The Best AI Tools for Small Business Accounting in 2026

The best AI accounting tool for your small business depends on one question: how much of the work do you want the AI to actually do?

If you want to ask ChatGPT what counts as an allowable expense, it will give you a decent answer. If you want Xero to suggest a category for a bank transaction, its new AI features will do that. But if you want to forward a receipt, have it extracted, categorised, matched to your bank feed, and filed correctly without opening a single form, you need something that was built for AI from the start.

This is not a ranked list of "the 10 best AI tools" with affiliate links. I build accounting software, and I have spent the last two years evaluating what AI can and cannot do for real business bookkeeping. This guide covers every category honestly: general AI assistants, traditional software with AI bolt-ons, AI-native platforms, receipt scanning tools, and traditional accountants. For each, I cover what it does well, what it does not, what it costs, and who should use it.

How did we evaluate these tools?

Every tool in this guide was assessed on five criteria:

1. Can it maintain a real ledger? A chat that explains tax rules is useful but it is not accounting software. We need double-entry bookkeeping, a chart of accounts, and an audit trail.
2. Can it connect to your bank? Manual data entry defeats the purpose of automation. The tool needs to pull transactions from your bank feed or accept CSV/PDF imports.
3. Can it handle compliance? For UK businesses, that means Making Tax Digital (MTD) VAT submissions. For other jurisdictions, the equivalent filing requirements.
4. How much manual work does it eliminate? Some tools pre-fill a form. Others eliminate the form entirely. The difference matters.
5. What does it cost, including add-ons? A cheap base plan that requires three paid add-ons is not cheap.

The categories below are ordered from most general to most specialised. If you want the comparison table, skip ahead.

Can you use ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini for accounting?

General-purpose AI assistants are the first thing most business owners try. They are free (or nearly free), they are already on your phone, and they understand plain English. The question is whether understanding plain English is the same as doing your accounts.

What general AI assistants do well

ChatGPT (GPT-4o), Claude (Sonnet 4.6), and Gemini (2.5) are all genuinely useful for accounting-adjacent tasks:

• Explaining tax rules. "What is the VAT flat rate scheme and should I use it?" will get you a clear, accurate summary from any of them. This is their strongest use case.
• Categorising transactions from a pasted list. Copy 50 bank transactions into a prompt, ask for categories, and you will get reasonable suggestions. Not perfect, but a useful starting point.
• Drafting invoice copy, expense policies, or internal procedures. If you need boilerplate, these models write it well.
• Answering one-off questions. "Can I claim my home office as a business expense?" is exactly the kind of question these tools handle.

I wrote a detailed breakdown of this in Can ChatGPT Do Your Accounts? and Bookkeeping with Claude Code. The short version: they are excellent tutors and terrible bookkeepers.

What they cannot do

The list of things general AI assistants cannot do for your accounts is longer than what they can:

• No bank connection. They cannot pull transactions from your Barclays, Revolut, or Starling feed. You have to copy and paste everything manually.
• No persistent ledger. There is no general ledger, no chart of accounts, no audit trail. Every new conversation starts from zero.
• No VAT calculation. They can explain how VAT works, but they cannot compute your actual VAT return from your actual transactions.
• No MTD filing. They cannot submit anything to HMRC, Companies House, or any tax authority.
• No memory. ChatGPT and Gemini forget your business the moment the session ends. Claude has limited project memory, but it is not accounting memory. It does not know that you categorised Costa Coffee as "subsistence" last month.
• No receipt processing. You can upload a photo of a receipt and ask what it says, but the data goes nowhere. It is not stored, not matched, not filed.
• No multi-currency. They do not track exchange rates, FX gains/losses, or multi-currency bank accounts.

Pricing

Who should use a general AI assistant for accounting?

Use ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini if you have a specific tax question and want a plain-English answer before calling your accountant. Use them to understand concepts, draft policies, or sanity-check a decision.

Do not use them as your accounting system. They are not one.

What about traditional accounting software with AI features?

Every major accounting platform has added AI features in the last 18 months. Xero has Xero AI. Intuit built Intuit Assist for QuickBooks. Sage launched Sage Copilot. FreeAgent added AI-powered receipt scanning.

The marketing is identical across all of them: "AI-powered", "smart automation", "your AI assistant." But the reality is more nuanced.

