The 9 Best Online Bookkeeping Services for Small Businesses

Bookkeeper360 is an online bookkeeping service best suited for small businesses that use Xero or Quickbooks accounting software. Like Bookkeeper.com, Bookkeeper360 also works with both cash- and accrual-based businesses. There are three bookkeeping packages on offer, including a pay-as-you-go solution.

Packages

For online accounting and bookkeeping services, Bookkeeper360 has several plans to choose from.

First, there’s the Monthly plan, priced at $399/month or $349/month with the current discount (cash-based accounting) and $549/month or $499/month (accrual-based accounting). Note that the price is higher for users with more than $20,000 in monthly expenses. This package comes with a dedicated accountant, monthly reconciliation, profit and loss, and balance sheet. It also gets access to quality customer support.

You can also opt for the Weekly plan, which will set you back $499/month or $549/month with the current discount (cash-based accounting) and $749/month or $699/month (accrual-based accounting). Once again, the cost will be higher if your monthly expenses exceed $20,000. As one of the top bookkeeping services online, the Weekly plan comes with all the features offered in the Monthly solution with the addition of a dedicated accounting team, weekly updates, and advanced reporting.

There’s also the Pay-As-You-Go plan which starts at $19/month plus $99/hour for support and offers a fast and easy setup, a dedicated accountant, and on-demand bookkeeping, training, and advisory.

For additional fees, Bookkeeper360 also provides tax filing (starting from $200 per filing), full payroll processing services ($45/month), CFO advisory (starting from $1,000/quarter), and back-office services (starting from $99/month). Combined, this is all you could ask for in CPA bookkeeping services online.

Summary

While it’s a bit more expensive than the competition, Bookkeeper360 still brings a lot to the table. While Bookkeeper360 used to offer the same pricing for both accrual and cash-based businesses, the company now has different packages for each. However, these new service packages are more competitively priced. Additionally, no matter which plan you decide to go for, you’ll get access to best-in-class support. Overall, Bookkeeper360 is a solid choice if you need comprehensive bookkeeping online services.

If you are looking for a service that will provide you with a dedicated bookkeeper to help you to outsource your bookkeeping, 1-800Accountant could be just the ticket. This US-based online bookkeeping service has a team of bookkeepers and accountants with an average of 17 years of experience in the business. If you decide to sign up for one of their packages, you’ll get to focus on growing your business and leave the bookkeeping to the experts.

Packages

As mentioned before, 1-800Accountant has flat-rate packages to offer to their clients, but the pricing tiers will vary depending on your state. Bookkeeping services come as a part of the highest tier of services, so let’s build up to that.

The first tier is called Startup and is advertised as the perfect solution for starting a small business or forming an LLC. As one of the online bookkeeping companies that offer full service, the Startup plan at 1-800Accountant includes outsourcing customized articles of incorporation, secure online access to your documents, and unlimited phone and email support. The best part is that it’s all completely free – all you need to cover is your state fee.

The second tier is called Business, and it is a solid solution for small businesses that need basic accounting help. The plan starts at $125 per month, plus the state fees, and includes access to the company’s accounting portal, quarterly reviews with your dedicated accountant, year-round tax advice, and proactive tax planning.

The next tier, Corporation, starts at $225 per month and includes everything from the Business plan while adding personal and business tax preparation.

If you want to fully outsource your books, this online bookkeeping company’s Enterprise tier might be the right pick. Starting at $375 per month, this tier includes everything from previous tiers and adds financial reports. Most importantly, this tier includes bookkeeping services.

1-800Accountant takes a lot of pride in its proprietary bookkeeping and accounting software that integrates seamlessly with any other software you are already using to provide accurate categorized transactions and reconciled accounts. Its software allows you to connect your bank accounts, issue invoices, and effortlessly track your books.

Finally, the company also offers customized packages. If you haven’t found the services you need within the flat-rate packages, you can schedule a call with a representative and create a custom plan that will fit your business and budget.

