Xero
Cloud accounting built for the person doing the books, not just the accountant.
- Finance
- Productivity
- from $25/mo
Xero is a cloud accounting platform covering invoicing, bank reconciliation, expenses, payroll integrations and reporting, aimed at small businesses and the accountants who serve them. Its defining commercial decision is unlimited users on every plan, which changes the economics for any business where more than one person touches the books.
Xero ranking and coverage
- In Finance
- #7 of 7
- Overall
- #113 of 122
- Terms score
- 4.1 /10
- Referenced here
- 6 pages
Cost position 1.4 · Portability 5 · Subscription flexibility 6 - Ranked on published terms only: entry price against category peers, portability and subscription flexibility, equally weighted. This is not a quality score.How the rank is calculated.
Xero: the short answer
Every line below is drawn from facts verified on 19 August 2026.
- What it is
- Cloud accounting built for the person doing the books, not just the accountant
- Best for
- Small businesses outside the United States
- Starts at
- Early from $25/month, rising to $27 on 1 October 2026
- Free option
- No free plan, 30 days, or 90% off for six months for new US customers who buy by 30 September 2026 trial
- Biggest strength
- Unlimited users on every plan, unlike per-seat rivals
- Biggest drawback
- Early plan's 20-invoice cap is restrictive for most real businesses
- Based on
- Primary-source research, not hands-on use
- Closest alternative
- QuickBooks Online - The stronger choice in the US, where accountant familiarity dominates
- True annual cost
- from $300 a year on Early, the cheapest paid tier ($25 a month)
Xero at a glance
| Best for | Small businesses outside the United States, Companies where several people need accounting access, Businesses working closely with an accountant or bookkeeper |
|---|---|
| Category | Finance, Productivity |
| Starting price | Early from $25/month, rising to $27 on 1 October 2026 |
| Free plan | No |
| Free trial | 30 days, or 90% off for six months for new US customers who buy by 30 September 2026 |
| Pricing model | subscription |
| Company | Xero Limited |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Headquarters | Wellington, New Zealand |
| Founders | Rod Drury, Hamish Edwards |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android |
| Public API | Yes |
| Browser extension | No |
| Mobile apps | iOS + Android |
| Self-hosting | No |
| Affiliate programme | No |
| Data source | Vendor pricing page and public records |
| Last checked | August 2026 |
Xero pricing
Prices below were read from the vendor's own pricing page on 19 August 2026. Pricing model: subscription. Free trial: 30 days, or 90% off for six months for new US customers who buy by 30 September 2026.
| Plan | Price | Billing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early | $25 | per month | Unlimited users - Limited to 20 invoices and 5 bills a month, and a 30-day cash-flow forecast. Rising to $27 on 1 October 2026 |
| Growing | $55 | per month | Unlimited users - Unlimited invoices and bills, auto-reconciliation, custom dashboards and a 60-day forecast. Rising to $59 on 1 October 2026 |
| Established | $90 | per month | Unlimited users - Adds multi-currency, project time and costs, expense claims and a 180-day forecast. Rising to $97 on 1 October 2026 |
| Xero Payroll, powered by Gusto | $36 | per month | Plus $6 per employee or contractor a month. Optional on every plan |
| Inventory Plus | Not disclosed | Negotiated | Listed as optional on Growing and Established, with no figure on the pricing page |
What Xero actually costs over a year
A monthly price is not the same thing as a monthly contract. These are the plans above resolved both ways, per seat or unit where the plan is charged that way. Where a vendor quotes only a yearly figure it is divided by twelve rather than left out, and the Quoted column says which figure the vendor actually publishes.
| Plan | Quoted | Monthly | Over 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| EarlyUnlimited users | per month | $25 | $300 |
| GrowingUnlimited users | per month | $55 | $660 |
| EstablishedUnlimited users | per month | $90 | $1,080 |
| Xero Payroll, powered by Gusto add-on | per month | $36 | $432 |
Which Xero plan should you buy?
