Bench vs Bookkeeper.com 2022 Comparison

Bench and Bookkeeper.com are online bookkeeping services that allow you to perform the majority of your own bookkeeping while also giving you the assurance that your books are accurate. Bench excels with its unlimited bookkeeping support, easy-to-use and intuitive user interface, and its robust mobile app that gives you access to data on the go. Bookkeeper.com offers more add-on services than Bench, and you have the flexibility of scheduling your service on a semimonthly, monthly, or weekly basis. Bench is also a more affordable option than Bookkeeper.com, but it is not as scalable to your business.

When To Use Bench

• Better for small businesses that want unlimited bookkeeping support: If having access to unlimited bookkeeping support is important to you, then consider Bench for its direct communication with your bookkeeping team. They’ll be able to answer questions and provide guidance. If you elect for the Premium plan, you’ll also have unlimited access to a tax professional who’ll assist with preparing and filing your return.
• Better for businesses that have fallen behind in their bookkeeping: Bench offers an add-on service of catch-up bookkeeping, which provides cash-basis financial statements for tax returns. This is done quickly and efficiently by focusing exclusively on bank transactions.
• Better for small businesses that work remotely and have basic bookkeeping needs: Bench offers a good iOS app that provides users with access to basic financial reporting information and real-time cash flow updates.

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When To Use Bookkeeper.com

• Better for small businesses seeking flexibility with the frequency of service: Most online bookkeeping services offer only monthly support, but Bookkeeper.com also offers semimonthly and weekly support. This is a great option for businesses that have more frequent needs.
• Better for small businesses that need access to a full range of accounting services: Bookkeeper.com’s additional services include payroll, tax preparation, bill pay, invoicing, and financial planning. It’s for this reason that we selected it as the best online bookkeeping service for businesses that want a full-service accounting firm.
• Better for small businesses that want to do their own invoicing and bill pay: Bookkeeper.com uses QuickBooks Online, which has both accounts payable (A/P) and accounts receivable (A/R) functionality, allowing you to invoice customers and pay bills.

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When To Choose a Different Online Bookkeeper

There are some situations where another online bookkeeping service may be a better fit for your business:

• QuickBooks users: Although Bookkeeper.com works with QuickBooks Online users, QuickBooks Live is an affordable add-on to QuickBooks Online that can be accessed through the software. You’ll also be connected with a QuickBooks ProAdvisor who’ll provide you with monthly basic bookkeeping services for a lower price than Bookkeeper.com.
• Budget-minded users: If you’re looking for an affordable monthly fee that’s all-inclusive, check out Merritt Bookkeeping. At $190 per month, its service offers assistance with basic bookkeeping tasks like classifying transactions and reconciling accounts.
• Xero users: Neither Bench nor Bookkeeper.com supports Xero software, so you may want to consider using Bookkeeper360. It’s a bookkeeping, accounting, and advisory solution for small to medium-sized businesses that use Xero or QuickBooks.

Are you looking for more information about the best software to manage your bookkeeping needs? Check out our recommendations for the best small business accounting software.

Compare Bench and Bookkeeper.com at a Glance

Bench vs Bookkeeper.com: Pricing

A major difference between Bench and Bookkeeper.com is that Bench offers one month of free historical bookkeeping as a trial. Bench also offers straightforward pricing, with two subscription levels to choose from. Bookkeeper.com, on the other hand, has twice as many subscription levels, with the option of monthly, semimonthly, or weekly service. Bookkeeper.com also bases its fees on the number of monthly transactions, where there’s no similar limit for Bench users.

Bench Pricing

Bench offers two plans, Essential for $299 per month and Premium for $499 per month. Both plans include bookkeeping on a monthly basis and year-end reporting, but Bench Premium gives you more features. These features include unlimited tax advisory services and federal and state income tax filings. Discounts are available if you elect to pay annually, and Bench offers a free trial, in which one month of your company’s historical bookkeeping will be entered and analyzed at no charge.

Bench also offers a Specialized Accounting add-on for more complex accounting needs, such as invoicing (A/R), bill payment (A/P), and segment tracking, starting at $100 per month. If you’re behind in your bookkeeping, you can use Bench’s Catch Up and Retro bookkeeping services, with fees that start at $299 per month.

