# Puzzle — AI-native accounting software with optional bookkeeper services for startups and small businesses.

> Source: Tick Mark Books — https://tickmarkbooks.com/puzzle (structured, researched, re-verified)

Puzzle is accounting software that is itself the ledger: it pulls in bank, card, payroll and Stripe data, categorizes it with AI and drafts cash and accrual statements. It is built for US startups and small businesses that keep their books in US dollars, with optional bookkeeping by partner firms on top of a software plan.

**Best for:** A US startup on Mercury, Brex, Ramp, Stripe and Gusto that wants to replace QuickBooks

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Website | https://puzzle.io/ |
| Category | Accounting software, Cheapest accounting software, Small businesses, Startups, Works with QuickBooks Online |
| Open source | No |

Screenshot of Puzzle: https://tickmarkbooks.com/img/1920/screenshots/puzzle.webp, captured 26 October 2026

**What we checked**

- Pages last read: 26 October 2026

## What it costs

A month of books at 100 transactions: $30 a month at 100 transactions, on Starter

## Puzzle price and plans

Prices excluding tax, as Puzzle publishes them.

| Plan | Price | What's included |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Starter | $30 a month | Flat fee |
| Core | $72 a month | Flat fee; adds Several businesses |
| Complete | $120 a month | Flat fee; adds Reconciles your accounts |
| Scale | $360 a month | Flat fee |
| Core + Expert Reviewed | $171 a month | Through sales; Flat fee |
| Complete + Expert Reviewed | $219 a month | Through sales; Flat fee |
| Full Service, up to $10K | $619 a month | Through sales; Flat fee |
| Full Service, $10K–$50K | $619 a month | Through sales; Flat fee |
| Full Service, $50K–$100K | $819 a month | Through sales; Flat fee |
| Full Service, $100K–$150K | $919 a month | Through sales; Flat fee |
| Full Service, $150K–$200K | $1,019 a month | Through sales; Flat fee |

Pricing page as we captured it: https://tickmarkbooks.com/img/1920/screenshots/puzzle/pricing.webp, captured 26 October 2026

Read on its pricing page, 26 October 2026.

## What Puzzle costs at your volume

| Transactions | Cost | Plan |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 100 | $30 a month | Starter |
| 500 | $30 a month | Starter |

## What we checked on Puzzle

### What it costs to keep your books

**Cost at 100 transactions a month** · Yes — $30 a month on Starter for 100 transactions.

> Starter Your first books $30 /mo
> — https://puzzle.io/pricing · Software only tab, Starter card, Monthly toggle, checked 26 October 2026

**Cost at 500 transactions a month** · Yes — $30 a month on Starter for 500 transactions.

> Starter Your first books $30 /mo
> — https://puzzle.io/pricing · Software only tab, Starter card, Monthly toggle, checked 26 October 2026

**Ledger included** · Yes — It is the ledger; no QuickBooks or Xero needed. Puzzle is a double-entry general ledger of its own, sold as a QuickBooks replacement (Core card: 'Your QuickBooks replacement').

> Yes! Puzzle is a complete double-entry accounting system. You can rely on Puzzle reports for your most important and sensitive use cases like fundraising, communicating with investors, and filing tax returns.
> — https://puzzle.io/legal/faq · FAQ 'Is Puzzle a complete alternative to other accounting software?'; pricing page Core card 'Your QuickBooks replacement', checked 26 October 2026

**What the price is based on** · Yes — mixed: flat software plans; services by expenses. Software plans are flat monthly fees per company (Starter $30, Core $72, Complete $120, Scale $360), stepping on features, seats (1, 5, unlimited) and AI credits, not on transactions.

> Services run on top of your Puzzle plan (Core or Complete) and are priced by your monthly business expenses.
> — https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/8891734-faq-pricing · Section 'Accounting services'; plan cards and expense slider on https://puzzle.io/pricing, checked 26 October 2026

**Past your plan’s limits** · Partly — Moved up a plan; only AI credits priced. Seats: Starter 1, Core 5, Complete and Scale unlimited; more users means a higher plan.

