kade vs Keeper for solo beauty pros
Keeper sells to the same person kade does. The difference is what you want the app to do: file your taxes, or get your books ready for whoever does.
the short version
Keeper is a strong choice if you want one app to track deductions all year and file your return, and you’re comfortable connecting your bank to do it. kade is for the person who doesn’t want to connect anything or log anything — she wants her statements turned into clean books in the language of her trade, and she has a CPA (or TurboTax) for the filing part. Keeper is tax filing with bookkeeping attached. kade is bookkeeping for your tax preparer.
| kade | Keeper | |
|---|---|---|
| price | $99/year unlimited statements, or $15 per statement. First statement free. | $199/year for deductions plus filing; $399 premium; or $20/month for deduction tracking only (no filing). |
| bank login required? | No. Upload a PDF or CSV statement; kade never has your banking credentials. | Yes — Keeper works by connecting your bank and card accounts. |
| files your taxes? | No. kade preps; you or your CPA file. | Yes, on the $199 and $399 annual plans, with a tax-pro review before submission. |
| how it sorts | Rules you can see and change, built around salon and suite vendors; anything uncertain is flagged for you, and your answers are remembered. | AI scans your transactions for likely write-offs and asks you to confirm. |
| knows your trade? | Yes. Booth and suite rent, SalonCentric, CosmoProf, Sally, Massage Warehouse, GlossGenius and MassageBook fees, ABMP and AHP dues, CE classes. | General freelancer categories; it learns your vendors over time. |
| checks against the statement? | Yes. Every upload is reconciled to the bank’s own totals; mismatches show a warning. | No equivalent — it reads a live feed rather than a statement. |
| what you get | A profit & loss PDF and category detail, every line already on its Schedule C line. | A deduction list, quarterly tax estimates, and a filed return. |
who should pick Keeper
If you want filing included and you’d rather not deal with a separate preparer or TurboTax, Keeper’s $199 plan bundles the whole year. It also estimates quarterly taxes as you go. You’re paying roughly double kade’s price and handing over bank access, but you’re getting the filing done.
who should pick kade
If you already have someone who files for you — a CPA, a family tax person, TurboTax — and what you actually lack is clean books to give them, kade is the cheaper and simpler fit. It never touches your bank login, it speaks salon and suite from the first upload, and it checks its own sorting against the statement so you’re not trusting a black box. Hand the PDF over and you’re done.
the honest trade-off
Keeper does more. kade does less, on purpose, and charges accordingly. The question is whether you want an app that files your taxes or an app that gets you ready for whoever does.
quick answers
Does kade file my taxes like Keeper does?
No. kade prepares Schedule C-ready books for you or your tax preparer. Keeper’s annual plans include filing.
Which is cheaper?
kade: $99 a year unlimited, or $15 per statement. Keeper: $199 a year with filing, $399 premium, or $20 a month for tracking only, at October 2026 pricing.
Do I have to connect my bank to either?
Keeper, yes. kade, no — you upload the statement your bank already gives you.
try it on last month’s statement
upload one statement and see every charge land on its Schedule C line. the first one is free, no card.
start freePrices checked October 2026 against the vendors’ published pricing; both change them. This page is a comparison, not tax advice. Keeper is a trademark of its owner; kade is not affiliated with Keeper.