Botkeeper vs Puzzle (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Puzzle grades higher than Botkeeper: 2.0 against 1.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Puzzle grades higher on value for money, the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Botkeeper
Automated bookkeeping platform sold to accounting firms
Puzzle
AI-driven accounting software for startups and small businesses
Which one is for you
Pick Botkeeper if
- Fits if you run an accounting firm with 10 or more clients to keep books for
- Works for firms that want categorization and reconciliation done by software
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you're a business keeping your own books, as it's sold to accounting firms
- Pricey if you have only a few clients: $134 a license for 1 to 4, $98 for 5 to 9
- Skip it if you want to try before paying, because there's no free trial
- Watch out: licenses are software only, and extra services and support upgrades cost more
Pick Puzzle if
- Fits if you're a startup that wants AI to categorize transactions
- Works for founders who link Stripe, Mercury or Ramp
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you lean on the AI: 25 lifetime credits on Starter and Core, 100 a month on Complete
- Skip it if you're a team: Starter has 1 seat and Core 5, with unlimited from Complete at $100
- Pricey if you want bookkeeping done for you: from $171 a month with Core, and it needs a subscription
- Watch out: a QuickBooks migration costs $149 one-time unless you add catch-up bookkeeping or Full Service
How we grade them
| 1.4GPABotkeeperWeak | 2.0GPAPuzzleFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D$134 a license a month for 1 to 4 licenses on annual billing, one license per client. That's about five times the $26 middle; the $53 rate needs 25 or more clients. | C$25 a month on annual billing ($30 monthly) for Starter and $60 for Core, close to this category's $26 middle. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial. Monthly billing can be cancelled, but an annual plan commits you for the full year. | DA free trial is offered, but the pricing page doesn't say how long it lasts. No free plan. |
| Features | CCategorization, bank reconciliation, journal entries and a close tracker. The licenses are software only, and extra services are bought separately. | CAI categorization and close, cash and accrual books, startup metrics, an API and MCP. Multi-entity and variance analysis need Core, and AI credits are limited. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. A firm has to onboard every client entity as its own license. | CNo store rating on record. You connect banks and payment tools and review what the AI books. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, and no integrations are listed on the pages we read. | BWeb only, with Stripe, Mercury, Ramp, Brex, Gusto, QuickBooks, Claude and ChatGPT, plus an API and MCP. |
| Best for | accounting firms automating client bookkeeping | AI-run books for startups |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Botkeeper and Puzzle. How we grade
Price against what you get
Botkeeper starts at $53 a month for each person and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Puzzle starts at $25 a month and scores 2.3.
Puzzle scores higher and starts $28 a month lower. Of the other accounting and invoicing tools on the chart, 39 score higher than Botkeeper for less, and 9 score higher than Puzzle for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Botkeeper also covers workflow automation.
- Puzzle also covers invoicing and expense tracking.
At a glance
| Botkeeper | Puzzle | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | $53 per license / month at 25+ licenses, billed annually ($59 billed monthly) | $25 per month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | Free trial offered; length not stated on the pricing page |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Botkeeper | Puzzle |
| Price read from | botkeeper.com | puzzle.io |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Botkeeper
- It is sold to accounting firms, with one license per client entity, not to a business keeping its own books.
- The listed licenses are software only: the firm manages and administers the work, and extra services are bought separately.
- There is no free trial; monthly billing can be cancelled anytime, while an annual plan commits for the full year.
- Support is tiered, and the licenses include standard support with paid upgrades.
Puzzle
- Starter allows one seat and Core five; unlimited seats start at Complete.
- AI credits are limited: 25 for the lifetime of Starter and Core, 100 a month on Complete.
- Bookkeeping services start at $171 a month with Core, for up to $10K in monthly expenses, and need an active subscription.
- A QuickBooks migration costs $149 one-time unless catch-up bookkeeping or Full Service is added.
Key features
Botkeeper
- Transaction categorization
- Machine learning categorizes transactions and posts to the ledger only when confidence is high; lower-confidence items go to a review queue.
- Automated bank reconciliation
- Fetches statements, reconciles accounts and flags exceptions so the preparer reviews only what does not match.
- Journal entry automation
- Drafts journal entries and runs an end-of-month review with anomaly detection to support a faster close.
- Firm dashboard and close tracker
- Firm Insights and Close Tracker show automation performance and close status across all clients or for a single client.
- Client collaboration tools
- An Activity Hub, task and workflow tools, document storage and a password manager keep client requests in one place.
Puzzle
- AI categorization and close
- Categorizes most transactions automatically, reconciles accounts and drafts financial statements; an AI suite adds chat, cowork and close tools.
- Cash and accrual books
- Keeps both bases, with accrual automation for prepaid expenses and fixed assets and revenue recognition on Complete.
- Startup metrics
- Cash, burn, runway and margin insights plus spend and revenue tracking, from the Core plan.
- Integrations
- Connects to Stripe, Mercury, Ramp, Brex, Gusto and other finance tools through live API links.
- Accounting services
- Expert Reviewed and Full Service bookkeeping, priced by monthly expenses and sold only alongside a subscription.
- API and MCP
- An API and MCP server let you connect the books to Claude and ChatGPT.
Plans
Botkeeper
1 - 4 Licenses$134
per license / month, billed annually ($149 billed monthly)
Software-only entity licenses for firms with a few clients; one license covers one client.
5 - 9 Licenses$98
per license / month, billed annually ($109 billed monthly)
Same features as every tier at a lower per-license rate.
10 - 24 Licenses$71
per license / month, billed annually ($79 billed monthly)
The tier the pricing page marks as most popular.
25+ Licenses$53
per license / month, billed annually ($59 billed monthly)
Lowest per-license rate, for firms that onboard 25 or more client entities.
Puzzle
Starter$25
per month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly)
1 seat; 85 to 90% of transactions categorized automatically, cash and accrual books, 25 lifetime AI credits.
Core$60
per month, billed annually ($72 billed monthly)
5 seats; adds cash, burn and runway insights, variance analysis, custom chart of accounts and multi-entity.
Complete$100
per month, billed annually ($120 billed monthly)
Unlimited seats; adds AI accuracy review and reconciliations, revenue recognition, priority support; 100 AI credits a month.
Scale$300
per month, billed annually ($360 billed monthly)
High-volume accounting with subledgers, no transaction or integration limits, backup and restore; 300 AI credits a month.
Ways to pay less
Botkeeper
- Annual discount
Save 10% with annual billing
The pricing page shows annual billing at 10% below the monthly per-license rate and gives volume tiers up to 25+ licenses.
Puzzle
- Annual discount
12 months for the price of 10
The pricing page's yearly option charges for 10 months of the monthly price, which is $25 against $30 on Starter.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Botkeeper or Puzzle?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Botkeeper starts at $53 per license / month at 25+ licenses, billed annually ($59 billed monthly), and Puzzle starts at $25 per month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly). One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Botkeeper or Puzzle?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Botkeeper nor Puzzle has a free plan. Puzzle has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.