Why Choosing the Right Accounting Partner Matters in the UAE 🔍
Running a startup in the UAE is a high-speed game — fast growth, evolving compliance norms, a multicultural team, and a regulatory landscape that’s constantly changing. Founders juggle multiple hats — product, fundraising, hiring, partnerships — and the last thing they need is financial ambiguity. The stakes are high, and your accounting platform shouldn’t just tick boxes — it should fuel your momentum.
Too many founders start with global tools that promise automation, only to find themselves lost in translation when it comes to UAE-specific compliance, VAT filing intricacies, or simply speaking to a real human who understands the Free Zone tax exemption they're trying to claim. These tools, although impressive in a universal sense, often fall short when applied to the local complexity of doing business in the UAE.
Accounting is more than number-crunching. It's about context, timing, and foresight. It’s about decoding corporate tax policy before it hits your P&L. It's about payroll filings that match MOHRE audits. It’s about knowing how to structure your financial records for investor due diligence. It’s knowing when to flag cash flow issues before they become investor call emergencies. It’s understanding how to account for cross-border transactions, currency fluctuations, and evolving government incentives.
That’s where this showdown begins. Osome is a sleek, automation-driven platform for the global market. Finanshels, on the other hand, was born out of the Middle East startup scene — built for founders who demand clarity, not complexity. With thousands of GCC-based businesses already under its wing, Finanshels is becoming the go-to partner for companies serious about scale, fundraising, and compliance.
Finanshels doesn’t just operate in the UAE — it thrives in it. Every element of the platform is molded around local laws, local pace, and local startup chaos. It doesn’t guess what compliance means; it defines it for you.
Feature-by-Feature Breakdown: Finanshels vs Osome
UAE VAT Compliance
- Finanshels: Offers real-time compliance tracking, pre-filing alerts, AI-driven error detection, and filing support that’s synced with FTA calendars. Actively manages ESR, CT registration, and tax grouping for eligible entities. Clients also benefit from proactive notifications about rate changes, upcoming tax reforms, and CT thresholds.
- Osome: Offers VAT support but lacks real-time syncing with FTA platforms. Limited adaptability to UAE-specific changes or last-minute filing updates. It’s best used in countries with static tax systems — not ideal for UAE’s evolving fiscal climate.
Bookkeeping & Reporting
- Finanshels: Human-led monthly reconciliation, FTA-auditable records, burn-rate visibility, investor-grade MIS, and chart of accounts tailored to startup metrics. Provides founders with a monthly visual report deck ideal for board meetings or investor updates.
- Osome: Focuses on AI-led reconciliation, which may miss regional nuances like VAT recoverability rules or dual-currency management. Reports are standard and may require manual cleanup before pitching to VCs or banks.
Company Formation
- Finanshels: Hands-on advisory with Free Zone vs Mainland evaluation, PRO service coordination, license renewals, UBO/AML compliance, and corporate bank account setup support. Startups can get tailored advice based on industry, ownership structure, and fundraising goals.
- Osome: Best suited for Singapore/UK. In UAE, offers limited formation advisory and no direct PRO partnerships. Founders may still need a local consultant to finish the job.
Payroll Management
- Finanshels: Fully integrated WPS file management, auto-gratuity and EOSB calculations, labor contract reviews, and leave encashment workflows. It handles year-end statements and exit clearances too — crucial for HR audits.
- Osome: Generic payroll features with no MOHRE alignment or WPS-specific file support. Not sufficient for startups planning to scale team size or meet labor law checks.
Customer Support (Human vs Automated)
- Finanshels: Direct WhatsApp chat with human experts, Slack-based client channels, and dedicated finance managers who know your startup inside out. Emergencies like last-minute tax filings or bank reconciliation issues are handled in real-time.
- Osome: Chatbots as the primary interface; escalations take time. Limited access to UAE-specialized humans. Great for simple queries but not dependable in urgent, localized situations.
Local Market Understanding
- Finanshels: Founded in the GCC, with deep knowledge of regional tax policy, Free Zone banking practices, FTA audits, and CT incentives for small businesses. Also keeps founders updated on strategic regulatory shifts.
- Osome: Product roadmap is global-first. Less responsive to the evolving GCC regulatory environment. Changes often lag implementation timelines.
Customization & Pricing
- Finanshels: Modular pricing — pick what you need (just VAT, or full-stack finance). Plans evolve as your startup matures. Includes founder-focused add-ons like cap table support, investor data room prep, or finance deck creation.
