An honest comparison
Project Cleanup vs. Monthly Bookkeeping vs. Hourly
Three different models, three different fits — here's the honest breakdown. No model is “best” for everyone. Below is a fair, side-by-side look so you can match the right one to where your business actually is right now.
Side by side
The honest breakdown.
Each model earns its keep in the right situation. We've tried to be fair to all three — credibility matters more to us than winning every row.
Project Cleanup
Our laneFixed-price, one time
- Best for
- You're behind, messy, or co-mingled and want it fixed once — correctly.
- What you get
- Reconciled, tax-ready books delivered as a finished project, plus a walkthrough.
- Who owns the file & data
- You do. It's your QuickBooks or Xero file the entire time — you keep it.
- Pricing model
- Fixed project price, quoted up front after a diagnostic.
- Typical 12-month cost
- $2,500–$10,000+ once (most $3,500–$7,000) — then $0 until you need it again.
- What happens when you stop paying
- Nothing changes — the work is done and the clean file is already yours.
- Ramp-up time
- 2–6 weeks to a finished, reconciled result.
- Ongoing commitment
- None. One engagement, then you decide what's next.
- Risk of surprise bills
- None — the price is fixed before work begins.
Monthly Bookkeeping
Subscription
- Best for
- Steady-state businesses that want someone handling the books every month.
- What you get
- Ongoing categorization, monthly reconciliation, and recurring reports.
- Who owns the file & data
- Sometimes a proprietary platform; you may not control or export the ledger.
- Pricing model
- Recurring monthly fee, often tiered by transaction volume.
- Typical 12-month cost
- Roughly $3,600–$7,200+/yr at common $300–$600/mo plans.
- What happens when you stop paying
- Service stops; on proprietary platforms, getting your data out can be hard.
- Ramp-up time
- Onboarding plus a lag before the books are fully caught up.
- Ongoing commitment
- Continuous — value comes from staying subscribed.
- Risk of surprise bills
- Low month-to-month, but tier jumps and add-ons add up.
Hourly Bookkeeper
Pay as you go
- Best for
- Very small or simple operations with light, predictable activity.
- What you get
- Whatever you ask for, in the hours you pay for — scope varies by person.
- Who owns the file & data
- You do — they work inside your own QuickBooks or Xero file.
- Pricing model
- Billed by the hour against an estimate.
- Typical 12-month cost
- $1,200–$6,000+/yr depending on hours and rate.
- What happens when you stop paying
- Work simply pauses; your file stays with you.
- Ramp-up time
- Fast to start, but pace depends on availability.
- Ongoing commitment
- Flexible, but no guaranteed continuity or coverage.
- Risk of surprise bills
- Highest — hours can run over the estimate.
Cost ranges are illustrative and vary by provider, transaction volume, and scope. Use them to compare models, not as quotes. For a tailored cleanup estimate, try the cleanup cost calculator.
Decision guide
Which is right for you?
Find the scenario that sounds most like you. The honest recommendation might not be us — and that's fine.
“You're two years behind, your bank balance doesn't match QuickBooks, and your CPA is waiting.”
Best fit
Project Cleanup
You need the mess fixed once, on a fixed price, with a finished file you keep — not a subscription that starts from a broken baseline.
See the cleanup service →“Your books are already clean and current, and you just want them maintained every month without thinking about it.”
Best fit
Monthly Bookkeeping
When the baseline is solid and activity is steady, ongoing monthly service is the right fit. Many of our clients do a cleanup first, then hand off to a monthly bookkeeper.
Start with a clean baseline →“You're a one-person operation with a handful of transactions a month and you mostly just need a second set of eyes.”
Best fit
Hourly Bookkeeper — or Coaching
If your activity is light and simple, paying hourly (or learning to maintain it yourself) often beats any recurring plan. Coaching can make you self-sufficient.
Explore coaching →The path most clients take
Clean it up once. Then choose what's next.
These models aren't mutually exclusive. The most common journey we see is a one-time project cleanup to fix and reconcile everything — followed by a handoff to a monthly bookkeeper, or to your own maintenance routine. A subscription service that inherits broken books just keeps paying to manage the mess. Starting from a clean, verified baseline is what makes ongoing bookkeeping actually work.
Because the cleanup happens inside your own QuickBooks or Xero file, you're never locked in. We deliver clean books and set you up so whatever you pick next — monthly service or DIY — starts on solid ground.
You keep the file
Your QuickBooks or Xero, start to finish — no proprietary platform.
No lock-in
One fixed-price engagement. Nothing to cancel, nothing to escape.
Know the number first
A fixed quote after the diagnostic — no hourly surprises.
Honest answers
Frequently asked questions.
Still weighing it up? Read what a cleanup actually costs or how to choose a bookkeeper.
Not sure which
model fits?
Tell us where your books are today. We'll give you a straight answer — even if the honest recommendation isn't a cleanup.
No obligation. No credit card. Just clarity about your books.