While QuickBooks Live and Bookkeeper.com both offer basic bookkeeping assistance, account reconciliation, and financial statements, Bookkeeper.com goes far beyond that. It has the option to add other services—like bill pay, invoicing, and payroll returns—and will even customize any service for your needs. We don’t declare an overall winner in our comparison of QuickBooks Live vs Bookkeeper.com. While Bookkeeper.com wins in terms of services provided, it is considerably more expensive than QuickBooks Live if you’re looking for basic bookkeeping.
When we compare QuickBooks Live and Bookkeeper.com, we see they have fundamentally different business models. QuickBooks Live is a large organization that leverages economies of scale to provide a good standardized service at an affordable price. Meanwhile, Bookkeeper.com is a small boutique tax and bookkeeping firm that will work with you to develop a custom plan that will meet all your needs, albeit for a higher price than QuickBooks Live.
- QuickBooks Live: Best for small businesses looking for standard bookkeeping services at an affordable price
- Bookkeeper.com: Optimal for small businesses seeking a full-service bookkeeper, plus payroll, tax preparation, and financial planning
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Use Cases and Pros & Cons
- QuickBooks Online users who want assistance with setting up their QuickBooks accounts: Your QuickBooks Live bookkeeper will not only assist with setting up your chart of accounts, but they will also connect your bank and credit card accounts.
- QuickBooks Online users who need a dedicated QuickBooks ProAdvisor to answer their questions: Your dedicated bookkeeper will reconcile your accounts and provide you with financial reports on a monthly basis. They’re also available to meet with you to review these reports and assist with account inquiries.
Pros
- Works seamlessly with QuickBooks Online and other QuickBooks products
- Offers a 100% Accurate Books Guarantee
- Includes monthly financial reports
Cons
- Has no income tax services
- Has no A/R, A/P, or inventory management features
- Requires a subscription to QuickBooks Online, which is an additional cost
Do you want to learn more about the top-recommended accounting platforms for small businesses? See our evaluation of the best small business accounting software.
User Reviews: QuickBooks Live Wins
QuickBooks Live received mainly positive reviews from users, who praised the customer support team and the service’s affordability. Some wished that it offered tax services as well, but overall we agree that it is a good fit for most small businesses needing a bookkeeper to assist with transaction categorization and reconciliations. In comparison, we were unable to find any user reviews for Bookkeeper.com, so that was not considered in our evaluation of the service.
QuickBooks Live received high praise from users who appreciated the responsiveness and knowledge of the customer support team. They also liked that the fees are affordable and the dashboard itself is easy to navigate. Two complaints among reviewers are that there aren’t any bill pay or invoicing services available and that income tax filing and advisory services aren’t provided. Many also wished that QuickBooks Live offered a trial so that they could try the service for free before committing.
QuickBooks Live earned the following average scores on popular review sites:
- Capterra[1]: 4.5 out of 5 based on almost 70 reviews
- G2.com[2]: 4.0 out of 5 based on almost 80 reviews
Pricing: QuickBooks Live Wins
We believe that QuickBooks Live has better pricing as its starting price is half that of Bookkeeper.com. If you’re looking for basic bookkeeping services, then it is without a doubt more affordable. That’s not to say that Bookkeeper.com is overpriced. If you’re in need of the customized services it provides, we recommend contacting the provider to get a custom quote before making your final decision.
QuickBooks Live and Bookkeeper.com price their basic bookkeeping service based on different scales. The pricing for QuickBooks Live is based on a monthly expense cap while Bookkeeper.com prices its services based on the number of transactions per month, in addition to an annual gross revenue cap.
While Bookkeeper.com limits the size of companies that can be covered in its predefined plans, QuickBooks Live will provide bookkeeping for any size firm in their High Volume plan for $400 per month. Smaller firms with less than $50,000 in monthly expenses can take advantage of the lower-priced plans. In addition to QuickBooks Live’s fee, you’ll need to pay for a subscription to QuickBooks Online, which starts at $30 for its most basic plan.
Similar to QuickBooks Live, Bookkeeper.com offers three subscription plans with predefined pricing, which vary depending on the number of monthly transactions or frequency of service. However, if your company has over $1,000,000 in annual revenue, you’ll need to contact Bookkeeper.com for a custom quote. You’ll also need to request a custom quote or any additional services, such as payroll or tax preparation. Like QuickBooks Live, there’s no free trial available.
Another important difference between Bookkeeper.com vs QuickBooks Live pricing is that Bookkeeper.com varies the frequency of service as you move up in plans, whereas QuickBooks Live offers monthly service to all companies. For example, companies in the Small Business Advanced plan receive weekly service while companies in the Small Business plan receive monthly service.
Features: Bookkeeper.com Wins
There’s some overlap with the available features for both QuickBooks Live and Bookkeeper.com, such as dedicated bookkeepers, account reconciliation, and financial reporting. However, Bookkeeper.com offers a much more extensive array of services than QuickBooks Live, which includes payroll management and document storage. These are why we selected Bookkeeper.com as the winner of this category.
Dedicated Bookkeeper: Bookkeeper.com Wins
Both QuickBooks Live and Bookkeeper.com match you with a dedicated bookkeeper who will work with you to ensure that your books are set up correctly, performing a monthly close and sending financial reports on a monthly basis. However, a QuickBooks Live bookkeeper’s involvement is minimal while a Bookkeeper.com bookkeeper can perform transactions on your behalf within the software itself.
