How the document tools compare on collecting, keeping and signing
Seven tools on the same seven columns. Every cell comes from the vendor’s own page, checked on 10 Nov 2026, with a numbered source. Rows are alphabetical. The Firmary row is ours and is marked Ours. Prices are list prices on that date; where a vendor doesn’t publish one, the cell says so.
Firmary publishes this site and makes Firmary, one of the products below. It’s labeled “Ours” wherever it appears.
| Product | Price | Document requests | Client app or portal | E-signing | Document storage and retention | AI features | Security attestations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canopy | Standard $74 or Plus $109 per user per month on annual billing, with Enterprise custom, as of 10 Nov 2026.1 | Client requests, document checklists and automated reminders.2 | On every plan. KBA is $1.25 per credit as of 10 Nov 2026.6 | Folder-level permissions, a virtual drive in the computer’s file explorer and AI renaming.7 Retention schedules aren’t described on its published pages as of 10 Nov 2026. | Canopy Coworker is in open beta, included with monthly AI credits per user.8 | Says it is SOC 2 Type II compliant.9 | |
| Firmary OursWaitlist | |||||||
| Liscio | Smart Client Requests with conditional questions, opened from a secure link with no app or password.23 | Firm-branded web and mobile apps. The firm’s logo and colors appear on every screen clients see.24 | Listed among Liscio’s plan features. KBA is $2 per signer.25 | File history per client and connections to SharePoint, OneDrive, Google Drive and Box.26 | File Intelligence reads, classifies and names new files across 274+ document types and flags any it doesn’t recognize.27 | Says it is SOC 2 certified; the report type isn’t stated on that page.28 | |
| ShareFile | Request Lists on Premium and above; File Drop upload links on every plan.32 | On Premium and above, with KBA at no extra cost.35 | AI Document Assistant, request-list generation and bulk renaming on Premium and above, with usage limits.38 | Lists SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001 and ISO 27701.39 | |||
| SmartVault | Request, track and collect client documents on every plan.42 | Custom-branded client portal with mobile access on every plan.43 | E-signing and KBA run through DocuSign, as an add-on on Accounting Pro and unlimited on Accounting Unlimited.44 | SmartRequestAI builds request lists from last year’s return, an add-on to annual plans at $15 per return in bundles of 50, as of 10 Nov 2026.47 | Says it meets SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001 and ISO 22301 standards.48 | ||
| Suralink | Not published. Plans are quoted and built on the required CORE product. As of 10 Nov 2026.49 | Request lists, including audit PBC lists, with live progress dashboards and year-to-year roll-forward.50 | A customizable client portal, with SSO for firms.51 | An add-on to CORE, with KBA, reminders and guest signers.52 | AES-256 encryption, daily offsite backup, an audit trail and two-step deletion.53 | AI agents that prescreen uploads and tie out financial statements, sold in suites on top of CORE.54 | Lists SOC 2 under compliance and cites SOC 1, 2 and 3 compliant data centers; it doesn’t say whether Suralink holds its own SOC 2 report.55 |
| TaxDome | From $1,500 a year, billed annually, covering 150 active clients and 20 seats. As of 10 Nov 2026.56 | Web, iOS and Android client app with a white-labeled URL; a fully branded app under the firm’s name is a separately priced add-on.59 | Unlimited e-signatures and KBA, with audit trail certificates.60 | Unlimited storage, a PDF editor, document approvals and 365 days of activity history per client and job.61 | Says it holds a SOC 2 Type II attestation.64 |
Each tool in brief
Firmary Ours
- Best for
- Firms that want requests, uploads and e-signing tied to each client’s tasks and invoices.15
Liscio
- Best for
- Firms keeping files in Microsoft or Google storage that want incoming documents filed for them.26
ShareFile
- Best for
- Firms whose main need is secure sharing and storage with a retention rule they can set.37
SmartVault
- Best for
- Lacerte, ProConnect Tax and ProSeries firms that need a full archive with a direct tax-software link.70
Suralink
- Best for
- Audit and assurance teams managing large PBC request lists.50
TaxDome
- Best for
- Tax-heavy firms that want KBA e-signing included and would rather pay per active client than per seat.74
