Raise the bar on accounting software

Thousands of companies choose Puzzle over Quickbooks for a reason

#1 accounting software solution for startups

Accurate, on-demand financial insights

Spend smarter, grow faster

We integrate seamlessly with:

Platform Comparison for High-growth Startups

Puzzle

QuickBooks

Native Stripe Integration
Detailed transaction data is always ready for deep-dive analysis us
Third-party integrations require tech stack management
Real-time drafted books
Puzzle updates your cash, P&L and Balance sheet daily
Quarantined data only becomes available after bookkeeper review/confirmation
AI-powered Categorization and Reconciliation
98% categorized in draft before you begin, conversational AI support to finish the job
Non-native Stripe integration results in lower fidelity Categorization.
Accrual Automation
Prepaid amortization and fixed asset depreciation schedules generate automatically
Prepaid amortization and fixed asset depreciation requires Excel
Simultaneous Cash and Accruals
Toggle between cash and accrual books with a single click
Switching reporting in your books is a system setting. Accrual schedule management requires external worksheets
Founder insights and operational metrics
Cash, net burn, runway, and ARR/MRR updated daily on the Dashboard
Does not calculate and track burn, runway, and ARR/MRR metrics
9-minute onboarding
1 min: Create a login 2 mins: Connect your accounts 6 mins: Calculate insights
Category rule creation and insights calculations prolong the onboarding process

Work smarter & faster with Puzzle

With Puzzle

3 - 5 Min
4 Steps
Self-serve
Daily drafted financial statements
Instant metrics and insights

With QuickBooks

15 Days
15 Steps
Expert Required
Manually generated
Insights not included

Instant setup, no experts required

Step 1

Set up in minutes

Easily integrate existing financial data into Puzzle’s all-in-one platform.
Step 2

Puzzle generates your
draft financials

View real-time reports and metrics for P&L, cash flow, burn rate, and runway.
Step 3

Get insights immediately

Pinpoint cash flow trends with AI for smarter financial moves.

Automation Reduces Costs, Increases Accuracy

Simplified revenue recognition
Make better decisions with real-time revenue transparency.
Daily statements
Uncover your true financial position in a single dashboard.
Real-time insights
Spot trends faster to make data-driven decisions.
More accurate books
AI highlights potential errors and categorizes transactions.

Boost productivity, deliver better service

Bookkeepers close books in 15 minutes, not 20 days.
*Results achieved by Burkland’s integration of Puzzle and Ramp.

79%

Faster onboarding

68%

Faster bookkeeping

25%

Faster reporting

Loved by founders. Trusted by accountants.

2.k+

Ambitious Startups

$20B+

Transactions Auto-categorized
Gosh, I wish this existed when we started Gusto. It's about time innovation comes to the business accounting space.
How Burkland cut 25% from month-end close with Ramp and Puzzle
A must-have tool for founders. Autonomous accounting is no longer the future, it has arrived
I hit profitability shortly after adopting Puzzle, despite broader VC market shifts.
“Save time and get your reconciled Stripe revenue in real-time”
Puzzle is the tool that has supercharged our ability to navigate our financials as an early-stage startup.
How Mercury’s Statement API Simplifies Accounting For Founders
Puzzle easily saved us $10-20k getting our books organized and taxes filed for first time so we could close our seed round.
How Burkland cut 25% from month-end close with Ramp and Puzzle
We quit using Freshbooks and Quickbooks for Puzzle. It’s simply a fundamentally better product.
How 99% of Brex credit card transactions are auto-categorized in Puzzle
Puzzle generated my financial statements and insights in 14 clicks.  It literally took 2 minutes.  My mind was blown compared to Quickbooks.
“Our integration with Puzzle makes real-time financials for fundraising, taxes, and startup metrics easy”
“I really feel that it's important that you keep track from the beginning; later on it will help us when we will hopefully be bigger and more complex.”

FAQs

Why is Puzzle better for startups than other solutions like QuickBooks?

Puzzle is built for founders by founders to help you build a better startup. We help you scale by…

  • Simultaneously generating cash accounting (what you want) and accrual accounting (what accountants want) in a single solution
  • Key financial insights such as cash, burn, runway, ARR/MRR, spending and revenue insights, and cash monitoring
  • More time growing your business with confidence, less time preparing your financials
  • Intuitive onboarding with on-demand accountants ready anytime
Does Puzzle replace my bookkeeper?

No. Puzzle automates 85-95% of the repetitive tasks performed by your bookkeeper. However, it does not eliminate the necessity of having a professional review your books before submission to the IRS, investors, or other trusted partners. Our guided bookkeeping experience helps you draft solid, actionable financial statements and may lessen the need for an expert early on, but as finances become more complex, professional expertise will still be required.

