Best Bookkeeping Services in 2025: Compare Top 12 Providers
Best Bookkeeping Services in 2025
Choosing a top bookkeeping provider in 2025 isn’t just about a low monthly fee. You want consistent quality (happy customers and clear SLAs), pricing that matches your workload, a stable partner that won’t vanish in peak season, flexibility to work in your software stack (QBO, Wave, Xero, Zoho, Freshbooks, Sage, Wave, NetSuite, SAP Business One, etc.), and enough feature depth to actually run A/P, A/R, sales tax, payroll, and month-end close. This guide gives you an at-a-glance ranking, then dives into reviews, prices, reliability, flexibility, and features — in simple, scannable tables designed to render nicely in Elementor on desktop and mobile.
Overall Rank (Top 12 Providers)
How to read this table: “Rank” is the overall position based on our composite score built from five weighted factors — Quality (30%), Pricing (20%), Reliability (20%), Flexibility (15%), and Feature Depth (15%). We break ties (in order) by higher Quality, then lower true entry Pricing, then higher Reliability; if still tied, we list alphabetically. “Superlative” is a plain-English strength. “Monthly Price” is the current starter bookkeeping tier shown by the provider and may scale with usage. Clicking on the company name takes you to the external provider website in a new tab.
| Rank | Company | Superlative | Monthly Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maxim Liberty | Best overall value for multi-function bookkeeping | From $60+/mo (5 hours/mo) |
| 2 | Pilot | Best for VC-backed startups & accrual workflows | From $169/mo (15k exp/mo) |
| 3 | Bookkeeper360 | Best “one-vendor” finance stack (BK + Tax + CFO) | From $399/mo |
| 4 | RemoteBooksOnline | Best budget choice with software included | From $150/mo (1 acct) |
| 5 | CapForge | Best for ecommerce & ops-heavy SMBs | From $249/mo |
| 6 | Merritt | Best rock-bottom flat rate (essentials only) | $250/mo flat (QBO only) |
| 7 | Xendoo | Best for weekly cadence & tax add-on | From $395/mo (4 accts, cash-basis) |
| 8 | Ignite Spot | Best embedded controller/CFO support | From $625/mo |
| 9 | inDinero | Best premium “all-in” back-office | From $750/mo |
| 10 | QuickBooks Live | Best if you already live in QBO | From $300 (50k exp/mo) |
| 11 | 1-800Accountant | Best low-friction onboarding | From $249/mo |
| 12 | Bench | Service disruptions / acquisition (Dec 2024) | From $339/mo |
Scoring Factors & Weights
We rank providers across five weighted factors: Quality (30%) — review-driven using major platforms and recent feedback; Pricing (20%) — low, transparent entry tiers with minimal gotchas; Reliability (20%) — years in business, BBB presence, and continuity signals; Flexibility (15%) — support for your software + fair contracts; Feature Depth (15%) — coverage of the full bookkeeping cycle (from coding to reconciliations to AP/AR and filings).
Quality (30%) — Reviews & Highlights
To keep this table readable on mobile, the “Reviews” column summarizes platform ratings with links; “Review Highlights” shows one short best/worst quote (≤25 words) when available.
| Company | Reviews (click to see) | Review Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Maxim Liberty | Trustindex: 5.0 BBB: A+ (Accred.) Clutch: 5.0 | Best: “Maxim Liberty provides top-notch, one of a kind service I have not seen anywhere else.” Worst: — (no substantive negatives surfaced on cited pages today) |
| Bookkeeper360 | Trustpilot: 3.1 | Best: “Quick and efficient… my books are great.” Worst: “Overbilled… poor communication… unreliable tax guidance.” |
| Pilot | Trustpilot: 4.0 | Best: “Pilot has made our bookkeeping a breeze!” Worst: “Rude customer support, insufficient financial advice, and an all around bad service” |
| RemoteBooksOnline | BBB: 4.43 Trustpilot: 4.5 | Best: “Professional and reliable… the best.” Worst: “$3460.00 to ruin my accounting.” |
| CapForge | Google: 4.9 Yelp: 4.5 | Best: “Experts… highly recommend for bookkeeping and consulting.” Worst: “I would not recommend this service, so many errors, little thought.” |
| Merritt | Google: 4.9 Yelp: 4.9 | Best: “Pocket-friendly flat rate with money-back guarantee.” Worst: — My accountant called it “The worst bookkeeping I’ve ever seen.” and he is a true professional. |
| Xendoo | Google: 4.7 Birdeye: 4.7 | Best: “Dedicated team… weekly bookkeeping keeps us on track.” Worst: “Errors made with filing of sales tax.” |
| Ignite Spot | Nicejob: 5.0 | Best: “Complete bookkeeping, payroll, and CFO.” Worst: — (no consistent negatives surfaced) |
| inDinero | G2: 3.9 Clutch: 5.0 | Best: “Knowledgeable & responsive… streamlined our accounting.” Worst: — (limited verified negatives) |
| QuickBooks Live | G2: 4.0 | Best: “Cleanup went pretty well… despite being assigned 3 bookkeepers.” Worst: “Do not do it – not worth it.” |
| 1-800Accountant | Trustpilot: 4.4 G2: 1.0 | Best: “Low-friction onboarding and broad coverage.” Worst: “Terrible and Unethical” |
| Bench | Trustpilot: 3.1 BBB: 1.0 | Best: “We had a truly excellent experience onboarding with Maya on Bench.” Worst: “They Scammed me 3K. Worst Experience Ever. Dont touch this company” |
Pricing (20%) — Plans, Limits & Features
To improve mobile rendering, each provider spans multiple plan rows. “Limits” consolidates common constraints (accounts, expense bands, usage). “Features Included” shows what you get at that tier. Plan names link to official pricing pages (external, nofollow).
