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GarnerDocs vs Karbon.

Karbon is practice management for accounting firms, built around shared email, work and team collaboration, with client requests and a client portal included. GarnerDocs does one job: collecting documents from clients. Here's how to choose.

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Karbon

GarnerDocs

Example · sample data

Our take

If you want your team's email, work and clients in one place, Karbon is the better choice. If you only need documents in from clients, GarnerDocs is simpler. If you already use Karbon, its own client requests may be enough.

The short version: four differences.

Where the two differ most.

What it covers

Karbon
Your whole practice: email, work, team, billing and client requests
GarnerDocs
Collecting documents from clients, and nothing beyond it

Automatic reminders

Karbon
On Business and Enterprise; they stop after the fifth
GarnerDocs
On every plan, until nothing is outstanding

How you pay

Karbon
Per user, a month or a year
GarnerDocs
Per firm, by the month or year, priced on requests still collecting

Working together

Karbon
There's no GarnerDocs integration with Karbon
GarnerDocs
You'd run the two separately

Which fits you

Pick the one that fits how you work.

Choose GarnerDocs if…

  • You only need documents in from clients.
  • You want reminders on every plan, until nothing is outstanding.
  • You'd rather pay per firm than per user.
  • You want files deleted on a schedule you choose.
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From $39 a month, or $390 a year · 14 days free

Choose Karbon if…

  • You want shared email, work and tasks for your whole team.
  • You need billing, payments and engagement letters too.
  • You want client requests linked to each job.
  • You need integrations with your ledger and other apps.
What Karbon does that GarnerDocs doesn't

Side by side

Every stage, compared.

What each approach does at every stage of collecting documents from a client.

Asking

What your client needs

GarnerDocs
Yes. A link. No account; you can add a PIN
Karbon
Yes. A magic link by email, tied to the device it's opened on. You can require two-factor sign-in

What you can ask for

GarnerDocs
Documents and short answers, plus notes from your client
Karbon
Yes. Tasks with file uploads and comments

Client app

GarnerDocs
No. Works in the browser on any device
Karbon
Yes. An iOS and Android app

Chasing

Reminders

GarnerDocs
Yes. By email, listing only what's missing, until nothing is outstanding
Karbon
On Business and Enterprise, by email; they stop after the fifth or when the requests are done

Your own schedule

GarnerDocs
On Growth and Pro, up to 6 steps
Karbon
Yes. Gentle, urgent or your own frequency

Reviewing

Approving

GarnerDocs
Yes. Each file, or several at once
Karbon
Yes. Approvals of any file

Something wrong

GarnerDocs
Yes. Ask for a replacement with a note. Earlier versions kept
Karbon
Not stated publicly

E-signatures

GarnerDocs
No.
Karbon
Yes. With credits you buy in bundles

Running your firm

Shared email and work

GarnerDocs
No. Requests only
Karbon
Yes. Shared inbox, work templates, tasks and dashboards

Billing and payments

GarnerDocs
No.
Karbon
Yes. Invoices, recurring billing and payments

Integrations

GarnerDocs
Yes. Webhooks for Zapier, Make and your own systems
Karbon
Yes. Ledgers, Dropbox, OneDrive and many more apps, and an API

Keeping files

Files deleted on a schedule

GarnerDocs
Yes. After 30, 90, 180 or 365 days, with warnings first
Karbon
Not stated publicly

Storage

GarnerDocs
Files kept until your retention period ends
Karbon
Yes. Stored against each client and job

Security

Two-factor sign-in for your team

GarnerDocs
Yes. Owners and admins can require it for everyone
Karbon
Yes. Two-factor authentication

Certification

GarnerDocs
No. None
Karbon
Yes. Karbon states it is SOC 2 Type 2 certified

Cost

Price

GarnerDocs
From $39 a month, or $390 a year, with a 14-day free trial
Karbon
From $59 per user a month, billed annually, or $79 billed monthly for teams of 4 or more

Free trial

GarnerDocs
Yes. 14 days
Karbon
Not stated publicly. It offers demos

See the difference

Just the collecting, done simply.

Asking

A checklist of documents, nothing to build.

Each item is a document or a short answer, with a line telling your client what to send. Start from a template.

Add, remove or rename requested documents

Chasing

Reminders that stop on their own.

Each reminder lists only what's still missing, and they stop once everything has arrived.

How automatic reminders work

Keeping files

Deleted on time, with warnings first.

Choose 30, 90, 180 or 365 days. You're emailed 14 and 3 days before files are deleted.

How long files are kept

Who each is built for

Karbon is practice management for accounting firms, built around your team's email, work and collaboration. Emails are shared and assigned, work runs from templates, and billing, payments and engagement letters sit alongside. Client requests and a client portal come with every plan.

GarnerDocs does one part of that job. You send a client a checklist of the documents you need, reminders chase what's missing, and you review what arrives. It doesn't manage your team's email or work.