| Your situation | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You issue very few invoices | Early | $25 a month, capped at 20 invoices and 5 bills. That cap catches people out, so count first. |
| You invoice regularly | Growing | $55 a month with unlimited invoices and bills. The working tier for most businesses. |
| You trade in several currencies or track projects | Established | $90 a month, adding multi-currency, expenses and project tracking. |
| You have several people needing access | Any tier | Unlimited users are included on every plan, which is the main structural advantage over QuickBooks and FreshBooks. |
| You are a US business with a US accountant | Consider QuickBooks Online instead | Accountant familiarity in the US is a real cost saving. |
| You only need invoicing | Consider Wave instead | Free, and adequate if you never need more. |
Verdict by who you are
Business outside the United StatesYes
Better international coverage than QuickBooks, and bank feeds work properly in more countries.
Company with several people touching the booksYes
Unlimited users on every plan. On FreshBooks each extra person is $11 a month, which changes the comparison entirely.
US business with an external accountantCompare first
Xero is good, but most US accountants work in QuickBooks and that familiarity has value.
Sole trader issuing a handful of invoicesCompare first
Early's 20-invoice cap is restrictive at $25. Wave is free if invoicing is genuinely all you need.
Should you buy Xero?
Buy Xero if…
- Small businesses outside the United States
- Companies where several people need accounting access
- Businesses working closely with an accountant or bookkeeper
Do not buy Xero if…
- US businesses whose accountant only works in QuickBooks
- Very high transaction volumes on the entry plan
- Organisations needing genuine ERP capability
Key features
- Unlimited users on every plan
- Automated bank feeds and reconciliation
- Invoicing with online payment acceptance
- Bill capture and accounts payable
- Multi-currency accounting on Established
- Project tracking and time recording
- Fixed asset register built in
- Very large app marketplace for adjacent tools
Integrations
- Stripe, GoCardless and PayPal
- Shopify and WooCommerce
- Gusto and other payroll providers
- Hubdoc for document capture
- Xero API and over a thousand marketplace apps
Xero screenshots
Captured by us in August 2026 at 1440px, unedited. Interfaces change, so these show the product as it looked on the date we verified this profile. Pricing pages are captured from a US vantage point, so the currency shown matches the USD figures recorded above.
Our assessment
Xero's design assumes a business owner will use it, not only an accountant, and it shows in the reconciliation flow and the general clarity of the interface. Unlimited users on every plan is the quiet differentiator: adding a bookkeeper, an office manager and your accountant costs nothing, where per-user competitors charge for each. The important constraint is at the bottom, where the Early plan's 20-invoice limit is far tighter than it sounds and pushes many businesses to Growing almost immediately. Outside the US it is frequently the better product; inside the US, accountant familiarity still tends to decide it.
What works in Xero
- Unlimited users on every plan, unlike per-seat rivals
- Clean interface that non-accountants can actually operate
- Strong bank feeds and reconciliation, particularly outside the US
- Large app marketplace covering payroll, inventory and payments
What doesn't
- Early plan's 20-invoice cap is restrictive for most real businesses
- Payroll is handled by partners in many regions rather than natively
- Weaker US accountant network than QuickBooks
- Reporting is capable but less flexible than some rivals
EveryAny Decision Score
3 of these 8 dimensions are calculated from verified facts; the rest are our judgement, shown as a band rather than a figure unless something specific sits behind them. How each score works.
- Cost position1.4/10
derivedentry tier at $25 a month against a category median of $19 a month across 7 comparable tools
- Portability5/10
derivedpublic API
- Subscription flexibility6/10
derivedfree trial, subscription, monthly billing
- Feature depthHigh
editorialour judgement, with no measurement behind it
- Ease of learningHigh
editorialour judgement, with no measurement behind it
- CollaborationVery high
editorialour judgement, with no measurement behind it
- AI capabilityModerate
editorialour judgement, with no measurement behind it
- Professional adoptionVery high
editorialour judgement, with no measurement behind it
What leaving Xero would cost
moderate lock-in
Xero scores on public API. Portability 5/10 ; lock-in is the inverse. How this is calculated.
