The Problem We Kept Running Into
Every small business owner we talked to had the same complaint about their accounting software: they were paying for features they never used.
A solo consultant who only needed invoicing and time tracking was stuck on a $75/month plan because time tracking required the Essentials tier. A five-person agency paying $115/month for project tracking used maybe three of the twenty features bundled into their plan.
The pricing model was not built for them. It was built to maximize revenue per customer by forcing upgrades to reach a single feature.
Why Tiers Do Not Work for Small Businesses
Tiered pricing works well for the vendor. It creates a clear upgrade path and simplifies the sales pitch. But for the customer, it creates a bad deal:
- You pay for 20 features to use 3.
- Price increases hit harder because your bill is inflated by features you never asked for.
- You cannot downgrade without losing something you actually need.
This is not a technology problem. It is a business model problem.
The A La Carte Approach
CarteFi starts with a $15/month base that includes real double-entry accounting, bank reconciliation, reporting, and a dashboard. Everything a business needs to keep accurate books.
From there, you add only the modules you actually use. Invoicing is $8. Time tracking is $6. Bills and AP is $8. You build your own plan.
The same solo consultant who was paying $75/month for QuickBooks Essentials pays $29/month with CarteFi. The five-person agency drops from $115 to $69. Same features, less waste.
What We Believe
We believe accounting software should be honest about what it charges for. We believe reporting and data export should be free on every plan — your financial data should never be held hostage behind a paywall. We believe price increases should be predictable and capped.
We built CarteFi because we wanted accounting software we would actually want to use. We think you will too.
Try It
CarteFi offers a 14-day free trial with all modules included. No credit card required. Start your free trial and see how much you can save.