Accounting services compared: bookkeeping, compliance packages, online accountants and outsourced finance

Bookkeeping, compliance packages, online accountant bundles and outsourced finance functions solve different problems. Compare them as service categories before comparing providers. Otherwise, a low-cost input service can appear to beat a broader offer simply because most responsibilities are missing. All prices are indicative provider figures exclusive of VAT unless stated otherwise, and ranges were checked in May 2026.

What to take away

Bookkeeping service: Mazuma, TaxAssist and ICB-licensed bookkeepers

This category processes and reconciles records to an agreed frequency. It may include document collection, coding, bank reconciliation and ledger reports. It does not automatically include annual accounts, tax returns, payroll or advice.

Named suppliers charge differently. Mazuma runs fixed-fee bookkeeping and accounts, with customers sending receipts through its app. TaxAssist Accountants, a UK franchise network with more than 300 offices, quotes fixed fees for bookkeeping, payroll and accounts after a free initial consultation. Price examples appear in the comparison table.

Most bookkeepers work in Xero, QuickBooks or FreeAgent, so the software licence often sits inside the fee. The Institute of Certified Bookkeepers expects members to hold a practising licence and professional indemnity insurance before taking fee-paying work.

Ask who resolves ambiguous transactions, reviews reconciliations and owns incomplete source evidence. Define transaction, document and correction allowances.

Annual accounts and tax compliance package: Haines Watts, Azets and TaxAssist

A compliance package may cover specified accounts and returns for named entities and periods, sometimes with routine queries. It can suit a stable business that keeps its own records, but an accounts and tax label is not a complete scope.

List every company, director, registration, return and filing. State whether bookkeeping, payroll, VAT and company secretarial work are included. Ask the same about tax planning, enquiries and amendments.

Prices vary with turnover and entity count; see the comparison table for typical ranges.

Haines Watts publishes fixed-fee accounts, tax and payroll packages for owner-managed businesses. Azets sells compliance, bookkeeping and cloud accounting together from a UK network of regional offices.

HMRC's standard for agents expects covered agents to agree clear engagement terms and explain payment. It also sets competence, supported-figure and record expectations that should be tested in delivery.

Packaged online accountant: Crunch, Osome and The Accountancy Partnership

This model combines software access with defined human accounting services, often for a recurring fee. Crunch and Osome provide current examples of UK-facing supplier descriptions, though their actual products, audiences and terms differ.

Crunch includes FreeAgent software in its limited company packages, with prices rising with turnover and add-ons. Osome pairs a named accountant with cloud software. The Accountancy Partnership includes company formation and software in its limited company accounting. All three tie the price to turnover, transaction volume or add-on services. Price examples appear in the comparison table.

Assess the bundle as one workflow. Check which tasks the customer performs and how the assigned human team works. Then check plan limits, software continuity, response channels, submission authority and usable export.

Outsourced finance function: BDO UK, Grant Thornton UK and The CFO Centre

This wider category may provide transaction processing, month end, reporting and controls. It can add finance leadership and specialist support. BDO UK's outsourced accounting page illustrates supplier-stated options ranging from interim support to fuller outsourcing.

Grant Thornton UK sells outsourced finance and accounting to mid-market groups, covering management reporting and statutory work. The CFO Centre supplies part-time finance directors, usually for a day or two a month.

Day rates depend on seniority and location; see the comparison table. Azets and RSM UK offer comparable outsourcing from regional offices, often alongside their compliance work.

Buyers should map retained and outsourced responsibilities, approval authority, segregation and reporting framework. Locations, system administration and business continuity need the same treatment.

Use a common comparison case

Give each candidate identical records, complexities and deadlines. Mark a function as provider statement, contract commitment or observed result. Reject missing mandatory requirements before scoring convenience.

Typical published price ranges, checked in May 2026, are shown below. All figures are exclusive of VAT unless the provider states otherwise.

For a three-person limited company with 400 transactions a year, a bookkeeping quote at £40 a month plus VAT is £480 a year. A compliance package at £900 a year plus VAT adds accounts and corporation tax.

A packaged online accountant at £100 a month plus VAT is £1,200 a year. An outsourced finance function at £900 a day for two days a month is £21,600 a year. Compare these on the same twelve-month period and list exit costs separately.

Compare retained responsibility and transition

Make a responsibility map for every model. State who owns source completeness, coding decisions, reconciliations and technical positions. Then assign client approvals, submissions, system administration and record retention. A broader label does not necessarily transfer legal or management accountability.

ICAEW, ACCA, AAT, ICB and HMRC are the main UK bodies and authorities that set or enforce standards for these services.

Estimate the client roles still required. A bookkeeping service may leave review and filing with an internal controller or another accountant. A packaged service may still depend on timely customer coding and approval. An outsourced function can require senior client decisions and governance even when it performs most processing.

Ask how each product starts and ends. Include historic clean-up, data migration, authority and staff induction. Parallel running and first reconciliations belong in the same plan. Test an export and define successor handover. A service with lower recurring fees may create more implementation effort or dependence on bundled software.

Use the same twelve-month period and show one-off, recurring, internal and exit costs separately. Stress the model with growth, late evidence, an urgent advisory question and a key-person absence.

The appropriate product follows retained capability. A sole trader with simple records suits a bookkeeping service. A stable limited company that keeps its own records suits a compliance package. A growing company wanting software and a named accountant suits a packaged online accountant. A group needing management reporting and senior support suits an outsourced finance function.

Document that context in the verdict so the comparison does not become an unsupported England-wide ranking.

Before you act

Common questions

What does a bookkeeping service typically include?

It covers processing and reconciling records at an agreed frequency, such as document collection, coding, bank reconciliation and ledger reports. Annual accounts, tax returns, payroll and advice are not automatically part of it.

What should buyers check in a packaged online accountant?

Assess the bundle as one workflow. Check which tasks the customer performs and how the assigned human team works. Then check plan limits, software continuity, response channels and submission authority. Data use and usable export matter too. A platform feature is not necessarily a service performed by an accountant.

How should price comparisons be made between models?

Use the same twelve-month period and show one-off, recurring, internal and exit costs separately.

The comparison table sets out typical provider ranges. A service with lower recurring fees may create more implementation effort or dependence on bundled software.