Financial Cents is a cloud-based practice management platform designed to help firms and solo bookkeeping, tax, and accounting practitioners to manage emails, client work, records, and time in one place.
With a solo pricing plan at $19 USD/month for one user, it can be an affordable option for sole accountants getting started. The pricing increases significantly per user ($30-$50 USD/month extra per seat) depending on the tier if you expect more than one user to be using the platform.
Financial Cents’ strengths include an email integration with Gmail and Outlook, workflow tools for managing client projects and tasks, a built-in CRM for storing contact records, a client portal to streamline file and information sharing, and basic time tracking with invoicing.
For small teams, these features are exactly what’s needed: a simple way to stay organized and deliver work efficiently day-to-day.
But for larger firms or firms looking to grow, they may find the platform lacks the advanced functionality needed to support a scalable business.
Why you should consider Financial Cents alternatives for your practice management solution
1. Financial Cents’ workflow, automation, and collaboration functionality lacks depth for complex workflows
For example, you can create and manage client work as checklists, bulk-create checklists for multiple clients using pre-built workflow templates, and set up basic automation rules.
like managing work using First-in First-Out queues and managing statutory extensions due dates automatically.
For firms with large or complex clients that require multiple team members on a single project, Financial Cents’ workflow capabilities might not provide your team with the necessary automation to make work truly productive.
Workflow dashboard in Financial Cents
2. Financial Cents has limited integrations
The ability to integrate your practice management software with as many key apps as possible (both accounting-specific and more generic tools) makes for a more connected and seamless firm.
With Financial Cents, you have limited integration options, especially in comparison to other practice management tools, like Karbon.
If your firm demands an expansive and deeply-connected app ecosystem to eliminate manual data entry (and double-entry) and streamline your workflows and processes, you might not find Financial Cents’ current integration capabilities sufficient.
The 5 best Financial Cents alternatives for accounting firms
1. Karbon
Karbon is the #1 rated accounting practice management platform, with deep workflow automation and reporting capabilities for firms of various sizes.
As an industry leader on innovation, Karbon releases new features and feature enhancements every few weeks and has an active product roadmap shaped by customer feedback.
For firms that are looking for a practice management solution that will help them adapt to the changing industry and technology landscape more quickly, Karbon is an ideal choice.
Workflow dashboard view in Karbon
Karbon’s key features
Integrated email (Gmail, Office 365, and Microsoft Exchange)
Karbon and Financial Cents are both well-regarded accounting practice management tools.
Financial Cents has features and functionality that are more suited to smaller firms that don’t yet require the deeper capabilities and customization that Karbon offers.
As a result, Karbon is better suited for firms that have a need for stronger workflow, reporting, and integration capabilities.
TaxDome is another popular practice management solution for accounting and tax professionals. It offers a wide range of features, from a client app to a native website builder.
Client view portal in TaxDome
TaxDome’s key features
Client portal and mobile app that supports real-time messaging
CRM
Unlimited clients, documents, and projects
Project and task management
Workflow automation
Customizable organizers
eSignatures and KBA (Knowledge-Based Authentication)
Document management
Notification center
Time tracking
Invoicing and payments
Integrations with popular accounting software
Website builder
TaxDome pros and cons
Pros
Wide range of small business features give you access to more functionality than other practice management solutions
Highly customizable client portal
A client mobile app helps clients gain easy access to the portal
No high-level visibility across your entire firm’s work (limited to each ‘pipeline’)
No native reporting or analytics capabilities
Who is TaxDome best suited for?
TaxDome is best suited for sole tax practitioners or startup accounting firms that are looking for functionality across a wide range of features, but don’t require scalable, collaborative solutions.
Reviews
Here’s how TaxDome and Financial Cents stack up against each other on popular software review sites:
Essentials: $700 USD/year per user, with a 3-year commitment
Pro: $900 USD/year per user, with a 3-year commitment
Business: $1,100 USD/year per user, with a 3-year commitment
TaxDome forces customers to sign up to a 1-year minimum subscription, with the prices reducing the longer you lock in for.
For a team of 20 on their most popular Business plan with a 1-year commitment, you can expect to pay $24,000 USD up front.
