TL;DR: Wave publishes a free Starter bookkeeping plan. Puzzle publishes a $0 Starter and paid AI-close plans aimed at startups. FreshBooks publishes Lite from $23/month after its 2026 USD rate card. Xero publishes US Early at $25/month until 1 October 2026, then $27. QuickBooks Online lists Simple Start at $38/month before intro discounts, with Intuit Assist included rather than sold separately. Public packaging is below.
An AI bookkeeping platform is the ledger that categorises bank lines, drafts invoices or a close checklist, and answers questions about cash β not a full ERP and not a human bookkeeper replacement on day one.
This guide compares five products businesses actually subscribe to for that job. Every entry uses the same fields: published pricing, how AI is sold, books motion and buyer fit. The order below is not a quality ranking. Products with a public starting price appear first, cheapest published entry first.
AI bookkeeping software compared at a glance
| Provider | Published pricing | How AI is sold | Best for | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wave | Starter $0. Pro $19/mo. Advisors is a higher managed tier. | Auto-import and auto-categorise sit on Pro, not on free Starter | US/Canada sole traders who can live with free books | Visit β |
| Puzzle | Starter $0. Core / Complete / Scale published on puzzle.io/pricing (Complete commonly $50/mo on the compare grid; Scale from $150/mo). AI credits included by plan. AI Close is an add-on. | Chat, Cowork, categorisation and AI Close credits | Startups that want accrual books and an AI close path | Visit β |
| FreshBooks | USD Lite $23/mo, Plus $43/mo, Premium $70/mo on the 2026 rate card. Select is quote. Intro 90% off is temporary. | Assistive features inside the invoice-first product; not a separate AI SKU | Freelancers who invoice more than they close the books | Visit β |
| Xero | US Early $25/mo now, $27/mo from 1 October 2026 per Xeroβs own pricing-update page. Growing and Established also listed there. | Insights and smart suggestions inside the subscription; add-ons extra | Accountant-led SMBs that want the Xero app store | Visit β |
| QuickBooks Online | Simple Start listed $38/mo before short-term discounts; Essentials $75; Plus $115; Advanced $275 on Intuit plan grids. Intuit Assist is included, not a standalone product. | Intuit Assist / Intuit Intelligence inside QBO plans | US companies standardising on the Intuit stack | Visit β |
Prices were read from vendor pages on 12 September 2026. Intro discounts are not treated as the ongoing list price. Confirm the live page for your country.
Two products start at $0. The other three print a paid list price before promotions.
The five providers in detail
1. Wave
Best for: micro-businesses in the US or Canada that need invoices and a ledger at $0.
| Published pricing | Starter free. Pro $19/mo per waveapps.com/pricing readings in 2026 |
| How AI is sold | Bank auto-import and auto-categorisation are Pro features |
| Books motion | Cash-basis freelancer books |
| Free plan / trial | Permanent free Starter |
| Main limitation | Payments, payroll and Advisors are how Wave bills. Free Starter is not βAI bookkeepingβ |
- Buy Pro if you want the bank feed to categorise itself.
- Wave is not a multi-entity close tool.
- Processing fees are separate from the $0 ledger.
2. Puzzle
Best for: startups that want accrual books, runway views and an AI-assisted close.
| Published pricing | puzzle.io/pricing lists Starter $0, Core, Complete and Scale. Credits are printed per plan. AI Close is called out as an add-on |
| How AI is sold | Credits plus optional AI Close |
| Books motion | Startup accrual + close |
| Free plan / trial | Starter $0 |
| Main limitation | Credits and AI Close change the invoice after you leave Starter |
- Read credits before you compare Complete to Xero Growing.
- Migration from QuickBooks is a listed Complete feature β ask what is included.
- Not the default for a sole trader sending five invoices a month.
3. FreshBooks
Best for: freelancers whose pain is invoicing, not month-end.
| Published pricing | FreshBooks 2026 FAQ lists USD Lite $23, Plus $43, Premium $70 per month. Yearly is 10% off. Select is sales-led |
| How AI is sold | Inside the product; no separate public AI add-on price |
| Books motion | Invoice-first self-employed |
| Free plan / trial | 30-day money-back; intro 90% off is not the list price |
| Main limitation | Client caps on Lite/Plus. Team members $11/mo extra |
- Budget the $23 list, not the 90% landing promo.
- Payroll and advanced payments are add-ons.
- Wrong centre of gravity if you need multi-currency accountant workflows.
4. Xero
Best for: SMBs whose accountant already lives in Xero.
| Published pricing | xero.com/us/pricing-plans/update: Early $25 now / $27 from 1 Oct 2026; Growing $55 / $59; Established $90 / $97. USD, tax extra |
| How AI is sold | Smart suggestions and insights in-plan; expenses and projects are optional add-ons from $4 and $7/mo on some grids |
| Books motion | Accountant + SMB ledger |
| Free plan / trial | Trials and new-customer discounts exist; list price is the ongoing number |
| Main limitation | US list is rising in October. Multi-org discount is being phased out per the same page |
- Quote the October 2026 number in any annual budget.
- Add-ons and payment fees sit outside the plan row.
- The app store is the reason many firms stay, not the AI label.
5. QuickBooks Online
Best for: US operators standardising on Intuit (payroll, payments, tax).
| Published pricing | Intuit grids list Simple Start $38/mo, Essentials $75, Plus $115, Advanced $275 before time-boxed discounts. Simple Start list was left unchanged in Intuitβs 2026 price-change note; higher tiers change on renewals from 1 August 2026 |
| How AI is sold | Intuit Assist included with QBO plans β not a standalone SKU |
| Books motion | US SMB full stack |
| Free plan / trial | 30-day QBO trial. Assist is not sold alone |
| Main limitation | List vs intro price. ACH overage $0.50. Assist availability has been US-first |
- Put $38 Simple Start in the model unless you have a written promo term.
- Assist does not replace a controller.
- Advanced is a different buyer than Wave Starter.
Kurums Match: which one fits your situation
Pick the line that matches and open it.
I invoice a handful of clients and want $0 software
Wave Starter. Move to Pro only when you want bank auto-categorisation.
We are a startup that will raise or need accrual books
Puzzle. Price credits and AI Close separately from the $0 Starter row.
I am a freelancer who lives in invoices
FreshBooks Lite at the $23 list. Xero if your accountant insists.
Our accountant already uses Xero
Stay on Xero and budget the October 2026 US list.
We already run payroll and tax in Intuit
QuickBooks Online. Do not bolt Puzzle on top without a migration plan.
Buying tip: write list price, promo months, payment fees and whether AI is included or credited. Compare year-one cash, not the homepage βfromβ.
How this comparison was put together
Plan names and public prices were read from vendor pricing or official price-update pages on 12 September 2026. Promotional β90% offβ rows are not used as the sort key. No vendor paid for placement. Kurums did not close a set of books on each tool.
Order is cheapest published ongoing entry first. No badge on this page reflects a commercial relationship.
Frequently asked questions
Is free bookkeeping actually AI bookkeeping?
Usually no. Wave Starter and Puzzle Starter are ledgers. Auto-categorisation and close agents sit on paid rows.
Should I use the intro price in a budget?
Only for the stated promo window. This page sorts on the published ongoing rate.
Can Intuit Assist replace an accountant?
No. It categorises and answers questions inside QBO. Filing and judgement stay with a person.
Is Xero cheaper than QuickBooks?
On US list rows, Early $25β$27 undercuts Simple Start $38. Add-ons and accountant workflow decide the real bill.
Did we migrate a company file?
No. Run a trial on your own bank feed before you switch.
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