Kick vs Puzzle (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Kick grades higher than Puzzle: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Kick grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Kick
AI bookkeeping ledger for businesses and accounting firms
Puzzle
AI-driven accounting software for startups and small businesses
Which one is for you
Pick Kick if
- Fits if you are a new business with few transactions
- Works for sole proprietors who want the free P&L and balance sheet
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you pass 250 categorised transactions a year, the end of the free plan
- Pricey if you need an accrual ledger: Plus is $100 a month
- Skip it if you need consolidation, which is Advanced at $300 a month
- Watch out: the page shows one billing term per plan, so monthly Basic and Plus prices aren't listed
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
| 2.2GPAKickFair | 2.0GPAPuzzleFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CBasic is $40 a month on yearly billing, at the edge of what the category's dearer quarter charges. Accrual and multi-entity sit on Plus at $100. | 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 | CA free plan with 250 categorised transactions a year. That cap is easy to reach, and the P&L and balance sheet come with it. | DA free trial is offered, but the pricing page doesn't say how long it lasts. No free plan. |
| Features | CAI categorisation, reconciliation, statement sync, invoicing and bill pay. Multi-entity, classes and an accrual ledger are held back for Plus, so the core ledger work has a gap on cheaper plans. | 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, and you connect bank and card accounts first. | CNo store rating on record. You connect banks and payment tools and review what the AI books. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with Stripe, PayPal, Mercury, Plaid, Ramp, Gusto, Claude and ChatGPT. | BWeb only, with Stripe, Mercury, Ramp, Brex, Gusto, QuickBooks, Claude and ChatGPT, plus an API and MCP. |
| Best for | a small business that wants AI to categorise transactions | 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: Kick and Puzzle. How we grade
Price against what you get
Kick starts at $40 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Puzzle starts at $25 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Puzzle starts $15 a month lower. Of the other accounting and invoicing tools on the chart, 26 score higher than Kick for less, and 20 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
- Kick also covers workflow automation and bill pay.
- Puzzle also covers expense tracking.
At a glance
| Kick | Puzzle | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $40 per month, billed annually ($480) | $25 per month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Auto categorization limited to 250 transactions a year, receipt matching, profit and loss and balance sheet. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | Free trial offered; length not stated on the pricing page |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Kick | Puzzle |
| Price read from | kick.co | puzzle.io |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Kick
- The free plan stops at 250 categorized transactions a year.
- Multi-entity, classes and an accrual ledger need Plus, and consolidation needs Advanced.
- The page shows one billing term per plan, so monthly-billed prices for Basic and Plus are not listed.
- Firm pricing is separate and charged per client, with 10% off for 1 to 19 clients and 50% off for 20 or more.
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
Kick
- AI categorization
- Categorizes transactions automatically and matches receipts. The free plan caps categorization at 250 transactions a year.
- Reconciliation and statement sync
- Reconciles accounts and syncs statements from Basic upward, with a universal importer for existing data.
- Multi-entity and consolidation
- Plus adds multi-entity and classes; Advanced adds consolidated reporting across entities and revenue recognition.
- Invoicing and bill pay
- The product menu includes invoicing and bill pay, with AR/AP automation listed from the Plus plan.
- Connections and AI assistants
- Connects to Stripe, PayPal, Mercury, Plaid, Ramp and Gusto, and works with ChatGPT, Claude and Cursor through MCP or the command line.
- Accountant tools
- Firms get a free firm account, per-client pricing, task and review workflows, and chart of accounts templates.
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
Kick
Free$0
For new businesses and sole proprietors; 250 categorized transactions a year.
Basic$40
per month, billed annually ($480)
Unlimited categorization, reconciliation, statement sync, a universal importer and MCP/CLI access.
Plus$100
per month, billed quarterly ($300)
Adds multi-entity support, classes, AR/AP automation and an accrual ledger.
Advanced$300
per month, billed monthly
Adds consolidation and revenue recognition; prepaid and accrued and multi-book are in beta.
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
Kick
No public discounts listed.
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, Kick or Puzzle?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Puzzle is cheaper to start with: $25 a month, against $40 a month for Kick. Kick starts at $40 per month, billed annually ($480), and Puzzle starts at $25 per month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Kick or Puzzle?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Kick has a free plan. Puzzle does not, though it 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.