Median vs Haven
The closest comparison on this list. Both are modern AI-plus-human firms with real accountants. The honest differences are how often your books are touched, how you are billed, and whether your AI assistant can query the books.
| Median | Haven | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | AI-native firm that keeps its own ledger | AI-plus-human firm, founded 2023 |
| How often books are touched | Updated every business day | Monthly, marketed as fast |
| Pricing model | Flat fee, banded by annual revenue | Spend-based, custom quote |
| Starting price | $200 / mo under $250K revenue | From ~$450 / mo (around $20k / mo spend) |
| Accounting basis | Cash or accrual | Accrual-capable, SaaS-aware |
| Dedicated accountant | Yes, on every account | Yes, a dedicated team |
| AI assistant access | Read-only MCP server for Claude | Not stated |
| Built for | Software and services startups | Growing startups and SMBs, broad verticals |
Public pricing and terms as of June 2026. Models differ, so figures are not directly comparable. Confirm current details with each provider.
Where Haven wins
Haven is a real peer, and it is worth being straight about that. It is a modern, well-built AI-plus-human firm with an experienced tax bench and customers who speak highly of the partnership. If your needs fall outside Median's focus, Haven is a strong option.
- Broader vertical coverage, including crypto, e-commerce, and law firms, beyond software and professional services.
- A sweet spot for SMBs spending around $20,000 a month or more that want a single modern firm.
- An experienced tax team and a contingency-based R&D credit offering.
- Slack-first support with a fast typical response time.
Where Median wins
The two are close on philosophy, so the differences are specific rather than sweeping. Three stand out.
- Books categorized and posted every business day, where Haven works on a monthly cycle. Your numbers stay far closer to current than a month-end batch.
- A published price set by your annual revenue, $200 a month under $250K and $500 from $250K to $1M, instead of a custom quote sized to your monthly spend, so you can price yourself before you ever talk to sales.
- A read-only MCP server, so Claude can answer questions straight from your live books, which Haven does not state.
- Pricing that fits the earliest stage, not only companies already spending around $20,000 a month.
How each one is built
Both pair software with real accountants, which is the right model. Haven runs a proprietary ledger platform with a dedicated team of CPAs and leans on Slack for fast, human support, with a monthly close.
Median runs an AI-native ledger as the system of record and updates it every business day: software does the high-volume categorization and posting as activity lands, and a dedicated accountant reviews the exceptions and owns the result. Median also exposes your live books to an AI assistant through a read-only MCP server, so you can ask Claude in plain language instead of waiting on a report.
Pricing compared
Haven prices on monthly spend, starting around $450 per month for a business with roughly $20,000 per month in spend and rising with complexity such as multi-entity, inventory, or crypto. The exact number is a custom quote, and Haven's own materials quote the starting figure differently in places, so get it in writing.
Median publishes its rate card: a flat monthly fee set by annual revenue: $200 a month under $250K and $500 a month from $250K to $1M, with reports, scenarios, daily bookkeeping and every seat included, and no setup fee. Above $1M the price is scoped on a call. Because the band is set by revenue rather than by spend, a pre-revenue company pays the floor no matter how fast it happens to be burning, and the boundary is a number you already report. Competitor figures are current as of June 2026 and the two are not apples to apples, since they price on different axes.
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