Darren Hosiosky
FYI vs SuiteFiles vs Karbon: Document Management for Accounting Firms
Every accountant knows the symptom. You're three days into a return, you go looking for the most recent version of the engagement letter, and you find it in: a) the client's inbox, b) someone's local downloads folder, c) a SharePoint site nobody's touched since 2022, d) all of the above with slightly different versions.
Document chaos is the unglamorous, undervalued, time-killing reality of Australian accounting practice. And in 2026, three tools dominate the conversation about how to fix it: FYI, SuiteFiles, and Karbon (the workflow platform with built-in document management; for the Karbon vs XPM head-to-head, see Karbon vs Xero Practice Manager).
This is an honest comparison: what each does, where each falls short, and the often-missed question of what happens after the document is filed — which is where Admiin comes in.
The short version
FYI is the deepest document management system of the three — purpose-built in Australia for accounting firms, with the best document automation engine on the market.
SuiteFiles is the underrated Australian-built alternative — strong on Office 365 / SharePoint integration.
Karbon is a practice management tool with document management built in — fine as a single-stack option, but not as deep as a true DMS.
If documents are your primary pain, FYI or SuiteFiles. If documents are one pain among several, Karbon's bundled approach may make sense.
And once your documents are filed, Admiin's free execution layer handles what happens next — cover letters, signing, AML, payments and lodgement — for whichever DMS you've chosen.
Quick comparison
All three of these are document management tools — they organise the files inside your firm. Admiin isn't competing with them; it's what you put on top to handle the workflow around those documents (the signing, payments, lodgement that DMS tools don't touch).
FYI | SuiteFiles | Karbon | |
|---|---|---|---|
Type | Document management + light PMS | Document management | Practice management with DMS |
AU pricing (entry) | AU$30/user/month (Intermediate, min 5 users) | ~AU$33/user/month (Starter) | ~USD $59/user/month (Team, annual) |
AU pricing (mid) | AU$50/user/month (Pro) | ~AU$44/user/month (Business) | ~USD $89/user/month (Business) |
Min users | 5 | None practical | None |
Built in | Australia (Adelaide) | New Zealand / Australia | USA |
Core integrations | Xero, MYOB, Office 365 | Office 365, SharePoint, Xero | Xero, QuickBooks, Gmail/Outlook |
Email auto-filing | Yes (best-in-class) | Yes | Yes |
Native workflow | Yes (Processes) | Lighter | Yes (strongest of the three) |
FYI: the Australian document automation engine
FYI started life as a document management system built specifically for accounting practices, and it's still the dominant DMS in the AU market. The product has matured — it now does jobs, workflows ("Processes"), forms and integrations — but its centre of gravity is still documents.
AU pricing: $30/user/month (Intermediate), $50/user/month (Pro), $70/user/month (Elite). Minimum 5 users.
What FYI does well
Email and attachment auto-filing. The killer feature. Emails are automatically filed against the right client, named according to firm conventions, and indexed for search.
Document automation. Auto-naming, auto-routing, auto-versioning, template management.
Process automation. "Processes" lets you build sequences (collect → review → file → notify) without code.
Australian-built. Local team in Adelaide, local data residency, AU compliance baked in.
Xero, MYOB and Office 365 integrations are mature and reliable.
What FYI does less well
Workflow management is not as mature as Karbon's.
5-user minimum. Sole practitioners can't use FYI.
Cost adds up at scale. A 15-person firm on Pro is $750/month.
SuiteFiles: the underrated Office 365 specialist
SuiteFiles is the Australian-aligned DMS that fewer firms talk about, but the ones that use it tend to be loyal. It's tighter than FYI in scope — it's a document management tool, not a practice management platform.
SuiteFiles pricing in 2026 sits at approximately AU$33/user/month for Starter and AU$44/user/month for Business — check their current pricing.
What SuiteFiles does well
Office 365 integration. Files are stored in SharePoint, opened in the desktop Office apps, edited in real-time.
Email management. Auto-filing of emails into client folders works smoothly.
Structure clarity. SuiteFiles is opinionated about folder structures, which helps firms standardise.
Cost. Generally slightly cheaper than FYI per-user, and no 5-user minimum.
Lighter implementation. Most firms onboarded in days, not weeks.
What SuiteFiles does less well
Less automation than FYI.
Smaller integration ecosystem.
Less brand recognition.
Karbon (DMS module): the all-in-one option
Karbon isn't primarily a DMS — it's a practice management platform. But it includes document storage, email-to-document linking, and basic version control.
