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Comparison · Last updated 2026-07-28

HelloBooks vs Thriday: An accounting platform you connect a bank to vs a bank account with accounting attached

Thriday bundles a business transaction account, invoicing, automated bookkeeping and tax into one Australian product. It is not a bank — the transaction account and Visa Debit card are issued by Regional Australia Bank (ABN 21 087 650 360, AFSL 241167), and Thriday operates as an authorised representative under a banking-as-a-service arrangement.

Thriday genuinely lodges BAS and income tax returns, on the strength of Registered Tax Agent No. 26262416 — but only on the Done-for-You tiers at A$88 and A$119 a month, plus a per-lodgement fee starting from A$59.95. The Free plan gives you categorisation and GST tracking; the automation sits behind A$29.95/month Time-Saver.

HelloBooks is the accounting platform rather than the bank: free forever, A$14.99/month on Pro with unlimited users, AI categorization, OCR, inventory, multi-entity and multi-currency. Be clear on one point though — HelloBooks does BAS GST preparation, not BAS lodgement, and STP Phase 2 is on the roadmap.

Researched & written by the HelloBooks editorial team. Checked against Thriday's public pricing and docs on 2026-07-28 · how we compare.

Scorecard: how they stack up

An at-a-glance rating on the criteria that decide an accounting-software purchase. Ratings reflect verifiable facts — not an invented score. See how we compare.

HelloBooks rates strong on 7 of 9 buyer criteria

HelloBooks vs Thriday — criteria scorecard
CriterionHelloBooksThriday
Entry price & free tierStrongPartial
Automation included at entry priceStrongLimited
Total cost including lodgement feesStrongLimited
BAS & tax lodgementLimitedStrong
Integrated business bankingNot offeredStrong
General-ledger & reporting depthStrongPartial
Entity types & multi-entityStrongLimited
Inventory & operationsStrongNot offered
Data portabilityStrongLimited

Side-by-side feature comparison

Where a value is shown as “—”, the feature was not verified at review time. See Thriday's site for the latest specifics. No paid placements — how we compare.

HelloBooks vs Thriday— feature-by-feature comparison
FeatureHelloBooksThriday
What the product actually isAn AI-native accounting platform. You connect your existing bank; HelloBooks never holds or moves your moneyA business transaction account with accounting and tax attached — banking is the anchor, not an integration
Who issues the bank accountNot applicable. Bank connections are read-onlyThriday is not a bank. The account and Visa Debit card are issued by Regional Australia Bank (ABN 21 087 650 360, AFSL 241167); Thriday is Authorised Representative No. 1297601
Deposit protectionNot applicable — your money stays with your own bankFinancial Claims Scheme cover up to A$250,000, arising from Regional Australia Bank's ADI status rather than Thriday's
PricingFree forever; Pro A$14.99/month or A$149.99/year; Business A$59.99/month or A$599.99/year — unlimited users on paid plansFree A$0; Time-Saver A$29.95/mo or A$299/yr; Done-for-You Tax A$88/mo (annual commitment); Done-for-You BAS + Tax A$119/mo
Per-lodgement feesNone — HelloBooks does not lodge on your behalfBAS lodgement starts from A$59.95 per lodgement on top of the subscription, per Thriday's own pricing post
What the free plan includesUnlimited invoices, bills, quotes and POs, AP/AR aging, P&L, balance sheet, cash flow, mobile app, 2 users, 2,500 AI credits/monthUnlimited invoices, card payments, bank account, transaction categorisation, GST tracking, bill manager, basic reporting, one connected bank account
Where the automation sitsAI categorization at 95%+ accuracy and OCR are included from the Free plan via the AI credit walletAutomated expense reconciliation, receipt scanning, automated bookkeeping, tax forecasting and real-time reports all require Time-Saver at A$29.95/month
BASBAS GST preparation and Simpler BAS codes are live. BAS lodgement via SBR or Ozedi is on the roadmap — we do not claim it todayGenuinely lodges. Direct BAS lodgement on the Done-for-You BAS + Tax plan (A$119/mo) plus a per-lodgement fee from A$59.95
Income tax returnsNot lodged by HelloBooks — your accountant or tax agent files from the ledgerLodges directly on Done-for-You Tax (A$88/mo) and above, under Registered Tax Agent No. 26262416
STP Phase 2 / payrollSTP Phase 2 and SuperStream are on the roadmap and not shipped. India payroll runs through HelloTime, a sibling productNo payroll product or STP lodgement capability was found on Thriday's site — apparently not offered
Entity types supportedCompanies, trusts, partnerships and sole traders, with multi-entity management from ProAn independent June 2026 review states it is built for sole traders only, with no support for companies, trusts or partnerships. Thriday's own site does not state this — verify before assuming
AI capabilityAI categorization at 95%+ accuracy, OCR line extraction, Munimji assistant with 60+ tools, AI payables, AI calling for overdue AR, CFO agent, AI analysis on every report, public MCP serverMachine-learning transaction categorisation, receipt scanning and OCR, automated tax calculation and forecasting, automated allocations — all shipped but behind the paid Time-Saver plan
Multi-currency & internationalMulti-currency with automatic FX gain and loss on all plans; live tax compliance in India, the US, the UK, Australia and the UAEAustralia-focused. A$15 flat fee reported on incoming international payments, a 3.5% conversion fee on card FX, and no outbound international transfers
Inventory & operationsItem master, BOM, FIFO/LIFO/weighted-average valuation, GRN, multi-warehouse, POS, restaurant and manufacturingNone — out of scope
Three-way matchingPO / GRN / bill comparison with quantity and amount discrepancy flags, included with ProNot published — bill upload and scheduled payment rather than procurement matching
IntegrationsPlaid, Stripe, Razorpay, PayPal, PineLabs, Tally 6.2 connector, guided QuickBooks USA migration, API from Pro, BI connector, public MCP serverMarkets itself as all-in-one and lists no third-party integrations. The only verified outbound link is connecting the Thriday account to Xero or MYOB as a bank feed — transactions only, not an accounting sync
Getting your data outCSV and Excel import/export throughout, plus a migration path with dry-run preview and one-click rollbackNo documented full-data export was found. The only documented outbound path is the Xero/MYOB bank feed, which carries transactions but not invoices, contacts or attachments
Independent ratingsNewer product with a smaller review base — judge us on the free plan rather than review volumeApple App Store (AU) 4.6/5 from 68 ratings (retrieved 28 Jul 2026). Trustpilot, ProductReview, G2 and Capterra scores could not be verified

