Best online bookkeeping services
- Bench ranks first, with published monthly prices for bookkeeping.
- 1-800Accountant and Pilot tie on score for second.
- Pilot's entry plan is the lowest published price here.
- Bookkeeper360 and Zeni send buyers through a call or demo first.
- Xendoo has no annual contract, and 1-800Accountant bills annually.
| Tool | Picked for | Type | Free plan | Starting price | Rating | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Bench | Owners who want a dedicated bookkeeper at a published monthly price, with tax filing as an option. | Service | No | $199 a monthbench.co/pricing | 4.2 | 79 |
| 2 1-800Accountant | Owners who want bookkeeping and tax under one firm, billed annually. | Service | No | $209 a month, billed annually1800accountant.com/pricing | 4.4 | 72 |
| 3 Pilot | Startups that want a published entry price for monthly bookkeeping and a free trial. | Service | No | $99 a monthpilot.com/pricing | 4.7 | 72 |
| 4 Bookkeeper360 | Owners who want monthly or weekly bookkeeping quoted after a consultation. | Service | No | $399 a monthbookkeeper360.com/pricing | 2.7 (6 reviews) | 63 |
| 5 Xendoo | Owners who want monthly bookkeeping from a dedicated team with no annual contract. | Service | No | $395 a monthxendoo.com/xendoo-pricing | 5.0 (1 review) | 63 |
| 6 Zeni | Startups that want bookkeeping with a finance team and will request a demo to start. | Service | No | $549 a monthzeni.ai/pricing | 4.5 | 40 |
Bench ranks first among the six online bookkeeping services scored here, on published prices and clear month-to-month terms. I have priced services out for my own businesses and have not hired one, so these are the numbers a buyer meets before signing. Pilot has the lowest published entry price, and where Pilot earns points shows how it scores.
A shop that sells through Shopify or Amazon needs a service that understands payouts, and handing off a web store’s books ranks the ones with a verified offer for sellers. Before comparing prices, questions on hiring a bookkeeper cover the basics, and what bookkeepers are paid shows the wage a quote is measured against.
How I ranked these
Scope and customer sentiment count most, followed by price for one business, then price transparency and contract terms. A service earns more for covering catch-up, tax and advice under one roof, for a month-to-month contract and for more reviews. Most buyers want a flat monthly fee, and the table shows which services publish one. Books that have fallen behind are a different job: fixing a backlog and a bookkeeping backlog explain how that is priced.
What the entries cover
Vendors can pay to be included, and the vendor page explains what that buys, which never includes a better score. Every scored service has a scorecard, and what an accountant adds matters when tax advice is part of the need.
Costs outside the headline price
A plan price rarely covers everything. Xendoo prices tax, catch-up and fractional CFO as add-ons, Bench charges more once tax is added, and Zeni lists sales tax as an add-on. Software can lower the bill: which ledger suits a small team ranks the options, and what QuickBooks Online earns is the ledger most services work in. How points are awarded explains each criterion.
The other side
A service saves time, and it costs several times what software does. For a business with few transactions, software alone may be enough. Bookkeeper360 and Zeni both start with a call or demo, so a conversation may show more than the listed scores.
Bench offers bookkeeping with a dedicated bookkeeper at three published plans: Bookkeeping Light at $199 a month, Bookkeeping at $399 and Bookkeeping plus Tax at $649. Annual billing lowers each by about a fifth. The current service is run by Bench Accounting USA Inc., owned by Employer.com, which resumed in January 2025 after the earlier company stopped in December 2024. It rates 4.2 from 1,354 Trustpilot reviews. Published prices and clear contract terms lift it to first.
- Key details
- Bench
- Type
- Service
- Starting price
- $199 a month bench.co/pricing
- Free plan
- No
- Rating
- 4.2 on Trustpilot
Pros
- Three plans with prices published
- Month-to-month billing with published terms
- Tax filing offered as a plan
Cons
- Entry plan costs more than Pilot's
- Shopify and QuickBooks connections are listed, not native
Verdict
The clearest prices and terms in the group, which is why it ranks first.
The earlier Bench company stopped in December 2024, so check which service you are signing with, and tax is a separate higher plan.
Scorecard
Full scorecard
Plans and prices
1-800Accountant sells three packages: Tax Advisory at $209 a month, Starter at $299 and Business Complete at $469, billed annually. Business Complete is the package with a dedicated bookkeeper. It rates 4.4 from 13,071 Trustpilot reviews, the most reviews on the list. Scope earns the top level, since bookkeeping, tax and advice sit under one firm.
