Bench alternative
Bench alternative: software that closes your books by the 1st.
Bench went offline in December 2024, came back under Employer.com and now sells as part of Mainstreet, from $199 a month. Accountable is software that reconciles and closes your books by the 1st, and you can export them at any time.
- Bench Bookkeeping + Tax$649/mo
- Bench Bookkeeping$399/mo
- Bench Bookkeeping Light$199/mo
- Accountable Pro2 companies included$149/mo
- Accountable Free1 company, 100 transactions categorized a month$0/mo
List prices on bench.co and accountable.im, September 30, 2026.
Side by side
Accountable and Bench, side by side
Facts and list prices checked Sep 2026.
Price for 1 company
Accountable: $0 on Free (100 transactions categorized automatically a month), or $149 a month on Pro.
Bench: $199 a month on Bookkeeping Light, $399 on Bookkeeping and $649 with tax filing. Annual billing saves 20%.
Price for 3 companies
Accountable: $198 a month on Pro: $149 covers 2 companies, and the third costs $49.
Bench: Bench publishes no price for several businesses.
Who does the bookkeeping
Accountable: Software categorizes, reconciles and closes, and asks you only what it is unsure about. You, your accountant or your agent can fix anything, and every change can be undone.
Bench: Bench's bookkeepers, with unlimited access to them. A fractional bookkeeper who works in QuickBooks costs $55 an hour plus $1,200 to start.
Month-end close
Accountable: The month closes on the 1st: reconciled to the bank, reviewed, locked and reported. Mercury, Brex, Ramp and Stripe sync every 15 to 30 minutes, and new transactions post on the next sync.
Bench: Bench promises accurate books and year-end, tax-ready financials; its pricing page states no monthly close date.
Your data if the service stops
Accountable: Export any time, on every plan, as PDF, Excel or CSV, or as a one-click financial package. Export is never behind a paywall.
Bench: When Bench went offline on December 27, 2024, customers lost access until service resumed in January 2025, and the old platform's download window closed on March 7, 2025.
AI agent access (MCP)
Accountable: Read-only on Free. Read and write on Pro: changes apply at once, are logged under the agent's name and can be undone. Entries of $5,000 or more wait for an owner, closed months stay locked, and an agent can preview any change first.
Bench: Bench's pricing page lists no MCP server or agent access.
Moving your books in
Accountable: Free. Upload the general ledger from Bench's year-end package; the agent rebuilds every month and ties each month-end to the file to the cent.
Bench: Bench's bookkeepers set up your books when you join.
Tax filing
Accountable: Accountable does not file taxes. Your accountant's seat is free, and Tax › Return has the year's package once the year is closed.
Bench: Bookkeeping + Tax at $649 a month, or tax filing alone at $300 a month.
Free plan or trial
Accountable: Free plan for 1 company, with 100 transactions categorized automatically a month. A 14-day Pro trial needs no card.
Bench: No free plan is listed.
Choose Accountable if
- You want your books closed every month, not only tax-ready at year end. Accountable reconciles every account to its statement and closes by the 1st.
- You want to own your books. You can export the general ledger and statements at any time, on every plan, so an outage never locks you out of them.
- You want to pay less. One company is free, and Pro is $149 a month for 2 companies.
- You run several companies and want them on one login and one bill.
Choose Bench if
- You want a person to do the bookkeeping. Bench includes unlimited access to its bookkeepers, and Accountable is software.
- You want your tax return from the same provider. Bench files it on the $649 plan, and Accountable does not file taxes.
- Your books are current at Bench again after the 2024 outage and you're happy with the service.
Switch
Moving from Bench takes 3 steps.
Download your Bench year-end package. Upload it, and the agent proves every month. Approve once and connect your banks.
Questions about switching from Bench
Is Bench still in business?
Yes. Bench went offline on December 27, 2024, Employer.com agreed to buy it days later, service resumed in January 2025, and on August 11, 2025 it became part of Mainstreet. Its pricing page still lists plans from $199 a month.
How do I move my books from Bench?
Download the general ledger from Bench's year-end package and upload it.
Who files my taxes if I leave Bench?
Your own CPA. Give them a free accountant seat in Accountable, and they can export the trial balance, general ledger and statements once the year is closed.
Competitor facts and list prices checked Sep 2026. Sources:
AI bookkeeping for startups
Get your books done by the 1st.
Free for one company. 14 days of Pro with no card. Moving your books is free. No sales calls.