Is Bench or Empower better?

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

Which is cheaper, Bench or Empower?

Bench starts at $299/month and Empower at On request.

Does Bench or Empower run on more platforms?

Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.

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 Empower is typically brought in for.

What can Bench do that Empower cannot?

Bench covers Dedicated bookkeeper, Monthly financial statements, Bank reconciliation, Tax preparation. Empower covers Net worth tracking, Investment tracking, Retirement planner, Cash flow. Both handle SOC 2, Bank-level encryption, Web support, Ios support.

Accounting · head to head

Bench vs Empower

Bench

Accounting

America's largest bookkeeping service for small businesses

From: $299/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

Empower

Accounting

All your finances. One app.

From: On request
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: Bench recent bankruptcy and acquisition by Employer.com creates uncertainty about product roadmap and support continuity; Empower specific advisory fees not published; Form ADV consultation required
They diverge on capability: Bench covers Dedicated bookkeeper, Empower covers Net worth tracking.
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bench and Empower actually diverge.

Attributes where Bench and Empower differ
Attribute	Bench	Empower
Starting price	$299/month	On request
Pricing model	Unknown	quote
Founded	2012	2009

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), 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 Empower

Net worth tracking
Investment tracking
Retirement planner
Cash flow
401k fee analyzer
Bank connections
Brokerage accounts

Both cover

SOC 2
Bank-level encryption
Web support
Ios support
Android support

What people use each for

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

Bench

Bookkeeping outsourcingnot Empower
Tax preparationnot Empower
Financial reportingnot Empower

Empower

Wealth trackingnot Bench
Retirement planningnot Bench
Investment analysisnot 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

Empower

Specific advisory fees not published; Form ADV consultation required
High minimum investment thresholds ($100,000 for Personal Strategy)
Detailed fee structure available only in Form ADV documents

Pricing, plan by plan

Bench

$299/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Bench review.

Empower

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Empower review.

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 Empower if

You need net worth tracking.
You work on Web, Ios, Android.
You also want investment tracking.

Empower review

Questions people ask

Is Bench or Empower better?: Neither clearly leads. Bench starts at $299/month and Empower at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bench or Empower?: Bench starts at $299/month and Empower at On request.
Does Bench or Empower run on more platforms?: Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
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 Empower is typically brought in for.
What can Bench do that Empower cannot?: Bench covers Dedicated bookkeeper, Monthly financial statements, Bank reconciliation, Tax preparation. Empower covers Net worth tracking, Investment tracking, Retirement planner, Cash flow. Both handle SOC 2, Bank-level encryption, Web support, Ios support.

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

Empower: Does Empower have a minimum investment requirement?

Empower's advisory services require different minimums based on service level. Personal Strategy advisory requires a minimum of $100,000 in investable assets. Private Client services require $1,000,000 or more.

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

Empower: How are Empower's advisory fees calculated?

Advisory fees are calculated based on the amount of assets being managed under advice. Specific fee rates are not disclosed on the homepage.

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

Empower: Is the high-yield cash account free?

Yes. Empower's high-yield cash account has no account fees and no minimum balance required.

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

Empower: Are there fees for stock and ETF trading?

Empower offers commission-free trading for stocks and ETFs with low fees.

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 Empower

Bench

Empower

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Bench

Only in Empower

Both cover

What people use each for

Bench

Empower

Where each one falls short

Bench

Empower

Pricing, plan by plan

Bench

Empower

Which should you pick?

Choose Bench if

Choose Empower if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Bench

More on Empower

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