Kick vs Puzzle: which fits your firm?
Kick publishes a free plan and Puzzle starts at $25 per month; both list solo and small firms; Kick runs in the browser and on mobile where Puzzle runs in the browser.
Prices and details verified August 15, 2026. Both records sit in Core ledger and bookkeeping and are compared on vendor-published specifications, the same way across every tool.
Kick vs Puzzle side by side
5 of 13 dimensions differ. Rows marked "Differs" are where the two records do not match.
| Dimension | Kick | Puzzle |
|---|---|---|
| Entry priceDiffers | Free plan | $25 per month |
| Pricing model | Flat rate | Flat rate |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Free planDiffers | Yes | No |
| Firm size fit | Solo, Small | Solo, Small |
| Built for | Firms and their clients | Firms and their clients |
| Specialisation | Bookkeeping | Bookkeeping |
| Automation profile | High volume, routine work | High volume, routine work |
| DeploymentDiffers | Cloud, Mobile | Cloud |
| Geo availability | US | US |
| Integrations listedDiffersBoth list: Gusto, Mercury, Plaid, Ramp, Stripe. | 6 listed | 9 listed |
| Certifications | Not published | Not published |
| Support channelsDiffers | Email, Knowledge base | Email, Chat, Knowledge base |
Which one fits your firm
Choose Kick if
- Solo bookkeepers serving US founder-clients with multiple LLCs or holding companies in one workspace.
- Small US CAS firms standardizing client books off QuickBooks for cash-basis tech-forward SMBs.
- US founders managing their own books on Stripe, Ramp, and Gusto pre-scale onto Xero or NetSuite.
Think twice about Kick if
- Firms with UK, EU, AU, or Canadian clients. Kick is US-only at every layer.
- Inventory or accrual-heavy clients. Cash-basis is the practical default and accrual depth is shallow.
- Mid-size practices with diverse client stacks. Integrations are narrow beyond Stripe, Ramp, and Gusto.
Choose Puzzle if
- US startups that want AI-first accounting built for them rather than adapted from QuickBooks.
- Founders and small teams on Stripe, Brex, Ramp, or Mercury that want a fast, automated close.
- Early-stage companies that want to start free and pay more only as transaction volume grows.
Think twice about Puzzle if
- Businesses outside the US. Puzzle's bank and payroll connections are US-focused.
- Established firms wanting a mature QuickBooks or Xero ecosystem and broad accountant tooling.
- Companies needing multi-entity consolidation. Puzzle targets single-entity startups.
What each one does
About Kick
Kick is an AI bookkeeping platform that auto-categorizes transactions, identifies tax deductions, and produces P&L and balance-sheet reports for US small businesses. The differentiator is per-user pricing with multiple entities under one subscription, so a founder running several LLCs sees inter-company transfers in one place. Backed by OpenAI Startup Fund, General Catalyst, Felicis, and GV.
Fits best when solo or small US firms serve founder-clients running multiple LLCs on simple cash-basis tech stacks.
About Puzzle
Puzzle is accounting software designed around AI from the start, aimed at US startups as an alternative to QuickBooks. It categorizes transactions, reconciles accounts, tracks revenue and cash burn, and produces real-time financials, with a free starter tier and pricing that scales with transaction volume rather than seats.
Built for US startups that want AI-first accounting and a fast close, with a free tier and pricing that scales with transaction volume.
Frequently asked questions
- Which is cheaper, Kick or Puzzle?
- Kick has the lower published entry tier, a free plan, against $25 per month for Puzzle. That covers the cheapest published plan only, not the plan either vendor would put in front of your firm.
- Do Kick and Puzzle both offer a free trial?
- Yes. Both Kick and Puzzle list a free trial. Kick publishes a permanently free plan, and Puzzle does not.
- Which one integrates with QuickBooks and Xero, Kick or Puzzle?
- Neither published integration list names QuickBooks or Xero. Both lists do share Gusto, Mercury, Plaid, Ramp and Stripe. Check the vendor pages for anything added since these records were last checked.
- Which suits a smaller firm, Kick or Puzzle?
- Both records list the same firm sizes: solo and small. The split comes from the rest of the record, including deployment, specialisation and the integrations each vendor lists.