake Portals and E-signature." https://www.drakesoftware.com/products/drake-workflow/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^15]: Drake Tax, "A centralized dashboard gives you a high-level view of every tax return in your pipeline at a glance. ... Return statuses update automatically based on activity across Drake tools ... Returns that need your action are flagged automatically" https://www.drakesoftware.com/products/drake-workflow/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^16]: Firmary, "Pricing isn't published." https://firmary.app/llms.txt (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^17]: Firmary, "PocketFirm, the client portal that carries the firm's branding (pocketfirm.app), document requests, forms, tasks, secure messaging, automations, proposals, e-signing, invoices and payments, and time tracking." https://firmary.app/llms.txt (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^18]: Firmary, "Client fields and tags to record what matters to your firm. Reusable forms, emails, and engagement-letter templates" https://firmary.app/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^19]: 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)
[^20]: 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)
[^21]: 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)
[^22]: Karbon, "Connect StanfordTax directly to your tax software to instantly generate personalized, AI-powered client tax organizers." https://karbonhq.com/integrations/stanfordtax/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^23]: Karbon, "Business adds automatic client reminders, task automation, and industry integrations." https://karbonhq.com/pricing/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^24]: Karbon, "Each eSignature request with knowledge-based authentication uses two credits." https://karbonhq.com/pricing/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^25]: Karbon, "tax returns in ProConnect become repeating work items in Karbon, and tax return statuses become filterable work statuses" https://karbonhq.com/integrations/intuit-proconnect/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^26]: Karbon, "Assign tasks, create work from templates, schedule jobs, and view dashboards." https://karbonhq.com/pricing/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^27]: Liscio, "Pricing shown is annual, per user. Monthly plans available, contact us." https://liscio.me/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^28]: Liscio, "Liscio reads each client's prior-year Form 1040 and builds the document request list" https://liscio.me/features/tax-organizers (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^29]: Liscio, "Create professional client requests with your own questions, sections, and conditional logic." https://liscio.me/features/smart-client-requests (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^30]: Liscio, "Organizers and document collection eSignature Custom branding ... KBA $2 per signer" https://liscio.me/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^31]: Liscio, "When the return is done, Smart Tax Delivery sends it back for review and e-signature." https://liscio.me/features/tax-organizers (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^32]: Liscio, "The packages below are examples, not integrations." https://liscio.me/features/tax-organizers (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^33]: Liscio, "Client tasks, requests, and due dates" https://liscio.me/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^34]: Soraban, "Log In Request a Demo" https://soraban.com/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^35]: Soraban, "Most firms already have tools for collecting documents. Portals, emails, spreadsheets, organizers. ... Collect replaces that patchwork with a single system designed to run intake from start to finish." https://soraban.com/products/collect (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^36]: Soraban, "Collect tracks every outstanding document and sends targeted reminders to clients on your behalf." https://soraban.com/products/collect (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^37]: Soraban, "Clients can review and sign 8879s in a simpler, guided flow that makes it easier to complete the return." https://soraban.com/products/deliver (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^38]: Soraban, "Connect puts validated data directly into UltraTax, Lacerte, Drake, and CCH Axcess." https://soraban.com/products/connect (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^39]: Soraban, "See exactly where every return stands ... sent, opened, signed, paid. Deliver automatically follows up with clients who haven't completed their part" https://soraban.com/products/deliver (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^40]: Soraban, "Soraban connects intake, workpaper prep, data entry, and delivery in one system." https://soraban.com/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^41]: 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)
[^42]: TaxDome, "Collect tax data with customizable, compliant templates." https://taxdome.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^43]: TaxDome, "AI intake is included in every plan, and Atlas is coming soon." https://taxdome.com/taxdome-ai (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^44]: TaxDome, "Send required documents, track completion. ... Reminders for tasks, approvals, and unpaid invoices." https://taxdome.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^45]: TaxDome, "Unlimited e-signatures ... IRS-compliant signature requests with KBA." https://taxdome.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^46]: TaxDome, "Works with Drake, ProSeries, UltraTax, ATX, CCH Axcess, and Lacerte." https://taxdome.com/taxdome-ai (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^47]: TaxDome, "End-to-end processes for tax, bookkeeping, and CAS." https://taxdome.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^48]: Canopy, "20 years of transcripts, quick and easy" https://www.getcanopy.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^49]: Canopy, "ALL STANDARD FEATURES + ... Capacity planning and forecasting ... Custom reporting" https://www.getcanopy.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^50]: Canopy, "Schedule a demo and talk with a sales representative to set up a trial." https://www.getcanopy.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^51]: Canopy, "Standard $74 user/month ... Plus $109 user/month" https://www.getcanopy.com/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^52]: Drake Tax, "for just $299.99 per year. ... Drake Workflow is an annual subscription that begins on the date of purchase and automatically renews each year. Subscriptions cannot be canceled, modified, or refunded during the active term." https://www.drakesoftware.com/products/drake-workflow/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^53]: 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)
[^54]: Karbon, "Share, assign and comment on emails across your team." https://karbonhq.com/pricing/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^55]: Karbon, "Includes everything in Team, plus: Automatic Client Reminders Task Automation Industry Integrations" https://karbonhq.com/pricing/ (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^56]: 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)
[^57]: Liscio, "Two plans, plus organizers and deliveries when you need them." https://liscio.me/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^58]: Liscio, "Book a tailored demo and we will show File Intelligence on the documents your firm handles most, then help you choose the right plan." https://liscio.me/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^59]: Liscio, "$19 per user / month Billed annually per user ... $49 per user / month Billed annually per user" https://liscio.me/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^60]: Liscio, "You can send organizers and deliveries any time without a bundle. Each one is $7." https://liscio.me/pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^61]: 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)
[^62]: TaxDome, "Yes, with the TaxDome AI add-on. The open Model Context Protocol (MCP) connector lets your AI tool read and act on TaxDome data directly." https://taxdome.com/taxdome-ai (checked 10 Nov 2026)
[^63]: 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)
[^64]: 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)