So the honest question for most firms isn't "Karbon or GarnerDocs". If you already use Karbon, its own client requests may be all you need.

Client experience

Karbon sends each client request by email. Your client opens a magic link, which then works on that device, and uploads files or leaves comments against each task. You can ask clients to use two-factor sign-in, and they can also use the Karbon for Clients app.

In GarnerDocs, your client opens a private link, sees a checklist of the documents you asked for, and can upload some today and the rest next week, from a phone or a computer. There's no account and no app. You can add a 6-digit PIN that you give your client yourself. See what your clients see.

Reminders differ too. Karbon's automatic client reminders come with the Business and Enterprise plans; you choose gentle, urgent or your own frequency, and they stop after the fifth, or once the requests are done. GarnerDocs reminders come on every plan, list only what's still missing, and keep going until nothing is outstanding.

Pricing

Karbon's pricing page on 21 October 2026, in USD, per user a month: Team $59 paid annually or $79 paid monthly; Business $89 paid annually or $99 paid monthly. Monthly billing is for teams of four or more. Enterprise is quoted. E-signatures use credits, sold in bundles from $100 for 100.

GarnerDocs is priced per firm, not per user. It's billed monthly or yearly in USD, and a year costs ten months. Starter is $39 a month ($390 a year) for 20 active requests and one team member. Growth is $99 for 100, and Pro is $199 for 300, both with no limit on team members.

What Karbon does that GarnerDocs doesn't

  • Shared email: triage, assign and comment on client emails as a team.
  • Work management: templates, schedules, task lists, automations and dashboards.
  • Billing: time and budgets, invoices, recurring billing, payments and engagement letters.
  • Client requests inside each job, so work moves on when your client responds.
  • E-signatures and approvals, and a client app.
  • Integrations with ledgers, Dropbox, OneDrive and many other apps, and an API. GarnerDocs sends webhooks, but has no Karbon integration.
  • Security attestation: Karbon states it is SOC 2 Type 2 certified.

If several of these matter to you, Karbon is likely the better choice.

Using both, or moving over

GarnerDocs doesn't integrate with Karbon. If you used both, you'd run them separately: send document requests from GarnerDocs, then download the files and file them in Karbon or your own storage. That's an extra step, so it's only worth it if Karbon's client requests aren't working for your clients, or you're on Team and want automatic reminders.

If you don't use Karbon and only need documents collected, there's nothing to import:

  1. Make a template

    List the documents you ask for as a template. Facts that fit on one line can be short answers.

  2. Add your clients

    One at a time, or from a spreadsheet.

  3. Send the requests

    Create a request for each client and send it. The reminders take it from there.

Not sure how often to remind clients? Read how to set a reminder schedule clients respond to. Every new workspace starts with a 14-day free trial. See pricing.

Questions

Does GarnerDocs integrate with Karbon?

No. If you use both, you run them separately: send requests from GarnerDocs, and move the files into Karbon or your own storage when they arrive. GarnerDocs sends webhooks on Growth and Pro, but there's no Karbon integration.

I already use Karbon. Do I need GarnerDocs?

Probably not, if Karbon's client requests work for your clients. They link to your work and send automatic reminders on Business and Enterprise. GarnerDocs may suit you better if you're on Team, or want a simpler checklist with no sign-in for clients.

Do my clients need an account with either?

Not with GarnerDocs: every request is a private link, and you can add a PIN. Karbon sends each request by email with a magic link that works on the device it's first opened on, and you can ask clients to set up two-factor sign-in.

How we checked

GarnerDocs features are checked against the product, and prices come from our pricing page. Facts last checked . We review this page every six months.

Sources, checked on

  • Karbon: PricingTeam $59 and Business $89 per user a month paid annually, or $79 and $99 paid monthly for teams of 4 or more, in USD; Enterprise quoted; priced per user; automatic client reminders on Business and Enterprise; client requests and the client portal on every plan; eSignature credits sold in bundles; mobile apps.
  • Karbon: Karbon for ClientsA branded client portal and app; a magic link for each request, tied to the device it's opened on; optional two-factor sign-in for clients; included in Team and Business.
  • Karbon Help: Send Client RequestsRequests sent by email, now or on a schedule; gentle, urgent or custom reminders that stop after the fifth, or once all requests are done.
  • Karbon: Client ManagementShared contacts, timelines and integrated email; automated client requests and reminders.
  • Karbon: Document ManagementFiles stored against clients and work; documents requested through the client portal; Dropbox and OneDrive sync.
  • Karbon: eSignatures & ApprovalsE-signatures and approvals of any file through a secure link.
  • Karbon: IntegrationsThe apps Karbon connects to, from ledgers and Dext to Calendly, Dropbox and Zapier.
  • Karbon: Enterprise SecurityWhat Karbon states: SOC 2 Type 2 certification; GDPR self-assessment; an ISO 27001-aligned system, not yet certified.

Karbon is a trademark of its owner. This comparison is based on public information checked on 21 October 2026; tell us if something has changed.

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