Karbon vs Liscio (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Liscio grades higher than Karbon: 2.0 against 1.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Liscio grades higher on value for money and features. They get the same grade on the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick Karbon if
- Fits if you run an accounting firm and want shared client email and workflow in one place
- Makes sense if your firm already works in Gmail and Google Calendar
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want software for your own books, as it's built for firms
- Skip it if you want to try it yourself first, because there's no self-serve trial
- Pricey if you want automation: reminders and task automation need Business at $89 a user
- Watch out: monthly billing is open only to teams of 4 or more users
Pick Liscio if
- Fits if your firm collects client documents and tax organizers every season
- Makes sense if you want files sorted into client folders on arrival
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want to try it first, as there is no self-serve sign-up or free trial
- Pricey if you send many organizers, at $7 each unsent in a bundle or $4 to $5 in prepaid bundles
- Tight if you want monthly billing, since monthly plans are only available by contacting Liscio
- Watch out: knowledge-based authentication for e-signature costs $2 per signer and a firm website is $29 a month
- Watch out: Outlook and Gmail integration, tasks and e-signature need the $49 Platform plan
How we grade them
| 1.6GPAKarbonWeak | 2.0GPALiscioFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D$59 a user a month billed yearly for Team and $89 for Business, where the automation is. That's past the $52 where the dearer quarter starts, and Business is above $75. | C$19 per user a month for File Intelligence and $49 for the Platform, both billed annually, inside the typical range. Per-use charges for organizers add to it. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan, and the pricing page says self-serve free trials aren't offered, so access starts with a demo request. | FThere is no free plan and no self-serve trial; the page points to a booked demo. |
| Features | CShared email, workflow templates, a client portal, time, budgets and billing. It runs a firm and doesn't keep a business's books, and automation isn't on Team. | BFile intake and naming, messages, client tasks, tax organizers, e-signature and cloud storage connections cover the whole client-portal job. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You set up templates and client requests, and access starts with a demo. | CA web app where you set up client folders, branding and organizers, with onboarding on the Platform plan, and no store rating on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Ignition and QuickBooks Online Accountant, plus an API. | BWeb only, with OneDrive, Google Drive, Box, SmartVault, Outlook, Gmail and SharePoint. |
| Best for | practice management for accounting firms | a client file and message portal for tax firms |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Karbon and Liscio. How we grade
Price against what you get
Karbon starts at $59 a month for each person and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Liscio starts at $19 a month for each person and scores 2.7.
Liscio scores higher and starts $40 a month lower. Of the other accounting and invoicing tools on the chart, 28 score higher than Karbon for less, and 3 score higher than Liscio for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Karbon also covers shared inbox, time tracking and invoicing.
- Liscio also covers templates, documents and file sharing.
At a glance
| Karbon | Liscio | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $59 per user / month, billed yearly ($79 billed monthly) | $19 per user / month, billed annually |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Karbon | Liscio, Inc. |
| Price read from | karbonhq.com | liscio.me |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Karbon
- It is a tool for running a firm, not general ledger software for a business's own books.
- The pricing page says self-serve free trials are not offered; access starts with a demo request.
- Monthly billing is open only to teams of 4 or more users.
- Automatic client reminders, task automation and industry integrations are not on the Team plan.
Liscio
- Prices are per user and annual; monthly plans are available only by contacting Liscio.
- Tax organizers and deliveries cost $7 each unsent in a bundle, or $4 to $5 each in prepaid bundles, and need a Platform seat.
- Knowledge-based authentication for e-signature costs $2 per signer, and a firm website is $29 a month.
- There is no self-serve sign-up or free trial; the page points to a booked demo.
Key features
Karbon
- Shared email triage
- Team members can share, assign and comment on client emails, with comments and @mentions on emails, tasks and notes.
- Workflow templates
- Work is created from templates with statuses and types. Limits rise by plan: 35, 50 or unlimited statuses and 40, 75 or unlimited templates.
- Client requests and portal
- Clients get requests, file uploads and comments through a portal. Automatic client reminders need the Business plan.
- Time, budgets and billing
- Track time against budgets, then bill and collect payment from inside the same workflow.
- Integrations and API
- Connects with Gmail, Google Drive, Ignition and QuickBooks Online Accountant, and has a public API for contacts, work items and timesheets.
Liscio
- File Intelligence
- New documents are read, classified and named when they arrive, and existing folders can be moved in with their names and structure intact.
- Secure messages and timeline
- Each client has a timeline of secure messages and files, so requests and replies stay with the client instead of in email.
- Client tasks and requests
- Tasks, requests and due dates are sent to clients from the Liscio Platform plan.
- Tax organizers and delivery
- Smart tax organizers and tax deliveries are sold per item on top of a platform seat.
- E-signature
- E-signature is part of the Liscio Platform plan; knowledge-based authentication is an add-on.
- Cloud storage connections
- Files can be pulled from or sent to OneDrive, Google Drive, Box and SmartVault.
Plans
Karbon
Team$59
per user / month, billed yearly ($79 billed monthly)
Integrated email, workflow and to-do lists, time tracking and budgets, billing, payments and engagements. Monthly billing needs 4+ users.
Business$89
per user / month, billed yearly ($99 billed monthly)
Team features plus automatic client reminders, task automation and industry integrations. Monthly billing needs 4+ users.
EnterpriseCustom
Adds an enterprise platform, a dedicated Karbon contact, customization and unlimited usage limits.
Liscio
File Intelligence$19
per user / month, billed annually
Files read, classified and named on arrival, existing folders moved in, secure file exchange and per-client file history.
Liscio Platform$49
per user / month, billed annually
Adds Outlook and Gmail integration, client tasks and requests, organizers, e-signature, custom branding and onboarding.
Tax EnterpriseCustom
For high-volume firms: custom File Intelligence routing to a document system, folders and naming rules, plus custom integrations.
Ways to pay less
Karbon
No public discounts listed.
Liscio
- Other savings
$4 tax organizers when bought by Nov 30
A limited-time offer prices Smart Tax Organizers at $4 each, at any volume, if bought by Nov 30; one Liscio Platform license is required.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Karbon or Liscio?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Liscio is cheaper to start with: $19 a month for each person, against $59 a month for each person for Karbon. Karbon starts at $59 per user / month, billed yearly ($79 billed monthly), and Liscio starts at $19 per user / month, billed annually.
Which has a free plan, Karbon or Liscio?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Karbon nor Liscio has a free plan.
Which platforms do Karbon and Liscio run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Karbon lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.