Summary

What makes 1-800Accountant one of the best online accounting services on this list is the hands-on approach of its team when it comes to your accounting needs. For starters, scheduling a call to ask your dedicated bookkeeper is pretty much effortless. The company’s experienced staff can provide advice, tax planning, and even help you get your books in order for a tax audit.

Paro offers full charge bookkeeping services, i.e., it takes care of every step of the bookkeeping process for you. When you start working with Paro, you’ll be assigned a dedicated agent to manage all bookkeeping-related tasks. This is an online bookkeeping service first and foremost, but it’s also much more than that, as you’ll see in our overview.

Packages

What sets Paro apart from other bookkeepers is service flexibility, particularly in the pricing department. Instead of funneling customers into pre-made plans they would have to box their business and budgeting into, Paro will instead evaluate your business and, accordingly, create a tailored offer.

The evaluation process starts with selecting your company size and industry. Then, select the service you need, including specific tasks. The final steps include choosing between recurring and one-time use of virtual bookkeeper services, as well as your budget for this job, followed by filling out contact information. Once you complete this questionnaire, Paro’s experts will analyze all the data and come up with an offer that should suit your budget. You’ll then get a call from one of Paro’s representatives to further discuss the proposal. They’ll also present you with several candidates, handpicked from the vast pool of in-house and freelance experts, from which you’ll choose the agent you’ll be working with from that point on.

The pricing range is hard to estimate, since this online bookkeeper does everything on a case-by-case basis. Unfortunately, this service isn’t transparent with its prices, only showing them once you’re already past the introductory signup process. This could be a problem for young startups and businesses with limited budgets, since they can’t plan ahead and know whether this service will fit their budget at all. The only price point available on Paro’s website is the buyout fee. If a customer wants to hire the agent they’ve been working with, thus taking them away from this platform, a fee is applied to cover these expenses. It can either be a flat-rate fee of $25,000, or 25% of the agent’s annual pay, whichever is higher.

What small business bookkeeping services does Paro provide? It can manage your cash flow, run the payroll software, provide reporting on all finances, collect invoices, or balance your credit. But, that’s not all. When we said Paro isn’t like other bookkeepers, we didn’t mean just due to its personalized pricing. It doesn’t just offer different types of bookkeeping, but other financial services, too. Currently, you can hire this company for over 100 different jobs split between several major categories:

• Accounting & bookkeeping services
• Strategic advisory & CFO services
• Financial planning & analysis
• Business systems & processes
• Tax
• Audit & assurance

Again, there are no pre-made plans or packaged virtual bookkeeping services. This means you’ll need to re-initiate the questionnaire process we covered earlier in this review if you need to hire more people. Therefore, Paro’s platform won’t be for everyone, especially not business owners looking to simplify the hiring process and have a clear pricing range from the get-go.

Agents that work through Paro aren’t random freelancers looking for a summer job. Instead, this company uses a strict vetting process, picking only the best candidates out of the bunch. On Paro’s website, you’ll find that it hires just the top 2% of its applicants and looks only for experts in the field of remote bookkeeping. Its agents hail from well-known business firms like Deloitte, Ernst and Young, and PricewaterhouseCoopers, but also universities like Harvard and Stanford. This rigorous process ensures Paro can provide a top-notch experience for all clients.

Summary

There’s a lot to like about Paro – from its professional approach to bookkeeping, to the dozens of extra services it provides if the need arises. The lack of pricing transparency is problematic, but considering its agents will work exclusively with your business, and they all possess exquisite skills and knowledge, this online bookkeeping platform is well worth it.

Xendoo is an excellent all-around pick for your small business’s bookkeeping needs. This platform scored well in every category, with the only drawback being its lack of tax filing services.

However, this can be remedied by opting for one of the company’s add-ons or by hiring a tax specialist. Don’t forget that professional tax services are 100% deductible!

Packages

Xendoo’s online business bookkeeping service pricing is very straightforward, with three tiers to choose from depending on your business’s monthly expenses and connected bank and credit card accounts.

The “Essential” plan is the basic option and is best suited for businesses with monthly expenses lower than $50,000, which includes up to four bank and credit card accounts. It costs $395 per month or $355 per month when billed annually, and it offers weekly bookkeeping with the help of a dedicated bookkeeping team, although it provides only cash basis accounting.

