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Briefcase alternative, compared honestly

AccountsOS vs Briefcase:
two UK AI accounting products, priced differently

Briefcase and AccountsOS both aim at UK businesses and the accountants who look after them, and both use AI to do the production work. They differ on how they are priced, where the ledger lives, and how you talk to them. Here is the detail.

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Checked on 2 Nov 2026. Every Briefcase fact on this page links to its source.

Briefcase is UK AI accounting software that captures receipts and invoices (by WhatsApp, email or upload), matches bank lines, and either runs its own ledger or syncs two ways with Xero and QuickBooks. It is priced by volume: £19, £39, £79 or £119 a month plus VAT, depending on documents and bank transactions per quarter, with unlimited users and a 14-day trial. AccountsOS is an AI accountant, Finn, on its own double-entry ledger, at a flat £10 a month for a sole trader or £20 a month for a limited company, with practices at £12 per live client a month. Briefcase is ahead on bank feeds, WhatsApp capture, Xero and QuickBooks sync and MTD for Income Tax. We are ahead on flat pricing, on conversation, and on a ledger that is the core of the product, not an option.

Briefcase suits you if

  • You want to keep Xero or QuickBooks as the ledger and add an AI layer on top. Briefcase syncs both ways with each.
  • Your clients or your team send paperwork by WhatsApp and you want it captured, matched and posted with a trail of working papers.
  • You need bank feeds today. Briefcase Ledger has them, and Briefcase says the bank transaction limit does not apply if your books sit in Xero or QuickBooks.
  • You are a sole trader or landlord who wants MTD for Income Tax quarterly updates. Briefcase states HMRC recognition for it.

AccountsOS suits you if

  • You want a price that does not move with how busy you are. AccountsOS is flat, with no document or transaction limits to watch.
  • You want the AI accountant to be the way you work: ask Finn in chat, voice, WhatsApp, Slack, Telegram or email, and get answers, not a queue.
  • You are moving off Xero or QuickBooks, not adding to them, and want one ledger, one bill and VAT, accounts and confirmation statements in one place.
  • You run a practice and want a stated per-client price, with no seat fees and no monthly minimum.

How Briefcase works, and how Finn works

Briefcase describes itself as AI accounting software for UK businesses. Receipts and invoices arrive by WhatsApp, email or upload. Bank lines are matched to paperwork. Prepayments, accruals and fixed assets are handled as invoices come in. An autopilot posts routine items that pass its checks and holds unusual ones for review. It lists expense claims, approvals, payments by open banking, working papers and a full audit trail. You can run it on its own Briefcase Ledger, or add it to Xero or QuickBooks as Briefcase Connect.

Finn is the product at AccountsOS. She does the production work on a double-entry ledger that is always ours, so there is no second system to keep in step. You send her documents by email or chat, ask her questions in plain English, and she brings you the exceptions. She prepares VAT returns and filings, and a person reviews and signs before anything goes to HMRC or Companies House.

In short, Briefcase is strongest as capture and posting automation that can sit on a ledger you already have. AccountsOS is strongest as one AI accountant on its own ledger. If you already love your Xero setup and want less typing, that favours Briefcase. If you are tired of paying for the ledger and the layer on top, that favours us.

Pricing: volume bands against a flat rate

Briefcase prices by what you put through it. Low costs £19 plus VAT each month for up to 75 invoices and receipts a quarter. Medium is £39 for 250. High is £79 for 750. Ultra is £119 for 1,500. Bank transactions are limited too on Ledger plans: 300, 1,000, 3,000 and 6,000 a quarter. Every plan has all features and unlimited users, and above Ultra you contact Briefcase for custom pricing. Briefcase also says auto-upgrade is on by default: go more than 10% over a limit in a quarter and you move up a plan, though you can turn that off.

That model is fair for a quiet business and it rewards the very small. It also means the bill follows your volume, which is worth knowing before you pick a plan. AccountsOS charges the same each month whether you post ten items or a thousand.

Prices in this comparison are before VAT on the Briefcase side, as Briefcase quotes them. If you cannot reclaim VAT, add 20% to its prices. AccountsOS prices carry no VAT.

Where Briefcase is ahead, plainly

Bank feeds. Briefcase Ledger has bank feeds and open banking payments. Open banking is not live in AccountsOS yet. We take bank data by CSV and PDF import, and connect directly to Mercury, Wise and Stripe. If automatic feeds from your high street bank are essential, Briefcase is ahead.

Keeping your existing ledger. Briefcase syncs both ways with Xero and QuickBooks. If your accountant insists on Xero, you can keep it and add Briefcase. We would rather you moved across, but that is not always possible.

WhatsApp capture and working papers. It is a mature route for getting paperwork in and a visible trail for the practice. Finn handles WhatsApp, email and chat too, but Briefcase has built its product around capture and it shows.

MTD for Income Tax. Briefcase states that HMRC recognises it for MTD for Income Tax, so sole traders and landlords can send quarterly updates. We file MTD VAT today, and MTD for Income Tax is not live in AccountsOS yet.

Where AccountsOS is ahead

One ledger, one price. Our double-entry ledger is the core of the product at £20 a month for a limited company and £10 a month for a sole trader, with no volume bands.

Conversation and reach. Finn works in web chat, voice, WhatsApp, Slack, Telegram and email, and we are live in 32 countries, not only the UK. Our MCP server has read and write, 94 tools. Briefcase's site describes an official MCP connector for Claude with 56 MCP tools.