Xero

What it does: Cloud accounting with invoicing, bank reconciliation, expense tracking, payroll (via add-on), and MTD compliance. Xero AI adds bank reconciliation suggestions, invoice coding, and smart categorisation.

What the AI actually does: Xero's AI suggests categories for bank transactions based on historical patterns. It is good at recognising recurring transactions you have categorised before. It is less good at novel transactions, split payments, or anything that requires reasoning about your broader financial position. The AI does not answer questions, it does not explain tax rules, and it does not proactively alert you to savings or risks.

Pricing (UK, June 2026):

Most limited companies need at least Standard (£30/month). Payroll is £8/month extra. Receipt scanning beyond the cap requires Hubdoc (free with Xero) or a paid third-party like Dext (£20-35/month).

Pros:

• Mature, stable platform with 15+ years of development
• Largest UK accountant partner network: if your accountant insists on specific software, it is probably Xero
• Excellent third-party app ecosystem (700+ integrations)
• Reliable bank feeds across UK banks

Cons:

• The AI is a feature, not the product. You still navigate the same menus and fill in the same forms.
• Tiered pricing creates artificial limits. Starter's 20-invoice cap is impractical for most active businesses.
• No conversational interface. You cannot ask "how much did I spend on travel this quarter?" and get an answer.
• Designed for accountants first, business owners second. The terminology and workflow assume accounting knowledge.

Best for: Businesses whose accountant requires Xero access, and businesses that need deep third-party integrations (Stripe, Shopify, inventory management).

QuickBooks Online

What it does: Cloud accounting with invoicing, expenses, bank feeds, reports, and MTD compliance. Intuit Assist is an AI chatbot overlay added to the existing dashboard.

What the AI actually does: Intuit Assist can answer basic questions about your QuickBooks data ("What were my expenses last month?"), suggest categories for transactions, and auto-match receipts to bank entries. It is more conversational than Xero's AI but still limited to what the QuickBooks interface already shows you. It cannot reason across multiple domains (tax + cash flow + deadlines) or take actions autonomously.

Pricing (UK, June 2026):

Receipt OCR requires pairing with Dext or AutoEntry at additional cost (£20-35/month) for any serious volume. Payroll is a separate add-on.

Pros:

• Clean, modern interface
• Intuit Assist is a step toward conversational accounting
• Strong mobile app
• Good reporting out of the box

Cons:

• Intuit Assist is a chatbot on top of a form-driven product. Ask it to do something it was not designed for and it directs you to a menu.
• User cap per tier feels restrictive. Most growing businesses hit Essentials quickly.
• Receipt scanning at scale requires a paid third-party add-on.
• US-centric product adapted for the UK market. Some features and terminology feel American.

Best for: Solo founders who want a clean interface with basic AI assistance, and businesses already embedded in the Intuit ecosystem.

Sage

What it does: Cloud and desktop accounting across a range of products (Sage Accounting, Sage 50, Sage Intacct). Sage Copilot is the AI layer, focused on task automation and natural language queries.

What the AI actually does: Sage Copilot generates summaries, suggests tasks, and answers questions about your Sage data. It can explain a report in plain language and recommend next steps. It does not take actions autonomously or process documents. It is closer to a dashboard assistant than an accounting engine.

Pricing (UK, June 2026):

Pros:

• Long track record with UK businesses (particularly Sage 50 for desktop users)
• Sage Copilot is an interesting early experiment in conversational accounting
• Good for businesses with complex inventory or manufacturing needs (Sage 50)

Cons:

• Product range is confusing. Sage Accounting, Sage 50, Sage Business Cloud, Sage Intacct: it is not obvious which one you need.
• Sage Copilot is limited to summarisation and suggestions. It cannot process receipts, handle multi-step workflows, or file compliance documents.
• Desktop versions (Sage 50) feel dated
• Migration between Sage products is not seamless

Best for: Businesses already on Sage who want incremental AI improvement, and businesses with complex inventory needs.

FreeAgent

What it does: Cloud accounting designed for UK freelancers and sole traders. Strong MTD compliance, automatic National Insurance calculation, and built-in time tracking.

What the AI actually does: FreeAgent has added AI receipt scanning via OCR, and some AI-powered bank feed suggestions. The AI features are lighter than Xero or QuickBooks. There is no conversational interface and no AI chatbot.

