Jetpack Workflow vs Karbon: Which practice management software is right for your firm?

TL;DR:

• Jetpack Workflow is a good, budget-friendly option to boost productivity for solo practitioners and small teams
• Karbon is a step up for more mature firms, but some missing features and end-to-end capabilities make the price tag hard to justify

Your firm is growing but internal processes are making it tough for your team to keep up. Sound familiar? The more work your firm takes on, the harder it is to keep track of everything, meet deadlines and deliver the consistent quality your clients expect.

Practice management software lightens the load by automating repetitive tasks, but how do you choose the right platform for your needs?

Jetpack Workflow and Karbon are two of the first names you’ll come across. At a glance, they share some similarities, but understanding their differences is key to choosing the right platform for your firm.

Jetpack Workflow: a budget-friendly option for accounting startups

Best for: task tracking and workflow automation for solo practitioners and small teams

Jetpack Workflow is a productivity platform for accountants and bookkeepers. It offers an easy, affordable entry path into workflow automation and project management for solo practitioners and small accounting teams.

You can automate repetitive tasks, organize your projects, prioritize client jobs, and track progress throughout. If you’re struggling to manage workloads and client work is slipping through the cracks, Jetpack can help you get back on top.

Jetpack Workflow key features

• Workflow automation: reduce the time your team spends on repetitive tasks by automating accounting workflows 
• Project management: take on more clients without increasing the workload by managing projects more efficiently
• Team management: organize your team and their workloads so nothing slips through the cracks
• Task prioritization: view all client work in one place, and easily filter, sort, and prioritize tasks
• Unlimited clients and contacts: store all of your client data in one place without worrying about upgrade fees or paying for extra contacts

Jetpack Workflow pros and cons

Where does Jetpack Workflow fall short?

Jetpack Workflow can only take you so far as an accountant or tax professional. You get some solid workflow automation features and a capable system for managing simple accounting projects — but that’s about it.

You don’t get any significant client-facing features, or integrations with other tools, and even the automation is relatively basic compared to Karbon.

This is fine for solo practitioners who simply want to improve their daily productivity. It can even help small teams pull together on simple projects. But Jetpack isn’t a complete practice management platform and it simply lacks the feature depth most growing firms need.

How much does Jetpack Workflow cost?

Jetpack Workflow runs a flat-rate pricing model that gives you access to all of its features. This means you don’t need to worry about upgrade fees or any unexpected charges. You simply choose whether to pay monthly or yearly.

• Starter Yearly: $30/month per user (billed yearly at $360/year)
• Starter Monthly: $45/month per user

Jetpack also offers optional custom setup services for a one-time payment starting from $299, depending on your requirements. These get you multiple sessions with a customer success specialist and help setting up core features, such as custom workflows and templates.

Jetpack Workflow integrations

Jetpack Workflow only integrates directly with Zapier, which you can then use to pair with other apps. This means you have to set up “Zaps” to automate tasks between Jetpack Workflow and accounting software, your email inbox and other tools. It also means you have to pay for a Zapier plan that covers you for the tools, team members and number of tasks you automate every month.

Jetpack Workflow reviews

At the time of writing, Jetpack Workflow scores 4.2/5 from 12 customer reviews on G2.

Customers generally appreciate the value for money and usability of the product. Smaller teams and solo practitioners, who are starting to feel overwhelmed by increasing workloads, say Jetpack gives them greater visibility of tasks throughout the client relationship.

This, combined with the platform’s workflow automation features, helps them manage more clients and scale comprehensive services without drawing in admin work.

What do customers say about Jetpack Workflow?

Unsurprisingly, the main complaints about Jetpack relate to its limited features: lacking integrations, reporting, document management and mobile apps. Aside from that, some customers also complain that it’s too difficult to edit automated workflows and recurring tasks after setting them up.

Who should use Jetpack Workflow?

Jetpack Workflow is best for solo practitioners and smaller teams who are starting out and want to try working with a practice management platform to manage and automate tasks. It’s ideal if you’re looking to upgrade from spreadsheets without the complexity (or expense) of a more capable platform.

You don’t get the client-facing features, advanced automation or integrations available from Karbon, though. But you’re also not paying anywhere near the same amount in software fees or dealing with the complex pricing model and learning curve.