Tax Preparation: Bookkeeper.com Wins
Bookkeeper.com can prepare all individual and business tax returns. For family businesses conducting succession planning, Bookkeeper.com can even prepare the necessary gift and estate tax returns.
Payroll Management: Bookkeeper.com Wins
QuickBooks Live doesn’t offer payroll management, but Bookkeper.com offers a comprehensive payroll solution that includes
- Payroll accounting
- Federal and state tax compliance
- Quarterly and year-end tax forms
- Payroll reporting
- W-2 and 1099 processing
Business Consulting: Bookkeeper.com Wins
Bookkeeper.com also offers general business consulting, strategic and tax planning, and training if needed, and fractional chief financial officer (CFO) services are available in Plus and Advanced as well as with its custom plans. These features aren’t offered by QuickBooks Live.
Ease of Use: Tie
Both QuickBooks Live and Bookkeeper.com allow access via a client portal, which you can use to communicate with your dedicated bookkeeper and view their progress on your books. Both interfaces are user-friendly and provide an online help section for any issues that may arise, which is why we ruled this category a tie.
QuickBooks Live matches you with a team of QuickBooks-certified bookkeepers who are tailored to your business. You’ll be assigned a primary bookkeeper with a team of bookkeepers behind them—and they’ll work together on a custom plan. They’ll keep your books up to date, categorizing transactions and reconciling accounts regularly throughout the month.
If you ever have a question between appointments, your team is ready to help with on-demand chat. At the end of each month, your bookkeeper will close your books, and you’ll receive custom, up-to-date reports.
Meanwhile, after you sign up for Bookkeeper.com, you’ll be assigned a dedicated bookkeeper, and you’ll grant them access to your QuickBooks account. You’ll still maintain access so that you can monitor the bookkeeping activities that they perform on your behalf and also have access to up-to-date reports. During the onboarding process, your bookkeeper will ensure that your bank accounts are connected to QuickBooks, then they’ll download the statements and classify them in QuickBooks.
Integrations: QuickBooks Live Wins
QuickBooks Online users who work with QuickBooks Live have access to several built-in and third-party integrations, which is why we selected it as the winner in this category. Bookkeeper.com doesn’t appear to integrate with any other programs besides QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop:
- QuickBooks Live integrations: QuickBooks Payroll, QuickBooks Time, QuickBooks Payments, Shopify, Fathom, Method:CRM, Insightly, Hubdoc, AutoEntry, TradeGecko, and more
- Bookkeeper.com integrations: QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop
Mobile App: QuickBooks Live Wins
Neither QuickBooks Live nor Bookkeeper.com currently offers a dedicated mobile app. The features shown in the table above relate to QuickBooks Online’s mobile app.
Customer Support: QuickBooks Live Wins
The major difference between the two is that QuickBooks Live offers more support resources than Bookkeeper.com, which is lacking community support, live chat, and phone support, and a searchable knowledge base. However, Bookkeeper.com does provide free software training and financial advice. Also, while Bookkeeper.com limits your appointments and time, QuickBooks Live allows for unlimited meetings but you can only schedule one at a time.
Depending on your preferred method of communication, there are a couple of ways to interact with your QuickBooks Live or Bookkeeper.com bookkeeper. QuickBooks Live offers the benefit of one-way video conferencing with a screen share option, a feature that’s unavailable with Bookkeeper.com, which is one of the reasons we selected QuickBooks Live as the winner of this category.
For assistance in selecting the best online bookkeeping service for your business, see our guide on how to choose a virtual bookkeeper.
How We Evaluated QuickBooks Live vs Bookkeeper.com
We compare QuickBooks Live and Bookkeeper.com based on the following criteria:
35% of Overall Score
Because each plan depends on many factors, we looked at the value provided in terms of the time and potential money that you’re saving by using the service.
20% of Overall Score
You should be able to access a dedicated bookkeeper for any questions or advice and one-on-one assistance.
15% of Overall Score
The best online bookkeeping service should offer a wide range of bookkeeping solutions, including catch-up bookkeeping, invoicing, bill pay, bank reconciliation, payroll, and tax filing.
10% of Overall Score
We evaluated whether the online bookkeeping service offered tax and consulting, and the scope of those services.
20% of Overall Score
We consider the opinions of users and the service’s ratings on various review sites. These criteria were disregarded for providers where no reviews were found.
*Percentages of overall score
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
A QuickBooks Live bookkeeper is a QuickBooks ProAdvisor who works with you to provide online bookkeeping services. They’ll help to set up your chart of accounts, categorize expenses, reconcile your accounts, send financial statements, and meet with you regularly via one-way video chat or phone.
Bookkeeper.com charges anywhere from $399 to $799 per month, depending on the number of monthly transactions, frequency of service, and annual revenue. Customized quotes are also available based on the needs of your business.
Bottom Line
Along with its one-stop array of services, Bookkeeper.com is well suited to business owners looking for a helping hand with their business tasks—and financial advisors are available as part of the service. It may be a sizable investment, but if you want reliable and accurate bookkeeping, then it’s a good value for your money. If you’re seeking a more affordable solution and don’t need payroll services or tax help, QuickBooks Live is a great option.
