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 with CPA oversight |
| How often books are touched | Updated every business day | Monthly close |
| Pricing model | Flat fee, banded by annual revenue | Published by monthly spend, adjusted for complexity |
| Starting price | $200 / mo under $250K revenue | $450 / mo at $20K monthly spend |
| Accounting basis | Cash or accrual | Accrual-capable, SaaS-aware |
| Dedicated accountant | Yes, on every account | A dedicated bookkeeper, with CPA oversight |
| AI assistant access | Read-only MCP server for Claude | MCP access not stated |
| Built for | Software and services startups | Growing startups and SMBs, broad verticals |
Public pricing and terms as of September 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 stated response time of under four minutes.
Where Median wins
The two are close on philosophy, so the differences are specific rather than sweeping. Four stand out.
- Books categorized and posted every business day, where Haven reconciles and closes on a monthly cycle. Your numbers stay far closer to current than a month-end batch.
- A price set by your annual revenue, $200 a month under $250K and $500 from $250K to $1M, rather than by monthly spend with complexity adjustments on top, so a company spending ahead of its revenue does not pay for its burn.
- A read-only MCP server, so Claude can answer questions straight from your live books, which Haven does not state.
- A $200 entry price, below Haven's $450 at $20,000 in monthly spend as of September 2026.
How each one is built
Both pair software with real accountants, which is the right model. Haven pairs its own software for invoicing, bill pay and reporting with a dedicated bookkeeper backed by CPA oversight, leans on Slack for fast, human support, and closes the books monthly.
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 publishes a price ladder by monthly spend: $450 a month at $20,000 in spend, $600 at $50,000, $750 at $100,000, $900 at $150,000, $1,000 at $200,000, and $1,200 above $200,000. It states that the price increases with the nuances of the business, such as revenue complexity, crypto, inventory, usage-based billing and lending, so treat the ladder as a floor and get the final figure in writing. Verified on usehaven.com/pricing 2026-09-30.
Median publishes its rate card: a flat monthly fee set by annual revenue: $200 a month under $250K regardless of financial account count, 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 September 2026 and the two are not apples to apples, since they price on different axes.
Frequently asked questions
The questions to ask any bookkeeping service
A printable list covering what they actually do, who does the work, who pays when an error reaches your tax return, and what leaving looks like. Ask us the same ones, and ask them too.
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