80+
Countries with local payment rails, native to the ledger
Comparison · Light vs Puzzle
Light vs Puzzle
Puzzle is an AI-native general ledger for US startups: agents categorise and reconcile, statements draft themselves, and a bookkeeper, yours or one of theirs, keeps control. It is built for US entities with USD-only transactions, with cards, bill pay and consolidation in connected tools. Light is the agentic accounting platform where cards, expenses, AP execution, procurement and consolidation are native to one ledger, multi-entity and multi-currency by default, for finance teams anywhere.
Book a demo$2B
Revenue Tillo runs on Light across 8 entities
76%
Cut in Tillo's month-end processing time
4
People on the finance team scaling Lovable to $500M revenue
Compare Light vs Puzzle
| Light | Puzzle | |
|---|---|---|
| Implementation | Weeks, with a dedicated implementation team and account manager included | Self-serve, with a paid migration add-on; dedicated onboarding on the Scale plan; bookkeeper plans close the books every month |
| Architecture | One AI-native ledger; consolidation posts as transactions happen | AI-native general ledger for US startups; spend, bill pay and consolidation in connected tools |
| Agents | Agents complete work end to end inside your controls; every action logged and attributable | Agents on the ledger: categorisation up to 98%, reconciliations, drafted statements; a bookkeeper, yours or theirs, keeps control |
| Configuration | Astra learns from your data and suggests workflow and configuration changes to increase performance; applied in-product, no consultants | CPA-approved chart of accounts templates; custom chart of accounts from the Core plan |
| Subscription management | Contract-based invoicing and deferred revenue automated | Invoicing native; revenue recognition from the Complete plan |
| Spend management | Corporate and virtual cards with Apple Pay and Google Pay, expense capture via Slack, Teams and email, native to the ledger | Via Ramp, Brex |
| Global bill pay | AP and vendor payments executed on local rails in 80+ countries, from the ledger itself | Via Bill.com; US entities, USD only |
| Advanced reporting | Real-time multi-entity reporting with instant drill-down; no spreadsheet exports | Cash, burn, runway and margin insights, variance analysis, classes and departments; one entity in USD, consolidation via Joiin |
| SaaS metrics | ARR, MRR, NRR, churn and cohort metrics computed from the ledger and contracts, in real time | Revenue tracking and insights built in |
| Global coverage | Local payment rails in 80+ countries; multi-entity, multi-currency by default | US entities with USD-only transactions, by their own help centre; non-USD accounts show as unconverted USD |
Why finance teams choose Light over Puzzle
Puzzle is the closest comparison in kind: a real AI-native general ledger. Its own site calls it the accounting core where agents work for you. AI categorises up to 98% of transactions, drafts financial statements, keeps cash and accrual books, automates prepaids and fixed assets, sends and reconciles invoices and handles revenue recognition, with live cash, burn and runway on top. It connects natively to Stripe, Brex, Mercury, Ramp, Deel, Gusto and Rippling, and a bookkeeper who reviews and closes the books can be added on top of the software.
The difference is scope. Puzzle draws the platform line at the ledger, for one US entity in dollars. Light's bet is that agent reach is the product: cards, expenses, AP execution, procurement, consolidation and reporting are native to one ledger, so an agent follows a transaction from a receipt posted in Slack to a posted payment without a handoff, and does it across 80+ countries.
One entity, one currency
Puzzle is built for US entities with USD-only transactions. Non-USD accounts that can be connected show as USD, unconverted, and the help centre is candid that the product was not designed for multi-currency. Multi-entity reporting runs through the Joiin integration, a separate product where the consolidation happens. For the single-entity US startup that is the deliberate scope, and it serves it well.
Light runs the group: multi-entity, multi-currency by default, consolidation with intercompany eliminations and FX posting continuously, and local payment rails and tax logic in 80+ countries. Tillo processes $2B in revenue across 8 entities, Legora runs 20 countries, and customers with $500M ARR have completed audits on Light.
The partner boundary is the ceiling
Cards and spend live in Ramp or Brex; bill pay in Bill.com; both sync into Puzzle. Each integration is a place where the agent stops, a sync that can drift, and a second audit trail. On Light there is no boundary to cross: the same agent that codes the invoice executes the payment on local rails and posts the result, and receipts are chased in Slack and Teams because spend is native to the ledger the agent operates.
Where Puzzle fits
A single-entity US startup that wants a modern AI-native ledger instead of QuickBooks, transacts in dollars, and is already committed to Brex or Ramp for spend is Puzzle's home ground, and a good choice. When the second entity or the second currency arrives, or spend needs to live inside the same controls as the ledger, the stack argument tips to Light.
Signs you’ve outgrown Puzzle
The ledger stops at the dollar
Puzzle's own help centre says it is built for US entities with USD-only transactions; non-USD accounts show up as unconverted USD. Light runs multi-entity, multi-currency groups on one ledger, with local payment rails in 80+ countries.
Spend is someone else's product
A Puzzle stack is Puzzle plus Ramp or Brex plus Bill.com, synced in. Light is one platform: ledger, cards, expenses, AP execution and procurement together, so nothing reconciles across seams at month-end.
Consolidation is a second subscription
Multi-entity reporting on Puzzle runs through the Joiin integration, a separate product where the consolidation happens. On Light, consolidation posts as transactions happen, inside the ledger.
“We evaluated several vendors. Light won because it covers our full finance stack, revenue, AR, AP, expenses, and consolidation, without stitching together a patchwork of point solutions.”
TanjaDirector of Finance, Omnea
Top 3 reasons leaders pick Light over Puzzle
An all-inclusive platform
Leverage native products for AP, AR, Procurement and budgeting that seamlessly leverage AI and integrate to Slack and Teams.
Superior performance
Whether you are processing 100,000 or 50 million transactions, the Light Ledger is based on a hyper-performant database.
Beautiful reporting
Stop the reporting headache of spreadsheets, and get fast, intuitive reports with instant drill-down capabilities.
More reasons to love Light
Enjoy integrated products that both finance and the employees enjoy using.
Expense Management
Automate expense approvals, track spending in real-time, and gain insights with AI-powered analytics.
Vendor Management
Streamline vendor relationships with simplified onboarding, tracking supplier performance, and enforcing procurement policies.
Cards
Issue vendor and employee cards with Apple Pay and Google Pay globally. Upload receipts via Slack, Teams or email.
Frequently asked questions
Is Light an alternative to Puzzle?
Yes, and it is the closest comparison: both are AI-native ledgers with agents. Puzzle is built for US entities in USD, with spend in Brex or Ramp and multi-entity reporting through Joiin. Light adds native cards, expenses, AP execution and procurement, and runs multi-entity, multi-currency groups with local payment rails in 80+ countries.
Both claim agents. What is the practical difference?
Reach. Puzzle's agents categorise, reconcile and draft statements on the ledger; spend and payment execution live in Ramp, Brex and Bill.com, which they cannot cross. Light's agents run intake-to-payment and record-to-report end to end because every sub-ledger is native.
Does Puzzle work outside the US?
Puzzle's help centre says it is built for US entities with USD-only transactions, and that non-USD accounts show as unconverted USD. Light runs entities in any country on one ledger, multi-currency by default, with local rails in 80+ countries.
We already use Brex or Ramp. Does that matter?
It works with Puzzle, but every month reconciles the seam between spend tool and ledger. On Light the seam does not exist, and the retired subscriptions usually pay for the difference. You can keep them, but you don't need to.