Jetpack Workflow is the easiest and most affordable introduction to accounting automation.

Reasons to choose Jetpack Workflow:

✅ Simplify accounting workflows for solo practitioners and small teams

✅ Upgrade from spreadsheets and manual processes

✅ A quick productivity boost without breaking the bank

Karbon: the collaborative practice management platform

Best for: internal collaboration and workflow automation for smaller firms

Karbon is a practice management platform designed for firms that are a bit more mature. Beyond workflow automation and project management, it incorporates team collaboration and client-facing features with payments, document storage, and reporting tools.

For accounting firms, Karbon is an upgrade from Jetpack Workflow in almost every regard. However, this means higher software fees, and Karbon’s complex pricing model puts it up there with the most expensive platforms in its category.

Karbon key features

• Workflow automation: free up resources by automating your most time-consuming accounting tasks
• Team collaboration: bring your whole team together with integrated email, comments, mentions, and task collaboration
• Client management: simplify client onboarding, data collection, and communication
• Client portal: give clients their own workspace where they can complete tasks, upload documents, ask questions, and pay invoices
• Billing and payments: automatically send invoices, reminders, and get paid faster with built-in payments

Karbon pros and cons

Where does Karbon fall short?

If we’re comparing with Jetpack Workflow, Karbon’s main drawbacks are its pricing and the steeper learning curve. This is a more complex product, but it’s also capable of significantly more, especially with internal collaboration and workflow automation. In terms of features, Karbon beats Jetpack Workflow in every regard — but you pay a premium price for the upgrade.

Karbon’s limitations become clearer if you try other practice management platforms . On paper, Karbon offers extensive firm and client management features, but it falls short in several key areas once you actually start using it:

• Client contact restrictions
• Automation usage limits
• Credits for e-signatures
• Limited client app features
• Paid add-ons for reporting

To get the most out of Karbon, you basically have to sign up for the enterprise plan and still pay for a bunch of extra fees and add-ons. This puts your monthly software fees way above alternatives that offer a more complete feature set at more reasonable price points.

Karbon will take accounting firms further than Jetpack Workflow — there’s no doubt about that. But Karbon isn’t really competing against Jetpack Workflow. It’s competing against practice management platforms designed for growing firms, and it’s harder to make the case for Karbon in that discussion.

How much does Karbon cost?

Karbon’s pricing model is a common complaint among existing (and former) customers. So, if you’re considering the platform, make sure you understand how the pricing structure works. Many people get caught off guard by usage fees, paid add-ons, and feature restrictions across plans.

You’ve got three plans to choose from:

• Team: $59/month, per user (billed annually)
• Business: $89/month, per user (billed annually)
• Enterprise: custom pricing

The main feature restrictions to look out for include how many client contacts you can store and how many workflows you can automate per month. The additional fees that typically catch people off guard include paid add-ons for reporting, product training, and credits for e-signatures.

Also, on the Team plan, you can’t use conditional automations, set up automatic client reminders, or use the client portal. You don’t have much in the way of integrations until you sign up for the Business or higher, either.

Karbon integrations

Unlike Jetpack Workflow, Karbon includes a robust set of integrations for accounting firms. Providing you sign up for the Business or Enterprise plan, of course. Otherwise, you’re stuck with email integration for Gmail and Office 365 — plus a Companies House integration, if you happen to work for clients in the UK.

If you sign up to either the Business or Enterprise plan, you get access to all of Karbon’s integrations:

• Gmail and Office 365
• Microsoft Exchange
• QuickBooks Online
• Zapier
• Companies House (UK)
• Karbon API

Karbon doesn’t include a native IRS integration, so you’ll have to do this with third-party apps for clients in the US. Jetpack Workflow doesn’t have an IRS integration, either, but it’s worth keeping this in mind if integrations are a priority for you.

Karbon reviews

At the time of writing, Karbon scores 4.8/5 from 685 customer reviews on G2.

The most common likes and dislikes contrast strongly with those from Jetpack Workflow customers. Karbon users appreciate the depth of features, particularly the project management and team collaboration tools.

They also praise Karbon’s advanced workflow automation features, which are both more powerful and flexible than Jetpack’s.

Karbon customers also credit the platform with bringing most client communication into one platform. However, they also express frustration with the limitations and pricing restrictions across plans — not only with workflow automation and the client portal, but several other key features.

