RemoteBooks Online Review (2026)
RemoteBooks Online offers virtual bookkeeping services at $150 per month for a single account, designed for small businesses that want a dedicated bookkeeper with predictable per-account pricing. In this blog, we provide an objective review of RemoteBooks Online, compare it with Maxim Liberty, and outline the key differences to help you make an informed decision. RemoteBooks Online is a virtual bookkeeping service that charges $150 per month for one connected account, $195 per month for two (per its pricing page, retrieved Aug 24, 2026). The company pairs each client with a dedicated bookkeeper and delivers monthly financial statements — positioning itself as an affordable alternative to in-house bookkeeping. But how does the service hold up in practice, and where does it fall short compared to a full-service provider?
Choosing the right virtual bookkeeping provider means sifting through dozens of options — each with different pricing, tech stacks, and service models. RemoteBooks Online positions itself as a budget-friendly choice for small businesses that use QuickBooks. Below, we break down their real pricing, service limits, and how they compare to a US-headquartered bookkeeping support team like Maxim Liberty. Considering outsourcing your books? Maxim Liberty pairs every bookkeeper with a supervisor for dual review.
At a Glance: RemoteBooks Online vs. Maxim Liberty
Before diving into the details, here is the head-to-head comparison. The data below comes from publicly listed pricing and verified service offerings:| Factors | Remote Books Online | Maxim Liberty | The Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customer Rating | 4.9 weighted average Trustindex 4.9 (92)Clutch 5.0 (14)Trustindex aggregates Google (57), Trustindex (10), Yelp (9), G2 (7), Facebook (5) and BBB (4) |
Higher Quality | |
| BBB Rating | Both BBB A+ accredited | ||
| Base Monthly Price | $150/mo (1 account) · $195/mo (2 accounts) — retrieved Aug 24, 2026 | $75/mo for 1 entity (5 hours) | 50% Savings |
| Catch-Up Bookkeeping | $150 per past month at up to 200 transactions, rising to $250, $350 and $500 at higher volumes (their pricing calculator, checked 29 September 2026) | $75 per catch-up month (up to 5 hrs, then $15/hr) — no limit on how far back | 78% Savings |
| Special Plan for CPAs | $1,000/mo (up to 40 hours). Additional $25/hr. Quoted to us; not published on remotebooksonline.com (29 September 2026) | $300/mo (up to 30 hours). Additional $10/hr. | 70% Savings |
| Enterprise AP/AR | Available as a paid add-on (not in base plans) | Yes — dedicated AP/AR ($15/hr) | Scales with You |
The Verdict: Real Customer Experiences
How these quotes were selected. We show the 5 most recent worst reviews over the past 3 years for each provider — or all of them where fewer exist. The same rule is applied to both companies, and quotes are reproduced verbatim (and, where long, truncated) from the linked public sources — Remote Books Online reviews from Trustpilot, Maxim Liberty reviews from our Trustindex profile and Clutch. Each quote links to its source; where a platform does not publish per-review permalinks, we link to the review profile it appears on.
Why the worst reviews rather than the best? Every bookkeeping provider can point to happy customers, so a five-star review mostly tells you what the service looks like when nothing goes wrong. When you hand a firm your books, the risk you are actually buying against is what happens when something does go wrong — whether errors get corrected, whether filing deadlines slip, and whether anyone answers when you chase them. The most critical reviews are the fastest way to see that, which is why we apply the same worst-case test to our own record on this page.
Why our column shows 5-star reviews: Maxim Liberty has not received a review below 5 stars in the last three years, so these are our worst. Our two 4-star reviews date from February 2019 and March 2022, and our only 1-star review is from October 2017 — all three are public and readable in full on our Trustindex profile, which shows 4.9 out of 5 across 92 reviews (89 five-star, 2 four-star, 1 one-star).
“LOW QUALITY SERVICE WITH MANY MISTAKES! WASTE OF TIME TO FIX!… I thought that after the first year, they would learn the pattern, learn from mistakes, look back at similar transactions and improve. But I was wrong! They did not improve… They know that I am a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Management Accountant. I thought that naturally they would put their most qualified staff on my account and review for accuracy. But I was wrong again!… the result is low quality, inaccurate, sloppy output with so many errors that you can NOT rely on these financial statements or general ledger… I had to file an EXTENSION for my S-corporation tax return and then I had to file an EXTENSION for my personal tax return. The low price is not worth the aggravation.”