When another tool is a better fit than Firmary
Liscio
Your archive is staying in SharePoint, OneDrive or Google Drive, or leaving FileCabinet CS. Liscio files new documents into those folders and sells a flat-fee FileCabinet CS migration.26,76 Firmary doesn’t import documents when you move in.66
ShareFile
You must delete files on a schedule. ShareFile’s per-folder retention policy deletes files automatically after the period you choose.37 Retention schedules aren’t among Firmary’s published features.15
SmartVault
Your returns are prepared in Lacerte, ProConnect Tax or ProSeries. SmartVault lists a direct integration with all three and configurable links to UltraTax CS, Drake Tax and CCH.70 Firmary doesn’t integrate with any tax software.65
Suralink
You run audits. Suralink is built around PBC request lists with progress dashboards and year-to-year roll-forward.50 Audit request lists aren’t among Firmary’s published features.15
TaxDome
You need a vendor SOC 2 report and KBA e-signing now. TaxDome says it holds a SOC 2 Type II attestation and includes unlimited e-signatures and KBA.60,64 Canopy, ShareFile and SmartVault state SOC 2 Type II or Type 2 as well.9,39,48 Firmary has not completed a SOC 2 examination and is waitlist-only.11,20
How we compared them
We chose the columns from what a firm does with a client document: ask for it, give the client somewhere to send it, sign it, keep and find it, let software file it, and protect it. Each cell comes from the vendor’s own pricing, product, help or security page, read on 10 Nov 2026, and carries a numbered source. Where a page didn’t state something, the cell says what the page does say or that we didn’t find it. Security cells report the vendor’s claim; we didn’t see the reports. Firmary’s row comes from firmary.app and follows the same rules.
What each column means
- Price
- The public list price, the unit it’s charged on, and how it’s billed. Read from the vendor’s own pricing page on the date shown. If no price is published, we say so.
- Document requests
- Asking clients for specific files, tracking what’s outstanding, and reminding them automatically. From the vendor’s product or help pages.
- Client app or portal
- Where clients log in to answer requests, upload files, sign and pay; whether it carries the firm’s brand and has a mobile app. From the vendor’s product or pricing pages.
- E-signing
- Built-in electronic signatures, including knowledge-based authentication (KBA) where tax forms such as 8879 need it. From the vendor’s product, pricing or help pages.
- Document storage and retention
- Folder structure, search, version history, retention rules and audit trails for stored client files. From the vendor’s product or help pages.
- AI features
- AI features the vendor says are available now, with what they cost; announced or beta features are labeled as such. From the vendor’s pages and dated trade press. Beta and waitlist status is stated.
- Security attestations
- Independent audits the vendor says it holds, such as SOC 2 Type II, as the vendor states them. From the vendor’s security or trust page. We report what the vendor says; we didn’t see the reports.
Join the Firmary waitlist
Firms join the Firmary waitlist and are emailed when they can join.
Sources
Each product fact on this page links to a numbered source. Quotes are copied as the page’s text reads on the date shown, spacing included.
- 1
Canopy
Standard $74 user/month ... Plus $109 user/month
- 2
Canopy
Automatically nudge clients to complete requests or upload documents.
- 3
Canopy
Secure portal customized with your firm’s branding. ... Use your own domain for the client portal.
- 4
Canopy
If your client has a thumb or a face, they can log in to the app. ... Canopy’s Client Portal is free for your clients.
- 5
Canopy
Provide secure, login-free access to Canopy tasks via single-use links. ... Secure links use 256-bit encryption and expire based on predetermined timeframes
- 6
Canopy
$1.25 per KBA credit
- 7
Canopy
Access Canopy documents directly from your computer’s file explorer.
- 8
Canopy
AI coworker that plans, does, and checks work across Canopy. Monthly AI credits per user. Add more as your needs grow.
- 9
Canopy
SOC 2 type II compliant
- 10
Firmary Ours
Firmary’s pricing isn’t published.
- 11
Firmary Ours
Firmary is pre-launch: firms join a waitlist and are emailed when they can join. There is no self-serve sign-up.