> If your business grows past these criteria, we’ll talk with you about moving to Full Service.
> — https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/17063329-puzzle-accounting-services-expert-reviewed-full-service-add-ons · Expert Reviewed, 'Who it’s for'; credit packs at https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/16225123-how-to-buy-more-ai-credits-in-puzzle; Scale card on https://puzzle.io/pricing, checked 26 October 2026

**Setup or onboarding fee** · No — No setup fee; onboarding calls are free. No plan card or FAQ names a setup or onboarding fee.

> Our team offers free onboarding calls to walk you through Puzzle and make sure your books are on the right track.
> — https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/7179694-quick-start-guide · Section 'Book a Free Onboarding Call', checked 26 October 2026

**Catching up past months** · Yes — From $300 per month of books. Catch-up bookkeeping is a one-time add-on on the pricing page: the team reviews, cleans up and closes each unfinished month, from $300 per month of books (the page's example: eleven months is $3,300).

> Catch-up bookkeeping From $300 /mo of books We review, clean up and close every month you never finished. Eleven months behind is $3,300.
> — https://puzzle.io/pricing · Add-ons tab, 'Catch-up bookkeeping' card, checked 26 October 2026

### What the AI does with your books

**Categorizes transactions** · Yes — Categorizes by itself and learns from you. Every plan auto-categorizes ('Up to 98% auto-categorization' on Starter).

> As you confirm transaction categories, Puzzle learns from your choices and automatically creates rules for similar transactions in the future.
> — https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/6986850-rules-and-categories · '3. PuzzleBot Rules', checked 26 October 2026

**Reconciles your accounts** · Partly — You reconcile on Starter; AI drafts it from Complete. Every plan has a reconciliation screen where you match the month's transactions to the statement until the difference is $0, then Puzzle runs an auto-validation check.

> Reconciliation in Puzzle is optional. Since we use direct APIs to pull your activity automatically, your transactions are already in the system.
> — https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/6986882-how-to-reconcile-bank-and-credit-card-accounts-in-puzzle · Article intro and Steps 0-6; Complete card 'AI-powered reconciliations' on https://puzzle.io/pricing; 'Layer 5 Pre-Drafting Reconciliations' on https://puzzle.io/accuracy-ai, checked 26 October 2026

**Reads receipts and bills** · Partly — Reads an uploaded receipt; no stated matching. You can attach documents to a transaction or bill.

> The Receipt Capture task reads receipts and extracts key information automatically.
> — https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/15138987-month-end-close-with-ai-close · 'Example: running the Receipt Capture task'; Brex and Ramp receipt sync at https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/9155896-faq-integrations, checked 26 October 2026

**Pays your bills** · Partly — Records bills; payment through Ramp or Bill.com. Bills can be entered, imported by CSV or synced from Ramp and Bill.com, matched to payments and shown in AP aging.

> A: No, not currently. We recommend using Ramp or Bill.com, both of which have a direct integration with Puzzle.
> — https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/9165703-faq-accounts-payable · Q: 'Can I pay bills with Puzzle?', checked 26 October 2026

**Sends invoices** · Yes — Sends branded invoices; you apply payments. Invoices are created in Puzzle (or imported by CSV, or synced from Stripe and Bill.com) and emailed with a PDF and your branding.

> Yes, from the invoice, choose "Send" to email it directly to your customer with your branding and a PDF attachment - no need to download and send manually.
> — https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/9359018-faq-accounts-receivable · Q: 'Can I send invoices to customers by email?' and Q: 'Can I link a payment to an invoice?', checked 26 October 2026

**Accrual books and reports** · Partly — Cash and accrual P&L and balance sheet; no cash flow. Every plan keeps cash and accrual books at once ('Cash & accrual books' on Starter) and drafts a balance sheet and profit and loss.

> Puzzle does not provide a cashflow statement.
> — https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/8441346-what-reports-does-puzzle-provide · Article body; statements described at https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/11385709-financial-statements-in-puzzle, checked 26 October 2026

### Who checks the AI’s work

**People check the books** · Partly — Only with a paid service; software plans: you check. On the software plans (Starter, Core, Complete, Scale) you close the books yourself, and Puzzle support does not do bookkeeping.

> Puzzle's AI suite does the work. A bookkeeper reviews it and closes your books, every month.
> — https://puzzle.io/pricing · We do it for you tab, 'Core + Expert Reviewed' result card; software header 'Software only You close the books', checked 26 October 2026

**Your own bookkeeper** · Partly — Named bookkeeper only on Full Service. Full Service includes a named bookkeeper with unlimited questions by email.

