Reckon offers a long-standing AU/NZ accounting product line including Reckon One (cloud) and Reckon Accounts (desktop), plus Reckon Payroll with STP support — popular with smaller AU businesses and bookkeepers.
HelloBooks is an AI-native cloud accounting platform with every feature on every plan, two-way QuickBooks Online sync, and pricing from $4.99/month — but its AU compliance scope is still expanding.
For an AU business that needs STP Phase 2 and BAS lodgment today, Reckon (or Reckon Payroll) is a solid established choice. For a business prioritising AI automation and a free starting tier, HelloBooks is worth a parallel pilot.
Where a value is shown as “—”, the feature was not verified at review time. See Reckon's site for the latest specifics.
| Feature | HelloBooks | Reckon |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free plan + paid from $4.99/mo (USD) | Paid only — Reckon One modular tiers (AUD; see reckon.com) |
| Country support | US, UK, India primary; AU / NZ / SG / UAE in product roadmap | Australia and New Zealand focus |
| STP Phase 2 (AU) | Roadmap — verify current support with sales | STP Phase 2 via Reckon Payroll |
| BAS (AU) | BAS-friendly GST coding; lodgment workflow on roadmap | BAS preparation built in |
| GST e-invoicing (India) | IRN + QR generation via Fynamics GSP integration | — (not an India product) |
| HMRC MTD (UK) | Regulatory alignment with HMRC MTD — verify scope with sales | — (not a UK product) |
| Bank feeds | 11,000+ US banks via Plaid; direct feeds elsewhere | AU/NZ bank feeds via direct connections |
| Payroll | Payroll module — country availability varies | Reckon Payroll standalone or bundled — STP-enabled |
| Time tracking | HelloTime add-on for time tracking and attendance | Limited native time tracking; commonly paired with third-party apps |
| Multi-currency | Included on all plans with auto FX gain/loss | Limited — verify on current plan page |
| Integrations | Plaid, QuickBooks Online (two-way sync), Stripe, Shopify (in build) | Reckon ecosystem; AU/NZ-skewed |
| Reporting depth | AI dashboards, cash-flow forecasting, custom report builder | Standard accounting reports; deeper in Reckon Accounts (desktop) |
| AI features | AI categorization, OCR, anomaly detection, conversational AI | Limited — primarily rules-based |
| Free plan | Yes — free forever, 500 AI credits/month | No — trial only |
Likely, depending on Reckon One module bundles. HelloBooks has a free plan and paid plans from $4.99/month USD with all features included. Reckon One is paid only and modularly priced in AUD — see reckon.com for current bundles.
STP Phase 2 reporting is on the HelloBooks roadmap. Reckon Payroll has STP Phase 2 support today. If you must lodge in the next pay run, Reckon (or another AU-mature platform) is the safer choice.
Yes, via CSV. Reckon One supports exports of your chart of accounts, contacts, items, invoices, and bills, all of which HelloBooks can import. Plan a clean cutover, ideally at end of financial year for the simplest reconciliation.
For a sole trader or micro business that just needs basic bookkeeping, GST, and STP-compatible payroll today, Reckon One is a low-friction AU-native pick. HelloBooks is the better long-term choice once AU compliance scope is confirmed and you want AI to handle the bookkeeping.
Yes. HelloBooks ships AI categorization, OCR-driven document capture, anomaly detection, and a conversational AI for your books. Reckon's automation is mostly rule-based today.
Yes. HelloBooks runs a conventional double-entry ledger with familiar accounting primitives — your bookkeeper will recognise the chart of accounts, journals, and reports. The AI features are additive, not a re-train.
Yes — built-in two-way sync. This is helpful if your firm runs both QBO and Reckon clients today and wants a unified working environment.
If you specifically need desktop accounting software for offline work or local data control, Reckon Accounts (desktop) is purpose-built for that. HelloBooks is cloud-only.
HelloBooks supports CSV import for chart of accounts, customers, vendors, items, invoices, and bills. For QuickBooks Online, we offer a built-in two-way sync. For other platforms, our migration team can assist with a structured cutover.
HelloBooks pricing
Free plan + paid plans with every feature included on each tier.
AI categorization
Auto-categorize transactions with confidence scoring.
Partner program
For accounting and bookkeeping firms (BAS, CPA, tax agents).
Cloud accounting
Cloud-first architecture with no desktop dependency.
Integrations
Plaid, QuickBooks Online two-way sync, Stripe, and more.
Contact sales
Verify AU compliance scope and migration before switching.