Compare · Trifold vs Puzzle

Trifold vs Puzzle

Puzzle and Trifold both connect straight to Stripe and keep AI on a short leash: in Puzzle, nothing changes in your books until you approve it. Puzzle is AI-native accounting for startups and small businesses, with expert-reviewed and full-service tiers staffed by accountants. Trifold is built for schools, studios and non-profits: Stripe payments become balanced books and a signed receipt anyone can check.

Puzzle, in its own words: “Accurate books. At AI speed.”

Where Puzzle is strongest

Honest first. If these matter most to you, Puzzle is likely the better fit.

Accountants on hand

Expert-reviewed and full-service tiers add human accountants to the software; Core + Expert Reviewed is $171 a month for up to $10K in monthly expenses. Trifold has no bookkeeping service.

Built around a startup's stack

Direct integrations with Stripe (synced daily), Ramp, Mercury, Brex and Gusto, and board-ready statements.

AI that asks first

Puzzle's AI Suite (Chat, Cowork, Close) proposes and waits: “Nothing changes in your books until you approve it.” Rifo, once it ships, works the same way, so this isn't a difference.

Where Trifold differs

Shipped means it works today in the engine. Next means it's on the roadmap and not built yet.

Shipped

Anyone can check a receipt, with no account

A family, CPA or auditor pastes a receipt into the free verifier at /verify. It runs in their browser and sends nothing to us; the CLI does the same check offline.

Shipped

Open formats and an engine you can run yourself

Export the books to Parquet, hledger or CSV whenever you like. The receipt and seal formats are open, and the engine is self-hostable, with its source public on GitHub.

Shipped

Books you can rebuild, months that stay sealed

Every Stripe event is kept. Replay them and you get the same balances and journals, and a sealed month shows any later change.

Side by side

The companies and products, fact by fact. Trifold's prices are planned; the hosted service is early access. "Not stated" means Puzzle's public pages don't say; it doesn't mean the feature is missing.

Built for: TrifoldSchools, studios, non-profits and other organizations paid through Stripe PuzzleStartups, small businesses and the accounting firms that serve them
Monthly price: TrifoldFree, then Starter $29, Pro $79, Witnessed $149 a month, planned. Non-profit and co-op: $15 / $39 / $79 PuzzleSoftware: Starter $30, Core $72, Complete $120, Scale $360 a month
Free plan: TrifoldPlanned. The hosted service is early access; design partners are free during the pilot PuzzleNone described; terms of “Try for free” not stated
Seats: TrifoldNo per-seat fees; CPA and bookkeeper seats free (planned) PuzzleNot stated
Who can check the records: TrifoldAnyone, in a free browser verifier or the CLI, with no account PuzzleNot stated
AI: TrifoldRifo, Next (not shipped): drafts and explains, you approve, the engine does the math PuzzleAI Suite proposes; nothing changes until you approve. AI credits: 25 lifetime on Starter and Core, 100 or 300 a month on Complete and Scale
Export: TrifoldParquet, hledger and CSV, on every plan PuzzleNot stated; integrations are read-only
Self-hosting: TrifoldThe engine is self-hostable PuzzleNo; hosted in the US
Stripe: TrifoldNative: books built from Stripe events, Stripe's webhook signature checked PuzzleDirect integration, synced daily
Bookkeeping service: TrifoldNone; Trifold is software PuzzleExpert-reviewed and full-service tiers
SOC 2: TrifoldTarget date to be announced PuzzleNot stated (AES-256 encryption and a bug bounty are)

Trifold and Puzzle, fact by fact
Fact	Trifold	Puzzle
Built for	Schools, studios, non-profits and other organizations paid through Stripe	Startups, small businesses and the accounting firms that serve them
Monthly price	Free, then Starter $29, Pro $79, Witnessed $149 a month, planned. Non-profit and co-op: $15 / $39 / $79	Software: Starter $30, Core $72, Complete $120, Scale $360 a month
Free plan	Planned. The hosted service is early access; design partners are free during the pilot	None described; terms of “Try for free” not stated
Seats	No per-seat fees; CPA and bookkeeper seats free (planned)	Not stated
Who can check the records	Anyone, in a free browser verifier or the CLI, with no account	Not stated
AI	Rifo, Next (not shipped): drafts and explains, you approve, the engine does the math	AI Suite proposes; nothing changes until you approve. AI credits: 25 lifetime on Starter and Core, 100 or 300 a month on Complete and Scale
Export	Parquet, hledger and CSV, on every plan	Not stated; integrations are read-only
Self-hosting	The engine is self-hostable	No; hosted in the US
Stripe	Native: books built from Stripe events, Stripe's webhook signature checked	Direct integration, synced daily
Bookkeeping service	None; Trifold is software	Expert-reviewed and full-service tiers
SOC 2	Target date to be announced	Not stated (AES-256 encryption and a bug bounty are)

Which one fits

Choose Puzzle if…

You're a venture-style startup that wants AI-native books, with accountants available when you need them.

Choose Trifold if…

You're a school, studio or non-profit with Stripe revenue, and you want a low planned price, receipts anyone can check, and open records.

Sources

Puzzle homepage: https://puzzle.io(opens in a new tab)
Puzzle pricing: https://puzzle.io/pricing(opens in a new tab)
Puzzle security: https://puzzle.io/security(opens in a new tab)

Facts about Puzzle checked against its public pages as of 2026-11-06. Prices and features change; check theirs before you decide. Corrections: hello@gettrifold.com. All comparisons.

Every dollar, three ways. Every month, sealed.

Books ✓Receipt ✓Stripe ✓

Get early access Verify a sample receipt

Design partners: founder onboarding, free during the pilot.