Collective is a done-for-you back office for single-member LLCs and S-corps: formation, the S-corp election, bookkeeping by people, payroll and tax returns. BrassWell is an app you run yourself, for a fraction of the price, that keeps the numbers and tells you what to set aside. They suit different stages of a business more than they compete.
Side by side
| BrassWell | Collective | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A year-round money app for the self-employed | An accountant-run back office for single-member LLCs and S-corps |
| Price | $19.99/mo Core, $29.99/mo Pro; $199/yr Core, $299/yr Pro | LLC $199/mo (from $169/mo yearly); S Corp $349/mo (from $296/mo yearly); payroll $15 per employee a month |
| Free trial | 14 days, no card, never auto-charges | None listed |
| Bookkeeping | You, with categories and AI receipt reading | Done by Collective, up to 5 accounts, monthly reports |
| Files your tax return | No: exports for you or your accountant | Yes: business return, and the individual return on LLC (add-on on S Corp) |
| Quarterly tax estimate | Every plan: 2026 brackets, state rate, reminders | Federal and state estimates |
| S-corp election and payroll | No | Yes, on S Corp |
| Invoicing | Core: 5 a month. Pro: unlimited | Included |
| Mileage | Pro: IRS-ready log, 2026 mid-year rate by date | No built-in tracker |
| Budgets | Yes | Not listed |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Android, web | Web |
Where Collective is the better choice
People do the work. Collective’s accountants keep the books and file the business and personal returns. BrassWell never files a return.
The S-corp machinery. Forming the entity, the Form 2553 election, a reasonable salary and payroll to pay it: Collective handles all of it. BrassWell can tell you whether the election pays, but not run it.
Compliance. A registered agent and compliance monitoring are included.
Where BrassWell is the better choice
A tenth of the price. BrassWell is $199 a year. Collective’s LLC plan is about that much every month. Until an S-corp genuinely saves you tax, that gap is hard to make back.
Your numbers, every day. Income, expenses, the set-aside and the next quarterly amount update as each payment lands, on your phone or iPad, not in a monthly report.
Mileage, time and budgets. An IRS-ready mileage log with the 2026 rate change applied by date, time tracking that bills itself, and budgets and goals.
A year of each, in dollars
Collective’s LLC plan is $199 a month, or from $169 a month billed yearly, which is roughly $2,000 a year or more; its S Corp plan is $349 a month or from $296 billed yearly. BrassWell is $199 a year for Core or $299 for Pro. Whether Collective is worth it comes down to whether an S-corp saves you more than it costs: the free S-corp vs LLC tax savings calculator shows that for your profit.
When to move from one to the other
A common path is BrassWell while you’re a sole proprietor or a young LLC, then an S-corp service like Collective once profit is high enough that the election pays for itself. BrassWell exports a clean year of income, expenses and mileage for whoever takes over the books.
Questions, answered
Is BrassWell a Collective alternative?
Only partly. Collective is an accountant-run service that forms your LLC or S-corp, keeps the books, runs payroll and files your returns. BrassWell is an app you run yourself; it doesn’t file or run payroll, and costs $199 a year.
How much does Collective cost?
Collective lists an LLC plan at $199 a month (from $169 a month billed yearly) and an S Corp plan at $349 a month (from $296 billed yearly), plus $15 a month per employee for payroll.
When does an S-corp make sense?
When the self-employment tax saved on distributions is more than the extra cost of payroll, the business return and the service running it. That usually means a solid profit; the S-corp vs LLC calculator works it out for your numbers.
Does Collective track mileage?
Collective has no built-in mileage tracker. BrassWell Pro keeps an IRS-ready log and applies the 2026 mid-year rate change by date.
Sources
- Collective plans and pricing — Collective. Plans, prices, inclusions and payroll pricing, checked October 24, 2026.
- Collective terms of service — Collective. Who the service is for, and estimated tax payments.
- BrassWell pricing — BrassWell. Core and Pro, line by line.
