# Alternatives to Zeni

> Source: https://tickmarkbooks.com/zeni/alternatives/ (re-verified)
> Updated: 27 October 2026

## At a glance

| Name | Best for | Starts at | A month at 100 transactions | Better than Zeni at | Checked |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Zeni](https://tickmarkbooks.com/zeni.md) | U.S. startups that want AI bookkeeping and a dedicated finance team | From $549 a month | — | — | 30 October 2026 |
| [FreeAgent](https://tickmarkbooks.com/freeagent.md) | UK sole traders and small limited companies filing their own VAT and Self Assessment | From about $13 a month | About $25 | Promotion and regular price, Ledger included | 26 October 2026 |
| [Zoho Books](https://tickmarkbooks.com/zoho-books.md) | Small businesses and startups that want one ledger plus the wider Zoho app suite | Free, then $20 a month | $20 | Ledger included, Platforms | 26 October 2026 |
| [Puzzle](https://tickmarkbooks.com/puzzle.md) | A US startup on Mercury, Brex, Ramp, Stripe and Gusto that wants to replace QuickBooks | Price not established | $30 | Ledger included, Setup or onboarding fee | 26 October 2026 |
| [Stampli](https://tickmarkbooks.com/stampli.md) | Finance teams with high invoice volume, many approvers and several entities | On quote | — | NetSuite | 26 October 2026 |
| [Pilot](https://tickmarkbooks.com/pilot.md) | A US startup or small business that wants its books done for it in QuickBooks Online | Price not established | $137 | Xero | 26 October 2026 |
| [Booke AI](https://tickmarkbooks.com/booke-ai.md) | A business or bookkeeping firm already on QuickBooks Online or Xero | Price not established | $156 | Xero, Sign up without a sales call | 26 October 2026 |
| [SimpleAI](https://tickmarkbooks.com/simpleai.md) | Accounting firms and finance teams processing high volumes of invoices and bank statements | From $79 a month | $106 | Past your plan’s limits, Setup or onboarding fee | 27 October 2026 |
| [Bookkeeper360](https://tickmarkbooks.com/bookkeeper360.md) | Startups and growing small businesses wanting books, tax and CFO help from one US team | From $19 a month | $638 | Promotion and regular price, Xero | 27 October 2026 |
| [Digits](https://tickmarkbooks.com/digits.md) | A US startup or small business that wants its own AI-kept ledger in place of QuickBooks | From $65 a month | $65 | Ledger included, Setup or onboarding fee | 27 October 2026 |

“About” figures are converted at the European Central Bank rate of 30 October 2026.

The ones people open most here come first, then the closest matches.

## Shortlist

### 1. FreeAgent

UK cloud accounting with HMRC filing, bank feeds and AI receipt capture, priced per business type.

**Where it improves on Zeni:**
- [Promotion and regular price: yes — promotion: every paid plan is advertised at 50% off for the first six months (or first year on annual billing), after which the regular published price applies.](https://www.freeagent.com/pricing/)
- [Ledger included: yes — FreeAgent is the accounting ledger itself: it keeps the books, builds the accounting reports and files the returns, so no QuickBooks or Xero subscription sits underneath it.](https://www.freeagent.com/features/accounting-software/)
- [Setup or onboarding fee: no — The vendor states plainly that it charges nothing to set up an account, and the UK pricing page lists no onboarding or implementation fee beside any plan.](https://www.freeagent.com/us/pricing/)

**Trade-offs against Zeni:**
- [What the AI costs: partial — included in every plan for smart categorization and the first ten captures a month; processing more than ten receipts or bills needs the £5 (about $6.70)-a-month Smart Capture Unlimited add-on.](https://www.freeagent.com/pricing/)
- [Pays your bills: partial — Bills are captured, recorded and tracked as accounts payable inside FreeAgent, but actually paying them is left to partner products in its own Payment solutions directory rather than done in the product.](https://www.freeagent.com/features/expenses/)
- [Accrual books and reports: partial — It keeps accruals-basis books with automatic accounting reports, a dashboard profit and loss and limited-company Final Accounts; what it publishes for cash is a Cashflow forecast, not a monthly cash flow statement.](https://www.freeagent.com/pricing/)

[View FreeAgent](https://tickmarkbooks.com/freeagent)

### 2. Zoho Books

Cloud accounting ledger with Zia AI, bank feeds, sales tax and 1099 e-filing, from $20 a month.

