Best accounting software for startups
Seven accounting vendors for startups with an Accountio profile, side by side.
Listed alphabetically. Accountio does not rank vendors, and a featured listing does not change the order.
Accounting software for startups has to keep the books current from the first month and keep up as the company adds entities, currencies and investors. The seven vendors here include the small-business ledgers Xero and QuickBooks, AI-native ledgers such as Digits, Kick and Campfire, and Pilot and Finaloop, which can also run the bookkeeping for you.
Accounting software for startups at a glance
| Vendor | Best for | Founded and HQ | Customers | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Campfire | Startups and mid-size technology companies with multi-entity and modern billing needs | 2023; San Francisco | 400+ mid-market and enterprise companies, including Replit and PostHog | Not published |
 Digits | Business owners and accountants, from solopreneurs and early-stage businesses to scaling companies and accounting firms | Not published | 7,000+ accountants and business owners | Essentials US$65 a month, Core US$100; Pro US$250 (coming soon); 30-day free trial |
 Finaloop | Ecommerce, DTC and other consumer brands, from six-figure to nine-figure revenue | Launched 2020; Brooklyn, New York | 2,500+ consumer brands, including Duradry, &Collar and Netrition | Starter US$245 a month for brands with up to US$1m revenue, in business 4 years or less; other plans quoted; 14-day free trial |
 Intuit QuickBooks | The self-employed and small and growing companies, plus their accountants | Part of Intuit, headquartered in Mountain View, California; founding year not published | 10 million businesses worldwide | US list prices: free plan; Simple Start US$38 a month, Essentials US$85, Plus US$140, Advanced US$340 |
 Kick | Business owners, from new businesses to multi-entity companies, and their accountants and bookkeepers | San Francisco, US (founding year not published) | 5,000+ business owners and accountants | Free plan (1 entity, 250 transactions a year); Basic US$40, Plus US$100 and Advanced US$300 a month |
 Pilot | Startups and small businesses, from early-stage companies to those preparing for an exit | 2017; San Francisco, US (second office in Nashville) | 3,500+ startups and small businesses | Bookkeeping from US$99 a month; tax from US$1,000 a year; CFO services from US$1,750 a month |
 Xero | Small businesses, accountants and bookkeepers | 2006; Wellington, New Zealand | 5 million customers in more than 180 countries | UK from £18 a month (Ignite) to £70 (Ultimate), excluding VAT; US from US$27 (Early) to US$97 (Established) |
The seven vendors
In alphabetical order. “Not published” means the vendor does not state it.
Campfire
Best for: Startups and mid-size technology companies with multi-entity and modern billing needs
AI-native ERP: general ledger with multi-entity consolidation, revenue recognition, reporting and close management, with an AI assistant (Ember).
- Founded and HQ
- 2023; San Francisco
- Ownership
- Venture-backed; US$100m raised, including a US$65m Series B (Oct 2025) co-led by Accel and Ribbit
- Customers
- 400+ mid-market and enterprise companies, including Replit and PostHog
- Pricing
- Not published
- How it runs
- Cloud; 180+ currencies and unlimited entities; offices in San Francisco and London (opened June 2026)
Digits
Best for: Business owners and accountants, from solopreneurs and early-stage businesses to scaling companies and accounting firms
AI-native general ledger with automated bookkeeping and reconciliation, month-end close, bill pay, invoicing and real-time financial reporting.
- Founded and HQ
- Not published
- Ownership
- Venture-backed; US$65m Series C (Mar 2022) led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 with 20VC Growth; earlier backers include Benchmark and GV
- Customers
- 7,000+ accountants and business owners
- Pricing
- Essentials US$65 a month, Core US$100; Pro US$250 (coming soon); 30-day free trial
- How it runs
- Cloud, with native iPhone and iPad apps; bank, card and payroll feeds from 12,000+ financial institutions
Finaloop
Best for: Ecommerce, DTC and other consumer brands, from six-figure to nine-figure revenue
Real-time accounting, inventory and analytics platform for consumer brands, run by Finaloop's accountants or the brand's own team.
- Founded and HQ
- Launched 2020; Brooklyn, New York
- Ownership
- Private; US$55m raised, including a US$35m Series A (June 2024) led by Lightspeed
- Customers
- 2,500+ consumer brands, including Duradry, &Collar and Netrition
- Pricing
- Starter US$245 a month for brands with up to US$1m revenue, in business 4 years or less; other plans quoted; 14-day free trial
- How it runs
- Online platform with an accounting team; tax add-on covers federal and state income tax returns
- Good to know
- Replaces QuickBooks or Xero with its own ledger; run by Finaloop's accountants or the brand's own team
Intuit QuickBooks
Best for: The self-employed and small and growing companies, plus their accountants
Cloud-based accounting software covering bookkeeping, invoicing, payments, payroll and reporting, with a desktop edition (QuickBooks Desktop).