*Businesses can add a personal tax return for one partner or shareholder for $45 per month or $430 per year.

Bookkeeper.com Pricing

Bookkeeper.com has four subscription levels available, which are determined by the number of monthly transactions and the frequency of service required, which ranges from monthly to weekly. Its least expensive plans include bookkeeping basics, such as account reconciliation and generating financial reports. Unfortunately, there’s no free trial available.

If your business needs additional services, such as tax filing, payroll management, or budget preparation, Bookkeeper.com will prepare a customized quote based on the size and needs of your business.

* Does not include software subscription and banking fees.

Takeaway: Depending on the complexity of your bookkeeping needs, you can opt for the more basic features that Bench offers, with more affordable pricing. Bookkeeper.com is a great option for businesses that want to customize a package that takes into account all of the additional needs that it may have, with the flexibility of service frequency and adding on other services, such as chief financial officer (CFO) and advisory services.

Bench vs Bookkeeper.com: Features

While Bench is a great option for businesses that want to track their financials, Bookkeeper.com is best thought of as a full-service online accounting firm. Bench has many attractive features, such as catch-up bookkeeping, unlimited support, and a robust mobile app. While Bookkeeper.com lacks a mobile app, it more than makes up for it with its secure portal and host of add-on services, such as payroll management. Both services offer a dedicated bookkeeper who’ll provide you with financial statements on a monthly basis, but Bookkeeper.com allows you to customize the types of reports that you receive.

Bench Features

Bench can be considered a “lightweight” bookkeeping service because it’s intended more for businesses that prefer to manage their own day-to-day bookkeeping tasks but want someone to handle the bigger picture, such as reconciling accounts and preparing financial statements. You have the option of upgrading to a Premium plan, which also gives you unlimited access to a tax advisor who’ll assist with planning and filing your returns. We selected Bench as the best online bookkeeping service for companies behind on their bookkeeping because of the catch-up services available.

For more information about the features offered, check out our Bench review.

• Catch-up and retro bookkeeping: For an additional fee that starts at $299 per month, Bench provides overdue bookkeeping services with BenchRetro, a special program for businesses that are more than two years behind in their bookkeeping. Bench will help you get on track quickly, and your bookkeeper will work with a support team to ensure that your books are accurate and tax-ready.
• Unlimited support: Whether you would like a tax season review call or a monthly bookkeeping check-in, Bench is always willing to assist you, free of charge. While your bookkeeper will reach out regularly with updates, they’re also available via phone, video call, or in-app message.
• Dedicated bookkeeper: Upon enrollment, you’ll be assigned your own dedicated bookkeeper who is backed by a support team of two to three accounting professionals. Your dedicated bookkeeper will handle your account and serve as your point of contact for any questions you may have.
• Mobile app: Available for iOS, Bench’s mobile app allows you to upload digital copies of bills and receipts to the Bench software for your bookkeeper to review. You can also communicate with your bookkeeper through the app and check your accounts, vendors, spending categories, and more.
• Tax preparation and planning: If you elect for the Bench Premium plan, you’ll have access to a licensed tax professional who’ll handle your tax planning, preparation, and filing from start to finish. This includes your federal and state business tax returns, as well as individual returns for sole proprietors.

Bookkeeper.com Features

Bookkeeper.com is ideal for businesses that want the flexibility of customizing their own package as well as a service that’s able to scale as you grow. It’s both online and cloud-based, and it’s interesting to note that it offers more services to QuickBooks Online users than its competitor, QuickBooks Live. We recommend Bookkeeper.com as the best virtual full-service accounting firm in our article about the best online bookkeeping services, which is due in part to the wide range of add-on services available.

For more information about available features, check out our Bookkeeper.com review.

