What’s the difference?
The Afirmo and Beany service provision is very different.
Afirmo and Beany do both offer business accounting and tax management services, but each approach these services in very different ways (resulting in very different pricing).
Beany is like a virtual accountant working on top of your existing accounting software subscription (like Xero). Beany is a group of accountants who manage your accounts via third party software.
Beany is very much aimed at established, mature businesses, and the Beany base subscription plan starts five times more expensive than Afirmo’s base plan.
Afirmo, by contrast, is a one-stop-business-support-shop software platform, for all business types in all stages of business development.
Also, when you invest in Afirmo, everything is included – you don’t require third party accounting software like Xero to function. Afirmo software does it all. We also have our inhouse accountant team on standby ready to help you via chat and online meetings.
Choosing between Afirmo and Beany comes down to four key questions:
🗺️ Where are you at in your business journey?
🏢 What type of business do you own?
📊 How much functionality and which functionality do you need?
💸 Do you want to use an accountant in addition to your subscription?
Where are you in your business journey?
Afirmo makes starting your business easy. We provide all the essential services you need, so you can get your business up and running smoothly.
Beany does offer an information starter pack with articles about how to get started in business. Afirmo, in contrast, has all your business set up needs ready for you in your Afirmo dashboard – all managed in one place.
Afirmo’s Business Set Up services include business formation, insurance, GST registration, business email creation, website domain name registration, a website builder, and a business logo design builder, and a 22-step checklist of everything you need to check off getting your business started.
Once Afirmo has assisted you in setting up your business, we assist you in scaling your business, making bookkeeping straightforward and user friendly with our purpose-built software. Afirmo subscription plans are designed to include everything you need, without you having to purchase any add-ons.
For very large, complex organisations Beany plus a Xero subscription might be better suited. Xero has many add-ons and integrations that enable the platform to work with multiple service providers. This functionality does come with added complexity that makes it hard to use. Beany does state part of their offering is education about how to use Xero, however, all this comes at a significant price tag and extra hassle.
As said, if you’re in the early stages of starting your business (congratulations!) Afirmo is the best option for you as we offer specialised guidance to help you launch and grow your business.
If you own an established business that doesn’t need all the add-ons that come with the Xero plus Beany combination, Afirmo is also right for you. And in great news, Afirmo software is designed so you don’t need bookkeeping or accounting background. Our software also comes with a comprehensive collection of demonstration videos, so you are never left wondering what to do next.
What type of business do you own?
Afirmo is here to support all types of business owners – from side hustlers, sole traders, to companies and partnerships.
Beany can, in theory handle all of these, but if you own an early-stage business or if your business is your second job, this isn’t Beany’s primary focus.
Afirmo offers an all-services-included, affordable monthly subscription. Beany has a higher pricing structure, and it is important also you factor-in the added cost of separate accounting software such as Xero.
What features do you need?
| Features | Afirmo | Beany |
|---|---|---|
| Business Set Up tools | ✅ | Limited |
| Categorise and match transactions | ✅ | ✅ |
| Create bank wallets | ✅ | ❌ |
| Unlimited sales quotes and invoices | ✅ | ✅ |
| Expense Claims | ✅ | ✅ |
| Tax agent support | ✅ | ✅ |
| Accountant Support | ✅ | ✅ |
| Pay more fees as you grow | No Way! | ..Yes |
| Stand Alone Service | ✅ | ❌ (need Xero) |
| Minimum Contract | ❌ | Yes, 12 months |
*Afirmo issued bank accounts are in the form of BNZ Wallets. You can control the funds within. You can set up as many wallets as you like and withdraw funds at any time. Details based on non-promotion-based information from beany.com as of November 2024
Consider the critical functions you need from your accounting software to run your business. Afirmo excels at the following:
🚀 Afirmo doesn’t do add-ons
While Beany includes features like payment integrations, inventory management, and project tracking, Afirmo takes a more streamlined approach. We focus on essential financial tools, without add-ons that may not be necessary for all businesses. This simplicity makes Afirmo user-friendly and more affordable than Beany. So, for businesses seeking straightforward and affordable solutions, Afirmo stands out as the best choice.
🚀 No third-party accounting software needed
Beany is like an accountant agency working on top of your existing accounting software. This means you will still need to use accounting software like Xero in addition to using Beany.
Accounting and Accountant fees
When comparing annual prices between Afirmo and Beany, it is important to factor in accountant fees if you use Beany.
A key difference between Beany and Afirmo is the need for Xero software in addition to the Beany subscription costs. With Beany, you need to have a third-party software such as Xero in addition to a Beany subscription.
Beany costs between approximately $139 – 325 per month and then the Xero add-on monthly fees of between $33 to $105, which is a large cost to factor in, on top of the Beany subscription fee. With Afirmo, the tax agency and accounting costs are all included in our Scale Up subscription plans that range between $25 and $90 per month!
Afirmo vs Beany pricing comparison
| Afirmo | Beany | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Subscription Fees | $25 – $90 per month | $145-325+ per month |
| Monthly Xero Fees | $0 | $33-100 per month |
| Total monthly cost | $25 – $90 per month | $178 – $425+ per month |
| Monthly savings | $153 – $335+ per month | |
| Annual savings | $1836 – $4020+ per year |
*Details based on non-promotion-based information from beany.com as of November 2024. All prices shown in NZD.
What are the different plan options?
*Afirmo Scale Up plan prices are based on annual payment terms (pay for 10 months, get 2 free). Details based on non-promotion-based information from beany.com as of November 2024. All prices shown in NZD.
Afirmo’s Scale Up subscription plans are designed to suit a range of businesses with different requirements. You can select an Afirmo plan that doesn’t include tax support, or your business does need tax support, you can select an Afirmo plan, that enables Afirmo tax experts to manage all your tax for you.