> Full Service Full monthly close Categorization and reconciliations Accruals and prepaids handled Financial statements Named bookkeeper Unlimited bookkeeping questions by email Month-end summary
> — https://puzzle.io/pricing · We do it for you tab, 'Full Service' includes block, checked 26 October 2026

**Accuracy the vendor claims** · Partly — Up to 98% categorized; no basis given. The pricing page claims 'Up to 98% auto-categorization' on every plan and '98% accuracy' for Complete; the page's structured data says '98%+ accuracy'; the help center says PuzzleBot auto-categorizes 90-95% of a company's transactions.

> Complete automates the tedious parts — with 98% accuracy — so your team and your accountant can focus on what matters.
> — https://puzzle.io/pricing · Section 'WHY MOST TEAMS CHOOSE COMPLETE'; 90-95% figure at https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/8600305-ai-categorization-tools, checked 26 October 2026

### Where your books live and what it connects to

**QuickBooks Online** · Yes — QuickBooks Online read for migration.

> Connect QuickBooks Online to allow Puzzle's migration team to download reports and migrate your data
> — https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/12598354-connecting-banks-integrations-in-puzzle · 'Authorized Access' under Available Integrations; Xero and QuickBooks Desktop at https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/8038955-migrating-to-puzzle-faqs, checked 26 October 2026

**Stripe** · Yes — Stripe and Gusto yes

> Yes, Puzzle connects to Stripe and ingests balance transactions (payments, refunds, fees, disputes, transfers, payouts) for clean reconciliation.
> — https://puzzle.io/integrations/stripe · FAQ 'Does Puzzle integrate with Stripe?'; Gusto at https://puzzle.io/integrations/gusto; Shopify at https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/9155896-faq-integrations, checked 26 October 2026

**Shopify** · Yes — Shopify no

> Yes, Puzzle connects to Stripe and ingests balance transactions (payments, refunds, fees, disputes, transfers, payouts) for clean reconciliation.
> — https://puzzle.io/integrations/stripe · FAQ 'Does Puzzle integrate with Stripe?'; Gusto at https://puzzle.io/integrations/gusto; Shopify at https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/9155896-faq-integrations, checked 26 October 2026

**PayPal** · Partly — PayPal, Square not named. PayPal: not named on any page read.

> Yes, Puzzle connects to Stripe and ingests balance transactions (payments, refunds, fees, disputes, transfers, payouts) for clean reconciliation.
> — https://puzzle.io/integrations/stripe · FAQ 'Does Puzzle integrate with Stripe?'; Gusto at https://puzzle.io/integrations/gusto; Shopify at https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/9155896-faq-integrations, checked 26 October 2026

**Square** · No — PayPal, Square not named.

> Yes, Puzzle connects to Stripe and ingests balance transactions (payments, refunds, fees, disputes, transfers, payouts) for clean reconciliation.
> — https://puzzle.io/integrations/stripe · FAQ 'Does Puzzle integrate with Stripe?'; Gusto at https://puzzle.io/integrations/gusto; Shopify at https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/9155896-faq-integrations, checked 26 October 2026

**Gusto payroll** · Yes — Stripe and Gusto yes

> Yes, Puzzle connects to Stripe and ingests balance transactions (payments, refunds, fees, disputes, transfers, payouts) for clean reconciliation.
> — https://puzzle.io/integrations/stripe · FAQ 'Does Puzzle integrate with Stripe?'; Gusto at https://puzzle.io/integrations/gusto; Shopify at https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/9155896-faq-integrations, checked 26 October 2026

**Moves your history in** · Partly — $149 per system; monthly summaries only. The team moves books in from QuickBooks Online (read connection), QuickBooks Desktop, Xero or another system (exported reports) for $149 once per system, with an active subscription, added through a call.

> Migration is a paid add-on: $149, charged once for each system we migrate. It’s available with an active Puzzle subscription.
> — https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/8038960-migrating-to-puzzle-guide · Article intro; exclusions at https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/8038955-migrating-to-puzzle-faqs 'What is not migrated?', checked 26 October 2026

**Getting your books out** · Yes — Full general ledger and statements export. From Downloads you can export the full general ledger detail (all historical journal entries in one file), the chart of accounts, transactions and financial statements on cash or accrual basis, as Excel, CSV or PDF.

