Bench vs QuickBooks Solopreneur

QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Enterprise

Xero

QuickBooks Online is an all-in-one online business software designed to help manage business finances. The platform is built to scale businesses, unlocking insights and providing the functionality of a larger team, all on one integrated platform.

QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise is an accounting software for small businesses which provides users with real-time access to customer, employee, and vendor information. The software includes tools for managing inventory, shipping, sales orders, pricing, tasks, invoicing, reporting, and more.

Xero is an award-winning online accounting software designed for small business owners and accountants, available on any computer or mobile device with an internet connection. Simplify business admin and get a range of financial insights to help you make better decisions for your business.

Your Bench team is on hand to remove the burden of bookkeeping from your life. They’ll learn your bookkeeping needs inside and out, giving you more time to focus on your business.

Expense Tracking

Bank Reconciliation

General Ledger

Accounts Payable

Accounts Receivable

Reviewers indicate that Bench offers fair pricing for the convenience and time savings it provides. Some reviewers find the pricing high for smaller businesses, and some users report concerns about upfront payments and price gouging compared to competitors.

Value for money

Reviews for Bench come from a wide variety of industries, including marketing and advertising (12% of reviewers), retail (7%), and health, wellness and fitness (6%). The most frequent use case for Bench cited by reviewers is bookkeeping (64% of reviewers).

Bench

iPad

iPhone

Web-based

FreshBooks

Wave

QuickBooks Online Advanced

Pilot

Zoho Invoice

Bookkeeping

Bookkeeping & Tax

Frequent bank connection issues

56% of reviewers feel negative about Bench’s bank account integration. Some users report ongoing problems with linking their bank accounts, including frequent disconnections and the need for repeated manual uploads of statements. Reviewers indicate that authentication and security protocols often interrupt the syncing process, leading to inconvenience and extra maintenance. They say setup can be cumbersome, and recurring issues with account linking require additional effort to resolve. Users feel these integration challenges add unnecessary complexity to their bookkeeping workflow.

Efficient financial organization

I spent hours each month, tracking my business financials. Since I started using Bench, I've been able to spend less time on tracking numbers and more time on doing what I do best in my business.

President

Bench allows us to accurately forecast our cashflow with ease.

96% of reviewers feel positive about Bench’s financial tracking. Users think the platform saves them significant time by organizing and tracking finances efficiently, allowing them to focus more on running their business. Some reviewers find that having clear, accessible financial reports and statements gives them peace of mind and a better understanding of their company’s financial health. They appreciate being able to monitor cash flow, forecast future trends, and easily access all financial information in one place, which they say improves decision-making.

Streamlined and intuitive experience

100% of reviewers feel positive about Bench’s ease of use. Reviewers appreciate that the software is intuitive and straightforward, allowing them to quickly learn the system and manage their tasks with minimal effort. They find the layout clean and navigation simple, which helps them stay organized and reduces the time spent on administrative work. Some users report that transitioning from other platforms is smooth, and they value the accessible support available when questions arise. Many users say the software’s simplicity makes daily bookkeeping and reporting much less stressful.

Owner

I have to file an extension again because they didn't have my bookkeeping ready in time, despite me monitoring and updating all transactions on my end throughout the year. When I ask for a phone call, they don't call me. When I call them, no answer.

owner

I signed up for Bench's bookkeeping services in September, expecting professional and accurate records within the 10–15 days they promised for historical bookkeeping.

TAx preparer and Licensed Producer

What I like most about Bench is the time it saves and the platform keeps client's book organized.

Had I relied on their data for tax filing, I would have drastically overpaid in taxes. Despite reaching out and escalating to their management, I’m left with the feeling that this service is not delivering on its promises.

For two months in a row, I've received inaccurate monthly books, and I now lack confidence in their ability to complete accurate year-end financials.

For instance, my "alerts" section continuously tells me I'm "all caught up!", but then my tax person will ask for things in lengthy messages that I'm not notified of.

They are unclear about what information they need from you, the customer, and ask for various things in multiple places.

Founder

After working daily with Bench to get my financials for 2023 for over 5 weeks, I am told the financials will not be ready until after tax season and if I want them to file a tax extension.

Back in 2020-21 they were fine, I had one point of contact and reminders to upload information.

Speaking of tax person - I've been a client for two years and have had SIX different accountants, and have to get each new person up to speed.

Principal Designer

I feel that a tiered rate based on expense quantities would be valuable to smaller companies wishing to offload the accounting work, but can't justify the cost.