- Osome: Tiered pricing based on headcount and volume. No ability to pick custom features. Not friendly for startups trying to scale leanly.
Tools & Dashboard UX
- Finanshels: Dashboard shows actionable insights — burn rate, run rate, unpaid VAT, fund flow visualizations — all built for founders who aren’t accountants. Includes founder-specific UX elements like fundraising readiness score and CAC-to-LTV metrics.
- Osome: Clean interface, but geared more toward accountants. Lacks local reporting views or fund-tracking customization. Founders may find it overwhelming or irrelevant.
Where Osome Wins — and Where Finanshels Dominates 🥇🆚🏆
Let’s give credit where it’s due. Osome is a beast for automation-first, simple-structure businesses, especially those in Singapore or the UK. It has a polished UI, great for early bookkeeping, and gets the job done if your compliance needs are vanilla.
But UAE isn’t vanilla. The UAE is layered: FTA regulations, Free Zone tax perks, CT reforms, ESR filings, MOHRE inspections, and a multi-lingual workforce. Founders here need more than accounting. They need local context, proactive alerts, and strategy baked into their compliance.
That’s what Finanshels brings — a finance partner, not a software tool. A team that answers your 2am WhatsApp about dividend tax. A platform that adapts when the FTA drops a new guideline mid-quarter. A dashboard that flags irregular expense trends before they blow up your burn rate. Finanshels works not just in the UAE, but for the UAE.
Founders trust Finanshels because it doesn’t just respond — it anticipates.
FAQs — What Founders in UAE Ask Most ❓🇦🇪📘
- Does Osome support UAE VAT filing?
Osome provides basic VAT filing features, but it’s not deeply tailored to the UAE regulatory environment. It may support documentation uploads and automated entries, but lacks real-time sync with the Federal Tax Authority (FTA) systems or built-in alerts for quarterly filings, penalties, or common local errors. - Can Finanshels help with company setup in Dubai or Free Zones?
Yes. Finanshels provides end-to-end company formation support in the UAE. This includes evaluating Free Zone vs Mainland structures, handling documentation, coordinating with PROs, and guiding you through banking and compliance onboarding. It’s especially helpful for founders without prior UAE experience. - Which platform offers real human support?
Finanshels assigns you a dedicated finance expert you can reach via WhatsApp, Zoom, or Slack. This is in sharp contrast to Osome, where initial support is typically through bots or delayed ticket systems, with human assistance coming later and often less personalized. - How do their dashboards compare?
Finanshels offers a founder-centric dashboard designed for non-finance users — with startup KPIs like burn rate, VAT liabilities, and fundraising readiness. Osome’s interface is sleek but more geared toward accountants and less adapted to UAE reporting nuances. - What if I already have a license but need tax support?
Finanshels offers modular service tiers. You can opt in just for VAT filing, CT registration, or ESR compliance — no need to buy an all-in-one package. Osome’s plans are more bundled and less flexible for such needs. - Is Osome compliant with UAE’s new Corporate Tax?
As of now, Osome is rolling out CT support, but it’s not fully integrated with FTA processes. Finanshels already provides full CT advisory, including assessments, registrations, and quarterly filing prep with local rules in mind. - What’s better for startups with less than 1M AED revenue?
Finanshels has pricing tiers specifically designed for small and early-stage startups. These include core services like VAT, bookkeeping, and WPS payroll support — without bloated features. Osome’s minimum packages may be pricier and include unnecessary functions. - Do either help with payroll WPS registration?
Finanshels handles the entire WPS registration process — including salary file generation, integration with local banks, and MOHRE compliance. Osome doesn’t support WPS and may not be compliant with UAE labor law filings. - Is my data safe with both platforms?
Both platforms use secure cloud infrastructure. However, Finanshels offers UAE-local data hosting and complies with regional data sovereignty norms, which can be crucial for certain industries or large clients.
Finanshels vs Osome: Cheat Sheet Comparison 📌📊🧠
Conclusion: Clarity Beats Compliance 🧠🧾✔️
Choosing your accounting platform isn’t about picking a piece of software. It’s about choosing a long-term partner for growth. While Osome offers sleek automation for global founders, Finanshels was built by UAE startup operators who understand the founder journey from pre-seed to Series B.
In a region where regulation evolves fast, talent is borderless, and finance is your growth fuel — Finanshels steps in with localized wisdom, hands-on help, and startup-friendly systems. If you want someone who understands your cash flow today and your valuation goals tomorrow, Finanshels isn’t just better. It’s essential.
Go beyond compliance. Choose clarity. Choose Finanshels.
