Usual
Built for US bookkeeping and CPA firms with 1 to 15 people. Use it for monthly close, tax organizers, year-end 1099 requests, or all three.
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Usual vs Karbon
Usual collects documents and answers from clients, sends the reminders and files what the firm accepts. Karbon is a practice management platform that brings workflows, email, billing and a client portal together. Usual is narrower and prices by firm and active client count; Karbon is a broader practice system priced per user.
Who each is for
Karbon
Accounting practice management software for firms from small through enterprise, with workflows, email, billing, a client portal and AI tools.
Side by side
| Feature | Usual | Karbon |
|---|---|---|
| Clients' experience | ||
| Opening a request | Yes.Personal link from email, on any phone. No password, no app. | Yes.Client Requests and a client portal are listed on every plan. |
| Client portal | Yes.The checklist opens from a link; there is no separate portal login. | Yes.Elevate your service delivery with an accounting client portal built for premium client experiences. |
| E-signature | Yes.Clients sign an engagement letter in the checklist; the firm keeps a signature record. Not for Form 8879. | Yes.E-signatures and approvals are listed among its features. |
| Requests and reminders | ||
| Client requests | Yes.A checklist of items, each with a file upload or an answer. | Yes.Client Requests are available on all plans. |
| Automatic reminders | Yes.Sent on the schedule the firm sets, by email, and stop when everything is in. | Automatic Client Reminders start on the Business plan, not Team. |
| Work templates | Yes.Built in for monthly close, the individual and business tax organizers, and year-end 1099s. | Yes.Work Templates are 40 on Team, 75 on Business and unlimited on Enterprise. |
| Integrated email | Yes.Reminders can come from the firm's own domain on the Practice plan. | Yes.Integrated Email is listed on every plan, and Email Triage is common to all plans. |
| Review and filing | ||
| Document management | Files live in Usual's client folders, with versions and a recycle bin. | Yes.Document Management and Karbon File Storage are listed on every plan. |
| Tax organizers and binders | Yes.An individual and a business organizer, with conditional questions. | Yes.Tax organizers and binders are listed among its features. |
| Workflow automation | No.No workflow boards or task automation. | Yes.Automate repetitive tasks so your team can focus on higher value client work. |
| Billing and payments | No.No invoicing or payments. | Yes.Billing and Payments are listed on every plan. |
| Integrations and API | No.No Zapier connection and no public API. | Yes.Ecosystem Integrations are common to all plans, and integrations and API are listed among its features. |
| Security | ||
| Security program | Every file encrypted under its own key, firms kept apart in the database, virus-scanned uploads and two-step sign-in. No audit report yet. | Enterprise-grade Security is listed on every plan. |
| Firm data | Yes.Kept apart in the database itself (row-level security), with a key unique to each firm. | Enterprise-grade Security is common to all plans. |
| Pricing | ||
| Starting plan | Starter: $17 per month, or $170 per year, for 20 active clients and 1 person. | Team: $59 per user per month, paid annually, or $79 paid monthly. |
| Billing unit | Per firm, by active client tier. | Per user, per month. |
| Monthly option | Practice is $57 and Growth is $147 when billed monthly. | Monthly pricing is only available for teams of 4 or more. |
| Contact limit | Plans cover 20, 100 or 300 active clients. | 1,000 contacts on Team; unlimited on Business and Enterprise. |
| AI assistant | No.No AI assistant. | Yes.Kai knows your firm and works like part of your team. |
Where Karbon fits better
- You want one system for workflow, email, time, billing, payments and a client portal, not only document collection.
- You need workflow automation and automatic client reminders. Both are listed on the Business plan and above.
- You want integrated email and email triage inside the practice management tool.
- You need ecosystem integrations or an API to connect the firm's other systems.
- You want an AI assistant that works with the firm's own data.
- You have a team of four or more and want a monthly billing option.
Switching to Usual
- Start with one service and one client. Use a Usual template for monthly close or a tax organizer and send it to a client you know well.
- Keep Karbon for workflow, billing and time tracking if the firm uses those. Usual handles the client request and reminder loop.
- Set the reminder schedule and the due date before the first real send, so the client sees the same schedule the firm promised.
Questions about this comparison
Which costs less, Usual or Karbon?
They price differently. Usual Starter is $17 per month, or $170 per year, for 20 active clients and 1 person, and Practice is $57 per month for 100 active clients and 5 people. Karbon Team is $59 per user per month paid annually, so a 4-person firm starts at $236 per month. Compare the number of people who need access and the features each plan includes.
Does Usual replace Karbon?
No. Usual does the client document request, reminder and review loop. It does not have workflow boards, time tracking, billing or payments, so a firm that needs those should keep Karbon or another practice management tool.
Does Usual have workflow automation or an AI assistant?
No. Usual does not have workflow automation or an AI assistant. Karbon lists workflow automation on its Business plan and Kai, its AI assistant, on its homepage.
Do clients need an account to use Usual?
No. Usual clients open a personal link from email and finish the checklist on their phone, with no password and no app. Karbon describes an accounting client portal for service delivery.
Can a firm use Usual and Karbon together?
Yes. A firm can keep Karbon for workflow, time and billing, and use Usual for the client request and reminder loop. Start with one client so the team can compare the two experiences.
Try Usual on your next client
Start free trialSources, checked November 3, 2026
The competitor's public pages can change after the date above. Usual facts come from Usual's own product and pricing.