How we stack up.
A clear look at how Usable compares to traditional cloud accounting (Xero, MYOB) and the latest AI-based platforms (Count, Digits).
Onboarding & Verification.
Traditional
AI-based
Usable
Sign Up
New account and password required
Google/Microsoft sign-in options
Google, Apple, Microsoft (personal + business)
Business Verification
Manual IRD/GST entry, no verification
Manual IRD/GST entry, no verification
IRD-verified via login, authority to act confirmed
Entity Data
Manual entry, duplicates possible
Manual entry, duplicates possible
Auto-sourced from Companies Office + IRD
Fraud Prevention
Impersonation possible via invoices
Impersonation possible via invoices
Not possible, one verified instance per business
Bank Feeds & Reconciliation.
Traditional
AI-based
Usable
Bank Connection
Manual form application via advisor
Via intermediary
Direct Open Banking, no intermediary
Data Freshness
Next-day batch feed
Reconciled once a day (best case: 1 hour)
Real-time (within 30 min), settled + unsettled
Transaction Matching
Manual, repeats incorrect suggestions
Auto-classified to chart of accounts
Matched to verified legal entities via NZBN
GST on Expenses
Defaults 15% (often wrong)
Defaults 15% (often wrong)
Based on human verified GST registration status
Audit Trail
Accountant manually provides
Accountant manually provides
Auditable auto-reconciliation by tax agency
GST & Tax Filing.
Traditional
AI-based
Usable
Filing Periods
Manually selected, user error causes fines
Manually selected, user error causes fines
Retrieved from IRD, auto-adjusts for changes
Return Readiness
Must reconcile most transactions first
Based on auto-reconciling
Ready to file immediately after period ends
Filing Status
Based on product's assumption, not IRD
Based on product's assumption, not IRD
Retrieved directly from IRD in real time
Payment Tracking
Customer logs into IRD separately
Customer logs into IRD separately
Auto-matches payments/refunds from IRD data
Period Adjustments
Manual overlap calculation
Manual overlap calculation
Auto-posted to next return due
Receipts & Expenses.
Traditional
AI-based
Usable
Receipt Upload
Photo only
Photo + auto-fill where possible
Photo, auto-fill, no other input needed
Matching to Bank
Multiple manual inputs required
Multiple manual inputs required
AI matches via date, time, currency + GST number
Claiming Expenses
Manual: account, where, how much, what for
Manual: account, where, what for
Plain English description, auto-coded
Communication.
Traditional
AI-based
Usable
Client & Advisor
Email outside the product
Basic in-product messaging, limited context
In-app messaging with live data attachments
IRD Letters
Requires logging into myIR, advisor misses them
Requires logging into myIR, advisor misses them
Delivered directly to both client and advisor
Use of AI.
Traditional
AI-based
Usable
Receipt Extraction
AI extracts from photos
AI extracts from photos
AI extracts + matches to bank + verifies entity
Account Coding
—
AI assumes account code
AI trained on NZ standards, determines GST claim
Advisor Intelligence
—
Spending/income trend insights
Client Action Index (30+ financial & behavioural metrics)
Localisation
—
Not localised to NZ
Trained and localised for NZ market
Product Roadmap.
Available Now
Usable Balance.
Automated coding, simplified reminders, GST filing, and expense claims.
Available Now
Usable Advisory.
CRM insights, tax positions, and agency letters in a unified advisor interface.
FY27
Usable Reporting.
Year-end compliance and interactive, AI-powered insights.
In Development
Usable Tax.
Fully automated business compliance and return processing.