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

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

Pick Xero if

• Fits if your accountant already works in Xero
• Works for businesses where several staff and advisers need to be in the books, as users are unlimited

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you send more than 20 invoices or enter more than 5 bills, since that's where Early stops
• Watch out: the advertised prices are 80% off for 3 months only, then $27, $59 or $97 a month
• Pricey if you need US payroll, at $36 a month plus $6 a person on top
• Pricey if you bill in other currencies, which need Established at $97, or want auto-reconcile on Early, a $5 add-on
• Skip it if you want a free plan to start on, as there isn't one, and taking the free month costs you the discount

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.

Xero

• The advertised prices are 80% off for the first 3 months; plans then renew at $27, $59 or $97 a month.
• Early stops at 20 invoices and 5 bills, and its graphs and cash flow forecast are the basic ones.
• US payroll costs $36 a month plus $6 per employee or contractor, and is not offered to Xero's US mobile-only subscribers.
• These are US prices; Xero sells in other countries, including New Zealand, Australia and the UK, on separate regional sites.

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.

Xero

Bank reconciliation

Match bank transactions to invoices and bills. Auto-reconcile is part of Growing and Established, and a $5 a month add-on on Early.

Invoices, quotes and online payments

Send invoices and quotes with a payment service attached, and take card payments in person with Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android.

Bills and Smart Document Capture

Bills and receipts are pulled into Xero from documents, and standard ACH bill payments in US dollars are included on every plan.

Cash flow forecasts and analytics

Forecasts run 30, 60 or 180 days ahead depending on the plan, and Syft analytics, dashboards and health scorecards are built in.

JAX assistant

Xero's AI assistant answers questions about the business's numbers and handles routine bookkeeping tasks.

Xero Payroll, powered by Gusto

Full-service payroll that calculates, files and pays federal and state taxes across all 50 states, without leaving Xero.

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.

Xero

• Early$27

  per month, billed monthly

  Advertised at $5.40 a month for the first 3 months. Quotes, 20 invoices, 5 bills, bank reconciliation, sales tax and a 30-day cash flow forecast.

• Growing$59

  per month, billed monthly

  Advertised at $11.80 a month for the first 3 months. No invoice or bill limits, auto-reconcile, dashboards, budgets and a 60-day forecast.

• Established$97

  per month, billed monthly

  Advertised at $19.40 a month for the first 3 months. Adds multiple currencies, project time and costs, expense claims and a 180-day forecast.

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.

Xero

• Other savings

  80% off the first 3 months

  New US customers buying their first organization pay 20% of the base plan price for 3 months, then the regular monthly price. Add-ons are not discounted.

• Other savings

  Two months of Xero Payroll free

  Xero's payroll page offers two months free to try Xero Payroll, which then costs $36 a month plus $6 per employee or contractor.