- Founded and HQ
- Part of Intuit, headquartered in Mountain View, California; founding year not published
- Ownership
- Part of Intuit Inc. (INTU); Chair and CEO Sasan Goodarzi
- Customers
- 10 million businesses worldwide
- Pricing
- US list prices: free plan; Simple Start US$38 a month, Essentials US$85, Plus US$140, Advanced US$340
- How it runs
- Cloud (QuickBooks Online) and desktop (QuickBooks Desktop); local sites for the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia and other countries
Kick
Best for: Business owners, from new businesses to multi-entity companies, and their accountants and bookkeepers
AI bookkeeping software (an 'agentic ledger'): automatic categorisation, receipt matching, reconciliation, general ledger and multi-entity consolidation.
- Founded and HQ
- San Francisco, US (founding year not published)
- Ownership
- Private; US$20m raised, including a US$9m seed round (Oct 2024) with OpenAI Startup Fund and General Catalyst; 60+ investors
- Customers
- 5,000+ business owners and accountants
- Pricing
- Free plan (1 entity, 250 transactions a year); Basic US$40, Plus US$100 and Advanced US$300 a month
- How it runs
- Cloud; US small businesses (US$ prices; US filing deadlines for sole proprietorships, S corps, partnerships and C corps)
- Good to know
- Software does the bookkeeping and an expert reviews it; tax filing not included
Pilot
Best for: Startups and small businesses, from early-stage companies to those preparing for an exit
Bookkeeping, tax and CFO services run by an AI Accountant and a team of finance experts.
- Founded and HQ
- 2017; San Francisco, US (second office in Nashville)
- Ownership
- Private; more than US$150m raised; Series C expanded to US$100m at a US$1.2bn valuation (2021) with Bezos Expeditions and Whale Rock
- Customers
- 3,500+ startups and small businesses
- Pricing
- Bookkeeping from US$99 a month; tax from US$1,000 a year; CFO services from US$1,750 a month
- How it runs
- US; cloud platform with US-based bookkeepers and CFO advisers
- Good to know
- Not a public accounting firm; Meridian, its AI close platform, is sold to accounting firms
Xero
Best for: Small businesses, accountants and bookkeepers
Cloud accounting, payroll and payments platform for small businesses, with tools for accountants and bookkeepers.
- Founded and HQ
- 2006; Wellington, New Zealand
- Ownership
- Listed on the ASX; CEO Sukhinder Singh Cassidy
- Customers
- 5 million customers in more than 180 countries
- Pricing
- UK from £18 a month (Ignite) to £70 (Ultimate), excluding VAT; US from US$27 (Early) to US$97 (Established)
- How it runs
- Cloud; customers in 180+ countries; offices in New Zealand, Australia, the UK, the US, Canada, Singapore and South Africa
Related tools in the same directory category
Bookkeeping for one-person businesses and AI bookkeeping with US accountants.
How to choose accounting software for a startup
- Who will keep the books: the founders, an outside accountant, or a service that does it for you?Pilot provides bookkeeping, tax and CFO services run by an AI Accountant and a team of finance experts, and Finaloop can run the books with its own accounting team. Xero, QuickBooks, Digits, Kick and Campfire are software that the company or its accountant runs.
- How many entities and currencies will you need as you grow?Campfire supports unlimited entities and 180+ currencies. Kick's Plus and Advanced plans cover unlimited entities, with consolidation on Advanced.
- Do you sell physical products?Finaloop is built for consumer brands and tracks stock by warehouse, purchase orders, landed cost and cost of goods per SKU and channel.
- What will it cost now, and once you grow?QuickBooks lists US prices from a free plan to US$340 a month, and Xero from US$27 to US$97 a month in the US. Digits costs US$65 or US$100 a month and Kick from free to US$300 a month. Pilot's bookkeeping starts at US$99 a month and Finaloop's Starter plan at US$245 a month. Campfire does not publish prices.
Compare further
Common questions
What should accounting software for startups do?+
Keep the books current from the first month, reconcile bank and card accounts, produce the reports investors ask for, and cope with more entities, currencies and revenue rules as the company grows.
How much does accounting software for startups cost?+
Kick and QuickBooks have free plans. Xero costs US$27 to US$97 a month in the US, Digits US$65 or US$100, and QuickBooks' paid plans US$38 to US$340. Bookkeeping services cost more: Pilot from US$99 a month and Finaloop from US$245 a month. Campfire does not publish prices.
Is there accounting software for startups that also does the bookkeeping?+
Yes. Pilot provides bookkeeping, tax and CFO services run by an AI Accountant and a team of finance experts. Finaloop's Full-Service model gives a consumer brand a dedicated accounting team that runs the books and the close.
Part of Accountio’s accounting technology coverage.
