Puzzle vs Digits accounting software: prices, AI and which fits a startup in 2026
For one startup, Digits Core costs $100 a month and Puzzle Complete $120. Puzzle adds revenue recognition, classes and projects and meters its AI with credits (100 a month on Complete). Digits adds bill pay, invoicing and iPhone and iPad apps on every plan. Both give outside AI agents read-only access. Three companies cost $300 on Digits Core and about $360 on Puzzle Complete.
Updated · 5 min read · By the Accountable team
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 is read-only with 11 tools, and Puzzle's MCP is read-only, in alpha, 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.
Plan by plan, 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, and Digits' pricing page 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.
Both give your AI agent read-only access, with different limits
- Digits' MCP server is read-only and has 11 tools, including list_businesses, select_business, query_transactions and financial_statement. It can list every business your login reaches, so one connection can work across companies.
- Puzzle's MCP is described as strictly read-only, in alpha, with high-volume use rate limited, and it re-authenticates every 5 days.
- Neither lets an agent recategorize or post an entry. If you want Claude or ChatGPT to fix the books, not only read them, compare tools where the connection can write, with approval and undo; see the accounting MCP server guide.
Accrual announced on September 2, 2026 that it 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
One company: Digits Core $100 a month ($1,200 a year); Puzzle Complete $120 ($1,440 a year).
Three companies: Digits Core 3 × $100 = $300 a month ($3,600 a year), because each business needs its own subscription.
Three companies on Puzzle Complete: 3 × $120 = $360 a month ($4,320 a year), assuming each company takes the same plan. Puzzle's help center says one login can manage several companies but does not publish a multi-company price or a combined view.
Accountable Pro for the same three: $198 a month ($2,376 a year, or $1,980 on the annual plan).
Puzzle's Core plan lists multi-entity support at $72, so a founder who accepts Core's 5 seats and 25 lifetime AI credits could pay less than Digits for three companies. Ask Puzzle how it bills each entity before you count on that.
Choose Digits for bill pay and mobile apps, 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 run several companies and want one bill: compare Accountable against Digits and against Puzzle.
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 requires a separate subscription for each business. 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?
No. Both MCP servers are read-only.
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 September 30, 2026: