Bench vs FreeAgent
- ✦ Dedicated Bookkeeper
- ✦ Monthly Financial Statements
- ✦ Year-end Tax Package
- ✦ Invoicing
- ✦ Expense Tracking
- ✦ Time Tracking
Bench and FreeAgent are both Accounting tools. Bench starts at $199/mo, FreeAgent at $24/mo. Compare features, pricing, and ratings below to find the best fit for your team.
When to Choose Bench vs FreeAgent
The question that matters: “In what situation will I regret choosing A over B after 3 months?”
Historical Bookkeeping reconstructs transaction records from bank statements and receipts, delivering audit-ready Monthly Financial Statements in 2-4 months.
Bank Connections syncs 12,000+ financial institutions and a dedicated bookkeeper reconciles each account as transactions clear, catching errors in 48 hours.
FreeAgent's Time Tracking logs hours by project and auto-populates invoice line items, cutting invoice prep by 40% for contractors managing multiple engagements.
Self-Assessment Tax compiles P&L, claims allowable expenses, and feeds summaries directly into HMRC filing, cutting accountant review from 6 weeks to 10 days.
The VAT module tracks input and output tax across the quarter, and Bank Feeds auto-categorize transactions by VAT status before the 48-hour pre-filing export.
FreeAgent Estimates become invoices in one click, preserving line items, rates, and project tags - cutting the quote-to-invoice gap from 5 days to same day.
Pricing Comparison & PlansHigh· Verified Jun 2, 2026
Bench Plans
Paid plans only
Bookkeeping Grow
$199/moBest for: Dedicated bookkeeping experts, Monthly books & year-end tax packages, P&L, balance sheet, 1099 reporting
- ✓Dedicated bookkeeping experts
- ✓Accurate monthly books
- ✓Year-end tax-ready financial statements
- ✓Unlimited communication with your bookkeeping team
- ✓P&L, balance sheet, and 1099 reporting
Bookkeeping Core + Tax
$599/mo- ✓All features of Bookkeeping Core
- ✓Full-service bookkeeping with income tax advisory
- ✓Annual income tax filing for businesses (partnerships, S corps, C corps)
- ✓Annual income tax filing for individuals (sole proprietors, contractors)
- ✓Dedicated team of licensed tax professionals
Bookkeeping Core
$319/mo- ✓All features of Bookkeeping Grow
- ✓Reliable bookkeeping for basic financial reporting
- ✓100% tax deductible
- ✓Custom categorizations
FreeAgent Plans
Paid plans only
Capability Breakdown
3 differences found across 16 standardized features
- •Dedicated Bookkeeper
- •Monthly Financial Statements
- •Year-end Tax Package
- •Tax Filing
- •Bank Connections
- •Receipt Management
- •Payroll Support
- •Historical Bookkeeping
- •Dashboard
- •Profit & Loss
- •Balance Sheet
- •Cash Flow
- •Mobile App
- •1099 Filing
- •Catch-up Bookkeeping
- •Invoicing
- •Expense Tracking
- •Time Tracking
- •Bank Feeds
- •Self-Assessment Tax
- •VAT
- •Project Management
- •Estimates
- •Multi-currency
- •Payroll
- •Reports
- •Mobile App
- •Accountant Access
- •Receipt Capture
- •Direct Bank Connections
Strengths & Limitations
Evaluative strengths and weaknesses: not feature lists
- +Dedicated human bookkeeper who learns your business
- +Intuitive software designed for non-accountants
- +Year-end financial package for tax filing included
- +Catch-up bookkeeping for past-due books (add-on)
- +Direct communication with your bookkeeper via the app
- −Does not offer accounts payable or receivable (bill pay/invoicing)
- −No inventory management features
- −Not a full replacement for a CPA; tax filing is a separate service
- −Pricing is per business, can be costly for multiple entities
- −Primarily for US-based small businesses using cash-basis accounting
- +Free for NatWest, RBS, and Mettle business banking customers
- +Directly files UK Self Assessment and Corporation Tax returns
- +Strong project-based accounting with time tracking and estimates
- +Automated dividend vouchers for UK limited company directors
- +Intuitive dashboard provides an at-a-glance tax timeline
- −Primarily designed for UK tax system; limited US/global use
- −No dedicated inventory management module for product businesses
- −Lacks advanced features like multi-currency invoicing in base plan
- −Limited third-party app integrations compared to competitors
- −No built-in payroll for businesses with more than 10 employees
At a Glance
Recent Price History
Bench removed the "Premium" plan
Plan removed · Jun 2, 2026
Bench removed the "Essential" plan
Plan removed · Jun 2, 2026
Bench added a new "Bookkeeping Core + Tax" plan at $599/mo
Plan added · Jun 2, 2026
Bench added a new "Bookkeeping Core" plan (Custom pricing)
Plan added · Jun 2, 2026
Bench added a new "Bookkeeping Grow" plan at $199/mo
Plan added · Jun 2, 2026
Update · May 21, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Data Trail · FreeAgent
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