QuickBooks Live vs Bench Accounting 2023 Comparison

Choosing the right virtual bookkeeping solution for your business will help you maximize your tax deductions and run your business effectively, creating an excellent return on your investment. QuickBooks Live will manage your bank feeds and reconcile your accounts for a low monthly price, while Bench offers the same services, plus tax and financial advice for a higher monthly fee. Compare Bench vs QuickBooks Live using our guide to find out which one is best for your business.

QuickBooks Live vs Bench At a Glance

What It’s Best For	QuickBooks users needing account setup, ongoing account reconciliation, and assistance	Small business owners looking for tax advice and preparation along with bookkeeping services
Pricing Plans	Starting at $200 per month plus a minimum of $30 per month for a QuickBooks Online subscription	Starting at $299 per month
Accounting Software Supported	QuickBooks Online (required)	FreshBooks (not required)
Accounts Receivable (A/R) & Accounts Payable (A/P) Tracking	N/A	Additional fee
Invoice Customers	N/A	Additional fee
Pay Bills	N/A	Additional fee
Account Reconciliation	✓	✓
Account Cleanup	✓	✓
Mobile App	✕	✓
	Visit QuickBooks Live	Visit Bench

Who Should Use Each

Who Should Use an Alternative

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

• Xero users: Since QuickBooks Live works with clients that are QuickBooks Online users and Bench uses its own proprietary accounting software, Xero users may opt for Bookkeeper360, which provides bookkeeping, accounting, and advisory services for Xero and QuickBooks users.
• Small businesses on a budget: If you’re looking to save money, you may want to consider Merritt Bookkeeping which offers services for a flat fee of $190 per month with no restrictions on the number of monthly transactions.

For more information about the types of assisted bookkeeping available for small businesses, read our article on the best online bookkeeping services.

QuickBooks Live vs Bench: Pricing

Bench pricing is flat-rate, and QuickBooks Live is priced based on your monthly expenses, regardless of the number of transactions you have. QuickBooks Live works with any version of QuickBooks Online, which starts at $30 per month for QuickBooks Simple Start, while Bench has its own proprietary software. There’s an initial cost of $500 for onboarding for QuickBooks Live, but Bench doesn’t charge an onboarding fee.

There are three levels of service available for QuickBooks Live, which vary in price depending on your company’s monthly expenses, and they range from $200 to $400 per month. Meanwhile, Bench has two subscription plans available: one provides basic bookkeeping, whereas the other includes tax preparation, filing, and planning services.

It also has Catch Up and Retro bookkeeping services for businesses that are behind on their bookkeeping, starting at $299 per month. It even offers a specialized bookkeeping service for an additional $100 per month for businesses needing to track accounts payable and accounts receivable.

QuickBooks Live doesn’t offer a free trial, but you can book a free consultation and you can switch or cancel service at any time without incurring fees. For Bench, there’s a free trial available for one prior month of bookkeeping, which will be completed in one to two days.

QuickBooks Live allows you to connect an unlimited number of accounts, while Bench users can only connect up to 15 merchant, bank, credit card, and loan accounts for free. If you need to connect more accounts, you can contact Bench for a custom quote.

QuickBooks Live vs Bench: Features

Both QuickBooks Live and Bench offer “lightweight” bookkeeping services, providing you with financial reports and reconciling your accounts every month. But while Bench offers additional services besides bookkeeping, QuickBooks Live can do a bit more heavy lifting because of the software itself, which is far more customizable and has more features.

Bench’s proprietary software lacks any sort of application programming interface (API) that allows you to combine financial and nonfinancial data. But with QuickBooks, you can integrate data, such as inventory, to obtain a comprehensive picture of your business.

QuickBooks Live has a couple of features that set it apart from the competition, specifically a 100% Accurate Books Guarantee, which allows you to request a free audit to ensure that your books are accurate. All of its bookkeepers are certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors, meaning they’re well-versed in the ins and outs of the software. Your bookkeeper will reconcile and close your accounts each month and provide you with financial reports that they’ll review with you monthly.

More than just a bookkeeping service, Bench offers a variety of services that are useful for small businesses needing tax assistance or catch-up bookkeeping services. Your dedicated bookkeeper will work with you to determine if any add-on services are necessary for your business, and you can enjoy the convenience of real-time reports and access to a mobile app. Bench partners with Gusto to provide payroll services, while QuickBooks has its own payroll integration, QuickBooks Payroll.

QuickBooks Live vs Bench: Ease of Use

QuickBooks Live and Bench are fairly intuitive and easy to use, and their dashboards are user-friendly. Both also have a wide selection of helpful resources, including an online help session with a searchable knowledge base and community support. The major difference between the two is that QuickBooks Live offers the ability to communicate with your dedicated bookkeeper via one-way video chat.

QuickBooks Live vs Bench: Integrations

QuickBooks Online users who work with QuickBooks Live get plenty of integrations, both built-in and third-party. Meanwhile, Bench doesn’t have any built-in integrations and only has nine third-party integrations.

• QuickBooks live integrations: Includes QuickBooks Payroll, QuickBooks Time, QuickBooks Payments, Shopify, Fathom, Method:CRM, Insightly, Hubdoc, AutoEntry, and TradeGecko
• Bench integrations: Gusto, FreshBooks, Stripe, Square, Shopify, Attune, Keap, Brex, and Clio

QuickBooks Live vs Bench: Mobile App

While QuickBooks Online has a good mobile app for accessing your QuickBooks Online account, QuickBooks Live doesn’t have an app to help you communicate and share information with your QuickBooks Live ProAdvisor.

Meanwhile, Bench has a fully featured app where you can both view your books and communicate with your bookkeeper. Available for iOS devices, the Bench 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 or check your accounts, vendors, spending categories, and more.

QuickBooks Live vs Bench: Customer Support

Both providers offer unlimited phone support with all plans and have strong customer support features. They also have many online help resources, but QuickBooks Live has a slight edge with live chat support.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What accounting software does Bench Use?

Bench uses its own proprietary software to complete your books, but it integrates with FreshBooks.

How much does QuickBooks Live cost?

QuickBooks Live bases its prices on your monthly expenses, and prices range from $200 to $400 per month.

Does Bench file taxes?

Yes, Bench will prep and file your taxes as part of the Premium plan.

Bottom Line

Whether QuickBooks Live or Bench is the better option depends on your budget and the complexity of your business. QuickBooks Live offers more scalability and customization and more enhanced options for communicating with your bookkeeper. Bench offers straightforward bookkeeping and software, with the option to add services, such as tax filing and catch-up bookkeeping.