AI CFO software · Saudi Arabia
AI CFO software for Saudi startups
ZeroFin Mr. CFO is AI CFO software that answers questions such as "how long will our cash last?" from your own books, in SAR and in plain English. Saudi startups use it for management numbers alongside a ZATCA-compliant invoicing solution, because ZeroFin does not issue ZATCA e-invoices.
Last checked · Zerofin LLC
What does AI CFO software do for a Saudi startup?
It gives founders finance answers on demand. Instead of waiting for month-end reports, you ask how much cash you have, how fast it is going and who owes you money, and you get the figures with a short explanation. ZeroFin Mr. CFO reads your ZeroFin ledger to answer.
In Saudi Arabia this is a separate job from compliance. ZATCA's rules decide how you issue invoices. Mr. CFO is about what your numbers say once the transactions are in your books.
What can I ask ZeroFin Mr. CFO in SAR?
| You ask | What it looks at | Example answer (SAR) |
|---|---|---|
| How long will our cash last? | Cash in bank and cash accounts, and average net burn | Cash is SAR 2,150,000. Net burn has averaged SAR 240,000 a month over the last six full months, so runway is about 9.0 months. |
| What is our gross burn? | All cash going out each month | Gross burn averaged SAR 410,000 a month; customer receipts covered SAR 170,000 of it. |
| Who are our biggest customers this year? | Revenue by customer | Your top three customers brought in SAR 1.32 million, 61% of revenue. The largest is 34%. |
| Which suppliers are we late paying? | Payables aging by supplier | SAR 74,500 is more than 30 days overdue across four suppliers. |
| What's our VAT position this quarter? | VAT payable and recoverable VAT accounts | Output VAT SAR 96,000, recoverable input VAT SAR 38,400: SAR 57,600 net payable on your books. |
| How did expenses change month by month? | Expenses by month | Expenses rose from SAR 355,000 in July to SAR 402,000 in September; salaries made up most of the increase. |
Net burn is the average monthly fall in your cash over the last six complete months, leaving out money raised from investors or loans (or since your first transaction, if you have less history). Runway is your cash divided by net burn. You can try your own figures in SAR with the startup runway calculator, and read how burn and runway work in AED and SAR.
How does ZeroFin fit with ZATCA e-invoicing?
Issue your sales invoices from a ZATCA-compliant solution, then record them in ZeroFin. ZeroFin is not in ZATCA's e-invoicing directory and does not produce Phase 1 or Phase 2 invoices, QR codes or Fatoora integration.
| Rule | What it means | Where ZeroFin fits |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 (since 4 December 2021) | Every VAT-registered resident business must issue invoices from a compliant e-invoicing solution. | Use your compliant solution for invoices. ZeroFin keeps the books. |
| Wave 25: VAT-able revenue above SAR 187,500 in any year from 2022 to 2025 | Connect your e-invoicing solution to ZATCA's Fatoora platform by 1 February 2027. ZATCA notifies each business. | Not affected: ZeroFin is not your invoicing solution. |
| VAT records | Records and tax invoices must be in Arabic and kept in the Kingdom, physically or on a system that can be reached from there. Keep them for at least six years. | ZeroFin is in English and hosted in the United States. Keep your Arabic invoices and original records where your adviser says. |
Talk to a Saudi adviser about your records
Saudi VAT rules put the record-keeping duty on you. ZeroFin helps you understand your numbers; it is not your system of record for ZATCA. Ask your accountant how to keep Arabic records and invoices in the Kingdom.
What does it cost in SAR?
Every plan includes Mr. CFO. Prices are in US dollars; SAR figures are approximate at the fixed peg of 3.75.
| Plan | Price a month | Mr. CFO questions a month | Users |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lite | $8 (about SAR 30) | 10 | 1 |
| Growth | $25 (about SAR 94) | 100 | 3 |
| Scale | $50 (about SAR 188) | 300 | 10 |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Unlimited |
Growth and above also send daily, weekly and monthly finance briefings by email and in the app, and let you import past bank statements and ledger exports to rebuild earlier months. Yearly billing costs 10 times the monthly price. Every new organization gets one free month of Lite.
AI CFO or fractional CFO in Saudi Arabia?
Use software for the questions you ask every week, and a person for the decisions that need judgement, relationships or a signature. A fractional CFO is the better choice when you are raising money, building forecasts, dealing with lenders or preparing for an audit.
Saudi firms rarely publish their fractional CFO prices, so ask for quotes. As a rough reference, CFO Centre publishes UAE retainers of AED 15,000 to 60,000 a month for about 10 to 40 hours, roughly SAR 15,300 to 61,300 (est., converted at the currency pegs). ZeroFin Growth costs about SAR 94 a month.
Bring in a person when you need to:
- Raise a round, prepare investor updates or negotiate terms.
- Build a budget, forecast or scenarios. ZeroFin does not forecast.
- Prepare VAT and zakat returns. Your accountant does this from your records.
- Prepare financial statements for filing or audit.
- Decide how to keep Arabic records in the Kingdom.
How do I start in Saudi Arabia?
- 1
Sign up and choose Saudi Arabia
Pick Saudi Arabia as your country and SAR as your base currency. Your financial year can end in December or June.
- 2
Set up 15% VAT
Create your VAT rate and apply it per line or item. Output VAT and recoverable input VAT post to separate accounts.
- 3
Record your transactions
Send bills, receipts and the invoices from your e-invoicing solution to ZeroFin Mr. Accountant. It drafts the entries and you approve them.
- 4
Ask Mr. CFO
Start with cash, burn and runway, then customers, suppliers and your VAT balance.
What ZeroFin does not do in the UAE and Saudi Arabia
- It is not in ZATCA's e-invoicing directory and does not issue Phase 1 or Phase 2 invoices, QR codes or Fatoora integration.
- It has no Arabic interface, invoices or records.
- It is hosted in the United States, not in Saudi Arabia.
- It does not prepare or file VAT or zakat returns.
- It does not forecast or model scenarios, and it does not connect to your bank.
- See everything that works today.
Frequently asked questions
Is there AI CFO software for Saudi startups?
Yes. ZeroFin Mr. CFO answers questions about cash, burn, runway, customers, suppliers and VAT balances from your own books, in SAR.
Is ZeroFin ZATCA-compliant?
No. ZeroFin is not in ZATCA's e-invoicing directory and does not issue ZATCA e-invoices. Issue invoices from a compliant solution and record them in ZeroFin.
Can I keep my books in SAR?
Yes. Choose SAR as your base currency when you set up your organization.
Does ZeroFin work in Arabic?
No. ZeroFin is in English only. Saudi VAT rules require records and tax invoices in Arabic, so keep those in a system that supports Arabic.
How much does ZeroFin cost in Saudi Arabia?
From $8 a month, about SAR 30, billed in US dollars. Every new organization gets one free month of Lite.
Does Wave 25 affect ZeroFin users?
Wave 25 affects your e-invoicing solution, not ZeroFin. If ZATCA notifies you, connect your invoicing solution to Fatoora by 1 February 2027.
Sources
Ask your first runway question in SAR
Every new organization gets one free month of the Lite plan, with 10 Mr. CFO questions. Prices are in US dollars.