Pennylane vs Puzzle (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Pennylane if

• Fits if you run a French company and want invoicing and your business account together
• Makes sense if your accountant will work inside the same app

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you're outside France, as the pages and plans are French and in euros
• Pricey if you want real accounting: the module is Premium at €79 a month, €149 for 2 users
• Watch out: Starter needs the Pennylane Pro account activated
• Watch out: each plan covers up to 1,200 invoices a year

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

Pennylane

• Pages and plans are in French, priced in euros before VAT, and aimed at French companies.
• Each plan covers up to 1,200 invoices a year; Custom has unlimited sales invoices.
• Starter requires activating the Pennylane Pro account; the paid plans are sold by company size and user count.
• Capital deposit costs €1 instead of €69 excluding VAT with a Pennylane subscription.

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.

Pennylane

Invoicing and e-invoicing

Create and receive invoices in line with French e-invoicing rules; the pages state that every plan is compliant.

Pro account and cards

A business account with virtual, physical and one-time cards, supplier payments and automatic reconciliation of transactions.

Accounting module

The Premium plan adds accounting reports, automated entry rules, VAT and tax-return filing by EDI, and month-end closing.

Expense reports

From Essentiel, the plans handle expense claims and mileage allowances, with automatic categorization and analytical reports.

Cash forecast

Essentiel and above include a cash forecast, based on the pricing page's feature list.

Accountant access

Plans give your accountant access, and a separate offer exists for accounting firms.

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.

Pennylane

• Starter€7

  per month, excluding VAT, 1 user

  For independents: invoicing, Pro account with cards, supplier payments in one click, bank sync; needs the Pro account active.

• Basique€14

  per month, excluding VAT, 1 user

  Adds deposits and partial invoices, delivery and purchase orders and built-in supplier payment; €29 for a 2-user company.

• Essentiel€24

  per month, excluding VAT, 1 user

  Adds automated reminders, quote signing, recurring invoices, expense reports, cash forecast and API; €49 for 2 users.

• Premium€79

  per month, excluding VAT, 1 user

  Adds the accounting module: tax filing by EDI, month-end and annual closing, annual accounts; €149 for 2 users.

• CustomCustom

  For multi-entity or complex companies: unlimited users, multi-level approvals and EBICS T payments; quote only.

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.

Pennylane

• Other savings

  Capital deposit for €1

  A Pennylane subscription from €7 excluding VAT lowers the online capital deposit fee to €1 from €69.

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.