Xero competitors and alternatives
| Alternative | Why you might pick it instead |
|---|---|
| QuickBooks Online | The stronger choice in the US, where accountant familiarity dominates. |
| FreeAgent | Well suited to UK freelancers and contractors, often free with a bank account. |
| Wave | Free accounting for very small businesses with simple needs. |
QuickBooks Online
Finance
The small-business accounting default in the United States.
Checked Aug 2026
Unlimited users is the real differentiator
Every Xero plan permits unlimited users with role-based permissions. Compare that with QuickBooks Online, where Simple Start is one user and Essentials is three, and the comparison changes shape. A business with an owner, a bookkeeper, an office manager and an external accountant pays nothing extra on Xero and upgrades twice on QuickBooks.
The Early plan trap
Early is $25 a month and capped at 20 invoices and 5 bills per month. That sounds workable and usually is not: a business invoicing weekly across a handful of clients passes it quickly, and bills accumulate faster still. Treat Growing at $55 a month as the realistic starting price unless you genuinely invoice a handful of times a month.
Geography decides more than features
In the UK, Australia, New Zealand and much of Europe, Xero is the default and accountants expect it. In the US, QuickBooks holds that position, and handing a Xero file to an American accountant creates friction that no feature advantage overcomes. Ask your accountant before choosing, because their familiarity is worth more than any comparison table.
The advertised price is neither the list price nor next year’s
Two dated facts sat behind Xero’s price card when we read it on 20 August 2026, and they point in opposite directions.
The discount. New US customers got 90% off for six months, so Early showed $2.50 a month, Growing $5.50 and Established $9 a month. The offer terms carried a deadline - 30 September 2026 at 11:59pm UTC, US only, one organisation, code DC90626308US - and stated that the discount does not apply to add-ons, usage or payment fees.
The rise. Xero has published a US price increase effective 1 October 2026:
| Plan | Before 1 October 2026 | From 1 October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Early | $25 a month | $27 a month |
| Growing | $55 a month | $59 a month |
| Established | $90 a month | $97 a month |
It applies to existing subscribers as well as new ones, and the same page says the multi-organisation discount begins to be phased out from that date.
Which figure applies to you depends on when you are reading this. The plan table on this page holds the left-hand column, because that is what we verified on 20 August 2026. If you are reading after 1 October, the right-hand column is the list price and the discount above has closed - both dates are the vendor’s own, and neither depends on us returning to this page. A buyer who signed in September pays $2.50 a month until March and $27 a month after that.
Xero questions, answered
- Is Xero worth it?
- Xero's design assumes a business owner will use it, not only an accountant, and it shows in the reconciliation flow and the general clarity of the interface.
- How much does Xero cost?
- Early from $25/month, rising to $27 on 1 October 2026. The cheapest paid tier we recorded is Early, published at $25 a month, which works out at $25 a month or $300 over a year. Verified against the vendor's pricing page.
- Does Xero have a free plan or free trial?
- Xero has no free plan. A free trial is available: 30 days, or 90% off for six months for new US customers who buy by 30 September 2026.
- What is the best Xero alternative?
- It depends on the job. QuickBooks Online: The stronger choice in the US, where accountant familiarity dominates. FreeAgent: Well suited to UK freelancers and contractors, often free with a bank account. Wave: Free accounting for very small businesses with simple needs.
- Can I self-host Xero?
- No. Xero is a hosted service only, so your data lives on the vendor's infrastructure.
What this profile is based on
Every claim below is about our work, not about Xero. A "no" is recorded rather than omitted, because the difference between a tested review and careful desk research is the reader's to weigh. How we research a profile.
