Cranston vs ZipBooks

See how their public offers line up before you choose your own position. Prices stay in the currency, billing schedule, and charged unit each vendor publishes.

Cranston

See full pricing history

USD · US · source: cranston.ai

Plan	Pricing	Charged by	Offer type
Bookkeeping Highlighted	USD 30 monthly $30 per client book, per month	Unit · per client book	Standalone · Fixed
Tax prep	USD 40 per prepared return $40 per prepared return, any form	Usage · per prepared return	Standalone · Usage based

ZipBooks

See full pricing history

USD · US · source: zipbooks.com

Plan	Pricing	Charged by	Offer type
Starter — Free	Free Free	Flat	Standalone · Free
Smarter — 15	USD 15 monthly · USD 15 / month with annual commitment $15/month	Flat · $15/month	Standalone · Fixed
Sophisticated — 35	USD 35 monthly · USD 35 / month with annual commitment $35/month	Flat · $35/month	Standalone · Fixed

What each plan includes

Feature names follow each vendor’s own pricing page, so verify the wording before treating them as exact equivalents.

Cranston

Bookkeeping

Highlights Works with the bookkeeping systems you already use: Included
Highlights Classification, reconciliation, and recurring journals done by AI: Included
Highlights Exceptions queued for review, with source links: Included
Highlights Practice management: $0

Included

Tax prep

Highlights One rate, any form: Included
Highlights Federal and state prep in a single workpaper trail: Included
Highlights Diagnostics and source-linked review before anything files: Included
Highlights Tax practice management: $0

Included

ZipBooks

Starter — Free

Highlights Send unlimited invoices: Included
Highlights Manage unlimited vendors & customers: Included
Highlights Accept digital payments (Square or PayPal): Included
Highlights View Basic Reports: Included
Highlights Connect 1 bank account: Included

Smarter — 15

Highlights Everything in Starter: Included
Highlights Schedule recurring invoices with auto-bill: Included
Highlights Automate reminders: Included
Highlights Save invoice line items: Included
Highlights Connect multiple bank accounts: Included
Highlights Receive account notifications: Included
Highlights Track time: Included
Highlights Add 5 team members: 5

Included

Sophisticated — 35

Highlights Everything in Smarter: Included
Highlights Organize books with smart tagging (by location, project, and custom): Included
Highlights Reconcile every account quickly: Included
Highlights Lock completed books: Included
Highlights Share documents securely: Included
Highlights Generate insightful reports: Included
Highlights Invite unlimited users: Included

How their prices changed

Each date shows when a public price was observed, not when it took effect. An archived region or currency can differ, so a currency change is not necessarily a price increase.

Cranston

September 21, 2026
Official pricing page
- Bookkeeping: USD 30 monthly
- Tax prep: USD 40 per prepared return
August 27, 2026
Official pricing page
- Bookkeeping — standard: USD 30 monthly · USD 30 / month with annual commitment

ZipBooks

August 27, 2026
Official pricing page
- Starter — Free: Free
- Smarter — 15: USD 15 monthly · USD 15 / month with annual commitment
- Sophisticated — 35: USD 35 monthly · USD 35 / month with annual commitment