Softwr

Accounting · head to head

Bench vs Conta Azul

Bench logo

Bench

Accounting

America's largest bookkeeping service for small businesses

From
$299/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Conta Azul logo

Conta Azul

Accounting

Brazilian cloud system for small business finance, invoicing and sharing the books with the accountant

From
239.9/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Bench recent bankruptcy and acquisition by Employer.com creates uncertainty about product roadmap and support continuity; Conta Azul it is a Brazilian product with Brazilian fiscal logic, so it is of no use to an entity filing anywhere else, and a foreign group with a Brazilian subsidiary runs it as a local island alongside whatever the group reports in.
  • They diverge on capability: Bench covers Dedicated bookkeeper, Conta Azul covers Electronic invoice issuance.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bench and Conta Azul actually diverge.

Attributes where Bench and Conta Azul differ
AttributeBenchConta Azul
Starting price$299/month239.9/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb
Founded2012Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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
  • Tax preparation
  • Expense categorization
  • Stripe
  • PayPal
  • Square
  • SOC 2

Only in Conta Azul

  • Electronic invoice issuance
  • Receivables and payables
  • Boleto collection
  • Customer and supplier records
  • Sales orders and quotations
  • Stock control
  • Accountant access
  • Recurring billing

Both cover

  • Bank reconciliation

What people use each for

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

Bench

  • Bookkeeping outsourcingnot Conta Azul
  • Tax preparationnot Conta Azul
  • Financial reportingnot Conta Azul

Conta Azul

  • A Brazilian micro or small business under the simplified tax regime that runs receivables in a spreadsheet and wants control of cash flownot Bench
  • A service company that needs to issue municipal service invoices and reconcile boleto collections without manual matchingnot Bench
  • A business whose accountant asks for organised records each month instead of a folder of documentsnot Bench
  • A small retailer or distributor needing basic stock control tied to the documents it already has to issuenot 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 Azul

  • It is a Brazilian product with Brazilian fiscal logic, so it is of no use to an entity filing anywhere else, and a foreign group with a Brazilian subsidiary runs it as a local island alongside whatever the group reports in.
  • Plans are scoped by revenue band, so a company that crosses a threshold pays more without necessarily using more of the product, and budgeting the software cost means forecasting turnover rather than usage.
  • It is not a tax calculation and filing engine, so the accountant still prepares the statutory obligations, and a business that expects the subscription to cover its Brazilian tax compliance has misread what it is buying.
  • Municipal service invoice coverage varies by city because each municipality runs its own system, so a business in a smaller or unusual municipality may find its service invoices still have to be issued on the city portal by hand.
  • The product targets micro and small companies under the simplified regime, so a business that grows into the more complex Brazilian tax regimes will outgrow it and face a migration at exactly the moment its accounting is becoming harder.

Pricing, plan by plan

Bench

$299/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Bench review.

Conta Azul

239.9/month
  • Essencial (MEI)$239.9/month
    • 1 user access
    • Financial management
    • Invoicing
  • Controle (ME)$449.9/month
    • 2 user accesses
    • Financial management
    • Invoicing
  • Avançado$519.9/month
    • 5 user accesses
    • Financial management
    • Invoicing
  • Performance$839.9/month
    • 15 user accesses
    • Financial management
    • Invoicing

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 Azul if

  • You need electronic invoice issuance.
  • You also want receivables and payables.
Conta Azul review

Questions people ask

Is Bench or Conta Azul better?
Neither clearly leads. Bench starts at $299/month and Conta Azul at 239.9/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bench or Conta Azul?
Bench starts at $299/month and Conta Azul at 239.9/month.
Does Bench or Conta Azul run on more platforms?
Bench runs on Web, Ios, Android. Conta Azul runs on Web.
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 Azul is typically brought in for.
What can Bench do that Conta Azul cannot?
Bench covers Dedicated bookkeeper, Monthly financial statements, Tax preparation, Expense categorization. Conta Azul covers Electronic invoice issuance, Receivables and payables, Boleto collection, Customer and supplier records. Both handle Bank reconciliation.

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 Azul: Does Conta Azul do my tax filings?

No. It organises the operational and financial records and shares them with your accountant, who prepares and files the tax obligations. It is the record keeping layer, not the compliance filer.

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 Azul: Can it issue service invoices for my city?

Coverage depends on your municipality, because each runs its own service invoice system. Check your specific city before subscribing, since a gap there is the difference between automation and manual issuance.

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 Azul: Why does the price depend on my revenue?

Plans are banded by turnover rather than purely by features or users. It keeps the entry price low for very small companies, but it means growth triggers a price change independent of how much of the product you use.

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 Azul: Will my accountant work in it?

Many Brazilian practices already do, and there is a dedicated accountant role. Ask your accountant before subscribing; if they work in a different product, the friction of running two systems usually falls on you.

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
Conta Azul: Is it suitable if I leave the simplified tax regime?

It is built around smaller companies and the simplified regime. As the tax treatment becomes more complex, expect to outgrow it and to face a migration alongside a change of accounting complexity.

Conta Azul: Is there an English interface?

It is a Brazilian product in Portuguese, aimed at Brazilian owners and accountants. Plan for Portuguese language operation.

Share

Related pages

More on Bench

More on Conta Azul

Keep looking

Other head to heads