-
Prices read from the vendor : yes
Read from Xero's own pricing page on 19 August 2026
-
Plans and terms recorded : yes
5 rows, each with its billing period
-
Original screenshots : yes
2 captured by us: homepage, pricing page
-
Sources cited and dated : yes
1 primary source, each with the date it was read
-
Product used first-hand : no
Not tested. This profile is desk research from primary sources
-
Alternatives used first-hand : no
None, so comparisons here rest on published facts rather than use
-
Vendor contacted : no
Not contacted for this profile
Desk research from Xero's own pricing and pricing-update pages, read on 19 August 2026 and re-read on 20 August, through a United States egress. The plan prices here are the ones in force before the rise Xero has published for 1 October 2026, and every plan row carries its post-October figure, so this record reads correctly on both sides of that date. Nobody here has kept books in Xero, and bank-feed coverage was not tested - which is the thing Xero is usually bought for outside the United States. The October price rise is the vendor's own published figure, not a projection.
Where Xero appears on this site
6 other pages here reference Xero. Every one is listed below, so the figure can be checked rather than taken.
- Buyer guide Best accounting software for small business in 2026 ranked #4
- Article What a SaaS Affiliate Programme Reveals listed as related
- Another profile Akaunting names it as a competitor
- Another profile FreshBooks names it as a competitor
- Another profile Wave names it as a competitor
- Another profile Zoho Books names it as a competitor
Counts pages on this site that name the product by choice - buyer guides, articles, deal records and other profiles. Category and directory indexes list everything automatically and are not counted.
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Provenance and freshness
When each fact was last checked
- Pricing ·
- Plans ·
- Free trial
- Features
- Platforms
- Integrations
- Affiliate programme
- Company details
Individually sourced claims
-
Early is $25 a month, Growing $55 and Established $90, with unlimited users on every plan
Xero pricing plans ↗ · checked
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US prices rise on 1 October 2026 - Early from $25 to $27, Growing from $55 to $59 and Established from $90 to $97 - for new and existing subscribers, with the multi-organisation discount phased out from the same date
Xero pricing update ↗ · checked
-
Between the dates we read it and 30 September 2026 at 11:59pm UTC, Xero offered new US customers 90% off for six months - Early at $2.50 a month, Growing $5.50 and Established $9 - under code DC90626308US, for one organisation, excluding add-ons, usage and payment fees
Xero pricing plans, offer terms ↗ · checked
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The plan prices recorded on this profile were read on 20 August 2026, before that rise took effect
Xero pricing plans ↗ · checked
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Early is limited to 20 invoices and 5 bills a month
Xero pricing plans ↗ · checked
-
Xero Payroll, powered by Gusto, is $36 a month plus $6 per employee or contractor
What has changed
-
August 2026
- Re-read both dated facts, unchanged: the 90%-off offer still runs to 30 September 2026 at 11:59pm UTC, and the rise to $27, $59 and $97 still takes effect on 1 October 2026
- Moved both out of timeLimited and into claims. The offer is now a past-tense-safe observation; the price rise never belonged there, because it dates a current price rather than expiring a claim
- Recorded explicitly that the plan prices on this profile predate the October rise, so a reader arriving later knows which side of it they are on
-
August 2026
- Recorded the price rise Xero has published for 1 October 2026 - Early $27, Growing $59, Established $97 - and dated the current figures accordingly
- Recorded the 90%-off-for-six-months offer with the vendor's own 30 September 2026 deadline
- Added Xero Payroll, powered by Gusto, at $36 a month plus $6 an employee
- Recorded unlimited users explicitly on every plan
-
August 2026
- Pricing and invoice caps verified
- Added plan picker and verdicts
Sources & verification
Facts on this page were read from the sources below on the dates shown. Where a vendor does not publish a figure, we record it as not disclosed rather than estimating it.
- Xero pricing plans - checked 19 August 2026
Spotted something out of date? Email [email protected] and we will re-check it. Corrections are logged on the page.