“Maxim Liberty Services was easily the best investment I made last year in my bookkeeping firm. Outsourcing my bookkeeping has freed up so much of my time to support even more growth.”
“They do not focus on the quality of their work, and their reviews books are also very poor. It was a complete waste of time and money. I would not recommend taking services from this firm. They don’t know how to work on advance level.”
“Rockstars! What an awesome solution for a small business… Reliable, friendly, professional, and fairly priced.”
“Offshore bandits. These guys are clueless about classes or categories. Even if you already have everything classed and categorized they will erase them and throw everything into chaos. I am to this day still r…”
“Professional, detailed, and highly organized. They worked closely with me to build a system tailored to my specific business needs.”
“$3,460.00 to ruin my accounting. For $3,460.00 Remote Books Online rendered my accounting for 2023 completely useless, costing me time and money to reassemble the accounting. I told RBO what I needed included in the accounti…”
“We have been using its services for 5+ years and are extremely happy with their work.”
“I engaged with RBO in September 2024. I was told they would audit YTD and move forward with ongoing bookkeeping… First, they deleted all of the records we had YTD in Xero… After deleting all of our records, they then had the audacity to send me a “Ask my accountant” spreadsheet asking for all of the data they already had. I spent hours going through our records to get this remedied.”
“The growth and success of my business is 100% due to their work. I’m sub-contracting out a vast quantity of work to them, and it just wouldn’t be possible otherwise. I depend on Maxim Liberty, Inc. to an enormous degree. I’m so pleased with their work.”
What Is RemoteBooks Online?
RemoteBooks Online is a US-registered virtual bookkeeping service that handles transaction categorization, bank reconciliation, and monthly financial reporting. They support QuickBooks Online and Xero, and each client is assigned a dedicated bookkeeper. Their service includes CPA review of monthly deliverables.RemoteBooks Online Pricing
1. The Per-Account Fee Model
Unlike flat-rate providers, RemoteBooks Online prices by the number of connected accounts. Here is how the math works for a typical small business:- 1 account — $150/mo (published Beginner plan)
- 2 accounts — $195/mo (published Intermediate plan, “unlimited transactions”)
- 3 or more accounts — no published rate. RemoteBooks Online publishes only the two tiers above; beyond two accounts its pricing page directs you to request a quote (remotebooksonline.com/pricing, retrieved 11 September 2026).
We have deliberately not estimated what a third or sixth account would cost. RemoteBooks Online does not publish it, and inventing a figure would misrepresent their pricing. What we can say is that the published ladder stops at two accounts — so the moment you add a third bank or credit card account, you are into a quote and the cost is no longer knowable in advance.
The more accounts you connect, the higher the monthly cost. For businesses with multiple bank accounts, credit cards, and payment processors, the per-account model adds up quickly. The Maxim Liberty Difference: We start at just $75 per month. We do not charge per-account fees. You pay strictly for the time our bookkeepers actively spend working on your ledger, regardless of how many bank feeds are connected.2. Catch-Up Bookkeeping Costs
If you are behind on your books, RemoteBooks Online generally charges a flat historical monthly rate (e.g., $150) for every historical month they process. If you need a full year of catch-up bookkeeping, you are looking at approximately $1,800 ($150 × 12). The Maxim Liberty Difference: We recognize that processing 12 months of backlogged bookkeeping at once is highly efficient because rules and vendor categorizations carry over. We offer discounted catch-up pricing based on actual volume. For example, assuming 100 transactions per month (1,200 total) at $0.25 per transaction, plus basic setup, your catch-up cost with us would be roughly $400. That is a 78% savings compared to flat monthly multipliers. And there is no limit on how far back we can go — whether you need 1 year, 5 years, or 10 years of catch-up, we handle it all.What RemoteBooks Online’s Dedicated-Bookkeeper Plans Actually Cost Per Hour
RemoteBooks Online is widely described as a budget option, and at the bottom of its range it is: $150/month for one bank account, $195/month for two. But those flat tiers stop at two accounts. If you need a dedicated bookkeeper and real hours, you move to a different price list — and that is where the “budget” description stops holding.
Their published dedicated-bookkeeper tiers, quoted verbatim from remotebooksonline.com/pricing (retrieved 9 September 2026; also visible in this archived copy from 13 May 2026, so these rates have been stable for months):
- Basic — $1,400/month. “Hourly Rate: $35/hour · Commitment: 40 hours / Month · Total Monthly Cost: $1,400”
- Standard — $2,400/month. “Hourly Rate: $30/hour · Commitment: 80 hours / Month”
- Premium — $4,000/month. “Hourly Rate: $25/hour · Commitment: 160 hours / Month”
To their credit, each tier also states “No long-term commitments” and “Additional hours billed at the same hourly rate,” so overage is not penalised and you are not tied into a term. The issue is not the contract. It is the rate, and which customer pays the highest one.
The rate is inverted: the smallest buyer pays the most
RemoteBooks Online charges $35/hour at 40 hours and only drops to $25/hour once you commit to 160 hours a month — roughly a full-time person. Maxim Liberty charges $15/hour at any volume, and $10/hour for CPA firms. Their best-case rate, after a 160-hour commitment, is still 67% above our everyday rate.
The same hours, priced both ways
Maxim Liberty’s Enterprise plan is $300/month including 20 hours, with additional hours at $15/hour (see our pricing page). Running RemoteBooks Online’s own block sizes through both rate cards:
| Hours per month | RemoteBooks Online | Maxim Liberty | The Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 hours | $1,400 $35/hour | $600 $15/hour — $300 plan + 20 hrs | Save $800/mo |
| 80 hours | $2,400 $30/hour | $1,200 $15/hour — $300 plan + 60 hrs | Save $1,200/mo |
| 160 hours | $4,000 $25/hour | $2,400 $15/hour — $300 plan + 140 hrs | Save $1,600/mo |
For CPA firms on our wholesale tier — $300/month including 30 hours, then $10/hour — the same three volumes come to $400, $800 and $1,600, against $1,400, $2,400 and $4,000. That is 60–71% less.
The floor matters more than the rate
The headline number on their dedicated plans is not $35/hour. It is $1,400/month — the smallest dedicated-bookkeeper block they publish. If your real need is 25 hours a month, that is what you buy, and the effective cost is roughly $56 per hour of work you actually use. The same 25 hours with Maxim Liberty is $300 plus five hours at $15, or $375.
Our entry point is $75/month, which includes 5 hours, with additional hours at $15/hour and no lock-in contracts. You can scale hours up and down month to month instead of choosing between a two-account flat plan and a $1,400 block with little in between.
Is RemoteBooks Online Actually Startup-Friendly? (The Reality)
RBO markets itself as accessible for small businesses, but the per-account pricing model can quickly add up for early-stage founders managing multiple QBO files, sister entities, or backlog cleanup.The Per-Account Trap
- $150/account base: Higher than alternatives — and multiplied for every additional QBO file or entity you maintain.
- Per-account escalation: The published jump from one account ($150/mo) to two ($195/mo) is $45/mo, and RBO publishes no rates beyond two accounts (retrieved Aug 24, 2026) — each additional entity or QBO file raises the bill.
- Catch-up pricing trap: Historical bookkeeping bills out at roughly $150/month per backlog month. A startup with 6–12 months of backlog quickly runs $900–$1,800+ in catch-up alone.
- Flat-rate when you don’t need it: RBO charges the full monthly rate even in slow months when transaction volume is light.
How Maxim Liberty Compares
- $75/month for 1 entity (5 hours): Transparent published rate with no hidden tiers or escalation surprises.
- Catch-up at $75 per catch-up month: a flat rate covering up to 5 hours per backlog month (additional hours at $15/hr) instead of a monthly bracket. Pay only for the hours actually needed to clean up backlog, not a flat monthly bracket.
- Hourly model scales with your reality: Slow months cost less; busy months cost more — billed for actual work performed.
Startup Pricing Comparison (1 entity, 5 hours/month)
| QBO Files / Accounts | RemoteBooks Online | Maxim Liberty | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 account | $150/mo (published Beginner rate) | $75/mo | $75/mo savings |
| 2 accounts | $195/mo (published rate) | $75/mo | $120/mo savings |
| 3 or 4 accounts | $225/mo (published Enterprise 3–4 rate) | $75/mo | $150/mo savings |
| 5 or 6 accounts | $275/mo (published Enterprise 5–6 rate) | $75/mo | $200/mo savings |
| 7 or 8 accounts | $325/mo (published Enterprise 7–8 rate) | $75/mo | $250/mo savings |
RemoteBooksOnline rates above are the account tiers from its own pricing calculator (remotebooksonline.com/resources/pricing-calculator, checked 29 September 2026). The calculator adds a transaction-volume step on top: $25 for 201–500 transactions a month, $50 for 501–1,000 and $100 above 1,000. Add-ons are separate — sales-tax filing $50/mo per state and A/P with A/R $100/mo as a single charge. Payroll is modelled here at $60/mo plus $6 per employee and $10 per additional state — $66 for one employee in one state, $120 for ten. Their public calculator currently lists payroll as a flat $75/mo (checked 5 October 2026), so confirm the rate that applies to your headcount and states. Maxim Liberty figures are the Standard plan minimum.
Is RemoteBooks Online CPA-Friendly?
CPA firms managing multiple end-clients have a different workload structure than direct businesses. The question is whether RBO has a tier built for that workflow — and whether it covers multiple entities at a flat rate without per-account stacking.RBO’s CPA Picture
- White-label pricing not published: RBO advertises white-label bookkeeping for CPA and bookkeeping firms but publishes no rates for it on remotebooksonline.com or its pricing page (checked 29 September 2026).
- What RBO quoted us: When we asked, RBO described three per-client plan types for firms — account-based at $95, $130 and $175 per month for one, two and three accounts, then $25 per additional account, with unlimited transactions; expense-based from $175/mo at $10,000 in monthly expenses to $275/mo at $25,000; and hourly at $1,000 for up to 40 hours, with additional hours at $25/hr. Add-ons were quoted at $10 per location for class tracking, $65 per five jobs for job costing, $200/mo for inventory and $100/mo per client for A/P and A/R, with catch-up at 30% off. None of this appears on remotebooksonline.com, so ask RBO to confirm before relying on it.
- Per-client stacking: Every end-client carries its own base. A 4-client practice with one account each starts at $380/mo on the quoted floor ($95 × 4), before add-ons — and each extra account adds to that client’s line.
- Who does the work: RBO told us it runs 230 bookkeepers and 70 accountants in Hyderabad, India, with 18–20 CPAs in the US and support hours of 9am–4pm EST. Its own site says “offshore processing” but names no location, so a firm that must tell its clients where the work is done should ask.
- Hours only in $1,000 blocks: The account-based plans are flat per client, so slow months cost the same as busy ones; the hourly alternative starts at a $1,000 block for 40 hours ($25/hr), against $300 for 30 hours and $10/hr after that on our CPA plan.
Maxim Liberty’s CPA Path: $75 → $300
- Solo CPA, 1 entity — $75/month (5 hours): Same entry pricing as a direct business. Start here if you’re managing your own books or a single client.
- CPA Firm, unlimited entities — $300/month CPA Plan (30 hours): White-label, unlimited entities included, no per-account multiplier. The only Maxim Liberty plan that covers multiple entities under a single engagement.
- Beyond 30 hours — additional hours billed at $10/hour: Scales without bracket walls; pay for the hours used.
- Built for CPA workflow: White-label deliverables, dedicated bookkeeper, response SLAs that match a firm’s client-facing cadence.
The Bottom Line for CPAs
Most CPA practices run multiple active end-clients at any given time. Maxim Liberty’s $300/month CPA plan — 30 hours per month with no limit on the number of entities covered — was built specifically for that workload. RBO quoted us per-client white-label plans rather than a bundled tier, so every additional entity adds another per-client base of $95/mo and up (as quoted to us; not published).CPA Firm Pricing Comparison
| CPA Firm Workload | RemoteBooks Online | Maxim Liberty | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 entity, 4 accounts | $200/mo (quoted white-label rate, not published) | $75/mo (5 hrs) | $125/mo savings |
| 2 entities, 8 accounts | $400/mo (quoted white-label rate, not published) | $150/mo (10 hrs) | $250/mo savings |
| 5 entities, 20 accounts | $1,000/mo (quoted white-label rate, not published) | $300/mo CPA Plan (30 hrs) | $700/mo savings — 3.3× cheaper |
| 10 entities, 40 accounts | $2,000/mo (quoted white-label rate, not published) | $300/mo CPA Plan (30 hrs) | $1,700/mo savings — 6.7× cheaper |
Note: RemoteBooks Online advertises white-label bookkeeping for firms but publishes no rates for it on remotebooksonline.com or its pricing page (checked 29 September 2026). The figures shown are the per-client, account-based white-label rates RBO quoted to us when we asked — $95/mo for one account, $130 for two, $175 for three and $25 for each additional account, unlimited transactions — so ask RBO to confirm. It also quoted an expense-based plan ($175/mo at $10,000 in monthly expenses to $275/mo at $25,000), an hourly plan ($1,000 for up to 40 hours, then $25/hr), class tracking at $10 per location, job costing at $65 per five jobs, inventory at $200/mo and A/P and A/R at $100/mo per client, with catch-up at 30% off.
Comparing offshore CPA-firm staffing options? See our TOA Global review — Australia-based offshore staffing for accounting practices with quote-only pricing.
Comparing tiered subscription bookkeeping? See our CoCountant review — controller-led bookkeeping with annual-billed plans from $160 to $1,790/month and a class-tracking paywall.
RemoteBooks Online: Pros and Cons
What RemoteBooks Online Does Well
- Affordable entry price — at $150/mo for a single account, RemoteBooks Online is one of the lower-cost options on the market for basic bookkeeping.
- No software lock-in — they work with your existing QuickBooks Online or Xero account, so you keep your data if you leave.
- Dedicated bookkeeper — each client is assigned a specific bookkeeper rather than being routed to a pool.
- CPA review included — monthly deliverables are reviewed by a CPA before delivery.
- BBB accredited — A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.
Where RemoteBooks Online Falls Short
- Per-account pricing adds up — the $150 base covers one account. Most businesses connect more than two accounts, and RemoteBooks Online does not publish a rate beyond the two-account tier — so the real cost is quote-only and not knowable up front.
- Limited service scope — RemoteBooks Online focuses on transaction categorization and reconciliation. They do not offer accounts payable management, accounts receivable management, sales tax filing, or year-end tax preparation as part of their standard plans.
- No industry specialization — the service uses a general approach. Businesses in specialized industries like construction, restaurants, or nonprofits may find their needs unmet.
- Basic financial reporting — deliverables are limited to P&L and balance sheet. No cash flow statements, custom reports, or financial analysis.
- Software limited to QBO and Xero — if you use Sage, FreshBooks, NetSuite, or Wave, RemoteBooks Online cannot support you.
- Data integrity concerns — several customer reviews report that their bookkeeper modified or deleted existing account classes, disrupting previously organized records.
- No CPA firm partnerships — unlike providers that offer white-label bookkeeping for CPA firms, RemoteBooks Online serves direct clients only.
Is RemoteBooks Online Enterprise-Ready?
At enterprise scope — high-transaction-volume bookkeeping, AP/AR processing, multi-currency consolidation, or 20+ hours of monthly work — RBO’s per-account flat fee starts to fall short. Their standard plan doesn’t include AP/AR scaling, and additional scope typically requires a custom quote. Maxim Liberty’s $300/month plan bundles 20 hours of work for a single entity, including AP/AR, at a published rate.Enterprise Pricing Comparison (1 entity, AP/AR + multi-currency, 20 hours/month)
| QBO Files / Accounts | RemoteBooks Online | Maxim Liberty | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 accounts + AP/AR | $195/mo (2 accounts) + custom AP/AR add-ons | $300/mo for 20 hours (bundled) | Predictable, all-in |
| 3 accounts + AP/AR | Not published — quote required (2-account tier is their top published rate) | $300/mo for 20 hours | Predictable, all-in |
| 4 accounts + AP/AR | Not published — quote required (2-account tier is their top published rate) | $300/mo for 20 hours | Predictable, all-in |
| 6 accounts + AP/AR | Not published — quote required (2-account tier is their top published rate) | $300/mo for 20 hours | Predictable, all-in |
Note: RemoteBooksOnline publishes add-on rates of $100/mo for A/P with A/R together, a flat $75/mo for payroll and $50/mo per state for sales-tax filing on its pricing calculator (payroll re-checked 5 October 2026). We model payroll at $60/mo plus $6 per employee and $10 per additional state — $66 for a single employee in one state, rising to $120 at ten employees — which differs from the flat figure they publish, so confirm it for your own headcount and states. They publish nothing for enterprise-scale A/P, multi-currency, controller or CFO work, or for white-label engagements. RBO totals here show the account tier plus the transaction-volume step; enterprise scope requires a quote on top.
