The short answerA fractional CFO is strategy and judgment, for thousands a month, and is the right hire once there is a plan to own and a round to raise. Lopifi is the closed, CPA-checked books underneath, for $200 a month. They are complements more often than substitutes.
Side by side
a fractional CFO’s column says only what the cited source said on the date shown. Prices and plans change; follow the link before you decide.
| Question | a fractional CFO | Lopifi |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A part-time senior finance lead: planning, reporting, fundraising. Eightx fractional CFO pricing · Checked | AI agents categorize and reconcile daily and close monthly. Anything that needs judgment waits for your sign-off. |
| Price | One firm's published range: $3,000–$5,000/mo under $5M revenue. Eightx fractional CFO pricing · Checked | $200 a month, flat. Planned price; not open yet. |
| CFO work | The point of the engagement. Eightx fractional CFO pricing · Checked | Not offered. The output is closed books and statements, not a finance team. |
| Bookkeeping | Pilot, for one, prices CFO services separately from bookkeeping. Pilot pricing · Checked | Accrual, US GAAP, with a lead schedule behind every balance and a monthly close you sign. |
Judgment sits on top of the ledger
Every forecast and board deck starts from the books. A CFO handed unclosed, cash-basis books can spend their first expensive weeks cleaning up.
Lopifi does not replace that judgment and does not try to. It keeps the ledger closed and proven, so the CFO you hire, when you hire one, starts on the work you are paying them for.
When a fractional CFO is the better choice
- You are raising and need a model, a data room and someone across the table.
- You need budgets, a board pack and someone to own the finance function.
- Your problems are decisions, not data entry.
When Lopifi is the better choice
- You need the books right before you need someone to interpret them.
- You want accrual, reconciled, closed books for $200 a month rather than a CFO's retainer.
- You want a CFO you hire later to inherit lead schedules and locked months, not a cleanup.
What we checked about a fractional CFO
Eightx, itself a fractional CFO firm, publishes a range of $3,000–$5,000 a month for early-stage companies under $5M in revenue, rising with revenue. It is a vendor's range, not a survey.
As one published price list, Pilot sells CFO services from $1,750 a month, billed annually.
Pilot pricingChecked
Common questions
How much does a fractional CFO cost?
Published prices vary widely. One fractional CFO firm, Eightx, lists $3,000–$5,000 a month for companies under $5M in revenue; Pilot lists CFO services from $1,750 a month billed annually.
Is Lopifi a replacement for a fractional CFO?
They do different jobs. A fractional CFO models, plans and fundraises from the books; Lopifi keeps the books they work from. Many companies need the books well before they need a CFO.
Can a fractional CFO use the books Lopifi keeps?
Yes. A CFO or controller can work in the same QuickBooks Online or Xero file, with the lead schedules and closed months Lopifi keeps.
Comparing options? Get on the list.
Lopifi works inside your QuickBooks Online or Xero file: agents reconcile the books daily and close them monthly on US GAAP, judgment calls wait for you, and a licensed CPA checks it every quarter. Planned at $200 a month. We’re not open yet.
Keep reading
- Founder guideBurn rate and runway: how to calculate them correctly
- Founder guideAudit-ready books before your Series A
- ComparisonBench alternative: Bench vs Lopifi
- ComparisonPilot vs Lopifi: startup bookkeeping compared
- ComparisonDigits vs Lopifi: AI ledger or kept books
- ComparisonPuzzle vs Lopifi: AI accounting compared
Every statement about a fractional CFO links to where it was published; if one is out of date, write to hello@lopifi.com and we will correct it.