When to choose HelloBooks

  • You are a company, trust or partnership rather than a sole trader, or you run more than one entity.
  • You want the automation included in the entry price rather than gated behind a A$29.95/month upgrade.
  • You keep your existing business bank and want accounting software that reads it, not a product that replaces it.
  • You carry stock, run a POS or manufacture, and need those movements posting to the ledger.
  • You trade internationally and need multi-currency with automatic FX, or books across Australia, the UK, India, the US and the UAE.
  • Data portability matters — you want documented CSV and Excel export of everything, not a bank feed.

When to choose Thriday

  • You are an Australian sole trader who wants banking, invoicing, bookkeeping and lodgement in one app.
  • You want your BAS and tax return actually lodged for you — Thriday holds Registered Tax Agent No. 26262416 and does this today; HelloBooks does not.
  • A business transaction account with a Visa Debit card, Apple Pay and Google Wallet is part of what you are shopping for.
  • Profit-First-style automated allocations across accounts is how you want to manage cash.
  • You would rather pay a per-lodgement fee than engage a separate accountant.
  • Australian tax compliance is the whole requirement and you have no international or inventory complexity.

Frequently asked questions

Is Thriday a bank?

No, and Thriday says so plainly: "Thriday is not a bank." The transaction account and Visa Debit card are issued by Regional Australia Bank Ltd (ABN 21 087 650 360, AFSL 241167), an authorised deposit-taking institution founded in 1969, and Thriday operates as its Authorised Representative No. 1297601 under a banking-as-a-service model. Deposits are covered by the Financial Claims Scheme up to A$250,000 — that protection comes from Regional Australia Bank's ADI status, not from Thriday.

Does Thriday actually lodge BAS, or just prepare it?

It genuinely lodges. Thriday Accounting holds Registered Tax Agent No. 26262416 and offers an integrated lodgement service for both BAS and income tax returns. The conditions matter though: direct BAS lodgement requires the Done-for-You BAS + Tax plan at A$119/month on an annual commitment, direct tax lodgement requires Done-for-You Tax at A$88/month, and there is a per-lodgement fee starting from A$59.95 on top.

Does HelloBooks lodge BAS?

No, and we will not pretend otherwise. HelloBooks does BAS GST preparation with Simpler BAS codes, which is live. BAS lodgement through SBR or Ozedi, STP Phase 2 and SuperStream are on our roadmap, not shipped. If you need BAS lodged from within the software this quarter, Thriday does that today and HelloBooks does not. Most Australian HelloBooks customers prepare in HelloBooks and lodge through their BAS agent or the ATO portal.

How much does Thriday cost in 2026?

From thriday.com.au/pricing on 28 July 2026, in AUD: Free at $0; Time-Saver at $29.95/month or $299/year; Done-for-You Tax at $88/month on an annual commitment ($880/year); and Done-for-You BAS + Tax at $119/month ($1,190/year). Per-lodgement fees sit on top, starting from $59.95 for BAS. An independent June 2026 review puts the range at $59.95 self-service to $199.95 accountant-assisted — treat that second figure as indicative rather than vendor-confirmed.

What does HelloBooks cost in Australia?

Free forever with 2,500 AI credits per month and up to two users. Pro is A$14.99/month or A$149.99/year against a list price of A$29.99, with unlimited users, unlimited bank connections, multi-entity, API access, inventory, three-way matching and multi-currency. Business is A$59.99/month or A$599.99/year. There are no per-lodgement fees because HelloBooks does not lodge.

What do you get on the Thriday free plan?