- 12
Firmary Ours
Clients review requests, upload documents, complete forms and message the firm in PocketFirm, which carries the firm’s name and logo.
- 13
Firmary Ours
Clients use PocketFirm in a web browser on a computer or phone and can add it to the home screen; no app install. For a single request, a client can answer from an emailed link after entering a one-time code, without signing in.
- 14
Firmary Ours
Firms choose which PocketFirm tools each client group sees (Firmary calls client groups segments), starting from a blueprint for their type of practice.
- 15
Firmary Ours
Firmary covers client requests and documents, forms, tasks, secure messaging, automations, proposals, e-signing, invoices and payments, and time tracking, with PocketFirm as the client side.
- 16
Firmary Ours
Every upload is virus-scanned before anyone can open it and infected files are quarantined; each firm’s data is kept separate; access follows staff roles and client assignments; sensitive actions are recorded in an audit log; owners and admins must use multi-factor sign-in.
- 17
Firmary Ours
Staff with permission export clients, contacts, tasks, time entries, aged receivables and the audit log as CSV and documents as a ZIP; an owner can export the whole firm.
- 18
Firmary Ours
Staff can connect Claude to Firmary today as a custom connector. It acts as the staff member, within their permissions and the firm’s AI rules; Claude asks before running a change unless the staff member has set that tool to always allow, and every change made through Claude is recorded in the firm’s audit log.
- 19
Firmary Ours
ChatGPT support is in testing (not live).
- 20
Firmary Ours
Firmary has not completed a SOC 2 examination or a third-party security audit.
- 21
Liscio
$19 per user / month Billed annually per user ... $49 per user / month Billed annually per user
- 22
Liscio
You can send organizers and deliveries any time without a bundle. Each one is $7.
- 23
Liscio
Create professional client requests with your own questions, sections, and conditional logic.
- 24
Liscio
Your logo, your colors, your brand — on every screen your clients see.
- 25
Liscio
Organizers and document collection eSignature Custom branding ... KBA $2 per signer
- 26
Liscio
Your existing folders and files moved in as is, names and structure intact
- 27
Liscio
When a document falls outside what it recognizes, it flags it for review rather than guessing.
- 28
Liscio
Liscio is SOC 2 certified.
- 29
ShareFile
Advanced Secure File Sharing for Teams $18.15 $16.50 $18.15 Per user/month Minimum of 3 users
- 30
ShareFile
Premium End-to-End Document Workflows for Teams and Clients $28.59 $26.00 $28.59 Per user/month Minimum of 3 users
- 31
ShareFile
$42.00 $35.00 $42.00 Per user/month Minimum of 3 users
- 32
ShareFile
Securely request, collect, and track client files in one organized list—using AI-powered automation to reduce manual work and keep requests moving.
- 33
ShareFile
Client collaboration tools - e-signature, requests, tasks, forms, workflow automation Enhanced client portal
- 34
ShareFile
Think of employee users as internal users who work for your company and client users as external users.
- 35
ShareFile
Use included KBA on e-signature documents to verify the identity of clients.
- 36
ShareFile
Search for a document or folder name, as well as for words within documents.
- 37
ShareFile
For accounts on the ShareFile Advanced plan or higher, the File Retention policy causes files to automatically be deleted some days after they are uploaded. This option can be configured separately for each root-level folder in the system. ... Never is the default value.
- 38
ShareFile
AI Workflows Subject to usage limitations and applicable pricing, which may be modified from time to time.
- 39
ShareFile
Our security certifications include: SOC 2 type 2 ISO 27001 ISO 27701
- 40
SmartVault
Accounting Pro … $65 per user / month, billed annually 2 user minimum … $85 per user / month, billed monthly 2 user minimum
- 41
SmartVault
Tax/accounting firms needing unlimited eSignatures, KBAs, PDFs, quotes and proposals. … $85 per user / month, billed annually 2 user minimum … $110 per user / month, billed monthly 2 user minimum
- 42
SmartVault
Request, track, and collect client documents
- 43
SmartVault
Custom branded client portal
- 44
SmartVault
KBAs / ID verification Integrate an existing DocuSign account, or create one through SmartVault. Add-on Add-on Unlimited
- 45
SmartVault
File versioning … Full text search … Activity logs … User permission controls … Centralized document repository
- 46
SmartVault
You have 90 days to recover deleted items from the recycle bin. SmartVault removes deleted files from your account after 90 days.
