Here’s June’s Chase statement. Import it.
Chase Business Checking
June 2026 statement
84 transactions imported for June. Duplicates skipped.
01 Import · import_transactions
The Bench alternative where you own the books.
Bench sells human bookkeepers working in a proprietary system. LedgerMCP gives the same monthly work to your AI, on a standard double-entry ledger.
Unlimited books, free.
Per month · August 2026
- Bench Premium$599
- Bench Essential$199
- LedgerMCP with live bank feeds$9
- LedgerMCP$0
Bench and LedgerMCP, side by side.
FeatureLedgerMCPBench
PricePrice
LedgerMCP: Software free. Bank feeds optional, from $9/mo.
BenchFrom $199 to $599/mo (Essential to Premium)
Who does the workWho does the work
LedgerMCP: Your AI, on your books, in minutes
BenchA human bookkeeping team, on a monthly cycle
The ledgerThe ledger
LedgerMCP: Yours: standard double-entry you can inspect, export, and take anywhere
BenchBench’s proprietary system, bundled with the service
Getting data outGetting data out
LedgerMCP: One click, one ZIP per book: ten CSVs plus your receipts and bank statements, anytime
BenchFinancial statements self-serve; full ledger detail arrives with year-end packages
Tax filingTax filing
LedgerMCP: Not included; your CPA works from the reports and CSV exports
BenchIncluded on the Core + Tax plan
If the provider disappearsIf the provider disappears
LedgerMCP: Books keep working free forever; export was always in your hands
BenchBench announced a shutdown in Dec 2024 before being acquired days later
Bench pricing verified on bench.co, August 2026.
The ledger belongs to you.
What you can take with you.
In December 2024 Bench told its customers it was shutting down. For a weekend, thousands of businesses found out that someone else doing your books can mean someone else has your books.
Any provider, including us, has to earn your business every month. Your records stay with you either way.
More on security →Coffee Company, export
- transactions.csv
- general_ledger.csv
- accounts.csv
- tags.csv
- journal_entries.csv
- assets.csv
- rules.csv
- questions.csv
- reconciliations.csv
- audit_log.csv
- receipts/
- statements/
Every book exports this way, on every plan.
Who should stay with Bench.
Some should. The line is whether you ever want to look at the books.
- Stay ifYou never want to open the books. Here you skim a flagged queue for a few minutes a month.
- Switch ifYou want speed and control. The audit log shows every action your AI took.
- Either wayYour AI does the monthly books, your CPA does the return. Total cost is usually still far below a bookkeeping subscription.
Switching from a bookkeeping service.
Your AI works through the files one month at a time.
- 01 Import
- 02 Categorize
- 03 Reconcile and lock
PDF
| Date | Merchant | Description | Category | Amount | Reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06/25 | Square daily sales | Sales Revenue | +$8,494.00 | ||
| 06/19 | Meta and Yelp local ads | Advertising | −$446.00 | ||
| 06/18 | Pacific Cup Co needs review | −$2,984.00 | |||
Pacific Cup Co, $2,984.00 on June 18. Cups and lids, or equipment? Cups and lids. | |||||
| 06/18 | Pacific Cup Co | Cost of Goods Sold | −$2,984.00 | ||
81 of 84 categorized on their own. This one asked you.
02 Categorize · bulk_categorize
Business Checking, June
Statement
$11,976.00
Your booksL
$11,976.00
$0.00 difference
Books locked through June 30
03 Reconcile and lock · reconcile_account · set_lock_date
Questions
Common questions.
Can an AI really replace a Bench bookkeeper?
For the core monthly work (importing transactions, categorizing, matching transfers, reconciling, producing statements), yes. What it doesn’t replace is the judgment you’d get from a CPA on taxes and strategy.
What actually happened to Bench?
On December 27, 2024, Bench announced it was shutting down effective almost immediately; days later, Employer.com acquired the business, and Bench operates under that ownership today. The original corporate entities filed for bankruptcy in Canada in early January 2025.
What does switching from a bookkeeping service look like?
Ask Bench for your statements and, if they have it, your general ledger. Open a free LedgerMCP account and give your AI the files. Catch-up is what it does best: imports skip duplicates, categorizing is a conversation, and you lock each month as you reconcile it.
What will this actually cost me?
The software is free, and live bank feeds start at $9/mo if you want them. A bookkeeping service runs roughly $1,910 to $5,750/yr, plus whatever your CPA charges either way at tax time.
Take your books back.
Your AI handles the catch-up, without the monthly service bill.
Free software. Export anytime. No card.
Demo book: Coffee Company, June 2026, 84 transactions.