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macOS 14+ Private beta

Binnacle

Books and quarterly tax estimates for solo founders, indie developers and creators. Binnacle pulls income and expenses from the services you already use into a double-entry ledger on your Mac, using your own API keys. It organizes the numbers and estimates what you may owe. It does not file your return and it is not tax advice.

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What it does today

What works in the current beta build

Double-entry ledger

Every transaction posts balanced entries to a chart of accounts you can edit. Imports skip duplicates, reconciled entries lock, and changes are kept in an append-only audit trail.

Imports from your sources

Stripe, Mercury, Plaid-connected banks and cards, Square, Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy, Paddle, YouTube and App Store Connect, plus CSV files from anywhere else. Setup uses your own API keys.

Quarterly tax estimates

Self-employment tax, the QBI deduction, additional Medicare tax and NIIT, with safe-harbor amounts, a quarterly calendar, and a place to record the payments you make.

Numbers for Schedule C and SE

Expenses map to Schedule C lines, and the self-employment tax figure is calculated for Schedule SE. You still enter them on the return yourself.

Reports

Profit and loss, balance sheet, monthly cash flow, and a per-platform breakdown of gross sales, fees, refunds and net to compare against 1099-K forms.

Invoices and time

Invoices with sales tax, payment terms and printable statements. Marking one paid posts a balanced entry. Billable time converts to invoices.

Still in beta

Rough edges and work in progress

Connector coverage

Each connector is still being hardened. Some sync only the most recent page of results, and some book gross sales without separating processor fees or refunds. Compare totals against the provider's own report.

More connectors

Connectors for PayPal, Shopify, Etsy, Wise, Google AdSense and AdMob, Brex, Ramp and Amazon are in development and are not in the current build.

Multiple businesses and states

Grouping income into several Schedule C activities and a multi-state sales-tax nexus alert exist in early form. State income tax beyond a rate lookup is not built.

What it does not do

Limits, stated plainly

Binnacle does not

  • File a tax return, e-file, or submit anything to the IRS or a state.
  • Give tax advice. The estimates use published IRS tables and your entries, and can be wrong for your situation.
  • Link your bank in one click. Every source needs your own API key or a CSV export.
  • Sync through a Purplelink account. There is no account.

Your keys, your Mac

Provider keys are stored in the macOS Keychain on this Mac. The ledger is a local database, and backups can go to your own iCloud Drive. Purplelink does not receive your transactions.

Private beta

Ask for a beta invitation.

Binnacle is in private beta and is not yet available to download. The plan is about $49 per year after a 14-day trial, which may change before launch. Add your email and you will hear from me when beta spots open and when Binnacle launches.

We store your email address and nothing else, and use it only for beta and launch notices. Privacy Policy · Binnacle Terms

Frequently asked questions

Does Binnacle file my tax return?
No. Binnacle organizes your books and estimates what you may owe. It does not file returns with the IRS or any state, and it is not tax advice. It produces the numbers you or your preparer carry onto Schedule C and Schedule SE. Check them with a professional before you file or pay.
Which tax year does it cover?
The federal estimator has tables for tax years 2025 and 2026 and picks one from today's date. It covers self-employment tax, the qualified business income deduction, additional Medicare tax, net investment income tax, brackets and quarterly safe-harbor amounts.
Which states does it cover?
The focus is federal estimates. For state income tax there is a rate lookup for all 50 states and DC, which is a rate figure and not a full state calculation, and most rates are still 2025 numbers. Treat state amounts as rough.
What happens to my data?
The ledger is a database on your Mac. You supply your own API keys, they are stored in the macOS Keychain, and imports go from the provider to your Mac. Purplelink does not run a server that holds your books. The optional AI insights feature uses your own Anthropic API key and sends a summary of your books to Anthropic when you use it.
What does the waitlist store?
Your email address and nothing else, kept by Netlify Forms. It is used to invite you to the beta and to tell you when Binnacle launches. See the privacy policy.
What does it need to run?
A Mac with macOS 14 or later.
What will it cost?
The plan is a private beta first, then about $49 per year with a 14-day trial. That is an intention, not a final price, and it may change before launch.
Can I link my bank with one click?
No. Setup uses your own API keys or a CSV export from the provider, so connecting a source means copying a key. The bank and card connector is built on Plaid, and you create your own Plaid keys for it.