Accountable vs Puzzle
Puzzle alternative: run three companies for $198, not $360
Puzzle bills each company separately and syncs your bank once a night. Accountable puts every company in one workspace and posts within minutes.
Side by side
Accountable vs Puzzle: side by side
Facts and list prices checked Nov 2026. Accountable is accountable.im.
Price for 1 company
Accountable: $0 on Free (100 transactions categorized automatically a month), or $149 a month on Pro.
Puzzle: $120 a month on Complete. Starter costs $30 and Core costs $72.
Price for 3 companies
Accountable: $198 a month on Pro: $149 covers 2 companies, and the third costs $49.
Puzzle: $360 a month on Complete, or $216 on Core.
How companies are billed
Accountable: One bill for the whole workspace. Pro includes 2 companies and charges $49 for each extra one. Holding costs $399 for 10 companies and $29 for each extra one. Users are unlimited, and your accountant's seat is always free.
Puzzle: Each company is its own account and subscription. Combined reports need a separate tool, Joiin.
AI agent access (MCP)
Accountable: Read and write on Pro, read-only on Free. Changes apply at once, are logged under the agent's name and can be undone. Entries of $5,000 or more wait for an owner, closed months stay locked, and an agent can preview any change first.
Puzzle: Read-only by default, with writing in an opt-in beta that asks you to confirm each change. The MCP is in alpha, and you sign in again every 5 days.
Cash and accrual
Accountable: Reports have a Cash, Accrual and Both switch. Both shows the two bases side by side with the difference, from the same entries.
Puzzle: Puzzle's blog (June 24, 2026) says it maintains cash and accrual books simultaneously, updating in real time.
How fast data arrives
Accountable: Mercury, Brex, Ramp and Stripe sync every 15 to 30 minutes, and new transactions post on the next sync.
Puzzle: Partner data syncs once a day, overnight. Only Ramp can be forced to sync.
Month-end close
Accountable: Every month is reconciled to the bank, reviewed, locked and reported. Mercury, Brex, Ramp and Stripe sync every 15 to 30 minutes, and new transactions post on the next sync.
Puzzle: AI Close drafts the work and a person approves it. Complete promises a 50% faster close within 60 days or your money back.
Moving your books in
Accountable: Free for everyone. The agent moves your full history and ties every month-end to the cent, then sends you a tie-out report.
Puzzle: $149 per system. Catch-up bookkeeping starts at $300 per month of books.
AI use
Accountable: 20 AI accountant questions a month on Free, 300 on Pro and 1,000 on Holding.
Puzzle: 25 AI credits for the life of the account on Starter and Core, 100 a month on Complete and 300 on Scale.
Free plan or trial
Accountable: Free plan for 1 company, with 100 transactions categorized automatically a month. Pro has a 14-day free trial.
Puzzle: Starter is free for its first 2 months, with no free plan after that. Complete has a 14-day trial.
Done for you
No books to manage, and no waiting.
Every transaction is categorized the moment it lands, and each month closes the day it ends.
Switch to Accountable if
- Your agent can write to the books today. Puzzle keeps outside agents read-only unless you join its write beta, while Accountable lets them write on Pro, with entries of $5,000 or more waiting for an owner.
- Transactions arrive through the day, not overnight. Mercury, Brex, Ramp and Stripe sync every 15 to 30 minutes, and new transactions post on the next sync.
- Every company lives in one workspace with one switcher and one bill. On Puzzle, each company is a separate account.
- The move is free. Puzzle charges $149 per system to migrate and from $300 per month of books to catch up.
Switch
Moving from Puzzle takes 3 steps.
Upload Puzzle's ledger export and connect your banks. The agent rebuilds and proves every month. Approve once and go live.
Questions about switching from Puzzle
What happened to Puzzle?
On September 2, 2026, Accrual agreed to buy Puzzle's accounting-firm business and its ledger and close technology. Founder Sasha Orloff is moving to Accrual. The startup product keeps running under the Puzzle brand.
Why can agents write on Accountable when Puzzle says they shouldn't?
Every agent write applies once, is logged under the agent's name and can be undone, and an agent can preview it first. Entries of $5,000 or more wait for an owner, closed months stay locked, and no agent can approve a change.
Does Accountable keep both cash and accrual books?
Accountable stores the facts both bases need from day one. Each company picks its default basis, and every report can show cash, accrual or both side by side. Three companies also cost $198 on Accountable against $360 on Puzzle, and your agent can write to the books.
What does my CPA still do if AI keeps the books?
Your CPA prepares and signs the tax return and handles judgment calls such as equity and entity choices. The accountant's seat in Accountable is free on every plan, and they see the same books and audit log you do.
Competitor facts and list prices checked Nov 2026. Sources:
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