How to compare bookkeeping proposals side by side.
Two proposals at similar prices can buy very different work. One prices by monthly expenses, another by transactions, a third by the hour; one works in your QuickBooks file, another in its own platform; one reviews its work, another doesn’t say. Put them side by side on the same seven lines before you compare the numbers.
What you can check before you sign
- Fixed fee, written first
- Your own QuickBooks file
- No hourly billing
To compare bookkeeping proposals, line them up on the same seven points before comparing price: scope (accounts and periods), deliverables and dates, exclusions, how the price is set (fixed, per-transaction, by expense tier, or hourly), contract terms (minimum term, renewal, cancellation), where the books live and who owns them, and who reviews the work.
Normalize the scope first: a lower price for less work is not a lower price.
Certifications · Current certifications held by TechBrot’s senior reviewer: Intuit QuickBooks Certification Level 2 and QuickBooks Workforce Certification — verification on request. Intuit’s ProAdvisor program becomes Intuit ProPartner Accountants in early 2027; the certifications continue.
Compare the work before the price.
Proposals are written to look comparable and rarely are. Before the price, check that each one covers the same accounts, the same periods and the same deliverables; where one leaves something out, price it back in or ask for it.
Then compare how the price is set. Some providers price by transaction volume, some by monthly expenses, some by the hour, some as a fixed fee against a written scope — each behaves differently when your business has a busy month.
Questions that separate proposals.
“What happens in a month twice as busy?”
The answer tells you whether the price is fixed or a floor.“What do I get if I leave?”
Your file, your data and the reconciliations — or an export from someone else’s system.“Who reviews the work?”
A named credential, a process, or nobody in particular.“How are catch-up months priced?”
Behind books are often priced separately, and sometimes monthly.Put every proposal on these seven lines.
- Scope: which entities, accounts and periods are covered.
- Deliverables: what you receive each month or at the end, and by when.
- Exclusions: what is not included — tax filing, payroll filing, sales tax, catch-up.
- Price basis: fixed against a scope, per transaction, by expense tier, or hourly — and what happens when volume rises.
- Contract terms: minimum term, automatic renewal and notice, price increases, cancellation fees.
- Where the books live: your own QuickBooks or Xero file, or the provider’s platform — and what you take with you if you leave.
- Review: who checks the work before it reaches you, and what their credentials are.
Where published prices sit.
What several providers publish on their own pricing pages — quoted, dated and linked — is on our bookkeeping pricing and cleanup pricing pages, alongside TechBrot’s own ranges and why they differ.
Head-to-head comparisons: Bookkeeper360, Xendoo, 1-800Accountant, Bench (Mainstreet).
Questions about comparing bookkeeping quotes.
Should I just pick the cheapest proposal?
Only after normalizing the scope. A lower price for fewer accounts, fewer deliverables or more exclusions is not a lower price.
Is per-transaction pricing bad?
No, but check what happens when volume rises and how transactions are counted.
What should I ask about contracts?
Whether there is a minimum term, how renewal works and what notice it needs, whether prices rise automatically, and whether there is a cancellation fee.
Does TechBrot publish competitor prices?
Yes — quoted from each provider’s own pricing page, with the date read, on the bookkeeping and cleanup pricing pages.
Add a written fixed-fee scope to the pile.
Tell us what’s wrong with the books. We’ll tell you whether cleanup, catch-up or monthly bookkeeping fits.
Or send the details instead What happens after you call