What do customers say about Karbon?

The other top complaints from Karbon customers include the steep learning curve, performance issues, and shallow features. Users often run into limitations with the CRM, document management, e-signatures, and other feature sets.

However, the biggest complaints from Karbon customers center around its pricing strategy. Customers are often surprised by their total bill after signing up.

The fees only increase as your firm grows, too. Karbon limits the number of client contacts you can store on each plan and charges extra once you exceed your limits. It places similar restrictions on workflow management, automation, e-signatures, and other key features.

Who should use Karbon?

Karbon is more suitable for accounting firms that need a broader range of capabilities. You’re not simply interested in workflow automation and task management. You want complete visibility over accounting projects, seamless internal collaboration, and communication happening in one place.

This already puts Karbon ahead of Jetpack Workflow before we even talk about client-facing features, integrations, payments, and reporting.

However, the gaps in Karbon’s feature set become clearer as firms grow and want to take on more clients without additional fees. This only makes the added fees and feature limitations more frustrating.

Reasons to choose Karbon:

✅ You can work with the features and usage limits of its cheaper Team plan (including the added fees)

✅ You’re more interested in team collaboration than client engagement

✅ You’ll never need more than 1,000 client contacts on the system

Jetpack Workflow vs Karbon: feature and pricing comparison

Karbon and Jetpack Workflow are very different tools, so keep this in mind when you’re comparing features. We’re not talking about like-for-like alternatives here. These are two systems designed for different purposes and price points.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the key differences between Karbon and Jetpack Workflow.

Usability and learning curve

Jetpack Workflow is easier to learn and use than Karbon. It’s a simpler product by design, and you’ll get a quick productivity boost from improving workflow efficiency. Karbon takes longer to implement and learn. It’s harder to use, but it can take accounting firms further than Jetpack.

Workflow automation

Jetpack Workflow makes basic workflow automation easy to set up and use. However, Karbon is the more capable automation tool. You can automate complex workflows, set task dependencies and automatically reassign roles as team members complete their tasks. The only drawback is that Karbon limits how many automations you can run per month on all but its Enterprise plan.

Collaboration and communication

Jetpack Workflow doesn’t include any significant collaboration or communication tools. Karbon, on the other hand, gives you integrated email, shared inboxes, collaborative checklists, in-app comments and more.

Client management

Jetpack Workflow isn’t giving you any client-facing features, but it does allow you to store unlimited client contacts on the system. Karbon offers a lot more on the client side. You get integrated email, a client portal and a client mobile app. The catch is Karbon limits the number of client contacts that you can store on each plan, and you have to sign up for the Business plan, or higher, to access the client portal and mobile app.

Integrations

At the time of writing, Jetpack Workflow’s only native integration is Zapier — better than nothing, but hardly ideal. Karbon does better here with integrated email on all plans. It also integrates with QuickBooks Online and other accounting tools, plus plenty of productivity apps: Google Drive, Google Calendar, Slack, etc. The caveat, once again, is that you have to sign up for the Business or Enterprise plan to access most integrations.

Mobile apps

Jetpack Workflow is a browser-only web app — not mobile apps at all. Karbon gives you two mobile apps: one for your firm to access on the go, and a client app for them to upload documents and complete other tasks.

Reporting and analytics

Karbon also takes this round by commission. Jetpack Workflow doesn’t include any real reporting or analytics tools. You get the overview of projects, tasks and workloads, but that’s it. Karbon, on the other hand, gives you insights to support firm management, resource planning, project management and productivity.

Pricing and value for money

Jetpack Workflow is cheaper than Karbon, but you also get a lot less for your money. The reason Jetpack wins this round is because it runs a simple, clear pricing model that gives users access to all features. There’s no confusion and customers know exactly what they’re getting.

Karbon has two problems here. First, its pricing model is filled with added fees and paid add-ons, plus feature restrictions on its plans force serious firms to sign up for the Business or Enterprise plans. This puts it among the most expensive practice management platforms on the market, but it doesn’t deliver the depth of features to justify the price tag.

Jetpack Workflow vs Karbon: which tool is right for your firm?

At this point, it should be clear whether Jetpack Workflow or Karbon is more suitable for your firm. Both products constantly pop up in discussions about practice management software, but the truth is: they’re not particularly comparable.