The “Growth” plan is designed for businesses with more complex bookkeeping needs. It costs $695 per month or $625 per month when billed annually, and it’s suited for businesses with monthly expenses lower than $75,000 that include up to six bank or credit card accounts. It has all the features of the Essential plan, plus semi-annual tax consultations, two integrations, and modified accrual accounting.

The “Scale” plan is the most comprehensive package offered by Xendoo. It costs $995 per month or $895 per month when billed annually. It’s best suited for small and medium-sized businesses with less than $125,000 in monthly expenses. Companies with more than $125,000 will have to reach out to this virtual accounting company to get a custom plan.

The Scale plan offers everything included in the previous two plans but allows for up to 12 bank and credit card accounts to be managed, along with four integrations, custom charts of your accounts, and it allows for deferred schedules.

The company also provides add-ons such as “Tax guidance plus annual federal and state tax return,” which costs $1,200 annually. If you are months or years behind on your bookkeeping, you can also add catch-up bookkeeping to help you sort the issue out. The price of this add-on starts at $295 per month, but the final price will depend on the amount of catching up required.

The last add-on the company offers is fractional CFO, with a price starting at $1,500 per month, and it offers the strategic insight required to get your business off the ground and set it on the course to success.

Summary

Xendo’s monthly bookkeeping service prices may seem a bit on the steep side, but the company provides excellent value for your money. With three service tiers to choose from, Xendoo can scale easily with your company.

Your dedicated bookkeeper is available to answer any questions and explain anything that shows up on your Profit & Loss or Balance Sheet reports, and they can help you develop a better understanding of your business’s financial and budgeting picture so that you can make informed decisions about where to allocate your resources.

Add-on services such as tax guidance and catch-up bookkeeping are also available, making Xendoo a great all-around choice for small business bookkeeping needs. The company even offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can always try the service out for yourself before making any commitments.

When handling your business books on your own becomes too much, relying on a good, experienced accounting team is your best bet. Thankfully, this is precisely what Reconciled, another online bookkeeping company on our list, provides.

Even if they’re a bit on the expensive side, this team can take everything off your plate – from basic bookkeeping and CFO services to solutions tailored for enterprises.

Packages

Currently, Reconciled offers four different packages and an impressive list of add-on services you can stack on top of the plans.

The first plan is Reconciled Express, which starts at $299 per month. With this plan, you can rely on the team to provide you with monthly reconciliations of up to three bank or credit card accounts.

It also provides monthly financial reports for businesses that net less than a million in annual revenue, which is why we would recommend it as one of the best online accounting services for a small business. It also includes posting monthly from up to three channels, with the limitation that these don’t require the client or inventory detail on the reports.

The next tier, Basic, will cost you $600 per month. With this tier, the limit of up to three bank or credit card accounts is increased to five, and there is no annual revenue limit for monthly financial reports. It also includes weekly accounts payable support for up to 20 bills a month and quarterly advisory meetings with your dedicated team.

Reconciled Core tier, which costs $1250 a month, includes all of the above while increasing limits for bank and credit cards to seven accounts and the number of bills a month to 40.

The highest tier with this online bookkeeping company is called Reconciled Advanced. It starts at $1,600 per month and includes support for up to 60 weekly accounts payable, posting from up to five sales channels, and accounts receivable support for up to 40 invoices a month. Lastly, this tier’s users also have access to monthly advisory meetings.

If you need more, you can consult with the team and include some of the available add-ons in your monthly package. These can include customized monthly financial statements, automatic tax filing, quarterly financial reviews, and monthly business reviews.

Unfortunately, the website doesn’t mention the pricing for these, so you’ll have to reach out to the team to determine how much you’ll be paying each month for these services.

According to the reviews available for this online bookkeeping company, custom pricing is more common with Reconciled, even though the pricing is represented as flat-rate tiers on its website. During the initial 30-minute consultation with its team, most of its customers find that a custom set of services that addresses all the bookkeeping pain points, together with the service-based pricing, is a better fit for them.