• Secure portal with document storage: Your financial data will be stored within Bookkeeper.com’s secure portal, which allows for document storage. Bookkeeper.com adheres to the data security regulations required by federal compliance agencies, so you can be sure that your data is safe.
• Dedicated bookkeeper and account manager: Upon enrollment, you’ll be assigned your own dedicated bookkeeper and account manager who’ll assist with onboarding activities, such as connecting your accounts. They’ll also serve as your point of contact.
• Payroll management: For an additional fee, you can opt for payroll services. This includes processing direct deposits for employees and filing quarterly and year-end payroll tax returns, W-2s, and 1099s.
• Tax preparation and planning: Bookkeeper.com will help to file your returns and also help you to minimize your tax liability with careful planning. Available tax services include individual and business tax returns, gift and estate tax returns, tax planning, and estate and succession planning.
• Financial reporting: Each month, your bookkeeper will provide a balance sheet, profit and loss statement, and statement of cash flows. You can also request customized reports. Financial calculators that allow you to play around with different scenarios, graphs, charts, and tables are available within the software.

Takeaway: Whether Bench or Bookkeeper.com is a better fit for your business depends on whether you have a straightforward need for basic bookkeeping services or would prefer a customizable package that allows for add-on services. Also, if security is a major concern, then Bookkeeper.com’s secure portal with document storage is an attractive feature.

Bench vs Bookkeeper.com: Working With Your Bookkeeper

The process of working with your bookkeeper is similar with Bench and Bookkeeper.com, although you’ll be assigned a team of three bookkeepers with Bench as opposed to one with Bookkeeper.com. The major difference between the two is that you’re able to get a better sense of Bench’s service with its free one-month bookkeeping trial. Bookkeeper.com does not have a comparable trial, but it does offer free bookkeeping advice and software training once you enroll in their service.

Bench: Working With Your Bookkeeper

Bench Accounting Status page

Once you enroll with Bench, you’ll be assigned a team of three bookkeepers, one of which will be your account manager. Your account manager will assist with the onboarding process and learn more about your business, helping you to customize your account for accurate expense tracking. As part of your free trial, you’ll receive one month of historical bookkeeping in which your bookkeeper will categorize your transactions, reconcile your accounts, and produce financial statements. You’ll have the opportunity to review this information with them before committing to their service.

You’ll receive financial statements for review on a monthly basis and a year-end financial package, which includes all of the data for your accountant to file your taxes. If you have elected for the Premium plan, a Bench tax professional will handle this for you. You can access your financial information at any time by logging into the Bench website. Your bookkeeper uses Bench’s proprietary software to track your income and expenses, and you both can leave notes on transactions in case any questions come up. You can also view the status of what has been completed, what’s in progress, and what’s still outstanding.

You can contact your bookkeeper at any time to schedule a call via a direct message on the Bench website, through the app, or via email. There’s no extra fee or hourly charges for support, and you’re welcome to reach out whenever you have a question.

Bookkeeper.com: Working With Your Bookkeeper

Bookkeeper.com client portal

Once you sign up for Bookkeeper.com, you’ll be assigned a dedicated bookkeeper. While you’ll grant them access to your QuickBooks account, you’ll still maintain access so that you can still use your QuickBooks account to invoice clients and pay bills. During the onboarding process, your bookkeeper will assist with connecting your bank and credit card accounts to QuickBooks (if this has not been done previously), and they’ll download your statements and classify them for you.

You’ll use a secure online portal to communicate with your bookkeeper, and you can also exchange documents as needed. You’ll be able to view your company’s transactions and request an appointment with your bookkeeper through the client portal. As part of its package, Bookkeeper.com offers free bookkeeping advice and software training. We suggest that you take advantage of both features if possible.

Takeaway: While you’ll be assigned a dedicated bookkeeper with both services, Bench uses proprietary software to manage your books. Bookkeeper.com uses QuickBooks Online, allowing you to also use the software for your own bookkeeping tasks. If you plan on doing your own invoicing and bill payments, then you may want to consider Bookkeeper.com.

For assistance with selecting the best online bookkeeping service for your business, check out our article about how to choose a virtual bookkeeper.

Bottom Line

Along with its one-stop assortment of services, Bookkeeper.com is well suited to businesses seeking a helping hand with tasks that go beyond standard bookkeeping. Although it’s more expensive than Bench, it’s a good value for your money if you want reliable service and accurate books. Bench offers straightforward bookkeeping and proprietary software―along with a mobile app―and an option to add services, such as catch-up bookkeeping. The best solution for you is the one that best fits your business’ specific needs.