Puzzle
A US startup ledger. Connect Stripe, Mercury, Ramp, and Gusto; review agent-drafted cash and accrual books.
Best for
US startups that will let Puzzle be the ledger and already live in Stripe plus a card (Mercury, Brex, or Ramp) and a payroll tool.
Not ideal if
Anyone whose CPA will only open QuickBooks Online or Xero, who sells inventory, who needs multi-currency, or who needs a full fixed-asset module and a cash-flow statement.
Standout
Native Stripe, Mercury, Brex, Ramp, and Gusto feeds into a dual-basis ledger, so burn and accrual investor books come from the same file.
About Puzzle
Puzzle is the ledger. You connect banks and cards through Plaid, plus Stripe, Mercury, Brex, Ramp, Gusto, Rippling, and Deel. Agents draft categories, reconciliations, and close steps. Nothing posts until you approve. Cash and accrual books sit on the same ledger. Profit and loss, the balance sheet, and a cash activity report update as the feeds land. Burn, runway, and (with Stripe) MRR and ARR sit on the dashboard.
It replaces QuickBooks Online and Xero. It does not sit on those files. Kick is the other replacement ledger in this directory: cheaper published plans and a year-end Excel package, less Stripe revenue recognition. Wave is a simpler cash-basis file. Synder is a connector into QuickBooks Online or Xero if you want to keep that file. Puzzle's job is a startup stack (Stripe plus a card and a payroll tool) that posts into one general ledger you review.
People who stick are usually US startups that already live in Stripe, Mercury or Brex, Ramp, and Gusto, and want burn and runway without a spreadsheet. They stay because the weekly job is a review list, not rebuilding journals from a bank feed. Founders on public forums cite the Stripe connection and a cleaner UI than QuickBooks. They also say the ledger is still thinner than QuickBooks on depreciation, notes, and support.
What people who used it say
What they tend to like
Stripe and the startup stack land in one dashboard
An early-stage founder on r/smallbusiness connected Stripe, Brex, Gusto, and Ramp and said weekly cleanup is a few minutes after the drafts land.
Cleaner weekly review than QuickBooks
Owners who left QBO cite less manual categorization and a dashboard that already shows payroll, ARR, spend, and cash.
UI is easier than Wave or QuickBooks
r/Bookkeeping comments praise the interface and the Stripe connection after leaving Wave.
What they hesitate about
Fixed assets and depreciation are thin
Owner posts say only three asset types (furniture, computers and hardware, software) and no 27.5-year building schedule. Workaround is a manual journal.
Support and accountant access can stall
Threads describe days to delete a journal, a bookkeeper who could not get in, and a scheduled onboarding call no one from Puzzle joined.
Still building, with missing ledger basics
Owners mention no searchable memo on transactions, Mercury invoices that do not import, and a sense the product is filling gaps as they go.
How it hits your books
- Replaces your ledger
- Yes
- QuickBooks Online
- No
- Xero
- No
- Multi-entity
- Partial
- Inventory
- No
- 1099s
- Partial
- Payroll
- No
Work the checklist: recs, uncategorized list, burn, new fixed assets, then lock. Agents draft; you still approve. Complete adds AI recs and accuracy review. Nothing writes back to QuickBooks.
Invite the accountant, or download the tax package plus GL, P&L, balance sheet, and trial-balance exports. Historical QBO reports can stay inside Puzzle after you cancel QBO. Puzzle does not e-file the return or the 1099s.
Images
Features
Connect the stack, then review the drafts
Connect banks via Plaid plus Stripe, Mercury, Brex, Ramp, Gusto, Rippling, or Deel. Agents draft categories and reconciliations. You correct the misses and finalize. Puzzle's own agents can write to the ledger; MCP connections to Claude or ChatGPT are read-only.
Cash and accrual from one ledger
Every plan keeps cash and accrual books on the same ledger. Switch the view for runway versus investor reports. Help docs say Puzzle does not produce a cash-flow statement; use the cash activity report instead.
Stripe revenue recognition (Complete)
On Complete and above, connect Stripe and turn on automated revenue schedules (30/360, prorated first month). Deferred and accrued revenue post to the ledger. Usage-based Stripe billing is not in the default automation. Manual invoices can recognize; they do not enter MRR, ARR, or churn.
Month-end checklist and lock
Work the built-in checklist: recs, burn, uncategorized spend, new fixed assets, P&L and balance sheet, then lock the month. Complete adds AI accuracy review and AI reconciliations. AI Close is an add-on on every plan (price unpublished).
Tax package and CPA invite
After year-end close, download the tax package from Downloads. Invite your accountant, or get matched to a Puzzle partner. Puzzle does not file the return or 1099s. The Vendors page can list 1099 vendors and collect documents.
Burn, runway, and extra entities (Core+)
Core adds cash, burn, runway, and margin insights, spend and revenue explorers, a custom chart of accounts, and up to 5 users. Extra legal entities are separate Puzzle accounts. Consolidation is through Joiin (a paid third-party, from $24/mo on Joiin's site).
Pricing
A one-entity shop that only needs the books pays $300 a year for Starter after two free months (one user, 25 lifetime AI credits). A 5-person startup that wants burn and runway lands on Core at $720 a year, or $72 month-to-month. Complete is $1,200 a year if you want inbox review, classes, and Stripe revenue recognition. Scale starts at $300 a month billed annually. Extra legal entities are extra Puzzle subscriptions; a consolidated pack is Joiin from $24 a month. AI Close is an add-on with no public price. Firm plans are custom. The 50% faster-close refund is Complete, single entity, live APIs only, onboard in 7 days. Puzzle does not include bookkeeping or tax prep.
Starter
First US entity after the 14-day Complete trial. Two months free, then this plan. One user.
- Cash and accrual books, auto-categorization, auto-drafted statements
- 1-click tax report
- 25 AI credits, lifetime
- Chat, Cowork, Close; AI Close is an add-on
- 1 user, AI support, AI setup review
Core
One entity that wants burn and runway, a custom chart of accounts, and up to 5 users.
- Everything in Starter
- Cash, burn, runway, and margin insights
- Spend and revenue tracking, variance analysis
- Multi-entity via Integration, custom chart of accounts
- 5 users, chat support, self-guided QuickBooks migration
- 25 AI credits, lifetime
Complete
Unlimited users. The 14-day trial is this plan. Markets 50% faster close or your money back (single entity, live APIs only).
- Everything in Core
- AI accuracy review, AI reconciliations, inbox categorization
- Classes, departments, and projects
- Revenue recognition
- 100 AI credits / month
- Unlimited users, priority chat, white-glove QuickBooks migration
Scale
High-volume books. Talk to sales. Compare table also shows a $150 intro on the annual toggle (50% off for 3 months).
- Everything in Complete
- Subledgers, no transaction or integration limits, backup and restore
- 300 AI credits / month
- Dedicated support and onboarding
Integrations
Platforms
Audience
Pick something else instead of Puzzle
Kick
Pick Kick instead if you want a cheaper published US replacement ledger, multi-entity in one workspace, and a year-end Excel package, and you do not need Stripe revenue recognition.
QuickBooks Online
Stay in QuickBooks Online if your CPA will only take that file, you sell inventory, you need multi-currency, or you want the Intuit accountant ecosystem. Puzzle replaces the file; it does not sit next to it.
Wave
Pick Wave instead if you want free invoicing and a simple cash-basis file and you do not need AI categorization, burn and runway, or a startup-stack ledger.
Xero
Pick Xero instead if you need a more established ledger with more apps and real multi-currency. Puzzle help says it is built for US entities with USD-only transactions.