Puzzle vs Digits accounting: prices, AI and the Accrual sale
For one startup, Digits Core costs $100 a month and Puzzle Complete $120. Puzzle adds revenue recognition, classes and projects, while Digits adds bill pay, invoicing and mobile apps. Three companies cost $100 to $170 on Digits and about $360 on Puzzle.
Updated · 5 min read · By the Accountable team
- Puzzle CompleteRevenue recognition; 100 AI credits a month$120/mo
List prices for one company, checked Nov 4, 2026. Accountable Pro is $149 when an agent should change the books. Three companies cost $100 to $170 on Digits Core and about $360 on Puzzle Complete.
The short version
- Puzzle's plans are Starter $30, Core $72, Complete $120 and Scale $360; Digits' are Essentials $65, Core $100 and Pro $250, which is marked coming soon.
- Puzzle meters AI with credits: 25 for the life of the account on Starter and Core, 100 a month on Complete and 300 a month on Scale.
- Digits' MCP server reads and writes, while Puzzle's MCP is in alpha, read-only by default with an opt-in write beta, and asks you to sign in again every 5 days.
- On September 2, 2026 Accrual announced it is buying Puzzle's accounting-firm business, and the report says Puzzle will keep operating independently for startups.
- Digits has a SOC 2 Type II report on its security page; we did not find one stated on Puzzle's pricing or home page.
Puzzle runs $30 to $360, and Digits $65 to $250
| Plan | Price | What it adds | Seats and AI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Puzzle Starter | $30 | Up to 98% auto-categorization (Puzzle's claim), cash and accrual books, unlimited connections | 1 seat, 25 AI credits for the life of the account, 2 months free |
| Puzzle Core | $72 | Burn, runway and margin insights, spend and revenue tracking, variance analysis, multi-entity support, advanced reporting | 5 seats, 25 lifetime AI credits |
| Puzzle Complete | $120 | AI accuracy review, AI reconciliations, classes, departments and projects, revenue recognition, priority support | Unlimited seats, 100 AI credits a month |
| Puzzle Scale | $360 | Subledgers, no transaction or integration limits, backup and restore, dedicated onboarding | Unlimited seats, 300 AI credits a month |
| Digits Essentials | $65 | Core accounting, 24/7 AI bookkeeping, bank connections, financials, bill pay, invoicing, quality checks | 30-day free trial |
| Digits Core | $100 | Essentials plus dimensional accounting and automated schedules | 30-day free trial |
| Digits Pro | $250 (coming soon) | Core plus custom reports, custom dashboards and budget vs actuals | Not yet available |
Puzzle also sells Core with Expert Reviewed Bookkeeping at $171 a month for up to $10,000 of monthly expenses. Digits sends full-service work to partner accounting firms.
Puzzle meters AI with credits; Digits lists no AI limit
Puzzle Starter and Core include 25 AI credits for the life of the account. Complete includes 100 a month and Scale 300. The credits are what you spend when you ask its AI to do work, so a busy team on Core can run out.
Digits' pricing page names 24/7 AI bookkeeping and an Ask Digits assistant on every plan and lists no credit allowance. That is a difference in how the two are sold, not proof of how each behaves under load, so test both in the trial.
Digits lets your agent write; Puzzle's writing is in beta
- Digits' MCP server reads and writes. An agent can post journal entries, recategorize up to 100 transactions at once and draft invoices and bills, and a change in a locked period becomes a proposal for an approver. Changes are logged under your own name.
- Puzzle's MCP is in alpha and read-only by default. Writing is an opt-in beta that asks you to confirm each change, high-volume use is rate limited, and it re-authenticates every 5 days.
- Before you let an agent write, check how you see and undo its changes; see the accounting MCP server guide.
Accrual is buying Puzzle's accounting-firm business
CPA Practice Advisor reported on September 2, 2026 that Accrual is acquiring Puzzle's AI-native ledger and month-end close products for accounting firms, that the deal was expected to close within weeks, and that Puzzle's founder joined Accrual. The report says Puzzle will continue to operate independently for startups and small businesses that use it directly, while a new Puzzle focuses on accounting firms.
That is worth a question to Puzzle's sales team if you plan to stay for years: which product roadmap serves direct customers, and which serves firms.
Worked example: one company, then three
- Undo on every AI change, all 3 companies side by side
- $149 for 2, +$49 the third
- Every AI and agent change logged
- $100, +$35 for each busy extra company
- Bill pay and invoicing built in
- Extras free under 250 transactions a year
Three companies whose two extras each pass 250 transactions a year, list prices billed monthly, Nov 4, 2026. Digits Core is $28 a month less.
Digits Core is $100 + 2 × $35 = $170 a month once both extra companies pass 250 transactions a year. Puzzle's help center says one login can manage several companies but does not publish a multi-company price or a combined view.
Puzzle's Core plan lists multi-entity support at $72. Ask Puzzle how it bills each entity before you count on it for several companies.
Choose Digits for bill pay, Puzzle for revenue recognition
- Choose Digits if you want bill pay, invoicing and iPhone and iPad apps without a second product, or need a vendor with a stated SOC 2 Type II report.
- Choose Puzzle Complete if your startup recognizes revenue over time or tracks spend by class, department or project, and wants the burn and runway views on the plan.
- Choose Puzzle Core with Expert Reviewed Bookkeeping at $171 a month if a person should review the books for a company under $10,000 of monthly expenses.
- Choose neither if you want every AI change logged and undoable, statements across your companies and a free plan: compare Accountable against Digits and against Puzzle.
Leaving either tool, every month is checked against the bank
Puzzle exports a General Ledger (detail) and a chart of accounts as CSV, and Digits exports a ledger CSV and a financial package. Accountable rebuilds the history from either export, free, and checks each month-end against the old numbers and the bank before it goes live.
How the two compare with QuickBooks: Digits vs QuickBooks and Puzzle vs QuickBooks. For the wider field, see the AI accounting software page and every guide.
Questions founders ask
Is Puzzle cheaper than Digits?
Not at the same tier. Puzzle Complete is $120 against Digits Core at $100. Puzzle Starter at $30 and Core at $72 are cheaper than Digits Essentials at $65, but with limited seats and AI credits.
Do Puzzle and Digits support multiple companies?
Digits covers every company on one subscription, with each extra one free for 250 transactions a year and then from $35 a month. Puzzle says one login can manage several companies and switch between them, and does not publish a multi-company price.
Which has better AI, Puzzle or Digits?
Puzzle publishes a claim of up to 98% automated categorization and AI Close; Digits publishes no rate. Both say their AI categorizes all day, so run your own last three months through each trial and compare the errors.
Can I move from Puzzle to Digits, or the other way?
Yes. Puzzle exports a General Ledger (detail) and a chart of accounts as CSV from its Downloads page. Digits exports a ledger CSV, a financial package and a chart of accounts.
Can Claude or ChatGPT change my books in either tool?
In Digits, yes: its MCP posts entries, recategorizes and drafts invoices and bills. In Puzzle, only if you join its write beta, which asks you to confirm each change.
Move off Puzzle or Digits for free, with every month tied to the cent
Accountable rebuilds your history from either tool's ledger export and checks every month-end against your old numbers. Three companies cost $198 a month on Pro. See the Puzzle migration.
Move my books from PuzzleSources, checked November 4, 2026: