Cranston AI
AI-powered accounting automation with expert CPA oversight
What is Cranston AI? Complete Overview
Cranston AI revolutionizes accounting and finance by combining generative AI with certified CPA expertise. Designed for founders, controllers, and finance leaders, it automates tedious accounting tasks while maintaining professional accuracy. The platform integrates seamlessly with existing systems like QuickBooks, NetSuite, and SAP, eliminating the need for costly infrastructure changes. Cranston handles everything from transaction categorization and invoice processing to month-end reconciliations and financial reporting, with all outputs reviewed by licensed CPAs. Its enterprise-grade security (SOC 2 Type II certified) and 99.8% accuracy rate make it trusted by businesses seeking to modernize their financial operations without compromising reliability.
Cranston AI Interface & Screenshots
Cranston AI Official screenshot of the tool interface
What Can Cranston AI Do? Key Features
Intelligent Transaction Categorization
Cranston's AI analyzes transaction details, vendor history, and expense policies to automatically categorize expenses with 99.8% accuracy. For example, it can identify 'AWS SERVICE US - ACH DEBIT' as 'Infrastructure > Cloud Services' by cross-referencing contracts and budget limits. The system learns from each manual override, continuously improving its categorization logic.
Automated Invoice Processing
The platform extracts data from invoice PDFs (vendor, amount, date, line items) and validates against ERP records. A complete workflow - from extraction to approval to ERP entry - that previously took 15 minutes now completes in 30 seconds. The system routes exceptions to appropriate approvers based on authorization levels.
Real-time Financial Dashboards
Live metrics track P&L performance (with YTD margin analysis), cash flow (including runway calculations), and accounts receivable (DSO tracking). The operations dashboard breaks down expenses by category (Payroll, Operations, etc.) and monitors 174+ invoices with paid/pending/overdue statuses.
AI-Powered Bank Reconciliation
Automatically matches bank transactions with ERP entries, reducing month-end close from 3 days to 3 hours. Identifies discrepancies like duplicate entries ($125 Office Depot case) and timing differences (Stripe payments). Achieves 99.8% match rate with flagged items for CPA review.
CPA-Guided Month-End Close
Licensed CPAs review all automated processes before finalizing monthly books. The system prepares reconciliation reports, adjustment entries, and provides audit trails. Professional oversight ensures compliance with accrual/cash accounting standards and proper journal entries.
Best Cranston AI Use Cases & Applications
Startup Financial Operations
A tech startup uses Cranston to automate 90% of their bookkeeping. The AI handles recurring SaaS payments (OpenAI, GitHub), payroll processing via Gusto, and cloud infrastructure expenses (AWS, Google Cloud). Founders gain real-time visibility into burn rate and runway without daily manual data entry.
Enterprise Month-End Close
A manufacturing company processes 1.2M monthly transactions across multiple subsidiaries. Cranston reconciles intercompany transfers, flags unusual journal entries, and prepares consolidated reports. What was a 10-day manual process now completes in 72 hours with CPA review.
Professional Services Firm
A law firm automates client billing and trust account reconciliations. Cranston matches WSGR check payments to matters, tracks accounts receivable (28-day DSO), and ensures compliance with IOLTA regulations through CPA-reviewed workflows.
How to Use Cranston AI: Step-by-Step Guide
Connect your financial systems: Link Cranston to your existing accounting software (QuickBooks, NetSuite, SAP), bank accounts, and payment processors through secure API connections. No data migration required.
Configure workflows: Set up approval hierarchies, expense policies, and accounting rules. The AI will learn your chart of accounts, vendor relationships, and typical transaction patterns.
Automate routine tasks: Cranston begins processing transactions, invoices, and reconciliations automatically. The system emails PDF invoices to a dedicated inbox where extraction and processing happen without manual intervention.
Review flagged items: Address exceptions through the dashboard - approve/reject categorizations, verify unmatched transactions, and resolve duplicate entries. All actions train the AI for future automation.
Monitor financial health: Use real-time dashboards to track cash flow, expenses, and receivables. Generate reports or dive into transaction-level details as needed for strategic decisions.
Cranston AI Pros and Cons: Honest Review
Pros
Considerations
Is Cranston AI Worth It? FAQ & Reviews
All automated outputs are reviewed by our team of licensed CPAs who specialize in your industry. The AI achieves 99.8% accuracy in categorizations, with human experts verifying complex transactions and month-end closes.
Yes, Cranston integrates with QuickBooks, NetSuite, SAP, and custom ERPs without requiring system changes. We connect via API to your current infrastructure where the data lives.
We're SOC 2 Type II certified with bank-level 256-bit encryption. All data is encrypted in transit and at rest, with point-in-time restore capabilities and rigorous access controls.
Most clients automate 50% of accounting work within 2 weeks, reaching 80-90% automation after 60 days as the AI learns your specific patterns and workflows.
Our premium service handles all monthly bookkeeping, payroll processing, and year-end tax preparation. You get a dedicated CPA team that works alongside the AI, effectively serving as your outsourced accounting department.