**Where it improves on Zeni:**
- [Ledger included: yes — Zoho Books is the accounting ledger itself, so no QuickBooks or Xero subscription sits underneath it; the plan fee covers invoicing, banking, journals and the reports.](https://www.zoho.com/us/books/pricing/)
- [Platforms: yes — Runs in the browser on web, as a Windows desktop app from the Microsoft Store, on Mac through the browser (no Mac app named), and as native iPhone and Android apps.](https://www.zoho.com/us/books/pricing/)
- [Calculates sales tax: yes — Sales and use tax is applied to invoices and tracked across the states where you register, with nexus guidance and sales tax reports for what you owe.](https://www.zoho.com/us/books/sales-tax-accounting-software/)

**Trade-offs against Zeni:**
- [Categorizes transactions: partial — Zia pre-fills the account and vendor against each imported bank line, so it suggests rather than posts by itself, and the page does not claim it learns from your corrections.](https://www.zoho.com/us/books/accounting-software/ai-in-accounting/)
- [Pays your bills: partial — Bills and vendor approvals are in the paid plans, but paying vendors by ACH with two- and three-way matching is the separate BillPay add-on at $59 a month billed annually ($69 monthly).](https://www.zoho.com/us/books/pricing/)
- [Stripe: partial — Stripe, PayPal, Square and Authorize.Net are supported payment gateways and Shopify stores connect on Elite and above (up to two)](https://www.zoho.com/us/books/pricing/pricing-comparison.html)

[View Zoho Books](https://tickmarkbooks.com/zoho-books)

### 3. Puzzle

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

**Where it improves on Zeni:**
- [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').](https://puzzle.io/legal/faq)
- [Setup or onboarding fee: no — No setup fee; onboarding calls are free. No plan card or FAQ names a setup or onboarding fee.](https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/7179694-quick-start-guide)
- [Free trial or free plan: partial — Free trial only; no free plan. Every plan card offers 'Try for free'; there is no standing free plan.](https://puzzle.io/pricing)

**Trade-offs against Zeni:**
- [Reconciles your accounts: partial — 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.](https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/6986882-how-to-reconcile-bank-and-credit-card-accounts-in-puzzle)
- [Reads receipts and bills: partial — Reads an uploaded receipt; no stated matching. You can attach documents to a transaction or bill.](https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/15138987-month-end-close-with-ai-close)
- [Pays your bills: partial — 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.](https://help.puzzle.io/en/articles/9165703-faq-accounts-payable)

[View Puzzle](https://tickmarkbooks.com/puzzle)

### 4. Stampli

Procure-to-pay workspace for invoices, vendors, payments and card spend, with AI coding and routing.

**Where it improves on Zeni:**
- [NetSuite: yes — Stampli connects to more than seventy accounting systems, QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop and Oracle NetSuite among them, each with its own integration page](https://www.stampli.com/accounting-systems-erps/)

**Trade-offs against Zeni:**
- [Reconciles your accounts: partial — Payments are reconciled one-to-one against the bank transaction and the record in your accounting system, but Stampli reconciles its own payments rather than closing out every bank and card account each month.](https://www.stampli.com/payments/)
- [Your own bookkeeper: partial — Every customer gets a named Customer Success contact and support staffed by former accounts payable practitioners, but that is product help rather than a bookkeeper keeping your books.](https://www.stampli.com/customer-support/)
- [Payroll: no — none built in: approved out-of-pocket claims are prepared for whatever payroll the company already uses, and the vendor says payroll still pays the employee.](https://www.stampli.com/expenses/)

[View Stampli](https://tickmarkbooks.com/stampli)

### 5. Pilot

A bookkeeping and tax service for startups that pairs software-driven dashboards with human financial advisors.

**Where it improves on Zeni:**
- [Xero: yes — Can I use Pilot if I want to keep Xero?](https://pilot.com/blog/xero-vs-pilot-comparison-for-business-owners)

**Trade-offs against Zeni:**
- [Catching up past months: partial — Offered; no price published. Pilot says it offers catch-up bookkeeping, but the pricing page and FAQ carry no catch-up product or price.](https://pilot.com/blog/bench-vs-pilot-bookkeeping-service)
- [Pays your bills: partial — Bill payment is an add-on; Core manages 10 bills. Accounts payable is not in the bookkeeping plans by default.](https://pilot.com/faq)
- [Sends invoices: partial — Invoicing is an add-on service. Pilot has no invoicing feature in its bookkeeping plans.](https://pilot.com/faq)

[View Pilot](https://tickmarkbooks.com/pilot)

### 6. Booke AI

An AI bookkeeper that works inside QuickBooks Online and Xero to categorize transactions and match documents.

**Where it improves on Zeni:**
- [Xero: yes — QuickBooks Online, Xero Zoho Books: Booke's document and collaboration features sync with it, but the AI Bookkeeper pages name only QuickBooks Online and Xero.](https://booke.ai/bookkeeping-ai)
- [Sign up without a sales call: yes — Business plan: sign up online; firm plan by call. The Business plan's 'Start now' goes to an online sign-up form (country, business or accountant, or 'Sign up using Xero').](https://booke.ai/pricing)

**Trade-offs against Zeni:**
- [Reconciles your accounts: partial — Prepares reconciliation; your team completes it. In QuickBooks Online it prepares work for reconciliation and does not promise a reconciled file; in Xero it can perform 'supported reconciliation actions for eligible configured cases' and leaves the rest open.](https://booke.ai/bookkeeping-automation-software)
- [Sends invoices: partial — Matches payments to ledger invoices; sends none. It matches incoming payments to invoices that already exist in QuickBooks Online or Xero, including multi-invoice payments.](https://booke.ai/quickbooks-online)
- [People check the books: no — No: software only; your team reviews exceptions. No bookkeeper or accountant from Booke reviews the work on any plan.](https://booke.ai/)

[View Booke AI](https://tickmarkbooks.com/booke-ai)

### 7. SimpleAI

AI agents that extract, classify and reconcile accounting documents, then publish them into Xero or QuickBooks.