| Provider | Plan (from $/mo) | Limits | Features Included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maxim Liberty | Basic (~$60) | Up to 5 hours/mo | Monthly updates & reports |
| Premium (~$120) | Up to 10 hours/mo | Weekly updates & reports | |
| Enterprise (~$240) | Up to 20 hours/mo | Daily updates & reports. Plus A/P, A/R, Sales Tax, Payroll | |
| CPA Plan (~$270) | Up to 30 hours/mo | Adhoc updates & reports | |
| Pilot | Essentials ($199) | By expense tier | Monthly bookkeeping; standard reports |
| Core ($599) | By expense tier | Accrual support; faster close; richer reporting | |
| Bookkeeper360 | Bookkeeping ($399) | Expense bands | Monthly/weekly BK; cash or accrual; reports |
| BK + Tax ($1,149) | Expense bands | Bookkeeping + tax prep/planning | |
| RemoteBooksOnline | Beginner ($150) | ~1 bank account / light | BK + QBO/Xero license; reconciliation; reports |
| Intermediate/Enterprise ($195–$375) | 2–8 accounts or higher usage | BK + software; more volume | |
| CapForge | Bookkeeping (from $249) | $249–$995 tiers | Monthly reconciliation & reporting |
| All-in Growth ($1,295–$4,495) | Scaled scope | BK + tax + advisory + CFO | |
| Merritt | Flat $250 | Essentials only | Transactions, reconciliations, basic reports |
| Xendoo | Essential ($395) | Up to $50k expenses/mo | Weekly BK; up to 4 accounts; 1 integration |
| Growth ($695) | Up to $75k expenses/mo | More accounts/integrations | |
| Scale ($995) | Up to $125k expenses/mo | Up to 12 accounts; up to 4 integrations | |
| Ignite Spot | Min. ~ $625 | Revenue-based; custom | BK + payroll + controller/CFO options |
| inDinero | From ~ $750 (custom) | Custom scope | BK + tax + CFO bundles |
| QuickBooks Live | $300 tier | $0–$10k monthly expenses | Monthly BK; QBO required; cleanup fee upfront |
| $500 tier | $10k–$50k expenses | Monthly BK; QBO required | |
| $700 tier | $50k+ expenses | Monthly BK; QBO required | |
| 1-800Accountant | From ~ $209 | Plan-based | BK + tax packaging |
| Bench | Service changes | N/A | See reliability notes (shutdown & acquisition) |
Reliability (20%) — Age, HQ, BBB
Continuity matters. Favor providers with years of operating history, transparent HQ info, and a clear exit path (exports, admin access). The late-2024 Bench shutdown is a reminder to verify stability and data portability before moving your books.
| Company | Started In | HQ | BBB Accredited? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maxim Liberty | 2005 | San Juan, PR | Yes (A+) |
| CapForge | 2000 | Carlsbad, CA | — |
| Bookkeeper360 | 2012 | Woodbury, NY | — |
| Pilot | 2017 | San Francisco, CA | No |
| Xendoo | 2016 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | — |
| Merritt | 2010 | San Diego, CA | No |
| RemoteBooksOnline | 2014 | Knoxville, TN | Yes (A+) |
| Ignite Spot | 2007–2008 | Layton, UT | Yes (A+) |
| inDinero | 2009 | Remote-first (US) | No |
| QuickBooks Live | 2019 | Mountain View, CA | No |
| 1-800Accountant | 1999 | New York, NY | A- |
| Bench | 2012 | Vancouver, BC | No |
Flexibility (15%) — Software & Contracts
Pick teams that work in your stack (QBO, Xero, Zoho, Sage, Wave, NetSuite; and industry systems like Buildium, Stessa, Propertyware, Rentvine, JobTread, Contractor Foreman). Favor month-to-month terms, refunds for unused hours where applicable, and no lock-ins to proprietary platforms.