Karbon pricing starts at roughly USD $59/user/month (Team plan, annual). DMS is included, not an add-on.
What Karbon does well as a DMS
One platform. No integration friction.
Email-document linking. Excellent.
Comments and collaboration on documents built in.
Search. Karbon's global search across emails, documents and tasks is fast.
What Karbon does less well as a DMS
Not a deep DMS. Less depth on auto-classification, auto-naming, version branching.
Cost. Premium pricing for a DMS feature set that's lighter than category specialists.
Office integration is less native.
Which one should your firm pick?
Pick FYI if: documents and emails are your single biggest pain. Your firm has 5+ users. You want deep automation and AU-built support.
Pick SuiteFiles if: you live in Office 365, you want a tightly-scoped DMS, and you value simplicity over deep automation.
Pick Karbon as a "DMS plus PMS" combo if: you're starting fresh and you can absorb the cost.
Run a hybrid stack if you're already in a PMS you like (e.g. XPM) and just want better document handling. The most common combination in AU mid-market firms is XPM + FYI (see our broader XPM vs Karbon vs FYI comparison).
💡 Once your documents are filed — what happens next?
Cover letters, signing, AML checks, client payments, ATO payments, lodgement — none of it happens inside your DMS. Admiin handles all of it. Free. Works on top of FYI, SuiteFiles and Karbon. Try it now →
What none of these solve: the post-filing workflow
Once your documents are filed, named, indexed and searchable — what happens next?
The typical journey of a finished tax return:
Return is finished and filed in FYI/SuiteFiles/Karbon ✅
A cover letter is drafted, often outside the DMS ❌
The return + cover letter + supporting docs are bound into a single PDF ❌
The package is sent to DocuSign / Annature / FuseSign for signature ❌
The client is sent an invoice (Stripe link, FeeSynergy, manual) ❌
The client is verified under AUSTRAC AML/CTF rules ❌
The client is chased to sign and pay — often for weeks ❌
The return is lodged with the ATO ❌
The signed package is filed back into the DMS ✅
Document management tools do step 1 and step 9 beautifully. Steps 2 through 8 — the ones that actually touch the client — happen in other tools.
This is the execution layer of accounting: the workflow between "document is finished" and "document is signed, paid for, and lodged."
Admiin is built specifically for this layer. It's not a DMS — it doesn't compete with FYI or SuiteFiles. It sits on top of them:
AI cover letters generated automatically
Document bindings combining return + supporting docs
E-signatures built in, mobile-first
AML/CTF verification for AUSTRAC Tranche 2
Payments for your firm's invoice and the ATO bill (with full reward points to the client on card payments)
Lodgement and confirmation back to client and firm
Signed packs filed back into your DMS automatically
And the pricing is straightforward: Admiin's core platform is free. No per-user fees. There's an optional white-label tier at $800/month for firms wanting a fully custom-branded client experience — emails and notifications sent from the firm's own domain — but the free tier covers the full workflow for most firms.
Try Admiin for free → works alongside FYI, SuiteFiles and Karbon.
FAQs
Can FYI replace my practice management software?
For some firms, yes — FYI has matured into something close to a full PMS. For firms with complex billing or tax lodgement, no — you'll still want XPM, MYOB AE or similar.
Does SuiteFiles work without Office 365?
Technically yes, but you'd lose a big chunk of its value. SuiteFiles is built around the Office 365 ecosystem.
Is Karbon's document management enough for a small firm?
Often yes, if document volume is moderate and you don't need deep automation.
Can I use FYI and Karbon together?
Yes, and some firms do. FYI handles documents, Karbon handles workflow and email.
Which has the best AU support?
FYI and SuiteFiles both have AU-based teams and AU data residency.
Does Admiin replace my DMS?
No. Admiin sits on top. Your DMS files documents; Admiin handles the workflow around them (cover letters, signing, AML, payments, lodgement).
Does Admiin file signed documents back to FYI/SuiteFiles?
Yes — that's the standard end-of-workflow step. Signed and lodged documents return to your DMS automatically.
What does Admiin cost?
Free for the core platform. Optional $800/month white-label tier gives full custom branding and notifications from your firm's own email domain.
The bottom line
If your bottleneck is documents, FYI is the depth play, SuiteFiles is the lean Office-365-native play, and Karbon is the all-in-one play. All three are good. Pick based on the rest of your stack.
But don't stop there. The next bottleneck — the one that emerges as soon as your documents are sorted — is the workflow between "filed" and "signed, paid and lodged." That's where Admiin sits, and it's free to start.
