Puzzle alternative
Run 3 companies for $198, not Puzzle's $360.
Puzzle bills each company separately, syncs bank data once a night and keeps agents read-only. Accountable runs every company in one workspace, posts within minutes and lets your agent fix the books.
Accountable and Puzzle, side by side
Facts and list prices checked Sep 2026.
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-only on Free. Read and write on Pro: every write shows a preview, is logged and can be undone, and big changes wait for a person to approve them.
Puzzle: Read-only by policy and in alpha. You sign in again every 5 days.
How fast data arrives
Accountable: Mercury, Brex, Ramp and Stripe push new transactions, and they post within minutes.
Puzzle: Partner data syncs once a day, overnight. Only Ramp can be forced to sync.
Month-end close
Accountable: The month closes on the 1st: reconciled to the bank, reviewed, locked and reported. New transactions from Mercury, Brex, Ramp and Stripe post within minutes.
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. A 14-day Pro trial needs no card.
Puzzle: No free plan. A 14-day trial of Complete, and Starter is free for its first 2 months.
Choose Accountable if
- Your agent can write to the books. Puzzle keeps outside agents read-only by policy, while Accountable lets them write on Pro with your approval for big changes.
- Transactions post within minutes, not overnight. Mercury, Brex, Ramp and Stripe push each new transaction to Accountable as it happens.
- 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.
Choose Puzzle if
- You run one company and want the cheapest paid plan. Puzzle Starter costs $30 a month.
- You want a named bookkeeper to review and close each month. Puzzle bundles one with the software from $171 a month.
- You need revenue recognition from Stripe invoices now. Puzzle Complete includes it, and Accountable adds it later.
- You want a money-back promise on close speed. Puzzle Complete refunds you if your close is not 50% faster within 60 days.
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.
42 of 42 months tie to the cent
Checked against Puzzle's own month-end numbers and every bank and card statement.
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 shows a full preview first and applies only once. Big changes wait for a person, closed months stay locked, and every change can be undone.
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.
Competitor facts and list prices checked Sep 2026. Sources:
Close your next month by the 1st.
Free for one company. 14 days of Pro with no card. Moving your books is free. No sales calls.