Best time and billing software for accountants
Seven time tracking, billing and payments vendors with an Accountio profile, side by side.
Listed alphabetically. Accountio does not rank vendors, and a featured listing does not change the order.
Time and billing software for accountants records the time spent on client work and turns it, or agreed fixed and recurring fees, into invoices and collected payments. Karbon, Canopy, TaxDome, BrightManager and Aiwyn track time and bill from it inside practice management, while Ignition and Anchor create invoices from the signed proposal or agreement.
Time and billing software for accountants at a glance
| Vendor | Best for | Founded and HQ | Customers | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Aiwyn | CPA and accounting firms, from independent to private-equity-backed | 2020; Charlotte, North Carolina, US | 800+ accounting firms, including roughly half of the IPA Top 500 | Not published |
 Anchor | Accounting, bookkeeping and tax firms and other professional services firms | New York; founding year not published | 21,000+ US accounting firms and professional services owners | No subscription; US$5 deducted from each payment received; ACH bank transfers free |
 BrightManager | Established and growing accounting firms, bookkeepers and payroll bureaus | Not published | Accounting practices including TaxAssist, Total Books Accountants and Wren Accounting Services Limited | Essential £42.63 per user a month billed monthly, for 2 to 12 users; 30-day free trial |
 Canopy | US accounting, CPA, tax and bookkeeping firms of all sizes | 2014; Draper, Utah, US | 15,000+ accounting firms | Standard US$74, Plus US$109, Premium US$149 per user a month billed annually |
 Ignition | Accounting, tax and bookkeeping firms and other professional services businesses, from solo practitioners to multi-office firms | Founded 2013 in Australia; office in Sydney | 8,500+ customers; 2.4 million+ clients engaged | US: Core US$99, Pro US$229 and Pro+ US$399 a month billed annually; Solo from US$39 a month; 14-day free trial |
 Karbon | Accounting firms of all sizes, from small and mid-sized firms to large and enterprise firms | Not published | 40,000+ accounting professionals using it daily, in 34 countries | Team US$59 and Business US$89 per user a month billed annually; Enterprise custom |
 TaxDome | Tax, bookkeeping and accounting firms, from solo practitioners to multi-office firms with 50+ staff | Not published | 15,000+ firms and their 5 million+ clients | Per seat a year, billed upfront: Essentials (solo users) US$800, Pro US$1,000, Business US$1,200 on a one-year commitment; US$700, US$900 and US$1,100 on a three-year commitment |
The seven vendors
In alphabetical order. “Not published” means the vendor does not state it.
Aiwyn
Best for: CPA and accounting firms, from independent to private-equity-backed
Aiwyn Practice covers time and expense, billing and AR, project management and reporting; Aiwyn Payments handles ACH, card and multi-invoice payments with auto-matching reconciliation.
- Founded and HQ
- 2020; Charlotte, North Carolina, US
- Ownership
- Private; US$132m raised from Bessemer Venture Partners and KKR across 2024 and 2025, including a US$113m round (Dec 2024)
- Customers
- 800+ accounting firms, including roughly half of the IPA Top 500
- Pricing
- Not published
- How it runs
- Cloud-native platform for US accounting firms (ACH and card payments, IRS e-file)
- Good to know
- Over US$5bn in payments processed in 2025
Anchor
Best for: Accounting, bookkeeping and tax firms and other professional services firms
Invoices generated from the signed agreement on recurring, fixed or hourly terms; pre-authorised ACH or card charged on the due date, with failed charges retried and invoices and payments synced with the accounting software.
- Founded and HQ
- New York; founding year not published
- Ownership
- Venture-backed; US$15m seed round led by Rapyd, Entrée Capital and Tal Ventures
- Customers
- 21,000+ US accounting firms and professional services owners
- Pricing
- No subscription; US$5 deducted from each payment received; ACH bank transfers free
- How it runs
- US
- Good to know
- A self-service client dashboard to review invoices, see billing history and update payment details
BrightManager
Best for: Established and growing accounting firms, bookkeepers and payroll bureaus
Cloud practice management for accountants, bookkeepers and payroll bureaus, with time tracked across tasks and clients for invoicing from work in progress, and reports on aged work in progress and client profitability.
- Founded and HQ
- Not published
- Ownership
- Part of the wider Bright product offering
- Customers
- Accounting practices including TaxAssist, Total Books Accountants and Wren Accounting Services Limited
- Pricing
- Essential £42.63 per user a month billed monthly, for 2 to 12 users; 30-day free trial
- How it runs
- Accounting practices, bookkeepers and payroll bureaus in the UK and Ireland
- Good to know
- Renamed from AccountancyManager in November 2023; client onboarding with proposals, letters of engagement and AML checks
Canopy
Best for: US accounting, CPA, tax and bookkeeping firms of all sizes
Time tracked with live timers, manual entry or inside tasks at custom user rates; a WIP report of unbilled time and expenses that converts into progress invoices; retainer billing in milestones and recurring invoices.