- Key details
- 1-800Accountant
- Type
- Service
- Starting price
- $209 a month, billed annually 1800accountant.com/pricing
- Free plan
- No
- Rating
- 4.4 on Trustpilot
Pros
- Top scope level, with tax and advice under one firm
- Most reviews on the list: 13,071 Trustpilot
- Three priced packages and a free consultation
Cons
- Annual commitment
- Only Business Complete includes a dedicated bookkeeper
Verdict
A wide scope and a big review record, at the cost of an annual commitment.
Billing is annual, and the Starter and Tax Advisory packages lead with tax instead of bookkeeping.
Scorecard
Full scorecard
Plans and prices
Pilot’s Essentials plan covers cash-basis bookkeeping from bank and card data at $99 a month, the lowest published price on the list. Core and Custom plans are quoted. A 15-day trial is listed. QuickBooks is native, and Shopify and Amazon are listed. It rates 4.7 from 143 G2 reviews.
- Key details
- Pilot
- Type
- Service
- Starting price
- $99 a month pilot.com/pricing
- Free plan
- No
- Rating
- 4.7 on G2
Pros
- Lowest published entry price
- Free trial listed
- Shopify and Amazon listed
Cons
- Higher plans are quote-only
- Annual commitment listed
Verdict
The cheapest published way in, with the bigger plans behind a quote.
Core and Custom plans are quoted, and an annual commitment is listed.
Scorecard
Full scorecard
Plans and prices
Bookkeeper360 publishes a Monthly plan at $399 a month and a Weekly plan at $599, with the details settled after a consultation. QuickBooks and Xero are listed, along with Shopify. It rates 2.7 from 6 Trustpilot reviews, a very small base. Scope earns the top level, and the thin review record keeps it fourth.
- Key details
- Bookkeeper360
- Type
- Service
- Starting price
- $399 a month bookkeeper360.com/pricing
- Free plan
- No
- Rating
- 2.7 on Trustpilot (6 reviews)
Pros
- Monthly and weekly options
- Top scope level
- Month-to-month terms published
Cons
- Consultation required first
- Very few reviews
Verdict
A broad service whose evidence is thin, so it sits in the middle.
A consultation comes before signing up, and the rating rests on a handful of reviews.
Scorecard
Full scorecard
Plans and prices
Xendoo has three published plans: Essential at $395 a month, Growth at $695 and Scale at $995, with tax, catch-up and fractional CFO as separate add-ons. Plans rise with the number of bank and card accounts covered. QuickBooks and Xero are native. Contract terms earn the top level, since there is no annual contract. Its only rating is 5.0 from 1 G2 review.
- Key details
- Xendoo
- Type
- Service
- Starting price
- $395 a month xendoo.com/xendoo-pricing
- Free plan
- No
- Rating
- 5.0 on G2 (1 review)
Pros
- No annual contract
- Catch-up offered as an add-on
- Plans published up to Scale
Cons
- Rating rests on one review
- Costs more at entry than Bench or Pilot
Verdict
The most flexible contract here, with too little review evidence to rank higher.
A single review stands behind the rating, and the Custom plan is quoted.
Scorecard
Full scorecard
Plans and prices
Zeni offers AI bookkeeping with a dedicated finance team. Starter is $549 a month and Growth $799, and every plan button leads to a demo request. QuickBooks is native and Square is listed. It rates 4.5 from 84 G2 reviews. It ranks last because its scope earns the least credit of the six and its entry price is the highest.
- Key details
- Zeni
- Type
- Service
- Starting price
- $549 a month zeni.ai/pricing
- Free plan
- No
- Rating
- 4.5 on G2
Pros
- Dedicated finance team
- QuickBooks native
- Growth plan price published
Cons
- Highest entry price on the list
- Demo required to start
Verdict
A demo-led service for startups, priced above the rest.
No self-serve sign-up or trial is listed, and sales tax is an add-on.
Scorecard
Full scorecard
Plans and prices
Common questions
What is the best online bookkeeping service?
Bench ranks first, with three published monthly plans and clear contract terms. Pilot has the lowest published entry price at $99 a month.
How much does an online bookkeeper cost?
Published monthly plans start at $99 at Pilot and $199 at Bench, and reach $995 at Xendoo’s Scale plan.
Is a bookkeeping service the same as an accountant?
No. A bookkeeper records transactions and keeps the books current. An accountant interprets the results and advises, and some firms here offer both.
Can a service handle catch-up work?
Xendoo sells catch-up as an add-on to its plans. Check the price before sending months of backlog.