taxdome vs canopy vs jetpack

For accountants and bookkeepers looking to grow their firm, software can either be a great help or a worthless hindrance. And it all comes down to which tool you choose to help you scale. 

Workflow software is designed to help you streamline the way you do things, and the speed at which you do them, but a platform that’s a bad fit will slow you down and make your daily work more cumbersome. 

Why is this the case? Not every bookkeeping software is created equal, and not all are designed for the same types of firms. While one firm may specialize in filing tax returns, another may be focused on monthly bookkeeping. It’s up to you to determine specifically what your needs are, and find the solution that fits.

While you could try out every single accounting software free trial there is, who has time for that? Instead, we’re writing reviews of some of most popular accounting workflow software options to give you an inside look at each tool.

What Do Taxdome, Canopy, and Jetpack Workflow Do?

Taxdome and Canopy are commonly referred to as accounting practice management software. These tools will have many product features, but can be too robust for your firm’s individual needs. Plus many only offer basic functionality of each product feature to just “check a box.”

However, Jetpack Workflow often gets placed in that category or even compared to those platforms. You will find some minor overlap in features between Jetpack Workflow and accounting practice management software, but it’s not what we are.

Our focus is on solving workflow and project management challenges for accountants and growing firms. It’s the area we found to have the most impact on client work and firm growth.

And accounting workflow management software might be the better place to start at your firm.

 

A Quick Overview of Each Tool

Let’s take a closer look at the capability of each of these software options. 

Taxdome

Taxdome is a solid platform for business owners who want one tool that can do it all. It is supposed to help you manage your business and your clients in one place. This includes providing capabilities to help run the internal systems, including workflows to manage client work, as well as tools to build your website, and of course a CRM to manage new client inquiries. 

Canopy

Similar to Taxdome, Canopy is definitely a solid choice for firms focused on tax season. Having a client portal means it’s easier to transfer secure documents back and forth. You can also accept client payments in Canopy. 

On the workflow side, Canopy has a few templates to get you started, but some users report this as a weak area. But since this software does a little bit of everything, it’s a trade-off that some users are okay with. 

Jetpack Workflow

Jetpack Workflow is ideal for accounting, CPA, and bookkeeping firms, though any professional service company is able to use it as workflow software. It stands alone as a usable workflow app. It stands apart from Taxdome and Canopy because it is closely focused on creating efficiency, managing resource capacity, and ultimately organizing the vast flow of work that runs through your team.

jetpack workflow alternatives

The Differences Between Taxdome, Canopy, and Jetpack Workflow

Now that you have an overview of each and who they’re intended for, let’s dive into the details and see where the strengths and weaknesses lie. 

Features

Taxdome positions itself as a platform to replace multiple solutions you may be using. You can build your website. You can outreach to new clients. You can edit PDFs. You can collect e-signatures and send invoices. And yes, you can create workflows. 

But if you aren’t constantly trying to find new clients, you may use one Taxdome feature more than others and question if you really need a tool that does it all when you need specialized support in a few key areas. Taxdome does release new features every week.

Canopy has a good set of baseline features, including time tracking, invoicing capability, templates, and different views to help you see what’s late and what’s on time quickly. Since you’re able to take in payments with Canopy, this removes the need to find another online point of sale system. 

Jetpack Workflow has an interface that keeps all workflows in one location. With a giant library of pre-made templates, one of the key features is that it’s easy to get started, because you’re likely to find a template that fits exactly what you need. There is also a feature to help you gauge the capacity of your team, and plan ahead for taking on new client work.

Integrations

Taxdome syncs with major payment platforms like Stripe, as well as accounting tools like QuickBooks Online. It also has a Zapier integration, which solves for all other non-native integrations. 

Canopy has a QuickBooks, Office 365, G Suite, and Zapier integration. 

Jetpack Workflow integrates with Zapier, so the hundreds of platforms that sync with Zapier will work with its platform. All three software options for accounting firms on this list will likely integrate with every other tool you use.

Ease of Use

Taxdome is a great solution if one of your top pain points is requesting documents from clients. Users report it’s easy to keep all communications and requests in one place, especially in busy times like tax season. 

Canopy users say the interface is not that intuitive, but they do provide help via tutorials if you’re having trouble getting started. 

Jetpack Workflow users report it’s extremely easy to begin using the tools because the workflow templates are designed by real accountants, for real accountants. Setup happens swiftly, and it’s also easy to train teams to keep work up-to-date. 

Price

Taxdome starts at $50/month per user. 

Canopy has the most confusing pricing structure of all three options. The workflow module is $35 per user per month. Additional modules such as document management and time & billing can be purchased separately ($40 per user per month and $25 per user per month, respectively). Additionally, you are charged separately depending on how many contacts you have in your database, and the cost can add up quickly.

Jetpack Workflow has two options for users. If you pay $45/month per user, you get access to all workflow automation and templates. For $49/month per user, you’ll also gain access to the capacity and resource management features. 

Customer Service

Taxdome has tiered support options based on what plan you purchase. You’ll get an onboarding session with their lower cost plan. For the higher cost plan, you can access unlimited support. 

Canopy provides phone, chat, and email support, and also has a knowledge base available. 

Jetpack Workflow has a built-in knowledge base which can help answer quick questions you have about the software. The support team is also available via phone, live chat, or email. They also run regular webinars and trainings to help users get more out of the software. 

Wrapping Up

As you explore which tool is best for you, keep in mind that knowing the problems you are trying to solve in your business first is key to finding the ideal fit in a software solution. 

Taxdome is a great choice for accounting professionals focused on growing their company with a high volume of tax-focused clients. It’s also probably a good fit if you haven’t yet chosen a website platform, CRM, PDF editor, etc. You’ll likely get value out of having all of those tools in one place. But if you’re already set up and just looking to maximize efficiency in your workflows, it might be a pain to switch everything over. 

Canopy is another holistic tool that works for accounting firms, and tax professionals specifically. But when compared to Jetpack Workflow and Taxdome pricing, it may be on the expensive side for what it provides. 

Jetpack Workflow has the simplest pricing scheme, and the most in-depth, easy-to-use intuitive workflows. If you’re focused on scaling your business, saving time, and creating more value in your day-to-day, this is likely the platform you need. 

See Jetpack Workflow In Action

Get under the hood of Jetpack Workflow’s accounting workflow and project management platform. See some of the top features and how it helps your firm standardize, automate, and track client work more efficiently.