Unlimited invoices, card payments, the bank account itself, transaction categorisation, GST tracking, a bill manager, basic reporting and one connected bank account. What you do not get is the automation — automated expense reconciliation, receipt scanning, automated bookkeeping, tax calculation and forecasting, and real-time financial reports all require Time-Saver at A$29.95/month. An independent reviewer described this as advanced automation being behind the paid plan, which is accurate.

Does HelloBooks gate its AI behind a paid plan?

No. The Free plan includes 2,500 AI credits per month with no credit card, and those credits power OCR, categorization, matching and the Munimji assistant equally. Pro includes 15,000 credits a month and Business 50,000, with one-time top-up packs that never expire while the account is active. There is no per-action pricing.

Does Thriday support companies and trusts?

An independent review published in June 2026 states Thriday is built for sole traders only, with no current support for companies, trusts or partnerships. Thriday's own site does not explicitly exclude those entity types, so we have flagged this as unverified rather than asserting it — check directly with Thriday if you are anything other than a sole trader. HelloBooks supports companies, trusts, partnerships and sole traders, with multi-entity management from the Pro plan.

Does Thriday do payroll and STP Phase 2?

We could find no Thriday payroll product page and no STP lodgement capability — only a glossary entry and a general blog post about payroll. On that basis it appears not to be offered, though we have marked it unverified rather than claiming it as a gap. HelloBooks does not ship STP Phase 2 either; it is on our roadmap. If STP is a requirement, neither of us solves it today and you will need a dedicated payroll product.

Can I keep my existing business bank account?

With HelloBooks, yes — that is the model. You connect your existing bank and HelloBooks reads it, never moves money. With Thriday the transaction account is the product, so the value proposition depends on you banking with them through Regional Australia Bank. If you are attached to your current bank, or you need facilities Thriday does not offer such as outbound international transfers, that is a structural mismatch rather than a feature gap.

What about international payments?

An independent June 2026 review reports a A$15 flat fee on incoming international payments, a 3.5% conversion fee plus the Visa rate on card FX, and no outbound international transfers at all. Verify against Thriday's own fee schedule before publishing that in your own planning. HelloBooks handles multi-currency accounting with automatic FX gain and loss on all plans and supports tax vocabulary across 187 countries, but does not execute cross-border payments — you do that through your own rails.

Can I get my data out of Thriday?

This is the weakest documented area. We found no Thriday documentation on a full data export — no CSV general ledger, no documented export tool. The only documented outbound path is connecting the Thriday transaction account to Xero or MYOB as a bank feed, which carries transactions only, not invoices, contacts or attachments. We would phrase this as "no documented full-data export" rather than asserting none exists, but it is worth asking Thriday directly before you have a year of history in there.

How do I migrate to HelloBooks?

Export whatever you can to CSV, then import chart of accounts, customers, vendors, items, invoices and bills into HelloBooks. The chart-of-accounts import uses AI to read your existing structure, retain account numbers and map intelligently. The flow at /migrate includes a dry-run preview and one-click rollback so you can test before committing, and our migration team can help structure the cutover — end of financial year is usually the cleanest point for an Australian business.

Will my accountant work in HelloBooks?

Yes. It is conventional double-entry with a familiar chart of accounts, journals, general ledger and standard reports, so a BAS agent or accountant trained on Xero or MYOB will recognise it quickly. Free supports two users; Pro and Business have unlimited users with roles and permissions so your agent gets their own login. Firms can join the free Partner Program for a multi-client practice dashboard.

Is HelloBooks secure?

HelloBooks is SOC 2 Type II certified, with the report available under NDA through the Trust Center; ISO 27001 is on the compliance roadmap and we do not describe it as certified. Data is encrypted with AES-256 at rest and TLS 1.2+ in transit, MFA is available, hosting is AWS with 99.9% uptime and daily encrypted backups, and bank connections are read-only. Note that ISO 27001 and AUSTRAC claims circulating about Thriday come from a third-party review and are not confirmed on Thriday's own site — worth verifying directly.

Which should an Australian sole trader choose?

If you want banking, invoicing, bookkeeping and lodgement in one app and you are happy to bank through Regional Australia Bank, Thriday is a genuinely coherent product and the lodgement capability is real. If you want to keep your own bank, need company or trust support, carry stock, trade internationally, or want the automation included rather than at A$29.95/month, HelloBooks fits better. Our Free plan has no clock on it, so run a month in parallel before deciding.

Migrating from Thriday?

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.

Start freeTalk to migration teamView pricing

Related reading

HelloBooks pricing

Free forever, Pro A$14.99/month, Business A$59.99/month in Australia.

Australia hub

BAS-ready books, GST prep and what is live versus on the roadmap.

AI categorization

Auto-coding at 95%+ accuracy with reviewable confidence scores.

Multi-currency accounting

Multi-currency with automatic FX gain and loss on all plans.

Migrate to HelloBooks

Dry-run preview and one-click rollback when you move your books over.

Trust Center

SOC 2 Type II, encryption, read-only bank access and sub-processors.

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