Pricing (UK, June 2026): £19-38/month depending on plan. NatWest/RBS business account holders get FreeAgent free.

Pros:

• Designed specifically for UK sole traders and freelancers
• Free with NatWest/RBS (this alone makes it the right choice for many)
• Clean, simple interface
• Built-in Self Assessment and MTD filing

Cons:

• Limited company support is adequate but not the focus
• AI features are basic compared to Xero or QuickBooks
• No conversational interface
• Limited third-party integrations
• Not suited for multi-entity or multi-currency businesses

Best for: UK sole traders and freelancers, especially NatWest/RBS customers who get it free.

The common limitation of bolt-on AI

All four platforms share the same fundamental constraint. They were designed 10-20 years ago for a world where a human accountant would manually categorise every transaction, fill in every form, and navigate every menu. The AI is a layer on top of that architecture.

This means the AI can suggest, but the human still clicks. The AI can pre-fill, but the form still exists. The AI can answer simple questions about your data, but it cannot reason across your full financial position or take action when something needs attention.

I wrote a longer analysis of this in AI-Native vs AI Bolt-On: Why Accounting Software Built on AI is Different.

What does AI-native accounting software look like?

AI-native means the AI is the primary interface, not an add-on. You talk to the system in plain English. It understands your business, remembers your preferences, and handles the work that previously required navigating menus, filling forms, and switching between screens.

AccountsOS

Full disclosure: I built AccountsOS, so I am obviously biased. I will be as honest as I can about what it does and does not do, and let you evaluate it against the alternatives.

What it does: AccountsOS is a full accounting platform where the primary interface is a conversation with an AI accountant called Finn. Finn is not a chatbot bolted onto forms. There are no forms. You talk to your books, forward receipts, and Finn handles categorisation, reconciliation, VAT, deadlines, and reporting.

What the AI actually does:

• Chat with your books. Ask "How much did I spend on software this quarter?" or "What is my corporation tax liability?" and get an answer with cited sources, not a link to a report.
• Receipt and document processing. Forward an email, upload a photo, or drop a PDF. Finn extracts the vendor, amount, date, VAT, categorises it, matches it to your bank feed, and links the source document. No forms.
• Transaction categorisation. Finn categorises every transaction using AI with your full business context: previous categories, open invoices, vendor history, and your stated preferences. Not just pattern matching on a description string.
• VAT calculation and MTD compliance. Real-time VAT liability tracking, 9-box calculation (standard and flat-rate schemes), and MTD submission via HMRC gateway.
• Proactive alerts. Finn monitors deadlines, flagging upcoming filing dates, uncategorised transactions, and potential tax savings. Monthly variance analysis explains what changed and why.
• Voice commands. Talk to your books while driving. Gemini-powered voice chat for hands-free queries and instructions.
• Long-term memory. Finn remembers your business: your preferences, your recurring vendors, your preferred categorisation, your company structure. It builds on this over time, getting more accurate and more useful.
• Multi-country. 21 jurisdictions live (GB, US, AU, IE, AE, HK, DE, NL, SG, SE, IN, CA, CH, AT, NO, NZ, DK, BG, TR, IM, GG). Not a UK-only product.
• Claude Desktop MCP integration. If you already work in Claude Desktop, connect it to your AccountsOS data and query your books from your existing workflow. Details at Bookkeeping with Claude Code.
• Invoicing, bills, expenses, reporting. Full double-entry general ledger with P&L, balance sheet, trial balance, and VAT reports.

What it does not do (yet):

• Payroll (planned, not live)
• Direct bank feeds via Plaid (sandbox, production approval pending). CSV and PDF import work now. Mercury, Wise, and Stripe integrations are live.
• Full audit/year-end (we recommend a practitioner for year-end filings on complex structures)

Pricing:

No tiers based on features. No artificial limits on invoices, bills, or receipts. No add-on fees for receipt OCR, multi-currency, or VAT filing. One price, everything included.

Pros:

• The AI is the product, not an add-on. No forms, no menus to learn.
• Remembers your business and gets better over time
• Multi-country from day one (21 jurisdictions)
• Flat pricing with no add-ons or caps
• MCP integration for Claude Desktop users
• Voice chat for hands-free use

Cons:

• Newer platform (launched 2025). Not as mature as Xero or QuickBooks.
• Smaller accountant partner network. If your accountant requires Xero or Sage, that is a constraint.
• Direct bank feeds via Plaid still in sandbox. CSV/PDF import and API integrations (Mercury, Wise, Stripe) work now.
• No payroll yet
• Smaller third-party integration ecosystem than Xero

Best for: Solo founders and micro-business directors who want AI to handle bookkeeping so they can focus on running the business. Particularly suited to tech-comfortable founders who are currently either doing their own books in spreadsheets or paying an accountant they rarely talk to.