Filing in one place. VAT through MTD is filed from AccountsOS, which is on HMRC's list of MTD VAT software. Accounts and confirmation statements are e-filed at Companies House. A person signs each one.

What each one costs, worked through

Briefcase quotes in pounds plus VAT, by volume. These rows use its list prices. Where volume decides the plan, we say which plan we assumed.

Who you areAccountsOSBriefcase
One limited company, light volume£20 a month£19 plus VAT a month on Low (75 invoices and receipts a quarter). About £22.80 with VAT.
One limited company, busier
Same price at AccountsOS whatever the volume.
£20 a month£39 plus VAT a month on Medium (250 a quarter), or £79 on High (750 a quarter).
One sole trader£10 a month£19 plus VAT a month on Low. Briefcase lists no cheaper plan.
A practice with 50 clients
A client moves up a plan if it passes the limits.
£600 a month (£12 per live client a month), unmetered, no seat feesAt list price, 50 clients on Low is £950 plus VAT a month; on Medium £1,950 plus VAT. Briefcase says partner discounts exist for practices but does not publish the amounts.

Briefcase figures from briefcase.so/pricing, checked on 2 Nov 2026. All Briefcase prices exclude VAT. Briefcase has a 14-day trial with no card; AccountsOS has 14 days, no card for founders and 30 days, no card for practices.

AccountsOS vs Briefcase, row by row

FeatureAccountsOSBriefcase
Countries32 countries liveUK, with data held in Europe
Own double-entry ledgerYes, alwaysOptional: Briefcase Ledger, or sync with Xero or QuickBooks
Keep Xero or QuickBooksBriefcase is ahead hereMigrate in. We do not sync both ways with them.Yes, two-way sync
Bank feedsBriefcase is ahead hereCSV and PDF import, plus Mercury, Wise and Stripe. Open banking is not live yet.Bank feeds in Briefcase Ledger; open banking payments
Document captureBriefcase is ahead hereEmail, chat, WhatsApp, Slack, Telegram and upload; AI extraction and auto-linkingWhatsApp, email, mobile and upload; autopilot posting and working papers
MTD VATFiled in product; on HMRC's list of MTD VAT softwareVAT returns and MTD filing included
MTD for Income TaxBriefcase is ahead hereNot live yetStates HMRC recognition; quarterly updates from Ledger
Companies House filingAccounts and confirmation statements e-filedNot stated on its pricing or home page
Talk to your booksFinn in chat, voice, WhatsApp, Slack, Telegram, emailMCP connector and ChatGPT plugin for questions
MCPRead and write, 94 toolsOfficial connector for Claude, 56 MCP tools
Pricing basisFlat per company. Practices per live client.By documents and bank transactions per quarter; unlimited users
Starting price£10 a month£19 plus VAT a month
Free trial14 days, no card14 days, no card

Checked on 2 Nov 2026. Sources are listed at the bottom of this page.

Switching between them

If you are on Briefcase with Xero or QuickBooks underneath, moving to AccountsOS means moving the ledger. Export your chart of accounts, contacts, opening balances and transactions as CSV, or bring your history across with our importer, which uses AI to map whatever columns the file has. Finn then checks the opening position and asks about anything she cannot place.

If you are on Briefcase Ledger, export the same set from there. Keep your bank statements for the overlap period.

Do not switch in the middle of a VAT quarter. Finish the return where it started, move at the quarter boundary, and run a one-month parallel check before cancelling. If your accountant works inside Xero, talk to them first, because the right answer may be to stay on Briefcase Connect.

Questions people ask

How much does Briefcase cost?

Briefcase charges £19, £39, £79 or £119 a month plus VAT (Low, Medium, High, Ultra), depending on the invoices and receipts, and on Ledger the bank transactions, you process each quarter. It has unlimited users and a 14-day trial. AccountsOS is flat: £10 a month for a sole trader and £20 a month for a limited company. Checked on 2 Nov 2026.

Is Briefcase accounting software a replacement for Xero?

It can be. Briefcase has its own ledger, Briefcase Ledger, so you can run on it alone. It can also sit on top of Xero or QuickBooks with two-way sync. AccountsOS replaces the ledger, so it is a Xero alternative rather than an add-on.

Does Briefcase file MTD VAT returns?

Yes. Briefcase says VAT returns and Making Tax Digital filing are included. AccountsOS also files MTD VAT and is on HMRC's list of MTD VAT software. Neither of us should be described as approved by HMRC; the list is how HMRC shows software is compatible.

Does AccountsOS have bank feeds like Briefcase?

Not through open banking yet. Briefcase Ledger has bank feeds. AccountsOS imports CSV and PDF statements and connects directly to Mercury, Wise and Stripe. Open banking is still to come.

Which is better for an accounting practice?

It depends on the practice. If most clients stay on Xero or QuickBooks, Briefcase's sync and partner pricing may fit. If you want one AI accountant on one ledger across the whole book at a stated price, AccountsOS is built for that. Finn prepares, your team reviews and signs.

Does either of them have an MCP server?

Yes, both. Briefcase's site describes an official MCP connector for Claude with 56 MCP tools. AccountsOS has an MCP server with read and write, 94 tools.

Sources

Checked on 2 Nov 2026. Vendor pages change, so check the source before you decide.

AccountsOS figures come from our own pricing page and are not repeated by hand. Competitor figures are in their own currency.

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