Their response times are abysmal and their team has little to no knowledge about actual tax compliance and filling.

Customer Care Rep

Books never get done and can't trust the results.

Founder - CEO

Their service for anything like updating balance sheets with loans, etc is awful.  

Use Bench if you like your accounting services like a rollercoaster without the thrill, a puzzle without a solution.

We hired Bench to do some simple bank statement sync entries for the previous 6 months.  

I wish I would have known sooner that they are not a good book keeping company.

Charging us 21+ months of billings for accounting and tax services they never provided or actually completed.

After months of back and forth with their accounting team I was finally put with an account manager who knows what they are doing and can communicate effectively

Let's not forget the enchanting dance of communication with our main Bench point of contact, our very own guide through this nightmare.

Here is her response to my refund request:   To answer your question "Have I refunded the account" , there has been no refunds processed.  

Bench has allowed our early stage startup to handle US bookkeeping at a reasonable price, and with a real human being behind the interface.

They cost me money in lost time and lost access to reports.

Multiple changes with our point of contact and main bookkeeper.

My rep ([sensitive content hidden]) makes appointments and will not hold the appointment time.

I also like that I can export all data into a single workbook (summaries and itemized transactions).

Bench is lifer.

Experience mixed emotions, I am happy coz finally it's really approachable

I like the product, but am unsure of the value for smaller firms with fewer expenses.

I have worked with Bench for over a year and cannot get access to any of my financials.

The reason this has occurred is Bench is a stand-ready service (similar to Netflix).  

It is now August and they are still figuring out how to file my 2022 return.

They told me it would be months after my tax filing deadline before I would receive it.

Owner operator

Their pricing is based on working with much larger companies.

Owner 

When I was doing my taxes with bench they were on a separate platform

Simple Dashboard and Document upload process.

Bench tracks all expenses and the team communicates regarding expenses in question and suggest "expense categories."

SAY I AM IN THE PROCESS OF DISPUTING WITH THE CREDIT CARD COMPANY NOW THE $1200 THEY CHARGED

Professionalism, accuracy and commitment to the contract is very lacking.

I understand that you generally get what you pay for, but I don't feel that you get 10x the value over self-managed bookkeeping using Quickbooks, Freshbooks, or Wave bookkeeping software.

Their service level has gone down substantially.  

They owe me completed books going back to June 2023.

Our books from last year are still not wrapped up.

The process starts over, if it ever started to begin with.

The ease of reading the reports each month and having them at my fingertips to being about to chat with our bookkeeper about any and all things.  

Tax Filing

Customer Support

Transaction Management

Data Management

Document Upload

Pricing

Financial Tracking

Accounting

Bank Account Integration

Freelancers

Small Business

Reviewers indicate that Bench offers a fair and affordable price for the convenience and time savings it provides, especially compared to hiring a traditional firm. Users think the service is easy to use and appreciate the value it brings for their business size and needs. Some reviewers find the pricing a bit high, particularly for smaller businesses or those with fewer transactions, and feel the available pricing tiers do not always align with their needs. Some users report that Bench can be more expensive than other online accounting solutions and express concerns about upfront payments and perceived price gouging.

Bench Accounting

QuickBooks Desktop

QuickBooks Desktop provides a comprehensive business management solution that integrates accounting, payroll, inventory, and multiple company management functionalities. The software offers industry-specific editions tailored for manufacturing, wholesale, contractors, and accountants, with features like advanced reporting, job costing, and automated pricing rules. Users can enhance their experience with cloud hosting capabilities that enable remote access and team collaboration.

QuickBooks Solopreneur is accounting software for self-employed individuals and small businesses. It tracks mileage, expenses, and taxes, imports transactions, separates business from personal spending, categorizes receipts, generates reports, estimates taxes, and integrates with TurboTax. The mobile app enables on-the-go management. It offers three plans tailored to freelancers and independent contractors.

Billing & Invoicing

Multi-Currency

QuickBooks Solopreneur

Zoho Books

Sage Accounting

FreeAgent

ZarMoney

BQE CORE Suite

AvidXchange

Basic

Executive Director

We use this for our bookkeeping and accounting needs for our small business, it helps us to maintain security of our transactions and to keep up to date with payments and receivables.  

Data Entry Administrator

It can have bugs and updates from time to time that slow down systems and prevent us from getting the number of invoices we want to each day accomplished

Estimator

The program doesn’t have an auto-save feature, so accidentally pressing the wrong keys can cause it to close and result in the loss of all entered data.