See pricing or sign up for a free trial.

What about AI receipt and expense tools?

If your main pain point is receipts and expense tracking, there is a category of tools that focus specifically on that.

Dext (formerly Receipt Bank)

What it does: AI-powered receipt capture, extraction, and export to your accounting software (Xero, QuickBooks, Sage).

How it works: Photograph receipts, forward emails, or upload PDFs. Dext extracts vendor, date, amount, VAT, and line items using OCR and AI. It then pushes the data into your accounting software for reconciliation.

Pricing: From £20-35/month depending on plan and document volume.

Pros:

• Excellent OCR accuracy, particularly for UK receipts
• Deep integration with Xero, QuickBooks, and Sage
• Mobile app is genuinely fast and reliable
• Handles multi-currency receipts well

Cons:

• It is an add-on, not a replacement. You still need accounting software underneath.
• Total cost is Dext + Xero/QuickBooks = £50-75/month for the full stack.
• It only handles receipts and expenses, not invoicing, VAT, payroll, or reporting.
• Data extraction is strong but categorisation is basic. You still review and assign categories.

Best for: Businesses on Xero/QuickBooks with high receipt volumes who want to automate the extraction step specifically.

AutoEntry (by Sage)

What it does: Similar to Dext. Captures receipts and invoices via photo, email, or upload. Extracts data and pushes to accounting software.

Pricing: From £12/month for 25 documents, scaling with volume.

Pros:

• Lower starting price than Dext
• Owned by Sage, so deep integration with Sage products
• Bank statement extraction (not just receipts)

Cons:

• Per-document pricing can get expensive at volume
• Less polished than Dext
• Same fundamental limitation: add-on, not a system

Best for: Sage users who want automated receipt capture within the Sage ecosystem.

Hubdoc (by Xero)

What it does: Document collection and extraction. Free with Xero subscriptions.

Pricing: Free with Xero.

Pros:

• Free if you are already on Xero
• Automatically fetches bills and statements from supported suppliers
• Decent extraction accuracy

Cons:

• Only works with Xero
• Extraction quality is a step below Dext
• Limited to document fetch and data extraction

Best for: Xero users who do not want to pay extra for a separate receipt tool.

Why receipt tools are a category problem

The issue with dedicated receipt tools is that they solve one piece of the puzzle and create a dependency chain. Dext + Xero costs £50-75/month and still requires you to log into two separate systems, reconcile between them, and handle everything that is not a receipt (invoicing, VAT, reporting, deadlines) in the accounting software.

An AI-native platform handles receipt processing as one of many things the AI does, not as a separate tool you need to pay for and manage. In AccountsOS, forwarding a receipt triggers the same AI engine that handles categorisation, reconciliation, and VAT. There is no separate extraction tool because extraction is not a separate problem.

When should you use a traditional accountant instead?

AI accounting tools have not eliminated the need for human accountants. They have changed what you need an accountant for.

What accountants do better than any AI tool

• Strategic tax planning. Restructuring your business, choosing between salary and dividends, timing capital expenditure, managing multiple entities, R&D tax credits: these require human judgement and bespoke advice based on your specific circumstances. No AI tool does this reliably.
• Year-end accounts preparation. For UK limited companies, annual accounts filed with Companies House and HMRC still benefit from professional preparation, particularly for anything beyond the simplest structures.
• Complex compliance. IR35 determinations, transfer pricing, cross-border tax obligations, VAT on property: these are areas where getting it wrong has material consequences and the rules are genuinely ambiguous.
• HMRC enquiries. If HMRC opens an investigation, you want a human professional on your side.
• Audit and assurance. If your business requires an audit (turnover above £10.2 million, or certain regulated industries), that requires a registered auditor.

What accountants cost

These are UK figures for a sole-director limited company with straightforward affairs. Costs vary significantly by location, complexity, and firm.

