For bookkeepers at the 15-25 client ceiling

Twice the clients. Half the clicking.

AI bookkeeping with a categorization audit trail. Built for bookkeepers.

Growthy sorts transactions, asks when unsure, and tracks posted category changes. You review and approve the work before it syncs to QuickBooks Online.

Get startedSee the review queue
Works with QuickBooks Online85% accurate on first importFounding pricing from $39/month
Review queue · Acme Bakery LLC · Apr 2026
Apr 14UBER EATS→ Meals & Entertainment−$84.2298%⏎
Apr 14SHOPIFY DEP-Q3K9→ Sales income · split fee+$1,847.2096%⏎
Apr 13SQ *FLOUR POWER WHO→ Cost of Goods? · vendor unseen−$612.0064%F
Apr 13USPS PO 7541270→ Shipping−$28.9599%⏎
Apr 13STATE FARM CO 1422→ Tell me what this is−$1,228.0022%↳
Apr 12ADOBE *CRTV CLOUD→ Software · Subscriptions−$54.9999%⏎
⏎approveFflag↳recat
Definition

What is bookkeeping software with a categorization audit trail?

These tools sort entries and keep a log when a choice posts. The log shows who made the choice, when it was made, the event type, and key details. Growthy gets 85% right on the first import. When unsure, it asks you. For clients you've used before, it gets 90%+ right as it learns. You review and approve each change before it syncs to QuickBooks Online.

Key takeaways

Five things that matter, in plain English.

Specific numbers. Clear limits. You stay in control.

  1. 01

    85% accurate on first import. You review the rest.

  2. 02

    Climbs to 90%+ on returning clients as Growthy learns their patterns.

  3. 03

    Uncertain transactions move to review instead of being silently posted.

  4. 04

    Posted categorization and reclassification events keep their actor, timestamp, event type, and details.

  5. 05

    QuickBooks Online stays the book of record; approved categorizations sync back.

A morning at the desk

247 transactions came in overnight. You'll touch 13 of them.

This is the workflow, end to end. Three stages. No bulk-clicking. Done before the second coffee.

01 · overnight
247tx pulled

Imported & sorted

Pulled from QBO while you slept. Sorted by client. Sorted by confidence. Already categorized.

02 · triage (the meaty part)
234 / 13auto / review

Triaged, not bulk-reviewed

234 are categorized and ready for approval. They never enter your eyeline. 13 are flagged for review. Yellow= "check it." Red= "tell me what this is." Triage budget for a 15-client portfolio: about 35 minutes.

03 · approve
<10 minper client

Approve and move on

Hit ⏎ to approve. F to flag. Arrow to recategorize. Pattern updates per keystroke. Next batch is sharper.

Pattern learning vs bank rules

450 rules to maintain. Or one pattern set.

Bank rules look fine at 5 clients. At 15-25 they become the bottleneck. Here's the unromantic side-by-side.

Bank rulesthe old way
You write each rule by hand
Vendor changes its merchant name. Rule breaks. Silently miscategorizes until you notice.
450 rules = 15 clients × 30 each
Linear growth in rule maintenance per added client. The 26th client costs as much time as the 1st.
Conflicts are silent
When two rules disagree, one wins. You find out at month-end review, sometimes later.
Pattern learningGrowthy way
Categorizes automatically:
85% accurate on first import.
Asks when unsure.
Low-confidence work waits for review.
Holds up under review:
Posted categorization changes keep their actor and timestamp.
What does this save you?

Run the numbers on your own portfolio.

Illustrative example, one bookkeeper running 15 active QBO clients.

Active clients
15
Transactions per client per month
220
Manual time per transaction
14 sec
Time saved per transaction with Growthy
11 sec
Billable rate per hour
$85
Hours back per month
10.1 hrs
New client capacity at the same hours worked
+6 clients
Recovered billable revenue per month (15 clients at $85 per hr)
$858

Numbers are illustrative. Real savings depend on transaction volume, vendor diversity, and existing rule complexity. Lower client counts (under 5) see smaller absolute savings.

Two ways to use Growthy

Pick the mode that fits today. Switch later if it makes sense.

Same pattern engine, same review queue, same approval keystrokes. The difference is who keeps the system of record.

Recommended start
Today

Workflow layer over QBO

Connect QBO. Growthy reads transactions, categorizes them, pushes approved entries back. Your client's GL stays where it is. You stop writing bank rules.

  • →No migration required
  • →Client GL stays on QBO
  • →Read transactions, push categorizations back
  • →Migration risk: zero
Get started
Optional
When ready

Standalone GL

Same pattern engine. Native double-entry. No QBO or Xero subscription required. Migrate one client at a time when it makes sense.

  • →Native double-entry GL
  • →No QBO or Xero subscription needed
  • →Migrate one client at a time
  • →You keep control of the call
Get started
How Growthy compares

Not Pilot. Not Digits. Not QBO's bank rules.

Most bookkeeping automation either replaces you or makes you migrate. Growthy makes you faster on the books you already keep.

GrowthyQBO Bank RulesDigitsPilot / Bench
Categorization accuracy85% accurate on first import → 90%+ on returning clients~50%VariesHuman-graded
Migration requiredNoNoYes (QBO → Digits)Yes (their stack)
Bookkeeper stays in the loopYes (you approve)Rules-onlyLimitedNo (they replace you)
Rule maintenance burdenZero (pattern learning)~30 rules / clientN/A (full migration)N/A (full outsource)
Pricing modelFormula-based Founding pricingQBO includedPer-client SaaS$600-$1K/mo per client
Multi-client portfolio supportMulti-client portfolioOne-by-oneSingle-clientSingle-client
FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Does Growthy work with QuickBooks Online?+
Yes. Both modes. Workflow mode reads from QBO and pushes approved categorizations back. Standalone mode replaces QBO as your system of record. You keep the choice.
How is pattern learning different from QuickBooks bank rules?+
Bank rules are explicit. You write each one. Pattern learning is implicit. You correct one transaction, and Growthy learns the rule from your behavior. There’s nothing to maintain.
What about clients in unusual industries: real estate, restaurants, agencies?+
Each client has its own pattern set. What Growthy learns about a restaurant client never affects a real estate client. The model adapts to whatever you teach it.
What's the accuracy in month one?+
85% accurate on first import. It climbs to 90%+ on returning clients as you approve and correct. The delta is real and shows up in the confidence score on each transaction.
Can I run it without my client knowing?+
Yes. Connection to QBO is read-only by default. There’s no client-facing UI. Your client sees the same QBO they always saw.
How does founding pricing work?+
Founding pricing: Solo is $39/month for 1 company, plus $35/month for companies 2–4. Practice is $149/month for 5 companies, plus $29/month for companies 6–24.

Stop writing bank rules.
Start building capacity.

Founding pricing: Solo is $39/month for 1 company, plus $35/month for companies 2–4. Practice is $149/month for 5 companies, plus $29/month for companies 6–24.

Get started
Founding pricing from $39/month Live software Read-only bank access

Built by Bobby Huang, partner at SDO CPA. 18 years of hands-on bookkeeping. Runs his own companies' books on the same product you would pilot.

Growthy is bookkeeping software, not a CPA firm. This content is educational, not professional advice.