| Company | Software Support | Contracts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maxim Liberty | All major (QBO, Xero, Zoho, Sage, Wave; NetSuite on request) | Pay upfront; cancel anytime; refund unused hours; money-back on first payment | Enterprise plan covers A/P, A/R, Sales Tax, Payroll |
| CapForge | QBO/Xero + ecommerce toolchains | Month-to-month after 90 days | All-in packages available |
| Bookkeeper360 | QBO, Xero + partner apps | Typically month-to-month (confirm plan) | BK + Tax + CFO under one roof |
| Pilot | QBO; startup-centric integrations | Annual or monthly per plan | Accrual focus; CFO & tax bundles |
| RemoteBooksOnline | QBO/Xero included | No contracts; first month free | Good for lean budgets |
| Merritt | QBO only | Flat monthly | Essential bookkeeping only |
| Xendoo | QBO/Xero + integrations | Monthly; annual discounts | Tax add-on available |
| Ignite Spot | QBO, payroll & AR/AP tooling | No long-term lock-in (per materials) | US-based team; BBB A+ |
| inDinero | QBO + mid-market tools | Custom engagement | Premium back-office bundles |
| QuickBooks Live | QBO only | Monthly; cleanup required upfront | Tiered by expense volume |
| 1-800Accountant | QBO-centric | Monthly plans | BK + tax packaging |
| Bench | Proprietary | Monthly or annual | Service changes since Dec 2024 |
Feature Depth (15%) — What’s Included
We keep this to four columns. “Core Bookkeeping” combines data entry, catchup/cleanup, reconciliations, and reporting (and, where applicable, sales tax & payroll notes). “AP/AR” combines payables and receivables. “CFO/Tax” captures advisory and tax availability.
| Company | Core Bookkeeping | AP/AR | CFO/Tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maxim Liberty | Yes (includes catchup/cleanup, recon, reporting; AP/AR, Sales Tax & Payroll: Yes on Enterprise) | Yes (Enterprise) | Yes (add-on) |
| CapForge | Yes | Yes | Yes (advisory/tax) |
| Bookkeeper360 | Yes | Yes (Back-Office add-ons) | Yes (CFO & Tax) |
| Pilot | Yes (cash/accrual) | Vendor pay optional | Yes (CFO & Tax) |
| RemoteBooksOnline | Yes (sales tax & payroll vary by plan) | Limited/basic | Tax prep not standard |
| Merritt | Monthly Updates with Essentials only | No | No |
| Xendoo | Yes (weekly; tax add-on) | Limited/basic | Tax add-on; no CFO |
| Ignite Spot | Yes | Yes | Controller/CFO & tax |
| inDinero | Yes | Yes | Yes (bundled) |
| QuickBooks Live | Yes (BK only; cleanup upfront) | No (focused on BK) | No (separate Intuit products) |
| 1-800Accountant | Yes | Limited | Tax often included |
| Bench | Historically yes | Historically limited | Historically no |
Provider Snapshots
- Maxim Liberty: Value-first with broad software support and enterprise-level options for A/P, A/R, sales tax, and payroll when you need them. Money-back stance on first payment reduces risk.
- Pilot: Excellent fit for accrual accounting, multi-system data flows, and startups that also want CFO/tax under one umbrella.
- Bookkeeper360: One-vendor finance stack (BK + Tax + CFO). Pay-as-you-go plus monthly/weekly options suit changing workloads.
- RemoteBooksOnline: Budget-friendly plans that include QBO/Xero licensing; simple monthly bookkeeping for lean SMBs.
- CapForge: Clear tiers, ecommerce/process-heavy strengths, and an option to go all-in with tax + advisory + CFO.
- Merritt: Minimalist, flat-rate bookkeeping using QBO. Great price if you truly only need essentials.
- Xendoo: Weekly cadence with predictable pricing by expense band; tax available as an add-on.
- Ignite Spot: Controller/CFO leadership with bookkeeping — strong for owners wanting finance coaching.
- inDinero: Premium managed back-office with tax and CFO — good for growing firms wanting one contract.
- QuickBooks Live: If you’re deep in QBO and want a native monthly service, it’s a simple add-on (note cleanup prerequisite).
- 1-800Accountant: Broad national footprint and plan packaging that often bundles bookkeeping + tax.
- Bench: All-in-one software + service platform that faced disruption in December 2024; they shutdown operations but were then salvaged by employer.com.
Supporting Reads