**Where it improves on Zeni:**
- [Past your plan’s limits: yes — Past the monthly credit allowance you buy add-on packs at a published rate, but the number of packs is capped per month, so very heavy months force a plan upgrade rather than open-ended overage.](https://simpleaiworks.com/en/pricing)
- [Setup or onboarding fee: no — The vendor states onboarding, training and ongoing assistance are in every plan, and no one-time setup or implementation fee appears on any plan card or in the pricing FAQ.](https://simpleaiworks.com/en/pricing)
- [Xero: partial — The vendor names Xero, QuickBooks and Accurate as the ledgers it currently supports, with Accurate limited to Indonesia QuickBooks Desktop and NetSuite are absent from that list, and no page says which QuickBooks or Xero plans are required.](https://simpleaiworks.com/en/contact)

**Trade-offs against Zeni:**
- [Pays your bills: partial — Bills are captured and classified and every plan includes an approval workflow, but the agent's documented end point is publishing entries into your accounting software, not paying suppliers.](https://simpleaiworks.com/en)
- [Sends invoices: partial — Sending invoices belongs to the other product lines, not SAAM: NOVA handles invoices and AR aging conversationally, and the e-Invoicing module issues Peppol invoices for Singapore, while SAAM only extracts AR documents.](https://simpleaiworks.com/en/solutions/nova)
- [Accrual books and reports: partial — Financial statements come from NOVA, which generates Balance Sheets and Cash Flow Statements on request, whereas SAAM prepares entries for your own ledger to report from; neither page says the books are kept on an accrual basis.](https://simpleaiworks.com/en/solutions/nova)

[View SimpleAI](https://tickmarkbooks.com/simpleai)

### 8. Bookkeeper360

US-based outsourced bookkeeping, tax and CFO team working in your QuickBooks Online or Xero.

**Where it improves on Zeni:**
- [Promotion and regular price: yes — promotion: the Bookkeeper360 app is advertised as three months free and then $19 a month, and the subscription agreement adds an automatic 5% annual service rate adjustment after the first year.](https://bookkeeper360.com/app/)
- [Xero: yes — QuickBooks Online and Xero are both supported and can be set up new during onboarding](https://bookkeeper360.com/services/bookkeeping/)
- [Payroll: yes — add-on: Payroll Administration is a separate service from $200 a month, run on partner platforms such as Gusto with setup and tax filings handled, plus $250 per state registration.](https://bookkeeper360.com/pricing/)

**Trade-offs against Zeni:**
- [Categorizes transactions: partial — Categorization is done for you, but the vendor credits its dedicated accountant rather than software, and nothing on the site claims the product categorizes transactions itself or learns from your corrections.](https://bookkeeper360.com/services/bookkeeping/)
- [Pays your bills: partial — Bill capture, approval routing and payment are real but sold as a separate Bill Pay & Invoicing add-on from $150 a month, partly through third-party tools such as Bill.com and Ramp.](https://bookkeeper360.com/services/bill-pay-and-invoicing/)
- [Sends invoices: partial — Invoicing and receivables management, including aged receivable tracking and reminders, come with the Bill Pay & Invoicing add-on from $150 a month rather than the bookkeeping plan.](https://bookkeeper360.com/services/bill-pay-and-invoicing/)

[View Bookkeeper360](https://tickmarkbooks.com/bookkeeper360)

### 9. Digits

AI-native general ledger that books and reconciles itself, replacing QuickBooks or Xero for US businesses.

**Where it improves on Zeni:**
- [Ledger included: yes — Digits is the general ledger itself, so no QuickBooks or Xero subscription sits underneath it; the vendor positions it as a replacement system of record.](https://digits.com/ai-info/)
- [Setup or onboarding fee: no — The vendor states plainly that signing up carries no setup fee, and its firm FAQ adds that there are no client migration fees either.](https://digits.com/pricing/)
- [Payroll: yes — integration: payroll itself is run elsewhere and synced in, with runs, wages and taxes pulled automatically from 20 providers and anything else posted as a manual journal entry.](https://digits.com/ai-info/)

**Trade-offs against Zeni:**
- [People check the books: partial — Digits runs its own automated quality checks and routes uncertain items to a Checklist, but a licensed human reviewer is not part of a business plan: for that you hire a firm from its partner directory.](https://digits.com/pricing/)
- [Your own bookkeeper: no — No bookkeeper comes with a subscription; Digits is software and refers businesses that want a person to certified partner firms, who bill separately for full-service accounting.](https://digits.com/ai-info/)
- [When the month is closed: partial — The close is continuous rather than dated: categorization, reconciliation, schedules and quality checks run through the period so books finalize faster, but Digits publishes no day-of-month by which reports are ready.](https://digits.com/pricing/)

[View Digits](https://tickmarkbooks.com/digits)