Summary

All in all, Reconciled is an excellent, full-service solution for all your bookkeeping and accounting needs. While it is not the most affordable option on this list of best online accounting services, the price per quality ratio is excellent.

After all, not only will you get a dedicated US-based team of professionals to handle your books (or a smaller team available in ​​South America), but you can also easily reach out to them about any issues or concerns you might have. The team is renowned for providing excellent customer support, which is, when it comes to bookkeeping, well worth paying a bit extra for.

Pilot is another Quickbooks-compatible provider that makes our list of online bookkeeping and accounting services for small businesses. Pilot has three packages to choose from, all available to both cash and accrual-based businesses. While the first two plans come with a predetermined list of services and are meant for companies with monthly expenses below $200,000, the third option is completely customizable.

Although the starting rates Pilot offers are relatively affordable, this company does not provide flat-rate online bookkeeping services; the price depends on the exact amount of monthly expenses your business has.

Packages

The first package is called Pilot Core. This plan is ideal for small businesses and comes with a dedicated finance expert, support for accrual-basis bookkeeping, P&L, balance sheet, cash flow statements, support, and a monthly price between $599 and $899.

The second package, Pilot Select, is a good choice for growing businesses that need more support. This plan offers everything included in the Core plus industry-standard financial ratios, expedited books delivery, monthly phone reviews, and priority support for a price ranging between $849/month and $1049/month.

It’s worth noting that Pilot offers pre-revenue companies a $200 monthly discount on the Core and Select plans.

The third option on the list of Pilot’s online business bookkeeping services is the Plus plan. An excellent choice for companies with more than $200,000 in monthly expenses, this option includes everything from the first two plans plus add-ons such as support for multiple entities, classes, and locations, AR, AP and inventory tracking, billable expenses, and a fully customizable chart of accounts.

Pilot bookkeeping does not include tax services or payroll processing. However, you can purchase tax and CFO services separately.

Pilot uses Quickbooks Online for its bookkeeping service. The company can either import your old data or open a new Quickbooks account for you.

Summary

While Pilot does not offer tax or payroll services, it provides packages for both cash and accrual-based accounting. The pricing may vary depending on your monthly expenses, but if you can estimate them reasonably, Pilot’s payment model may work well for you. The company offers a month-long trial of its free services for bookkeeping online, so if you’re having second thoughts, don’t hesitate to test out the service without any obligation to continue.

Bookkeeper.com ranks number one on our list of online bookkeeping and payroll services for several reasons. First of all, this company offers accounting for both cash- and accrual-based businesses for the same price. Secondly, Bookkeeper.com has fairly low prices, especially considering that the price is the same for both accrual and cash businesses. This is very rare among bookkeeping services since most charge considerably more for accrual-based businesses. As part of your package, the company can also help you set up Quickbooks accounting software.

Packages 

Bookkeeper.com has three predetermined packages of online bookkeeping services for small business owners plus a fourth custom solution.

Priced at $449/month, the Small Business plan lets you process up to 100 transactions per month. With this plan, you also get access to a dedicated bookkeeper and account manager, a secure portal with document storage, monthly bank/credit card reconciliation, documents such as balance sheet, profit and loss, and statement of cash flows, and limited online support.

The Small Business Plus solution will set you back $649/month and let you make up to 200 transactions. In addition to everything from the first tier, this plan also offers up to 20 invoices in the bill pay feature, 30 minutes of monthly scheduled meetings, and unlimited online support.

Small Business Advanced, the provider’s third-tier online bookkeeping software solution, costs $649/month and supports up to 300 monthly transactions. It offers 40 invoices in the bill pay feature and 45 minutes of monthly scheduled meetings. Additionally, this Bookkeeper.com plan comes with lite CFO and advisory services and the functionality which allows you to separate transactions by class, location, and department.