> Yes, you can export a full general ledger and financial statements on either cash or accrual basis in excel, csv, and pdf formats.
> — https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/8441512-can-i-export-my-data · Article intro and 'Can I export my data if I cancel or don’t choose a plan?', checked 26 October 2026

### Taxes

**Files your tax return** · Partly — Business return from $1,250/yr, +$250 per state. A partner firm prepares and files the business's tax return as an add-on, from $1,250 a year depending on entity type, plus $250 for each state filed in.

> Tax Filing From $1,250 /yr A partner firm prepares and files your return. The price depends on your entity type, plus $250 for each state you file in.
> — https://puzzle.io/pricing · Add-ons tab, 'Tax Filing' card; 'business tax return' wording at https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/17063329-puzzle-accounting-services-expert-reviewed-full-service-add-ons, checked 26 October 2026

**Files 1099s** · No — Exports a 1099 vendor report; does not file. Puzzle suggests 1099-eligible vendors (over $600 in typical categories), stores W-9s and exports a 1099 template with each vendor's yearly total, to be filed through a payroll provider or tax software.

> Note: This exported file should then be used with your payroll provider or preferred tax filing software, as Puzzle does not directly file 1099s.
> — https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/12670953-tracking-1099-vendor-spending-in-puzzle · Step 4: Export Your 1099 Vendor Report, checked 26 October 2026

### Your data and its security

**SOC 2 report** · Yes — SOC 2 Type II; report on request. The Vanta trust center lists SOC 2 Type I and SOC 2 Type II under Compliance, with reports behind 'Request access' (not requested).

> Compliance SOC 2 Type I SOC 2 Type II
> — https://trust.puzzle.io/ · Overview tab, 'Compliance' panel; 'Request access' button in the header, checked 26 October 2026

### Who it is built for

**For accounting firms** · Partly — Partner firm program by waitlist; no firm plan. Puzzle no longer sells its platform to accounting firms.

> No. Puzzle no longer sells its platform directly to accounting firms. This is a partnership: we bring the customer and the software, you bring the accounting expertise.
> — https://puzzle.io/accounting-partners · FAQ 'Is this the same as the old Puzzle for Accounting Firms software?'; Admin Portal at https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/14031680-managing-your-accounting-firm-in-the-admin-portal, checked 26 October 2026

**Several businesses** · Partly — One account per company; consolidation via Joiin from Core. Each company is its own Puzzle account; several can be linked to one login.

> Yes. Multi-entity consolidation is available on Core and above via integration with Joiin.
> — https://puzzle.io/pricing · Page structured data FAQ 'Does Puzzle support multi-entity?'; Core card 'Multi-entity'; https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/13417493-can-i-manage-multiple-companies-under-one-puzzle-login, checked 26 October 2026

**United States** · Yes — United States only, in US dollars.

> Puzzle is built for US entities with USD only transactions.
> — https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/8441394-does-puzzle-work-for-non-us-companies · Article body; services terms '1. Eligibility' at https://puzzle.io/legal/ac-terms-of-service, checked 26 October 2026

### Trying it, starting and getting help

**Free trial or free plan** · Partly — Free trial only; no free plan. Every plan card offers 'Try for free'; there is no standing free plan.

> ** Starter is free for 2 months.
> — https://puzzle.io/pricing · Footer footnote; 'Free period' section at https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/8891734-faq-pricing, checked 26 October 2026

**Sign up without a sales call** · Partly — Software online; services and migration by call. The four software plans sign up online ('Try for free' goes to app.puzzle.io/signup) and upgrade under Settings > Billing.

> Step 1: Purchase the migration. Book a call with us to add a migration to your subscription.
> — https://puzzle.io/pricing · Software plan cards 'Try for free'; We do it for you tab buttons 'Talk to us' and 'Book a demo'; migration at https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/8038960-migrating-to-puzzle-guide, checked 26 October 2026

**Contract and cancelling** · Yes — Monthly or yearly (20% off); cancel in Billing. Plans are sold monthly or yearly (yearly saves 20% and is charged up front).

