Puzzle

Puzzle automates bookkeeping, provides real-time financial insights, and simplifies tax compliance for startups.

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  • Overview
  • Features
  • Pricing
  • Pros
  • Cons
  • Reviews

Puzzle Overview

  • Updated December 14, 2025

Puzzle is a modern accounting software designed for startups, automating bookkeeping with AI-driven categorization (up to 95% accuracy), real-time financial insights, and seamless integrations with tools like Stripe and Brex. It simplifies tax compliance, supports cash and accrual accounting, and provides metrics like cash flow, burn rate, and runway.

With an intuitive interface and continuous accuracy checks, Puzzle streamlines financial management, saving time and enhancing decision-making for founders and accountants.

Key Features

  • Automated Bookkeeping: Automate 85-95% of repetitive tasks like transaction categorization and reconciliations, saving time and reducing manual work.
  • AI-Powered Categorization: Use machine learning to categorize transactions with up to 95% accuracy, improving over time for smarter financial management.
  • Real-Time Financial Insights: Provide instant access to metrics like cash flow, burn rate, runway, ARR/MRR, and spend/revenue analysis via live dashboards.
  • Seamless Integrations: Connect with tools like Stripe, Brex, Ramp, Gusto, and Plaid, eliminating manual data entry and ensuring unified financial data.
  • Simultaneous Cash and Accrual Accounting: Automatically maintain both accounting methods without duplicate work or spreadsheets, ideal for startups and accountants.
  • Continuous Accuracy Checks: AI monitor financial statements for errors, ensuring reliable, audit-ready books with minimal discrepancies.
  • Revenue Recognition Automation: Simplify compliance with accounting standards by automating revenue recognition and managing prepaid expenses, AP, and AR.
  • Guided Bookkeeping Experience: Offer intuitive onboarding and a user-friendly interface, enabling founders with no accounting expertise to draft financial statements.
  • Tax Compliance Support: Include an embedded compliance calendar and access to on-demand tax experts to streamline tax preparation and filings.
  • Variance Analysis with Spotlight: Flag unexpected expenses or financial shifts, allowing quick analysis of spending, revenue, and cash flow trends.
  • Collaboration Tools: Enable teams to tag transactions, share financials, and collaborate with accountants, streamlining budgeting and reporting.
  • Scalable Pricing Plans: Offer flexible tiers (Accounting Basics, Insights, Advanced Automation, Scale) tailored to startups of varying sizes and needs.

Price

Plan / Tier Price (per month, per accounting file) What’s Included / Notes
Small $20/month Up to 1,000 transactions/year, 3 bank feeds, 1 employee, 2 GB attachments, full accounting features (invoicing, expenses, payroll, inventory, multi-currency, cashflow forecasts, etc.)
Growing $35/month Up to 10,000 transactions/year, 4 bank feeds, 10 employees, 3 GB attachments + all core features
Medium $50/month Up to 20,000 transactions/year, 5 bank feeds, 20 employees, 5 GB attachments + full feature set
Large $90/month Up to 40,000 transactions/year, 10 bank feeds, 40 employees, 10 GB attachments + standard features
X-Large $250/month Up to 100,000 transactions/year, 20 bank feeds, 80 employees, 20 GB attachments — for high-volume businesses