- Founded and HQ
- 2014; Draper, Utah, US
- Ownership
- Investors include Viking, Ten Coves Capital, Pelion Ventures, Tenya Capital, Ankona and New View
- Customers
- 15,000+ accounting firms
- Pricing
- Standard US$74, Plus US$109, Premium US$149 per user a month billed annually
- How it runs
- Cloud-native; built for US firms
- Good to know
- Prebuilt profitability, realization, utilization and WIP reports
Ignition
Best for: Accounting, tax and bookkeeping firms and other professional services businesses, from solo practitioners to multi-office firms
Invoices created on the terms of the signed proposal and payments collected automatically; hourly, recurring, one-time and deposit billing, plus billing for out-of-scope work.
- Founded and HQ
- Founded 2013 in Australia; office in Sydney
- Ownership
- Not published
- Customers
- 8,500+ customers; 2.4 million+ clients engaged
- Pricing
- US: Core US$99, Pro US$229 and Pro+ US$399 a month billed annually; Solo from US$39 a month; 14-day free trial
- How it runs
- Staff in Australia, New Zealand, the US, the UK and Ireland, Canada and the Philippines; US pricing published
- Good to know
- Clients notified of charges for out-of-scope or ad hoc work, billed as it happens
Karbon
Best for: Accounting firms of all sizes, from small and mid-sized firms to large and enterprise firms
Time tracked against the automatically detected client or job, with budgets compared to actuals; invoices built from the work delivered, billed as time and materials, fixed fee, recurring fixed fee or progress billing.
- Founded and HQ
- Not published
- Ownership
- Not published
- Customers
- 40,000+ accounting professionals using it daily, in 34 countries
- Pricing
- Team US$59 and Business US$89 per user a month billed annually; Enterprise custom
- How it runs
- Cloud; customers in 34 countries; team based in the US, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the UK
- Good to know
- WIP and realization reports, utilization reports by team member, and budgets compared with actuals
TaxDome
Best for: Tax, bookkeeping and accounting firms, from solo practitioners to multi-office firms with 50+ staff
Invoices created from time entries, with rate cards by service and employee applied to each entry; recurring invoices charged on a set schedule; card, BACS, SEPA and ACH payments through Stripe.
- Founded and HQ
- Not published
- Ownership
- Private company led by its founders, Victor Radzinsky (CEO) and Ilya Radzinsky (President)
- Customers
- 15,000+ firms and their 5 million+ clients
- Pricing
- Per seat a year, billed upfront: Essentials (solo users) US$800, Pro US$1,000, Business US$1,200 on a one-year commitment; US$700, US$900 and US$1,100 on a three-year commitment
- How it runs
- Used in 25+ countries; multilingual platform
- Good to know
- Documents can be locked until an invoice is paid; clients can make partial payments
Related tools in the same directory category
Other practice management vendors in the same directory category.
How to choose time and billing software for an accounting firm
- Hourly, fixed or recurring fees?Karbon bills time and materials, fixed fee, recurring fixed fee and progress billing, and Canopy adds retainer billing in milestones. TaxDome builds invoices from time entries with rate cards by service and employee and charges recurring invoices on a set schedule. Ignition and Anchor create invoices on the terms of the signed proposal or agreement, whether hourly, recurring or fixed.
- How is unbilled time reported?Karbon has WIP, realization and utilization reports, and Canopy has a WIP report of unbilled time and expenses alongside profitability, realization and utilization reports. BrightManager tracks time across tasks and clients for invoicing from work in progress and reports on aged work in progress and client profitability. Aiwyn Practice covers time and expense, billing and AR, and reporting.
- How are payments collected?Karbon takes card and direct debit payments with autopay, Canopy takes card and ACH payments with surcharging, and TaxDome takes card, BACS, SEPA and ACH payments through Stripe. Anchor charges pre-authorised ACH or card on the due date and retries failed charges, and Aiwyn handles ACH, card and multi-invoice payments with auto-matching reconciliation.
Compare further
Common questions
What is time and billing software for accountants?+
Software that records time on client work at billing rates, turns that time or agreed fees into invoices, collects payment, and reports on work in progress, realization and utilization.
Should a firm on fixed fees still track time?+
Canopy's guidance is to track time even without hourly billing, because tracked time shows profitability by client and staff utilization. Karbon compares time budgets with actual outcomes on each job.
How is time and billing software priced?+
Karbon is US$59 or US$89 per user a month billed annually and Canopy US$74 to US$149 per user a month billed annually. TaxDome charges per seat a year, from US$800, and BrightManager's Essential plan is £42.63 per user a month. Ignition starts at US$99 a month billed annually, and Anchor has no subscription, deducting US$5 from each payment received.
Part of Accountio’s accounting technology coverage.