The hybrid approach

The strongest setup for most small businesses in 2026 is a combination: AI-native software for day-to-day bookkeeping, categorisation, VAT, and reporting, with a human accountant retained for year-end filing, strategic tax planning, and anything genuinely complex.

This cuts the accountant's billable hours dramatically (because the books arrive clean and categorised) and gives the business owner real-time visibility between annual meetings. AccountsOS users who work with a practitioner typically pay for annual filing only (£200-600/year) rather than monthly bookkeeping (£2,400-6,000/year), because the daily work is already done.

Comparison table: AI accounting tools 2026

How to choose the right AI accounting tool

The decision tree is simpler than the comparison table suggests.

Start with your constraints

1. Does your accountant require specific software? If your accountant insists on Xero and you value that relationship, use Xero. No AI feature is worth an adversarial relationship with your tax advisor.
2. Do you need payroll? If you have employees and need integrated payroll, Xero or QuickBooks are the current best options. AccountsOS does not have payroll yet.
3. Are you outside the UK? Check which tools support your jurisdiction. AccountsOS covers 21 countries. Xero and QuickBooks have broad coverage but with varying feature depth. FreeAgent and Sage are strongest in the UK.

Then match your working style

• "I want to learn accounting and control everything." Use Xero or QuickBooks. They give you the full traditional interface with AI assistance.
• "I want to ask questions and let AI handle the rest." Use AccountsOS. Finn handles the daily work; you review and approve.
• "I just want to understand something specific." Use ChatGPT or Claude for one-off questions.
• "I want a human to do everything." Hire a full-service accountant. Budget £3,000-6,000/year for a small limited company.
• "I want AI for daily work and a human for the hard stuff." Use AccountsOS for bookkeeping, categorisation, and VAT. Retain an accountant for year-end and tax planning. This is the combination most of our users end up with.

What about industry-specific AI accounting tools?

Several AI tools target specific industries or niches:

Pilot (US-focused)

AI-assisted bookkeeping service combining software with human bookkeepers. Strong for US startups with VC backing. UK support exists but is limited compared to US coverage. Pricing starts around $500/month, making it more of a managed bookkeeping service than a software tool.

Zeni (US-focused)

AI-powered finance platform for startups. Automated bookkeeping, bill pay, and expense management. US-centric with limited UK support. Pricing from $549/month.

Bench (US, discontinued)

Bench was a popular AI-assisted bookkeeping service that shut down in December 2024. Mentioned here because it still appears in many "best of" lists. It is no longer available.

The pattern with these tools is similar: they combine AI with human bookkeepers to deliver a managed service, priced at $500-1,000/month. For UK small businesses, this price point is difficult to justify when the core bookkeeping work can be automated by AI-native software at a fraction of the cost.

What should you avoid?

A few patterns to watch out for when evaluating AI accounting tools:

"AI-powered" with no AI

Some tools use "AI" in their marketing when the actual technology is rule-based automation or simple keyword matching. If the tool cannot handle a transaction it has never seen before, it is not AI. It is a lookup table with good marketing.

Free tools that sell your data

If an accounting tool is free and not supported by a clear business model (paid tiers, premium features), ask how they make money. Your financial data is valuable and you should know who has access to it.

Tools that promise to replace your accountant entirely

No AI tool can replace a qualified accountant for complex tax planning, HMRC enquiries, or year-end filing on non-trivial structures. Any tool that claims otherwise is overselling. The honest pitch is that AI handles the daily work so your accountant's time is spent on strategy, not data entry.

Overcomplicating a simple business

If you are a sole trader with 20 transactions a month, you do not need an enterprise accounting platform. FreeAgent (free with NatWest) or AccountsOS at £9/month will handle everything. Do not pay £50+/month for features you will never use.

Where is AI accounting heading?

Three trends will define the next 12 months:

Real-time tax optimisation

Today's AI tools categorise and file. Tomorrow's will actively optimise: suggesting the tax-optimal timing for purchases, recommending salary/dividend splits month by month, and alerting you to reliefs you qualify for but have not claimed. AccountsOS is already doing some of this with Finn's proactive insights. The incumbents will follow.

Direct bank integration for AI-native tools

The gap between AI-native platforms and traditional software on bank connectivity will close. Open Banking APIs (via Plaid, TrueLayer, and similar) are becoming accessible to smaller platforms. When AI-native tools have the same direct bank feeds as Xero, the UX advantage becomes decisive.