Official Pricing Page: https://puzzle.io/pricing

Pros

Competitor Pros of Puzzle
QuickBooks Online Puzzle offers superior automation with AI-driven categorization (up to 95% accuracy), eliminating 85-95% of manual bookkeeping tasks, compared to QuickBooks’ less automated workflows. Its real-time financial insights, including burn rate and runway, are tailored for startups, unlike QuickBooks’ broader focus. Puzzle’s integrations with modern tools like Stripe and Brex are seamless, and its pricing is more flexible for early-stage companies, starting free for expenses under $5k/month. Customer reviews highlight Puzzle’s intuitive UX over QuickBooks’ steeper learning curve.
Xero Puzzle’s AI-powered bookkeeping automates transaction categorization and reconciliations with higher accuracy (up to 95%) than Xero’s manual-heavy processes. It provides startup-specific metrics like ARR/MRR and cash flow in real time, which Xero offers but with less depth for SaaS businesses. Puzzle’s free tier for small expenses is more accessible than Xero’s $29/month starting price, and its guided onboarding suits founders without accounting expertise. Reviews praise Puzzle’s ease of use over Xero’s complexity for non-accountants.
FreshBooks Puzzle excels with AI automation for bookkeeping and continuous accuracy checks, reducing errors compared to FreshBooks’ simpler invoicing focus. Its real-time dashboards for cash flow, burn rate, and variance analysis provide deeper insights for startups than FreshBooks’ basic reporting. Puzzle’s free plan for low expenses beats FreshBooks’ $19/month entry point, and its accrual accounting support is more robust. Customer feedback emphasizes Puzzle’s startup-friendly design and faster setup.
Zoho Books Puzzle’s AI-driven categorization and real-time insights outshine Zoho Books’ less automated workflows and generic reporting. Its startup-focused metrics like runway and ARR/MRR are more tailored than Zoho’s broad SMB approach. Puzzle’s free tier for expenses under $5k/month is more cost-effective than Zoho’s $10/month plan. Reviews note Puzzle’s intuitive interface and seamless integrations with tools like Gusto, giving it an edge for modern startups.
Wave Puzzle’s advanced AI automation (up to 95% accuracy) and continuous accuracy monitoring surpass Wave’s basic free tools, which lack depth for complex accounting. Puzzle supports both cash and accrual accounting simultaneously, unlike Wave’s cash-only focus. Its real-time insights for burn rate and runway cater to startups, while Wave targets freelancers. Puzzle’s free plan matches Wave’s but scales better with paid tiers. Reviews favor Puzzle for its robust features and startup focus.

Cons

Competitor Cons of Puzzle
QuickBooks Online Puzzle lacks the extensive third-party app ecosystem of QuickBooks, which integrates with over 650 tools compared to Puzzle’s focused integrations like Stripe and Brex. Its advanced features, like custom reports in the Scale plan ($300/month), are pricier than QuickBooks’ Advanced plan ($200/month). QuickBooks has a longer track record and wider industry adoption, while Puzzle’s newer presence may concern risk-averse businesses. Customer reviews note QuickBooks’ stronger brand trust for larger firms.
Xero Puzzle’s integration options are narrower than Xero’s 1,000+ app connections, limiting flexibility for diverse business needs. Its advanced automation and live support (starting at $100/month) are costlier than Xero’s $29/month base plan, which includes invoicing and payroll in some regions. Xero’s established global presence contrasts with Puzzle’s U.S.-centric focus, potentially limiting international scalability. Reviews highlight Xero’s broader functionality for non-startup SMBs.
FreshBooks Puzzle’s reporting is less customizable than FreshBooks’ for invoicing-heavy businesses, and it lacks built-in time-tracking features, which FreshBooks offers for freelancers. Its paid plans ($50-$300/month) are pricier than FreshBooks’ $19/month entry, potentially deterring solo entrepreneurs. FreshBooks’ mobile app is more robust for on-the-go invoicing, while Puzzle’s app is less emphasized. Customer reviews note FreshBooks’ simplicity for non-accountants over Puzzle’s startup focus.
Zoho Books Puzzle’s integration ecosystem is smaller than Zoho Books’ extensive suite, which connects with Zoho’s CRM and other tools for broader business management. Its pricing for advanced features ($100-$300/month) is higher than Zoho’s $10-$70/month range, which includes invoicing and inventory tools. Zoho’s global compliance support outshines Puzzle’s U.S.-focused tax features. Reviews suggest Zoho’s versatility suits diverse SMBs better than Puzzle’s niche focus.
Wave Puzzle’s free plan is limited to $5k/month in expenses, while Wave’s free plan has no transaction cap, making it more appealing for freelancers with higher volumes. Puzzle lacks Wave’s built-in payment processing, requiring external integrations like Stripe. Its advanced features require paid plans ($50-$300/month), unlike Wave’s free core tools. Customer reviews note Wave’s simplicity and no-cost model as advantages for micro-businesses over Puzzle’s startup orientation.

Verified Customer Reviews

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