Bench vs Digits (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Digits grades higher than Bench: 2.2 against 1.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Digits grades higher on the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Bench
Bookkeeping done by an assigned bookkeeper, with optional tax filing
Digits
AI-native general ledger with bookkeeping, bill pay and invoicing
Which one is for you
Pick Bench if
- Fits if you'd rather pay someone to do the monthly books than do them yourself
- Makes sense if you're a small US business that also wants tax filing from the same provider
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you're a small outfit: $399 a month for the base plan and $649 with tax filing
- Skip it if you want a free plan or a trial, because there's neither
- Not for you if your business is outside the US
- Watch out: monthly tax pricing needs a 12-month commitment, and bigger QuickBooks plans start at $999 a month
- Watch out: Bench paused operations in December 2024 and resumed in January 2025 under Employer.com
Pick Digits if
- Fits if you run a startup and want AI to categorize transactions in a real general ledger
- Makes sense if you want an API or MCP on your books
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you're a freelancer: $65 a month is the starting price, with no free plan
- Skip it if you need budget against actuals, as that's Pro at $250 a month
- Watch out: extra entities start at $35 a month
- Watch out: full-service accounting, CFO and tax work come through partner firms and aren't in the plans
- Not for you if you want an Android or desktop app
How we grade them
| 1.6GPABenchWeak | 2.2GPADigitsFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D$199 a month for Light and $399 for the base plan, against $26 in the middle for this category. A person does the work, but that's still the dearest tenth. | D$65 a month for Essentials, $100 for Core and $250 for Pro, against $26 in the middle for this category. The page doesn't say whether annual billing changes it. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial on the pricing page. The 20% discount only comes with paying for 12 months at once. | CA 30-day free trial, and the pages we read don't say whether a card is needed. No free plan. |
| Features | BMonthly books, year-end financials, tax filing, catch-up work and a QuickBooks Online option from one provider. The listing shows no gap in the bookkeeping job. | BAI bookkeeping, month-end close, bill pay, invoicing, reports and multi-entity books, with an API and MCP. The listing's only limits are plan gates, such as budgets on Pro. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. It's a service, so you hand over account access and answer your bookkeeper's questions instead of learning software. | CNo store rating on record. You connect your accounts and review what the AI books before you rely on it. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, for US businesses only. It reads your accounts, and works inside QuickBooks Online on the QBO plans. | BWeb and iPhone, with a developer API and MCP. No Android or desktop app listed. |
| Best for | hands-off monthly bookkeeping for US businesses | AI-run books for startups |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Bench and Digits. How we grade
Price against what you get
Bench starts at $199 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Digits starts at $65 a month and scores 2.7.
Digits scores higher and starts $134 a month lower. Of the other accounting and invoicing tools on the chart, 16 score higher than Bench for less, and 6 score higher than Digits for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Digits also covers invoicing, bill pay and dashboards.
At a glance
| Bench | Digits | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | $199 per month, billed monthly (Bookkeeping Light) | $65 per month |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 30-day free trial |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Bench Accounting | Digits |
| Price read from | bench.co | digits.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Bench
- Bench serves U.S.-based businesses; it is a service with a monthly fee, not software you run yourself.
- The base Bookkeeping plan is $399 a month, and Complexity 3 QuickBooks plans start at $999 a month.
- Monthly tax pricing needs a 12-month commitment bought at least 3 months before the filing deadline.
- Bench paused operations in December 2024 and resumed in January 2025 under Employer.com.
Digits
- The pricing page states monthly prices but not whether annual billing changes them.
- Dimensional accounting and automated schedules start at Core; budget vs. actuals only on Pro.
- Extra entities beyond the free 250 transactions a year start at $35 a month.
- Full-service accounting, CFO and tax work are sold through partner firms, not in the plans.
Key features
Bench
- Assigned bookkeeper
- Each business is matched with a bookkeeper who reconciles accounts transaction by transaction and can be reached by phone, message or video call.
- Monthly books and year-end financials
- Plans deliver up-to-date monthly books and year-end tax-ready financial statements, with reviews by multiple bookkeepers each month.
- Business tax filing
- The tax plans add filing of business income tax returns by licensed tax professionals, with up to four advisory calls a year.
- Catch-up bookkeeping
- Past months that were never reconciled can be cleaned up; the page says catch-up for the current year is free with an annual plan.
- Work inside QuickBooks Online
- A separate QBO plan has Bench's bookkeepers work in your existing QuickBooks account instead of Bench's own software.
- Read-only account access
- Bench says it connects to financial accounts with read-only access to import transactions for bookkeeping.
Digits
- AI bookkeeping
- AI models code incoming transactions from connected banks, cards and payroll, with checks that each one is coded and documented.
- Agentic month-end close
- A close workflow and checklist for finishing the month, with automated schedules for accruals from the Core plan.
- Bill pay and invoicing
- Drag, drop, approve and pay bills, and create invoices, on every plan.
- Reports and dashboards
- Live profit and loss, balance sheet and cash flow; custom reports and dashboards arrive on Pro.
- Multi-entity books
- Several entities under one login with separate books; extra entities are free up to 250 transactions a year.
- Developer API and MCP
- An API and MCP connection to the ledger is included on all plans.
Plans
Bench
Bookkeeping Light$199
per month, billed monthly
Monthly books for micro businesses with $250K a year or less in revenue; 20% off with annual payment.
Bookkeeping$399
per month, billed monthly
Monthly books, year-end tax-ready financials and unlimited contact with your bookkeeper; $3,830 a year if paid annually.
Bookkeeping + Tax$649
per month, billed monthly
Bookkeeping plus business income tax filing and up to four tax advisory calls a year; $6,230 a year if paid annually.
Full-service tax$300
per month, 12-month commitment
Tax filing and year-round advisory without bookkeeping; $2,880 a year if paid annually.
QBO Bookkeeping: Complexity 1$399
per month, billed monthly
Cash-basis books kept inside your own QuickBooks Online, up to 500 transactions a month.
QBO Bookkeeping: Complexity 2$699
per month, billed monthly
Cash or accrual books in your QuickBooks Online, up to 2,000 transactions a month.
Digits
Essentials$65
per month; billing basis not stated, no per-seat fees
For solopreneurs and early-stage businesses: core ledger, AI bookkeeping, bill pay and invoicing.
Core$100
per month; billing basis not stated, no per-seat fees
Adds dimensional accounting for departments and locations, and automated schedules.
Pro$250
per month; billing basis not stated, no per-seat fees
Adds custom reports, custom dashboards and budget vs. actuals.
Ways to pay less
Bench
- Annual discount
Save 20% on a 12-month plan
Bench's pricing page lists 20% off its bookkeeping, tax and QuickBooks plans when you pay for 12 months at once.
Digits
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Bench or Digits?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Digits is cheaper to start with: $65 a month, against $199 a month for Bench. Bench starts at $199 per month, billed monthly (Bookkeeping Light), and Digits starts at $65 per month.
Which has a free plan, Bench or Digits?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Bench nor Digits has a free plan. Digits has a free trial.
Which platforms do Bench and Digits run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Digits lists an iOS app. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.