- 47
SmartVault
Prior-year returns generate a personalized document request list … Available as an add-on to Accounting Pro and Accounting Unlimited annual plans. … $15 / return Bundles of 50 SmartRequests $750 per bundle
- 48
SmartVault
SmartVault meets SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, and ISO 22301 standards and helps your firm stay compliant with IRS 4557 and the FTC Safeguards Rule.
- 49
Suralink
Every company and team has different needs. Reach out to us, and we can find the right plan for you.
- 50
Suralink
Suralink CORE is designed to streamline client document requests, request tracking, and collaboration for accounting firms and their clients.
- 51
Suralink
Customizable user portal
- 52
Suralink
E-Signature Add-on Easily sign and request electronic signatures from your clients. Included Knowledge-based Authentication (KBA)
- 53
Suralink
all data stored in Suralink is encrypted and backed up offsite daily. A two-stage “click then confirm” deletion system prevents accidental data deletions. And an audit trail logs all activity in the sys
- 54
Suralink
Get the right information the first time with agents that review & validate uploaded support documents in real-time.
- 55
Suralink
SOC1, SOC2, and SOC3 compliant data centers
- 56
TaxDome
Pricing starts at 150 active clients, which is $1,500 a year, or about $0.83 per client a month. That minimum applies even if you have fewer than 150 active clients.
- 57
TaxDome
Send required documents, track completion. ... Reminders for tasks, approvals, and unpaid invoices.
- 58
TaxDome
Yes, with TaxDome you can send automated emails, texts, and portal notifications when documents are due, payments are late, or approvals are needed.
- 59
TaxDome
Award-winning client app for web and mobile ... Top-100 App Store ranking, iOS and Android. ... Mobile app branded to your firm.
- 60
TaxDome
Unlimited e-signatures ... IRS-compliant signature requests with KBA.
- 61
TaxDome
Store your documents securely in TaxDome. ... 365 days of history for every client and job.
- 62
TaxDome
Available for $200 per month.
- 63
TaxDome
AI intake is included in every plan, and Atlas is coming soon.
- 64
TaxDome
TaxDome completes the PCI DSS Questionnaire A (SAQ A) and holds a SOC 2 Type II attestation.
- 65
Firmary Ours
Firmary doesn’t integrate with accounting software (such as QuickBooks or Xero) or tax software.
- 66
Firmary Ours
Firms import clients, tasks and time entries from CSV, review the rows before anything is created, and inviting clients is a separate step. Documents, messages, engagements and billing history aren’t imported.
- 67
Liscio
Book a tailored demo and we will show File Intelligence on the documents your firm handles most, then help you choose the right plan.
- 68
Liscio
Two plans, plus organizers and deliveries when you need them.
- 69
ShareFile
Whether you’re using platforms for tax prep, client billing or reporting, ShareFile products support integrations that complement your existing systems and workflows.
- 70
SmartVault
Thomson Reuters UltraTax CS Configurable integration DrakeTax Configurable integration Wolters Kluwer CCH Configurable integration
- 71
SmartVault
One-on-one team training Add-on Add-on Add-on Data migration services Add-on Add-on Add-on
- 72
Suralink
Reach out to us, and we can find the right plan for you. Request Demo
- 73
Suralink
Suralink’s Excel-based add-in, Workpaper Suite, works natively within engagement teams’ workpapers—regardless of the firm’s chosen software (e.g., Caseware, CCH Engagement, Thomson Reuters Engagement Manager, etc.).
- 74
TaxDome
An active client is a client with any activity in the past 12 months, such as logging in, uploading documents, sending messages, or receiving an invoice. Contacts without activity cost nothing.
- 75
TaxDome
Most firms complete TaxDome implementation in 6–8 weeks.
- 76
Liscio
Most migrations take 1 to 2 weeks, depending on the size of your