Home Inspector

I’m not a fan of having some of the pre-set expense categories.   When i use my business bank card the software guesses the expense category and I have to go back in and change them.

I was able to send invoices and estimate, organize my finances, and track business expenses.

I can create invoices in real time and email those to buyers and buyer agents.  

Technician

I do not like how it requires certain accounts from my bank to be linked to the software.

My business accountant has direct access to assist with categorizing expenses.  

Head coach owner

It didn’t have enough features to support my business as it grew so I needed to change software when I brought on a bookkeeper

I am not great at navigating it but after all i don't do the books or bookkeeping at my business.  

Teacher, Coach, and Director

I wish there were more features to tailor to my needs and to integrate other apps/services like GoCardless.

Entreprenuer

Deep customizations can sometimes be complex and require specialized knowledge, possibly leading to higher implementation costs and time

Owner and therapist

I was getting conflicts where it double counted things.

Realtor

We like the reports we are able to pull, not just a P and L. It lets us get as specific as we can.

LMHC

You can simply snap a receipt with your phone's camera and the app will automatically match it with any expense. And categorizing expenses is as easy as swiping right or left. Both the app and the browser version have made finding deductions and filing my quarterly taxes so much easier.

I have 2 businesses and am unable to list them separately but within the same account at present. As I use the same bank account and credit cards for both accounts I would like to be able to easily tag expenses to each business as I believe you can do with Xero

Overall I give it an 8/10 rating but it is easy enough to use that I cannot see myself changing to a different software.

The Help features were not as easy to learn how to use the program as other help features in other programs

There is also another small issue that when I am presented with just unclassified transactions, it disappears as soon as I select "personal" or "business" not also allowing me to assign the category.

However that's quite a big ask considering how cheap the subscription is.

One other thing I find odd is that sometimes the "rules" for transactions don't apply to new transaction even though the name and amount are exactly the same.

Owner - Travel Specialist

Understand it's based on those required for tax returns, but I prefer to do my tax returns in spreadsheets with data imported from QBSE.

Sole Proprietor

My biggest problem was when they discontinued used of the desktop app - I don't like having to go to the browser to do my accounting, and truly preferred the application.

Product Designer

I could build confidence and learn how to keep my books.

Consultant

Love the mileage tracking and that it links to my bank and credit card accounts

Reporting is easy, which really came in handy when I bought a house and needed to provide the bank with records of my income and expenses to show I could afford the house.

I started using QuickBooks Self-Employed because it was offered for free if I used TurboTax to file my taxes.

Writer

You can snap pictures of receipts or upload screenshots for those online and record the biller, amount, date, and any notes.

Chef

This program  requires all bank transactions to be uploaded into an Excel CSV File and then reformatted to accept the date configuration in order to be accepted by the QB SE upload.

I could learn the basics of freelance book-keeping

They should have taken the time and hired quality programmers to present their existing clients with an improvement, not a liability in terms of time and efficiency.

Generally no problems at all and a very smooth experience.

This product makes it easy to keep up with our business.

Practice Manager

It's easy and efficient once you get the hang of it.  

The mobile app has been integral to keeping up with cataloguing receipts on the go.

Owner / Broker

I can see multiple bank and credit card transaction all in one place

It is really easy to use, and if I ever need help with something I am not familiar with, I have options with their tech support (which has been really helpful when I've called) or providing limited access to an actual accountant. While it's not perfect (nothing is), it has been a great help to me in running my small business.

a little expensive for me but worth it in m opinion

Director

Although there are a lot of reports and custom report creating features there are some reports missing that would be handy to businesses including average value of sale reports.

They put it out too early while it was and IS still full of problems. Why pay a monthly fee for garbage like this?   

It is very bare-bones and doesn’t allow budgeting, time tracking, inventory, or other useful features other accounting systems have.

Graphic Designer

I liked how easy it was to use and setup to send invoices.

Owner and Web Designer

Mileage tracking is great and easy to use.

Overall I find this software incredibly helpful and integral to my accounting practices as a small business.

i wasn't educated on how to properly use it

Inflexibility in setting up transaction categories.

Co-Owner

Great for sorting tax information as well as things like sending invoices. And its keeps them all for you to have when necessary.

Bench vs QuickBooks Solopreneur Comparison (2026)

Bench

QuickBooks Solopreneur

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives