Bench Reviews

Pros

I really like it that Bench people essentially leave me alone and they will do all the bookkeeping stuff for me. It is not my forte, so it is great and done at much lower price point than hiring a firm. The web interface is great and pretty much you upload your expense receipts and they will take care of it.

Cons

Occasionally the bank statement transfers stops, then takes a bit of trial and errors for it to work, only happens perhaps once a year or so. No biggie, but could improve it.

Pros

My Team and I are very happy with the Bench software and customer service. It's easy to use, a breeze to read, and simple to update.

Cons

The lag time to get a response from a human being is something I'm getting used to as our world is moving to the online/AI experience.

Alternatives Considered

QBank

Reasons for Choosing Bench

We were looking for a more simple experience, something with a personal touch by CS. Price was of course a consideration and Bench is competitive.

Switched From

QBank

Reasons for Switching to Bench

The customer service team did a great job selling it and they've kept their promises over the course of our time. We appreciate a vendor who actually delivers what they promise and Bench does just this.

Pros

Standard features that all bookkeeping apps have. Syncs my bank transactions to the app. Saves time.

Cons

Service. I paid more only to have a human backed bookkeeping service to file my taxes. But it didn't happen.

Pros

What we like most about Bench is their level of customer service. From setup to now, the team has been here with us and is extremely easy to reach out to. Beyond this, the interface is very clean, quick to load.

Cons

There are some accounts that can't be automated, but we understand this. That aside, we would like to see Bench expand and offer more all-in-one service beyond book-keeping and tax returns or make any partners more accessible (virtual CFO, CPAs would be great).

Alternatives Considered

FreshBooks

Reasons for Choosing Bench

We switched away from QuickBooks mainly to give our bookkeeper an out, though we were also looking for a tool that offered easier access and further automation/connection to other tools we use in our operations.

Switched From

QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise

Reasons for Switching to Bench

We considered several products, most of which I can't seem to find in the product selector on Capterra but I don't see that to be too relevant here. The point would be that we selected Bench mainly because our largest need was for a bookkeeping solution from a company with both a quality product and quality service, able to offer a demo of sorts, and flexibility. Bench.co offered us all of this.

Pros

It was great to see a breakdown of all three financial statements for our business, both from a macro and micro perspective. Being able to pull up accounts and see specific transactions from desktop and on the go through mobile was indispensable in running a healthy business and planning for the future. The messaging system was prompt and efficient for keeping in touch with our book keepers and account manager with any pressing questions. They were always very professional and did high quality work. Any questions or concerns with categorization and interpreting information were answered well.

Cons

I think it would be helpful to expand the software to allow for the dropping of all receipts into our account in order to have a one stop location for accessing and printing receipts for accounting and tax purposes. We were informed that only high ticket items needed receipts, and so we ended up using other third party software to track mileage and keep track of receipts.

Alternatives Considered

Xero

Reasons for Choosing Bench

They were not able to provide adequate book keeping services, due to complicated books.

Reasons for Switching to Bench

Recommendations from online users, Youtubers, and a good first hand experience from the beginning while switching over to Bench.

Pros

The dashboard chat and customer call scheduling were pretty responsive.

Cons

a bit clunky moving from bookkeeping to tax platforms and not knowing which chat/communication to use when customer support tells you to check your messages.

Pros

Having all the data to see my business stats has been really helpful. They call it the "Pulse" which shows you the health of your business with a way to visualize how you're doing over time. I like that a lot. Bookkeeping is really easy for me now and I'm thankful I outsourced it. I just connect my accounts and drag and drop invoices and receipts that I scan or receive into the documents section and they take care of things. They also provide a nice, clean, easy to understand summary at the end of each year so my accountant can do my taxes easily. I have no regrets going with Bench. It definitely saves me a lot of time and stress.

Cons

I wish there are some nice comparable summaries like percentage growth or changes month to month, by quarter, and YoY. Prices still feel a little high to me and I wish there was an option for invoicing and receiving payments into my checking accounts.

Alternatives Considered

FreshBooks, QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise and Xero

Reasons for Switching to Bench

A good blend between what I need the most, pricing, and peer reviews.

Pros

The iOS app is simple and easy to use. I appreciate the quick access to messaging back and forth with my bookkeeper, making notes about transactions, and they referred me to Gusto for an integrated payroll service

Cons

Some of the features like their Pulse tab of real time bank account syncing and electronic PDF statement syncing are glitchy.

Pros

Incredibly supportive staff, intuitive friendly user-interface, provided year end tax portfolio that I could easily give to my CPA. Bench is just fantastic, I can't say enough good things about the way they have handled my accounts for the past 3 years, highly recommend. If you're a professional, this is for you.

Cons

The only con here is that I didn't switch sooner.

Pros

I like that it's easy to use, comes in a user-friendly format, and simplifies accounting for me. It's dummy-proof! I'm mostly looking forward to an easier tax season with this software.

Cons

It's a little expensive for a one-person office, so I wish there were more tiers in pricing. But I like the product and will continue to use it, and understand that it costs money for a good product.

Pros

Offloading expense tracking was a massive weight off of my shoulders. I now have more time to lead my small team and know that my accounting is in good hands - if there is ever a question or discrepancy they reach out immediately.

Cons

Honestly the price. I wish it were significantly cheaper. Much of the expense tracking is already done through freshbooks, other financial input apps have APIs for the Bench team to use as well - so I don’t think the limited personal interactions (which is not a detriment-the less I can talk to accountants the better) warrants the steep price tag.

Alternatives Considered

FreshBooks

Reasons for Switching to Bench

Deeper analytics and reconciliation of accounts

Pros

I was hesitant to start Bench because I thought I could handle the bookkeeping for our business on my own. Managing money has always been a strength for me. However, as my company grows I find that I need to keep delegating and removing things off of my plate. At the same time as a business owner I like to keep as much cash inside the company as possible.

I finally gave the free trial a chance and it has been the BIGGEST weight off of me. I know that my bookkeeping is totally taken care of and done professionally. The stress of organizing everything for taxes is lifted off, and I know that I always have someone working on it everyday on my behalf.

Anytime I have questions I get an immediate response along with very valuable advice. I am a Bench customer for life!

Cons

I don't like that it keeps disconnecting to my bank account. We've had a few technical issues with that. It can be very time consuming and frustrating especially since I am extremely busy already. I also have to confirm purchases from months prior and that can take a long time! When I confirm those purchases it is usually 30+ transactions and at that point I don't even remember all of them so it takes a while for me to locate receipts. I really dislike that too. I wish it were less expensive for us a small business owner as well.

Pros

The platform is intuitive and easy to use. You speak directly with the individual managing your account, which is nice for continuity. Any discrepancies are easily adjusted or annotated. It exports to multiple file types for integration with other platforms. It links with your accounts so you don't have to manually input everything. AND THEIR TEAM ACTUALLY CARES ABOUT YOU, which is a breath of fresh air.

Cons

Sometimes there are functionality issues with linked accounts, but usually it is because of the security protocols of the bank or account.

Pros

We transitioned from a traditional outsourced bookkeeper to Bench and love the ability to go in and view our reports quick and easy. The team is also much quicker to finish month end reports and responds quickly.

Cons

The onboarding process was a bit difficult. We had to adjust our expense categories to match. We would like to use the accrual accounting adjustment but haven't been able to get help with this yet.

Alternatives Considered

Pilot

Reasons for Choosing Bench

The bookkeeper we used no longer met our needs as a growing startup.

Reasons for Switching to Bench

Price and functionality

Pros

Very easy to use . This product has been very useful for me to track all business expenses and have all of the required audits of my accounts while also producing annual earnings reports. Very professional.

Cons

It would be nice if the system was able to read the memos for checks written to determine the purpose for the expenditure rather than the business owner having to review each check and identify its purpose for the business.

Pros

Bench is SIMPLE. The software provides me an accurate and easy to understand overview of my monthly and annual financials with easy-to- process visuals and graphs. The software integrates automatically with my bank and credit card, alleviating the back and forth calls and emails I used to labor through with my former "brick and mortar" accountants. When I have a question, the Bench team is always available and quick to respond.

Cons

Nada! No complaints here! I have not experienced a single problem with the Bench software

Pros

I love the ease of use. The portal is easy to get around in and I always have someone to answer my questions.

Cons

I would like to have a little more interaction as to tax planning. I understand that it doesnt necessarily fall under bookkeeping. But I would like to be able to have some sort of review.

Pros

Simply put, Bench took a headache away and made managing my bookkeeping easy and seamless. It also encourages me to be more aware of receivables and expenses + I really appreciate that I can check my books at any time, day or night. The overall look of the site is clean and approachable, and the interface is simple.

Cons

A few times my bank accounts have come "unlinked" somehow and I've had to go back in and link them.

Pros

Value. They provide services like a personal bookkeeping company. Very helpful and quick response.

Cons

Nothing comes to mind. We've been very happy with it.

Pros

After months of frustration with our old software, we switched to Bench and have been so happy. It is easy to use, painless, and so convenient.

Cons

So far I am completely happy, no cons yet!

Pros

This is the easiest bookkeeping software I've ever come across. I've been a freelance art director for many years, and have used Quickbooks, Less Accounting, and Freshbooks. With each of those, I was reminded that I'm not a bookkeeper and usually ended up messing up my books somehow.

In contrast, the Bench interface is really straight forward and simple to understand, it is easy to use, and the team is really responsive. The absolute best part is having a team of bookkeepers who know what they're doing, who take care of it all for me! They reach out if there are questions, and I can check in anytime I like. I now have confidence that my books are correct, and I have more time to focus on my business.

Cons

So far, I've found no cons to using Bench. I only wish I would have done it sooner!

Pros

The interface is clean and easy. Submitting expenses is easy and in most cases automated. My team, led by customer rep, is very responsive.

Cons

The only thing and I'm splitting hairs is that for more detailed ecommerce analytics, I need to either go to my ecommerce platform and/or pull other data for company performance. It would be helpful to be in one place. But that's a tall order for the great Bench price.

Pros

I love the ease and overall design of the software, and being able to switch between viewing the entire year, and each month. It helps me understand my financials in one glance, all in one place. It makes P&L reports infinitely more comprehensible, and they’re always completed promptly.

Cons

I have almost no complaints. My issues have been with smaller banks making it difficult to link accounts to Bench, but this is less about Bench, and more about the banks’ software.

Pros

I love the fact I can do my work and not worry about keeping track of all purchases and so forth.

Cons

I wish it had a feature to keep track of my estimated taxes.

Pros

Ease of use and up to date information always.

Cons

Nothing. They are very good at connecting everything you need.