Is Bench or Conta better?

Neither clearly leads. Bench starts at $299/month and Conta at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Bench or Conta?

Conta has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $299/month for Bench and Free for Conta.

Does Bench or Conta run on more platforms?

Bench runs on Web, Ios, Android. Conta runs on Web.

Can I use Conta for free?

Yes. Conta has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Bench starts at $299/month.

What is Bench best used for?

Bench is most often used for bookkeeping outsourcing, tax preparation, financial reporting. Of those, bookkeeping outsourcing and tax preparation are not what Conta is typically brought in for.

What can Bench do that Conta cannot?

Bench covers Dedicated bookkeeper, Monthly financial statements, Bank reconciliation, Tax preparation.

Accounting · head to head

Bench vs Conta

Bench

Accounting

America's largest bookkeeping service for small businesses

From: $299/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

Conta

Accounting

Norwegian accounting software for small and growing businesses

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Conta has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Bench recent bankruptcy and acquisition by Employer.com creates uncertainty about product roadmap and support continuity; Conta norwegian pricing only: displayed in NOK without multi-currency support for international comparisons
Prices and features above were last checked on 2 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bench and Conta actually diverge.

Attributes where Bench and Conta differ
Attribute	Bench	Conta
Starting price	$299/month	Free
Pricing model	Unknown	subscription
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	Web, Ios, Android	Web
Founded	2012	Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Accounting).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Bench

Dedicated bookkeeper
Monthly financial statements
Bank reconciliation
Tax preparation
Expense categorization
Stripe
PayPal
Square

Only in Conta

Nothing recorded that Bench does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Bench

Bookkeeping outsourcingnot Conta
Tax preparationnot Conta
Financial reportingnot Conta

Conta

Norwegian small business accounting and invoicingnot Bench
Project and department cost trackingnot Bench
EHF/eInvoice generation for Norwegian regulatory compliancenot Bench

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Bench

Recent bankruptcy and acquisition by Employer.com creates uncertainty about product roadmap and support continuity
Higher starting cost at $299/month compared to self-service accounting software like Wave or QuickBooks Online
Requires manual connection of financial accounts and ongoing coordination with bookkeeping team, less automated than software-first solutions
Tax services limited to US income tax returns; no support for complex entity structures or multi-state taxation
History of burning through capital rapidly, raising concerns about long-term business sustainability

Conta

Norwegian pricing only: displayed in NOK without multi-currency support for international comparisons
Annual billing required: no monthly-pay option for either tier, forcing yearly commitment
Pro tier vaporware: listed as 'coming soon' with no pricing or feature roadmap provided
Limited feature differentiation: Smart tier is 'most selected' by customers but does not clearly explain what additional business value justifies 62% price premium over Standard

Pricing, plan by plan

Bench

$299/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Bench review.

Conta

Free

Conta Regnskap Standard$209/month (billed annually)
Conta Regnskap Smart$339/month (billed annually)
Conta Regnskap Pro$undefined/mo

Which should you pick?

Choose Bench if

You need dedicated bookkeeper.
You work on Web, Ios, Android.
You also want monthly financial statements.

Bench review

Choose Conta if

You want to start without paying.

Conta review

Questions people ask

Is Bench or Conta better?: Neither clearly leads. Bench starts at $299/month and Conta at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bench or Conta?: Conta has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $299/month for Bench and Free for Conta.
Does Bench or Conta run on more platforms?: Bench runs on Web, Ios, Android. Conta runs on Web.
Can I use Conta for free?: Yes. Conta has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Bench starts at $299/month.
What is Bench best used for?: Bench is most often used for bookkeeping outsourcing, tax preparation, financial reporting. Of those, bookkeeping outsourcing and tax preparation are not what Conta is typically brought in for.
What can Bench do that Conta cannot?: Bench covers Dedicated bookkeeper, Monthly financial statements, Bank reconciliation, Tax preparation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Bench: What happened to Bench Accounting?

Bench shut down abruptly on December 27, 2024, filing for bankruptcy in Canada with $65 million in debt. The company was acquired by Employer.com on December 30, 2024, and resumed operations in January 2025 under new ownership.

Source

Conta: How much does Conta cost per month?

Conta Regnskap Standard costs 209 NOK/month and Smart costs 339 NOK/month, billed annually. Both exclude VAT and include a 30-day free trial option.

Source

Bench: What are Bench's current pricing plans?

Bench offers Bookkeeping at $299/month (billed annually) and Bookkeeping + Tax at $599/month (billed annually). Both include automated bookkeeping, real-time financial statements, and a dedicated team of bookkeepers.

Source

Conta: Can I pay monthly instead of annually?

No. Both Standard and Smart tiers require annual billing at a fixed monthly rate. Monthly-payment options are not available.

Source

Bench: Does Bench include tax preparation services?

The Bookkeeping plan includes monthly bookkeeping and year-end tax-ready financial statements. The Bookkeeping + Tax plan adds one-on-one income tax consulting and annual income tax return filing.

Source

Conta: What is included in the Standard vs. Smart plan?

Standard includes accounting, invoicing, unlimited receipts, mobile app, and EHF/eInvoice. Smart adds KID numbers, unlimited EHF, project/department management, free chat/phone support, and exclusive equipment discounts.

Source

Bench: How does Bench's bookkeeping work?

Bench combines proprietary software with human bookkeepers. You connect your financial accounts to automate data entry, and Bench's team handles bookkeeping and provides year-end tax-ready statements. Customers can reach their dedicated team within 24 hours.

Source

Conta: When will the Pro plan be available and what will it cost?

The Pro tier is listed as 'coming soon' on the pricing page with no published pricing or launch date provided.

Source

Bench: Can I access real-time financial data with Bench?

Yes, Bench provides real-time reporting, allowing you to access or download updated income statements and balance sheets at any time.

Source

Bench vs Conta

Bench

Conta

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Bench

Only in Conta

What people use each for

Bench

Conta

Where each one falls short

Bench

Conta

Pricing, plan by plan

Bench

Conta

Which should you pick?

Choose Bench if

Choose Conta if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Bench

More on Conta

Keep looking

Other head to heads