TaxDome or Financial Cents?
TaxDome is a comparable alternative to Financial Cents for smaller firms. TaxDome does have more features than Financial Cents, but not all of TaxDome’s features offer value for money.
For example, its email and collaboration feature, ‘Inbox+’ is so under-developed that one user called it their “least favorite feature”. Other reviews have also mentioned how the platform under-delivers on its CRM and internal communication features.
If you prefer a platform with fewer but more well-rounded features, Financial Cents might be a better choice.
3. Canopy
Canopy is a cloud-based practice management solution for small and mid-sized tax and accounting firms.
Initially founded as a tax resolution tool, Canopy’s strengths lie in its robust tax workflow features, such as pre-built client organizers, IRS transcript auto-retrieval and notice creation, and tax resolution.
For tax firms that frequently handle complex tax issues for clients, Canopy can significantly reduce the amount of client chasing and manual work in the resolution process.
Client view in Canopy
Canopy’s key features
Integrated email inbox
Task and project management
Client organizers for tax preparation
Client tasks and auto-reminders
Client portal
CRM and client management
Invoicing and payments
Time tracking
Document management
Budget planning and tracking
ChatGPT-powered email drafting
IRS integration and transcript service
Canopy pros and cons
Pros
Tax resolution cases and integration with IRS (paid add-on)
Flexible document and file management functionality (paid add-on)
Time, billing, and invoicing capabilities
Pre-built reports on firm efficiency, revenue, and billing
Cons
Key product features are only available as paid add-ons (e.g. workflow management and document management)
Complicated and expensive pricing (pay per client, per add-on module, per user)
Limited workflow functionality and templates
Who is Canopy best suited for?
Canopy is best-suited for specialized tax firms that place high value on its tax resolution cases and integration with the IRS.
Reviews
Here’s how Canopy and Financial Cents stack up against each other on popular software review sites:
Canopy has a modular pricing model that charges by the number of features you add on. Here is an attempt to break down the Canopy pricing plans using monthly billing.
It’s important to note that if your team is larger than nine, you will need to contact Canopy for custom pricing.
Their Standard and Pro pricing tiers are for teams with more than four staff members.
These tiers start with the Client Engagement Platform, which is the Canopy base product for $180 USD/month for the Standard tier or $210 USD/month for the Pro tier.
Canopy charges extra for these essential add-ons:
Document Management: starts at $43 USD/month, per user
Workflow: starts at $38 USD/month, per user
Time & Billing: starts at $27 USD/month, per user
Other paid add-ons include Tax Resolution, Collection Cases, KBA eSignatures, and Transcripts & Notices.
On Canopy’s Standard pricing plan, for a nine-user firm needing each of the essential add-ons, you could expect to pay $1,152 USD/month, per user (plus an implementation fee). On the Pro plan, you can expect to pay $1,371 USD/month, per user (plus an implementation fee).
Canopy also offers two other pricing tiers for firms with fewer than four staff members:
Starter: $60 USD/month, per user
Essentials: $88 USD/month, per user
Again, you will need to pay extra for the following features: Tax Resolution, Collection Cases, KBA eSignatures, and Transcripts & Notices.
For a four-user firm on Canopy’s Starter plan, it would cost $240 USD/month, per user (not including the add-ons). On the Essentials plan, it would be $352 USD/month, per user.
Canopy or Financial Cents?
Canopy is an alternative to Financial Cents for tax firms due to its tax workflow features.
But if you’re looking for a more well-rounded, cost-effective platform for all types of accounting work, Financial Cents might be a better option.
4. FYI
FYI (also known as FYI Docs) is a cloud-based document management platform with project management, workflow automation, and client management features.
It’s built specifically for the accounting industry, but it primarily serves customers in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK.
