Comparison
Databoat and Joiin
Joiin is consolidation and reporting for multi-entity groups, covering Xero, QuickBooks and Sage, and accepting spreadsheets as a first-class source rather than an afterthought.
What Joiin is good at
It takes the multi-source problem seriously
Of the established tools, Joiin comes closest to accepting that not every entity lives on the same ledger. Spreadsheets are a supported source rather than a grudging fallback.
Much cheaper than the category
Starting around $23 a month, it is a fraction of what Fathom or Spotlight cost. If budget is the constraint, that matters and we will not pretend otherwise.
Consolidation is the core job
Multi-currency groups and intercompany are what it was built for, rather than features added later.
You still do the mapping
Joiin will read your spreadsheet, but you tell it what the spreadsheet means — the chart of accounts is mapped by hand, and re-checked whenever a source changes shape. A model proposes that mapping from the file itself, states each formula in words for you to confirm, and then it is frozen so the next twelve months are computed identically without you touching it again.
Price, side by side
Joiin · A small group
from $23 / month
Databoat · A small group
$39 first entity, $29 after
Joiin is cheaper, straightforwardly. The question is whether the hours you spend mapping and re-mapping are worth the difference — which is a question only you can answer, with your own hourly rate.
Which one you should pick
Stay with Joiin if
- Budget is the binding constraint.
- Your entities are on Xero, QuickBooks or Sage and your spreadsheets are already tidy.
- You are happy to own the mapping and it does not change often.
Look at Databoat if
- Your sources are genuinely messy — headers on row seven, totals in the data, four date formats.
- The mapping keeps changing because the exports keep changing.
- You want the drift caught before the report goes out, rather than discovered afterwards.
- You want a written commentary, not only the consolidated figures.
Or both
Less common here, because Joiin already covers consolidation. If you use both, Databoat is doing the reading and Joiin the consolidating — worth it only when the reading is the hard part.
Where these figures come from
Prices are published list prices at the time of writing and change without telling us. If something here is out of date or unfair, say so and we will correct it.
Other comparisons
Early access
Tell us the report you rebuild
Early access opens practice by practice. Tell us the report you rebuild every month and the files behind it. If it’s close to something we already handle, we’ll ask for a sample and set you up on your real data. If not, we’ll say so plainly rather than park you on a list.