RemoteBooks Online vs. Maxim Liberty: Full Comparison
The table below provides a detailed feature-by-feature breakdown of both services:| Factors | Remote Books Online | Maxim Liberty | The Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Pricing | $150/mo (1 account) / $195/mo (2 accounts) | Custom plans from $75/mo | 50%+ Savings |
| Software Supported | QuickBooks Online, Xero | QuickBooks, Xero, Sage, FreshBooks, Wave, NetSuite, and more | 6× More Platforms |
| CPA Review | Yes — included | CPA-ready packages prepared for your CPA | CPA-Ready |
| Dedicated Bookkeeper | Yes | Yes — dedicated team | Dedicated Team |
| Accounts Payable | No | Yes — full AP management ($15/hr) | Full AP Support |
| Accounts Receivable | No | Yes — invoicing and collections ($15/hr) | Full AR Support |
| Payroll | Add-on — payroll from $66/mo (1 employee), sales tax $50/mo per state, A/P with A/R $100/mo | Included or add-on | Included |
| Sales Tax Filing | Add-on | Yes | Included |
| Industry Specialization | General small business | 25+ industries | 25+ Industries |
| CPA Firm Support | No | Yes — white-label for CPA firms ($10/hr) | White-Label Ready |
| Financial Reporting | P&L, balance sheet | P&L, balance sheet, cash flow, custom reports | More Reports |
| Catch-Up Bookkeeping | Custom quote (charged per historical month) | $75 per catch-up month (up to 5 hrs, then $15/hr) — no limit on how far back | No Limit |
| Years in Business | Since 2012 | 20+ years (since 2005) | 7 More Years |
Who Should Use RemoteBooks Online?
RemoteBooks Online is a reasonable choice for micro-businesses that need basic bookkeeping with a single connected account and do not require advanced services like AP/AR management, payroll, or industry-specific expertise. It works best for:- Solo businesses with one bank account and one credit card
- Businesses that only need transaction categorization and monthly P&L
- Companies already using QuickBooks Online or Xero
- Businesses with straightforward, low-volume books
RemoteBooks Online Alternatives Worth Comparing
Maxim Liberty is our recommended alternative for businesses whose 3–6 connected accounts turn RBO’s per-account pricing into a full-service bill. Here are the four worth shortlisting in 2026:
- Maxim Liberty — best overall RemoteBooks Online alternative. Human-led bookkeeping in your QuickBooks, Xero, or Sage account from $75/month billed on hours — not per account — with catch-up included and a 100% money-back guarantee on 1st retainer, refundable on the unused balance. 20+ years in business, BBB A+ accredited, and #1 on the 2026 Clutch Leaders Matrix.
- Bench — most turnkey proprietary platform. Bookkeeping Grow from $199/month for businesses under $250K in revenue; Core from $399/month, Core + Tax from $649/month, all billed monthly (per bench.co, retrieved 27 September 2026); now owned by Employer.com, which has consolidated brands under MainStreet, though the site still brands as Bench.
- Pilot — best for VC-backed startups. AI-driven bookkeeping from $99/month, human-led Core from $299/month billed annually (per pilot.com/pricing, retrieved Aug 28, 2026).
- QuickBooks Live — best if you only need help inside QBO. Now folded into “QuickBooks Experts”; Intuit no longer publishes flat tiers (Jul 2026).