How does Puzzle keep me tax-ready?

Puzzle provides accurate real-time data and has a robust network of experienced tax experts.

If you are a Delaware C-Corp, the most important tax deadlines are:

  • Jan 31: 1099s
  • March 1: Delaware Franchise Tax
  • April 15: Federal and State Tax Filings
How does Puzzle help me understand my business better?

Get multiple, real-time views of your business.  Cash, accrual accounting, metrics like burn, runway, ARR, MRR, spend analysis by new vs recurring and top vendors, revenue analysis by product, customer and accounting views, variance analysis and much, much more.

How does Puzzle keep me fundraise ready?

Feel confident as you go into fundraising by knowing your numbers and understanding the key drivers of your business. We give you real-time access to the financial statements and metrics needed for due diligence, with a network of on-demand experts available anytime.

Why can't I rely solely on Stripe, Brex, and Ramp for accounting?

Other systems provide raw transaction data but do not generate financial statements needed for tax compliance, reporting, and decision-making. Puzzle ingests data from these systems into our general ledger to create those reports needed for taxes, compliance, and fundraising.

Can I get started on my own as a founder (with no accounting experience)?

Yes, Puzzle provides a few options to match your needs:

  1. Self-service setup - You can set up your accounting and finances on your own through our software. Puzzle automatically connects to your business systems to pull in data. The setup takes just minutes, after which you can access real-time financial reporting.  There is a guided solution to do most of the work yourself to keep costs low until tax time.
  1. Get help when you need it - Get set up yourself, and if you need to, you can hire a bookkeeper, tax preparer, or finance expert through our network to assist you. We help match you to the right expert based on your budget and needs.
Will generative accounting replace me as an accountant?

No! Founders still need (and value!) experts like you for advice and assurance. Puzzle automates many rote, tedious tasks so you can focus on high-value work. While the system generates draft financials, it lets you focus on exceptions, errors, and an amazing month end review with your clients focused on insights and analysis to improve their business.

How is Puzzle different from QuickBooks?

Puzzle built a smart general ledger and real-time data platform in a single solution. Some new capabilities are:

  • We automating repetitive tasks such as categorization, reconciliations, auto-detection of potential issues.
  • Accrual automation across accounts payable, accounts receivable, fixes assets, prepaids
  • Revenue recongnition and ARR/MRR calculations
  • Collaboration - tag founders on transactions and get automatically subscribed to their responses
  • Smart monthly checklist, helping you focus your time on highest value work
  • Financials and reconciliations drafted for you, with an indicator when they are in draft or final state or out of balance.
  • Maintained integrations means less time reconnected or copying and pasting data
  • Learning Categorization - The more you categorize, the better Puzzle becomes at automatically categorizing future transactions.
Can I really transfer a QuickBooks client to Puzzle in minutes?

Yes, through a read-only login Puzzle will import your clients historical financial statements, and trial balance from QuickBooks so you don't start from scratch. We can also help map accounts to a new chart of accounts if needed.  This will allow you to retain your historical financial records in Quickbooks format and have comparative financials in Puzzle while cancelling your Quickbooks account (they retain your financials)

note: Currently while the setup and integration just takes minutes, we do the work for you behind the scenes which takes a few hours. We will share the results with you in a few days, depending on volume of requests. We plan to build a self-serve user experience so you can do this yourself in 2024.
What else do I get besides accounting?

Beyond accounting, Puzzle provides variance analysis, metrics on cash runway and burn rate, breakdowns of expenses by type and vendor, and reporting by customer and product line for SaaS companies. This empowers you to provide more strategic advice.

Won’t automation lower my revenue?

While every case is different, we see two key outcomes from moving from Quickbooks to Puzzle with your clients:

  • You can manage more clients at a higher margin, even if you reduce your fees
  • Deliver a better client experience with faster more accurate books, plus key insights.

By having both automation and insights in a single solution, you're able to focus on more advisory work rather than data entry, delivering a better client experience at a lower cost, higher margin, with more satisfying work.

Can Puzzle send me new clients?
Yes. If you become a Certified Puzzle Advisor and validate that your clients are happy with your service, we will list you on our marketplace. If Puzzle customers need your services, we will connect you via our platform to expand your client base. To request access to our certification program, please contact us at support@puzzle.io.

Ready to revolutionize
your finances?

#1 accounting software solution for startups

Accurate, on-demand financial insights

Spend smarter, grow faster