Is Jetpack Workflow the simple, affordable solution you’ve been looking for? If it is, then Karbon is both overpriced and overly complex for your needs.

Likewise, if you’re seriously considering Karbon, then Jetpack isn’t a worthwhile alternative. Why compare Karbon and Jetpack Workflow when you can pitch it against the strongest competitors? Test Karbon against the best practice management platforms on the market and see which one can power growth at every level of your accounting firm.

What FAQs do firm owners ask when they choose Jetpack Workflow or Karbon?

1. How does Karbon compare to Jetpack Workflow in automations and client features?

Karbon gives you more advanced automation capabilities: you can tie workflows, tasks and emails together in rules and create triggers to sequence workflows. Jetpack is more limited — it’s effective with recurring tasks, but doesn’t support conditional logic or complex workflow automation.

On client features, Jetpack doesn’t offer anything, other than unlimited client contacts. Karbon includes a client portal, limited mobile app, and integrated client communication. The problem is, you have to sign up for the Business or Enterprise plan to access them.

2. Is Jetpack Workflow good for growing firms beyond 10 staff?

It’s hard to recommend Jetpack Workflow for firms of this size. The lack of client-facing features, internal collaboration tools and integrations become increasingly problematic as your team grows. Solo practitioners and smaller teams — let’s say 3-5 staff — might be able to cope with these limitations. Beyond that, you’ll probably need a more complete practice management platform.

3. Does Karbon have a client portal and mobile app?

Yes. Karbon has recently launched a client portal and client mobile app, in an attempt to catch up with other platforms that client-centric firms prefer. They improve Karbon’s offering as a practice management platform, but the portal and app still lack many features available from other options — such as mobile document scanning and uploading, plus easy scan-and-pay capabilities. Also, Karbon’s client portal and mobile app are only available on its most expensive plans.

4. Which platform works best during tax season: Jetpack Workflow or Karbon?

This depends on the services you provide, your internal workflows and how busy you are during tax season. If you only need a straightforward tool for managing tasks and automating basic workflow, then Jetpack could make a difference. On the other hand, if you’re automating complex workflows or desperately chasing clients for docs, info and signatures, then choose Karbon over JetpackWorkflow.

5. Can Karbon replace my CRM, workflow and email system?

Partially. But Karbon isn’t a true CRM platform and it places usage restrictions on the number of client contacts you can store. It also limits the number of automations you can run per month. Essentially, Karbon relies more on integrations for full functionality, rather than offering native capabilities.

6. Does Karbon integrate with QuickBooks, Xero or other accounting software?

Yes, but you have to sign up for the Business or Enterprise plan to access these integrations.

7. What are the best alternatives to Karbon?

​​If you’re looking at Karbon alternatives, you probably have two concerns: lacking features and excessive pricing. Users looking for Karbon alternatives often turn to TaxDome for its more robust native capabilities and reasonable pricing for end-to-end functionality on one platform.

8. What are the best alternatives to Jetpack Workflow?

Financial Cents is the most affordable upgrade from Jetpack Workflow, providing an entry into client tools, document management, invoicing and billing, etc. Karbon is a step further in terms of features, but it’s harder to justify with the pricing model, plan restrictions and shallow feature depth at its price point.

If you need more than Jetpack Workflow and Financial Cents can offer, TaxDome offers full end-to-end capabilities at a reasonable price..

TaxDome: the #1 end-to-end practice management system for accounting firms

A lot of practice management platforms claim to be the only one you’ll need to run your growing firm, but platforms like Jetpack Workflow lack the ability to scale with firms as they grow, and Karbon eats into profits while still requiring a whole host of integrations to reach full functionality.

TaxDome is the only complete practice management system for growing accounting firms. It offers end-to-end tax prep workflows, best-in-class automation, and a superior client experience with the industry’s most highly-rated client mobile app.

You shouldn’t have to switch providers or make expensive upgrades every time your firm reaches a new growth target. And your team shouldn’t have to learn new tools or features as a reward for their hard work. You need one platform for every stage of your firm’s growth.

Make the last switch you’ll ever need and leave behind the limitations of other platforms. Get the platform that CPA Practice Advisor readers voted Best Comprehensive Firm Workflow Solution two years in a row — TaxDome.