Puzzle review: AI accounting software for startups, with optional bookkeeper services
AI accounting software for startups, with optional bookkeeper services
Starts at $30/mo, free plan: no, free trial: 14-day free trial, prices checked on October 30, 2026.
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What Puzzle does
Keeps your books in an AI-assisted ledger that categorizes transactions, answers questions in plain English and prepares reconciliations and other tasks for your approval.
Puzzle is an accounting platform built on a real-time general ledger. You can run the books yourself with its AI suite, or add a Puzzle bookkeeper or a vetted partner firm on top without switching tools. The suite has AI Chat, which answers plain-English questions about your finances, AI Cowork, which prepares routine tasks such as matching invoices to payments or spotting unused subscriptions, and AI Close, which helps accountants run a structured month-end close. According to the vendor, nothing the AI prepares changes your books until you approve it.
The software keeps cash and accrual views side by side. The vendor says its AI categorizes 85–90% of transactions automatically with no rules to write. Direct integrations cover Stripe, Mercury, Brex, Ramp, Gusto, Rippling, Deel and Bill.com, and banks connect through Plaid. Puzzle MCP lets assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT work with your books.
The pricing page lists four software plans: Starter at $30 /mo, Core at $72 /mo, Complete at $120 /mo and Scale at $360 /mo. These are shown on the monthly view; the page also offers a yearly option labelled as saving 20%, without showing a yearly per-month price. Starter has 1 seat and Core has 5, while Complete and Scale have unlimited seats. AI credits are 25 lifetime on Starter and Core, 100 per month on Complete and 300 per month on Scale. Every plan comes with a 14-day free trial, and the pages mention no permanent free plan. Accounting services start at $99/month per entity and are added on top of a software plan.
- AI Chat for plain-English questions about your books
- AI Cowork for routine tasks with approval
- AI Close for month-end close
- Automatic transaction categorization
- Cash and accrual books
- Direct integrations plus banks via Plaid
- Puzzle MCP for Claude and ChatGPT
- Optional bookkeeper services
Good for / Not for
Good for
- Startups and small businesses that want real-time cash and accrual books
- Teams that want to add a bookkeeper later without changing tools
- Founders who already use Stripe, Mercury, Brex, Ramp or Gusto
Not for
- Buyers who need a permanent free plan: only a 14-day trial is mentioned
- Businesses above $10K in monthly expenses that want the Expert Reviewed service
How to start
Start the 14-day free trial that comes with every plan. source
Connect your banks through Plaid and the direct integrations such as Stripe, Mercury, Brex, Ramp or Gusto. source
Optionally import your history from QuickBooks, or invite your own accountant. source
Review what the AI categorizes and prepares, and approve it before it changes your books. source
Limits and gotchas
- Starter and Core include 25 lifetime AI credits; Complete has 100 AI credits per month and Scale has 300. source
- Each entity's accounting services begin at $99/month, layered over a software plan. source
- Expert Reviewed is for up to $10K in monthly expenses and includes up to three bookkeeping questions per month. source
- To get the refund guarantee, you must submit a request in 30 days, with a limit of 90 days after the original subscription date. source
From the official site and docs of Puzzle, checked on October 30, 2026.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Software plans start at $30 /mo, with the AI suite included on every plan
- Bookkeeper services such as Expert Reviewed or Full Service can be added without switching tools
- Direct integrations with Stripe, Mercury, Brex, Ramp, Gusto, Rippling, Deel and Bill.com
- AI-prepared work needs your approval before it changes the books
- Puzzle MCP connects the books to Claude, ChatGPT and other MCP clients
Cons
- The pricing page lists four paid plans and a 14-day free trial; no permanent free plan is mentioned
- Starter and Core include 25 lifetime AI credits rather than a monthly allowance
- Services cost extra, starting at $99/month per entity on top of the software plan
- Expert Reviewed is limited to businesses with up to $10K in monthly expenses and up to three bookkeeping questions per month
- A yearly option saving 20% is mentioned, but no yearly per-month plan prices are shown
Our take
Puzzle fits startups and small businesses that want their books in an AI-assisted ledger and want to choose how much to hand off, from doing everything themselves to a named bookkeeper. It suits buyers who value cash and accrual views and direct connections to tools like Stripe or Mercury. It is a weaker match if you need a permanent free tier: the pricing page lists four paid plans and a 14-day free trial, and no free plan is mentioned. Services are priced separately from the software, the lower plans carry a small lifetime AI credit allowance, and the Expert Reviewed tier has stated eligibility limits, so check those against your situation before committing.
Comparisons and lists with Puzzle
Coming soon
Coming soon — we are writing comparisons that include Puzzle.
Puzzle pricing
| Plan | Monthly billing | Annual billing (per month) | Limits / what’s included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter per month | $30 | — | 1 seat, 25 lifetime AI credits, AI Suite (Chat, Cowork, Close) included. The page also has a 'Yearly · Save 20%' option, but the yearly per-month price is not shown. |
| Core per month | $72 | — | 5 seats, 25 lifetime AI credits. Core is only available for up to $10K / mo in expenses when combined with services. |
| Complete per month | $120 | — | Unlimited seats, 100 AI credits / month. Marked 'Most popular' by the vendor. |
| Scale per month | $360 | — | Unlimited seats, 300 AI credits / month, no transaction limits, no integration limits. |
Free trial: 14-day free trial. Free plan: no.
Prices checked on on the official Puzzle pricing page. “—” = not published.
All Puzzle plans, limits and annual prices →
Frequently asked questions
How much does Puzzle cost?
The pricing page lists Starter at $30 /mo, Core at $72 /mo, Complete at $120 /mo and Scale at $360 /mo. It also offers a yearly option labelled as saving 20%, without showing a yearly per-month price.
Is there a free trial or free plan?
The vendor says every plan comes with a 14-day free trial. The pages do not mention a permanent free plan.
Can the AI change my books on its own?
No, according to the vendor. AI Cowork prepares work for you to review, and nothing changes in your books until you approve it. AI Chat answers questions without changing them.
Does Puzzle offer bookkeeping services?
Yes. Expert Reviewed and Full Service are monthly services, and migration, catch-up bookkeeping, R&D study and tax filing are project-based. Services start at $99/month per entity on top of a software plan.
What does Puzzle integrate with?
It connects to banks and cards through Plaid and has direct integrations with Stripe, Mercury, Brex, Ramp, Gusto, Rippling, Deel and Bill.com.
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