Documents view in FYI
FYI’s key features
Document management, including storing, previewing, creating, editing, and sharing documents and spreadsheets from within the platform
eSignature integration with FuseSign, DocuSign, AdobeSign, and Annature
CRM
Email integration with Outlook (FYI offers an Outlook plug-in)
Integration with Microsoft Office (FYI offers a Microsoft Office plug-in)
Integration with accounting software including Xero, Xero Tax, XPM, and MYOB
Basic project management
FYI pros and cons
Pros
Robust document management and editing capabilities
Deep integration with Xero and Microsoft products
A centralized CRM to manage client contacts, jobs, documents, and communication history
Cons
FYI has two prerequisites for using it in your practice: A Microsoft 365 Business Standard subscription and an XPM subscription. If your accounting firm uses Google or Intuit software products, you’re out of luck with FYI.
Underdeveloped project management and workflow automation features
No reporting or billing capabilities
Who is FYI best suited for?
FYI is ideal for Australian or New Zealand accounting firms that use Microsoft and Xero products and are primarily in need of a document management system built for the industry.
Reviews
Here’s how FYI and Financial Cents stack up against each other on popular software review sites:
All three plans require a minimum of five users, which brings the total minimum cost of each plan to:
Intermediate: $90 AUD per month
Pro: $150 AUD per month
Elite: $210 AUD per month
FYI or Financial Cents?
Because FYI is a document management system with newer practice management feature additions, it lacks in certain areas.
For US or Canadian accounting firms that are looking for a practice management system, Financial Cents is a better option.
But for Australian or New Zealand accounting firms that also use Microsoft or Xero products, FYI is an option to consider for its strong document management capabilities and region-specific integrations.
5. Firm360
Firm360 is a cloud-based practice management software founded in 2019 by Brandon Gray, a CPA at Banks, Gray & Crumpler.
Projects view in Firm360
Firm360’s key features
A CRM that stores clients’ contact information, activity history, projects, documents, and billing records
Project management
Workflow automation that includes project templates and workflow flowcharts
Document management
eSignature integration with RightSignature
Tax organizers
Client portal that shows clients’ to-do lists, documents, and invoices
Time tracking, invoicing, and payment collection
Firm360 pros and cons
Pros:
A comprehensive and customizable solution
Developed by accountants so the customer support is more industry-specific
Built-in document editor so you can edit PDFs and Microsoft Office documents
Cons:
No integrated email inbox that centralizes all your communication
No ability to @mention colleagues or comment on emails and tasks
Limited integrations, including only one accounting-specific tool (QuickBooks Online)
No free product trials
Who is Firm360 best suited for?
Firm360 is a solid option for small and medium-sized accounting firms that need a comprehensive system to manage their clients, projects, time, billing and payments.
Reviews
Here’s how Firm360 and Financial Cents stack up against each other on popular software review sites:
Firm360 offers three pricing plans with each requiring a minimum of three users. Each of the pricing below is based on annual billing.
Basic: $49 USD/month, per user
Standard: $79 USD/month, per user
Premium: $99 USD/month, per user
The Standard and Premium plans require a minimum of three users, which brings the total minimum cost of these plans to:
Standard: $237 USD/month
Premium: $297 USD/month
Firm360 or Financial Cents?
Firm360 has more features and deeper project management functionality than Financial Cents. But Financial Cents significantly outperforms Firm360 on email management and internal collaboration.
For accounting firms that need a practice management system with billing and payment features and stronger workflow capabilities, Firm360 will better suit your requirements. It will also cost you more.
But for smaller accounting practices that want better collaboration functionality despite having fewer features, Financial Cents is a more cost-effective choice. You can also explore other tax practice management software options to see how leading platforms compare on features like automation, document management, and client collaboration.
Try Karbon
Now that you have an overview of the top alternatives to Financial Cents, you should have a better idea about which options best suit your practice.
To see how firms save an average of 19.9 hours per employee each week, you can explore the Karbon Effect. Or you can use the Karbon ROI calculator to see what your return on investment could be.
Accounting practice management software can save your firm thousands of dollars per year per employee. Find the best practice management platform for your company.
Find the best solution for your tax or accounting firm by comparing Canopy with the features and capabilities of the other leading practice management platforms.
Karbon has solved the 'silo' problem in my business. Complete visibility of communications between team members and customers is now a reality. The Karbon development team and support team are amazing and really care about me and my business.
Supported by the right technology, your accounting firm can focus on client needs instead of routine (but essential) tasks. Here’s how to make that happen.
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