Lastly, there’s the Custom solution for users who don’t find any of the options above adequate. If you opt for Bookkeeper.com’s custom online CPA services, you’ll get everything from the fixed plans plus the opportunity to choose the number of monthly transactions. You have a team of bookkeepers ready to assist you at any time, and your dedicated bookkeeper will have one-on-one teleconference meetings with you to go over your financial reports.

Summary

To conclude, Bookkeeper.com offers a competitive, all-encompassing bookkeeping and accounting service for both accrual- and cash-based businesses while still being affordable. For this reason, Bookkeeper.com tops our list of bookkeeping services online.

KPMG Spark, formerly known as Bookly, offers comprehensive bookkeeping and accounting services. The company provides its services to both accrual and cash-based businesses. As with many other services, KPMG Spark’s solutions for accrual businesses are much more expensive than those for cash-based ones. However, the company offers practically all imaginable bookkeeping services, which partially makes up for its slightly higher prices.

Packages

KPMG Spark’s online bookkeeping services pricing page features four fixed packages and a customizable option for companies with specific needs.

First, there is the Basic plan, ideal for businesses with up to 100 monthly transactions and up to three bank accounts. It’s priced at $295/month and includes cash-based bookkeeping, real-time bank and credit card reconciliation, daily categorization of revenues and expenses, receipt and document storage, support for multiple users, on-demand financial reports, and customer service via video, text, email, phone.

The Essential plan will set you back $595/month. It is designed for businesses with 101-200 monthly transactions, four to six bank accounts, and project accounting for up to two projects. It offers everything from the Basic plan plus a dedicated accounting team, project accounting, custom access by role, and a customized accounts chart.

As one of the best online bookkeeping services for small businesses, the Professional plan ($795/month) was created for accrual-basis businesses with 201-300 monthly transactions and seven to nine bank accounts. It supports project accounting for three or four projects. On top of the features offered in the previous plans, it also lets you create and schedule client invoices and payments. Finally, it supports cash flow statements.

If your company has up to 300 monthly transactions, up to nine bank accounts, and requires project accounting for five or six projects, you should consider the KPMG Spark Premium solution. Priced at $895/month, this plan also features quarterly financial analysis reports and consultations.

Lastly, the customizable Elite plan offers a long list of add-ons such as inventory tracking, custom and consolidated reporting, quarterly reconciliations with an investment manager, and more.

You’ll get access to KPMG Spark’s own accounting software,  which the company uses to perform its bookkeeping and accounting services online. If you previously used Quickbooks or Xero, KPMG Spark can integrate data from that software into its own.

The company also offers tax services and payroll processing for an extra fee. For an additional $125 per month, KPMG Spark will prepare your tax returns. Payroll processing will cost you an additional $100 per month, plus another $6 for every employee.

Summary

Should you go for KPMG Spark’s bookkeeping service? It’s certainly worth considering, as this respected company offers highly rated bookkeeping and accounting services for both accrual and cash-based businesses. That said, the pricing is quite steep, especially for accrual-based accounting. On the other hand, the company allows you to take care of all your bookkeeping needs in one place, tax and payroll services included, which is a worthwhile tradeoff for many businesses.

Merritt is a California-based online bookkeeping and accounting service that only works with businesses that use cash accounting and only has one package to offer. However, the company charges an affordable, flat rate and offers free online bookkeeping services for nonprofits and charities.

Packages

Merritt’s bookkeeping package comes at a flat rate of $190/month. The company does your bookkeeping and accounting in Quickbooks Online, which means that if you use cash-based accounting and you’re already using Quickbooks, Merritt is the cheapest option for you. This package offers the basic bookkeeping services you might need, including monthly reconciliations, monthly financial statements, and collecting all your bank statements for you. Merrit does not provide tax services or payroll processing, so you’d have to use some other software for that or outsource those services to someone else. Signing up to Merritt is quick and easy; it usually takes no longer than 24 hours.

Summary

While Merritt offers only simplified bookkeeping without tax service and payroll processing, it could still be a great choice for you if you’re looking for no-frills cheap online bookkeeping services. It’s the most affordable option for small businesses that use Quickbooks cash accounting or self-employed individuals and boasts excellent user reviews and a 90-day money-back guarantee.