Bench is cheaper.
We're better for contractors who actually need job costing.
Bench pioneered low-cost "bookkeeping as a service" for generalist small businesses — and for a solo service business with simple categorization needs, they're a fine call. BDB is a different kind of engagement: a dedicated advisor, monthly strategy, Project Tools, and books built to hold up under the pressure of running a real trades operation. We cost more. Here's the honest breakdown of why — and when Bench is actually the right answer.
Two very different approaches.
A contractor financial partnership.
- Basic Business
- from $195/mo
- Contractor Essentials
- from $495/mo
- Contractor Pro
- from $995/mo
- Fractional CFO
- from $1,500/mo
One dedicated advisor (Joe and your bookkeeper). Strategy meetings baked into the cadence. A consistent monthly close rhythm. Runs in QuickBooks Online or Xero — you own your data. Built for HVAC, plumbing, electrical, remodeling, landscaping, and other service trades that need job-level numbers to run the business.
- Job costing, labor burden, 1099 subs — all handled.
- BDB Project Tools included free — your books and your jobs become one system.
- Month-to-month. Scoped engagements — we only take clients we can serve well.
Generalist online bookkeeping in proprietary software, $299–$559/mo.
Cloud bookkeeping on Bench's own platform (not QuickBooks or Xero). A rotating bookkeeping team handles your books. Good-looking dashboards and a clean mobile app. Acquired by Employer.com in 2025 after a near-shutdown in December 2024.
- Essential: $299/mo annual / $349/mo monthly.
- Premium: $499/mo annual / $559/mo monthly (adds tax filing).
- No job costing. Not built for trades.
Row by row — pricing, scope, and reliability.
| BDB | Bench | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting monthly price | Basic $195+ Essentials $495+ Pro $995+ CFO $1,500+ | $299/mo annual · $349/mo monthly |
| Mid / premium tier price | Scoped per engagement | $499/mo annual · $559/mo monthly |
| Accounting software | QuickBooks Online or Xero (you own it) | Bench proprietary software |
| Contractor / trades specialization | Core focus — built for it | Generalist, not industry-specific |
| Job costing & per-job profitability | Yes — included | Not supported |
| Project / job management software | BDBooks Project Tools included free | None |
| Dedicated bookkeeper | Yes — one person, plus Joe | Team-based (rotating point of contact) |
| Monthly strategy call | Included, 45 min with Joe | Not included |
| Cash flow forecasting* | 12-week rolling forecast | Dashboard view only |
| Monthly close cadence | Consistent monthly rhythm | Typically 2 – 4 weeks |
| 1099 preparation | Included | Add-on / limited |
| Sales tax support | Included where applicable | Not included |
| Tax return filing | No — we coordinate with your CPA | Premium tier only |
| Contract | Month-to-month, 30-day notice | Annual commitment for best price |
| Data portability if you leave | Full — it's your QBO/Xero file | Export only; books live in their system |
| Service continuity track record | Founder-led, stable since 2019 | Near-shutdown Dec 2024; acquired 2025 |
* Delivered through BDB Project Tools — included free with every package.
Because this isn't a commodity service.
Bench is a categorization platform at scale — they win on volume and price. We're not that, and we're not trying to be. BDB is partnership work: you get Joe as your dedicated advisor (not a rotating pool), strategy rhythm baked into every tier (review meetings, not just reports), and BDB Project Tools included so your books and your jobs are one system instead of two disconnected ones. We only take clients we can serve well, which means scoped engagements and a cap on how many contractors we run at once. That's why we cost more — and why the clients who belong here stay.
Credit where it's due.
Bench has real strengths. If you land here, they're probably the right call.
You're a solo service business under ~$150K revenue.
If you're running a lean solo operation with simple categorization needs — a handful of accounts, no crews, no jobs, no subs — Bench's price point and generalist scope is the right fit. We're over-engineered for your situation, and we'll say so.
Your books are categorization, not partnership.
If what you actually need is "sort my transactions and hand me a P&L" — not a monthly strategy conversation, not job-level profitability, not a cash-flow model — Bench delivers that for less than we do. The narrow scope is a feature.
You want bookkeeping + tax filing in one bundle.
Bench's Premium tier bundles the tax return in. BDB doesn't file returns — we coordinate with your CPA. If you want one invoice that covers everything including April 15, Bench's bundle is simpler.
Where the partnership pays for itself — and then some.
Job-level profitability (Bench simply doesn't do this).
If you run jobs, estimates, and subs, per-job P&L is the single most important report you can have. Bench's software has no job costing module. BDB includes it, plus Project Tools, free.
You own your books — in QBO or Xero.
If you ever leave BDB, your QuickBooks or Xero file comes with you. Bench clients who've tried to leave report painful exports and broken history. Lock-in matters, especially after 2024.
One dedicated bookkeeper — not a rotating team.
Bench routes your questions through a team inbox. BDB assigns one person who actually knows your business, plus Joe on the monthly strategy call. Response time and continuity are night and day.
Monthly strategy, not just clean books.
Every month, we walk through your numbers with you — margin by service line, cash position, pricing sanity check, what-if decisions. Bench gives you a dashboard and a bookkeeper. BDB gives you an advisor.
One system, one story — books + jobs together.
BDB Project Tools is included free with every package, and it's the reason your job costing actually works: crews log labor and materials in the field, it flows to the books, and your per-job margins stop being a guess. Bench doesn't offer anything like it — because Bench isn't built for this work.
Stability and accountability.
Bench's near-shutdown in December 2024 and subsequent acquisition left thousands of clients scrambling. BDB is founder-led with no VC runway math. Joe picks up the phone.
Who should pick which.
- Solo service businesses with under $150K revenue and simple categorization needs.
- Clients who want bookkeeping + tax filing bundled in one subscription.
- Owners who are fine with a rotating team and email-only support.
- Businesses that don't have jobs, subs, crews, or labor burden math.
- Contractors and service businesses doing $250K+ who are ready to stop winging it on numbers.
- Owners who want per-job profitability — not just a company-wide P&L.
- Teams that want one dedicated advisor and a real monthly strategy rhythm.
- Operators who want their books and their jobs in one connected system.
- Businesses ready to invest in a financial partnership, not shop for the cheapest categorization service.
30 minutes. No pressure. Real answers.
Bring your current Bench setup (or whatever you're using) and we'll tell you straight whether switching to BDB makes sense for your business.