> If you'd like to stop your paid subscription, you can do this at any time from your billing settings.
> — https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/14990198-how-to-cancel-your-puzzle-subscription · Overview and 'How to Cancel or Downgrade'; billing toggle at https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/14989481-how-to-upgrade-your-puzzle-plan, checked 26 October 2026

**Support** · Yes — In-app chat, Mon-Fri 10am-4pm PT; no phone. Chat inside Puzzle, staffed Monday to Friday 10am-4pm Pacific, with replies within one business day and an AI assistant at any time.

> Monday to Friday, 10am–4pm Pacific Time. We reply within 1 business day. Messages sent outside those hours are answered the next business day. Our AI assistant is available any time and can answer many questions right away.
> — https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/12657717-how-to-contact-support · 'How to reach us' and 'Our hours', checked 26 October 2026

## Puzzle alternatives

- [FreeAgent](https://tickmarkbooks.com/freeagent) · From £10 a month (about $13): UK cloud accounting with HMRC filing, bank feeds and AI receipt capture, priced per business type.
- [Zoho Books](https://tickmarkbooks.com/zoho-books) · Free plan, then $20 a month: Cloud accounting ledger with Zia AI, bank feeds, sales tax and 1099 e-filing, from $20 a month.
- [Pilot](https://tickmarkbooks.com/pilot) · No list price: A bookkeeping and tax service for startups that pairs software-driven dashboards with human financial advisors.
- [Stampli](https://tickmarkbooks.com/stampli) · Price on request: Procure-to-pay workspace for invoices, vendors, payments and card spend, with AI coding and routing.
- [Booke AI](https://tickmarkbooks.com/booke-ai) · No list price: An AI bookkeeper that works inside QuickBooks Online and Xero to categorize transactions and match documents.
- [SimpleAI](https://tickmarkbooks.com/simpleai) · From $79 a month: AI agents that extract, classify and reconcile accounting documents, then publish them into Xero or QuickBooks.
- [FreshBooks](https://tickmarkbooks.com/freshbooks) · From $23 a month: Double-entry small-business ledger built around invoicing, with a read-only Claude connector for questions.
- [Digits](https://tickmarkbooks.com/digits) · From $65 a month: AI-native general ledger that books and reconciles itself, replacing QuickBooks or Xero for US businesses.
- [Sage Accounting](https://tickmarkbooks.com/sage-accounting) · From £20 a month (about $27): Sage's cloud small-business ledger with built-in payroll and the Sage Copilot assistant; US edition retired.

6 of the 9 publish a price.

[All 9 alternatives](https://tickmarkbooks.com/puzzle/alternatives/)

## Sources and changes

Last changed 26 October 2026

**Sources** (22)

- https://puzzle.io/pricing, read 26 October 2026
- https://trust.puzzle.io/, read 26 October 2026
- https://puzzle.io/accounting-partners, read 26 October 2026
- https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/12598354-connecting-banks-integrations-in-puzzle, read 26 October 2026
- https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/12657717-how-to-contact-support, read 26 October 2026
- https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/12670953-tracking-1099-vendor-spending-in-puzzle, read 26 October 2026
- https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/14990198-how-to-cancel-your-puzzle-subscription, read 26 October 2026
- https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/15138987-month-end-close-with-ai-close, read 26 October 2026
- https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/17063329-puzzle-accounting-services-expert-reviewed-full-service-add-ons, read 26 October 2026
- https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/6986850-rules-and-categories, read 26 October 2026
- https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/6986882-how-to-reconcile-bank-and-credit-card-accounts-in-puzzle, read 26 October 2026
- https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/7179694-quick-start-guide, read 26 October 2026
- https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/8038960-migrating-to-puzzle-guide, read 26 October 2026
- https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/8441346-what-reports-does-puzzle-provide, read 26 October 2026
- https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/8441394-does-puzzle-work-for-non-us-companies, read 26 October 2026
- https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/8441512-can-i-export-my-data, read 26 October 2026
- https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/8891734-faq-pricing, read 26 October 2026
- https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/9165703-faq-accounts-payable, read 26 October 2026
- https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/9359018-faq-accounts-receivable, read 26 October 2026
- https://puzzle.io/integrations/stripe, read 26 October 2026
- https://puzzle.io/legal/faq, read 26 October 2026
- https://puzzle.io/legal/privacy, read 26 October 2026

## Is this yours?

Claim Puzzle: https://tickmarkbooks.com/claim/puzzle

Report an error if a fact is wrong: hello@tickmarkbooks.com, subject "Report an error: Puzzle (puzzle)".