Multi-agent workflows

The next frontier is AI agents that talk to each other. Your accounting AI coordinating with your payroll provider, your bank, and your tax authority, handling the full compliance chain without human intervention. MCP (Model Context Protocol) is the early infrastructure for this, and AccountsOS already supports it for Claude Desktop integration.

Frequently asked questions

Can ChatGPT really do my bookkeeping?

No. ChatGPT can explain accounting concepts, categorise a pasted list of transactions, and help you understand tax rules. It cannot connect to your bank, maintain a ledger, calculate your actual VAT liability, or file anything with HMRC. For a detailed breakdown, read Can ChatGPT Do Your Accounts?.

What is the difference between AI-native and AI bolt-on accounting software?

AI-native software is built from the first line of code with AI as the primary interface. AI bolt-on means adding AI features (like a chatbot or auto-categorisation) to software that was designed before AI existed. The practical difference: in AI-native software, you talk to your books. In bolt-on software, you still fill in forms, but some fields are pre-filled. Read the full comparison.

Is AccountsOS a replacement for Xero?

For many small businesses, yes. AccountsOS handles invoicing, expense tracking, bank reconciliation, VAT/MTD filing, and financial reporting. Where it differs: AccountsOS does not have payroll yet, does not have Xero's 700+ app integrations, and has a smaller accountant partner network. Where it is stronger: conversational interface, AI-driven categorisation, multi-country support (21 jurisdictions), and flat pricing with no caps. See AccountsOS vs Xero for the full comparison.

How much does AI accounting software cost?

Costs range from free (ChatGPT for questions, FreeAgent with NatWest) to £80/month (Sage 50 with payroll). For a typical UK limited company, expect to pay £9-42/month for software plus £0-35/month for receipt scanning add-ons. AccountsOS is £9-19/month all-in. Xero is £15-42/month plus add-ons. QuickBooks is £12-32/month plus add-ons. A traditional accountant adds £800-6,000/year on top.

Can AI handle Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT?

Yes. Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, FreeAgent, and AccountsOS all support MTD for VAT. The difference is in how the data gets there: traditional tools require you to categorise transactions and review returns manually (with AI suggestions). AccountsOS handles categorisation automatically and calculates your 9-box VAT return in real time. You review and submit.

Should I use AI accounting software or hire an accountant?

Most small businesses in 2026 benefit from both. Use AI software for daily bookkeeping, categorisation, and VAT. Retain an accountant for year-end filing, strategic tax planning, and complex questions. This combination gives you real-time visibility without the £3,000-6,000/year cost of full-service bookkeeping from a practice.

Is my financial data safe with AI accounting tools?

Reputable AI accounting tools use bank-level encryption, secure data centres, and comply with GDPR. The key questions to ask: where is your data stored (UK/EU data centres are preferable for UK businesses), who has access, and does the AI send your data to third-party models? AccountsOS uses Supabase (AWS EU data centres) with row-level security. Your data is never used to train AI models.

What is the best free AI accounting tool?

FreeAgent is free for NatWest/RBS business account holders and is the best free option for UK sole traders. ChatGPT and Claude are free for asking accounting questions but cannot maintain books. There is no genuinely free full-featured AI accounting platform. The AI models that power these tools cost money to run, so a tool that is both free and genuinely AI-powered is either subsidised (FreeAgent via NatWest), limited (free tiers of ChatGPT/Claude), or monetising your data.

The bottom line

The AI accounting landscape in 2026 splits into three clear tiers:

Tier 1: Conversation only. ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. Excellent for understanding tax rules and one-off questions. Zero ability to maintain books. Free to $20/month.

Tier 2: Traditional software with AI assistance. Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, FreeAgent. Real accounting platforms with AI bolted on. Good for businesses that want a traditional interface with some automation. £12-80/month plus add-ons.

Tier 3: AI-native accounting. AccountsOS. The AI is the interface. Chat with your books, forward receipts, get proactive alerts. Full platform without add-ons. £9-19/month.

The right choice depends on your working style, your constraints, and how much of the daily accounting work you want AI to handle. If the answer is "all of it", AI-native is where the industry is heading. If you want to maintain control over every form and field, the established platforms with AI features will serve you well.

Either way, the days of spending hours categorising bank transactions are over. The only question is how you want to spend the time you get back.