by Xero LimitedSmall business accounting software
Cloud accounting with no per-user fees, priced in three plans from $27 a month, with inventory and purchase orders on every plan.
Accounting priced per business, not per user, with inventory, purchase orders and bank feeds on every plan.
Xero charges per organization with no per-user license fees, so a team can add staff, a bookkeeper and an accountant without the bill changing. Growing ($59 a month) covers unlimited invoices and bills, auto-reconcile and budgets; inventory, purchase orders, bank connections and sales tax come with every plan. Payroll (powered by Gusto) and Stripe card and ACH payments are priced on Xero’s pages, and Xero states ISO 27001:2022 and a SOC 2 Type II report.
Against 3 other products we reviewed in Small business accounting software: what you pay for with each, the five access facts, the plan limits we recorded and each review's bottom line. The note under the table says how each one was checked.
| Metric | Xero | Zoho Books | QuickBooks Online | Wave |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you're paying for | Worth the priceAccounting priced per business, not per user, with inventory, purchase orders and bank feeds on every plan. | Worth the priceBills, multi-currency, inventory, projects and custom roles on a $50 plan with 5 users, backed by SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001. | Built-in reachFull small business books with payments, payroll and bill pay from one vendor, and a plan ladder from a free tier to 25 users. | Worth the priceInvoices, bills and bookkeeping for free, and bank imports, users and reminders for $19 a month per business. |
| Overall score | 7.1 | 8.2Best | 7.5 | 6.7 |
| Free option | 30-day free trial | Free plan | Free plan | Free plan |
| Card to start | Card required | –Not measured | No card needed | –Not measured |
| Getting access | Self-serve | Self-serve | Self-serve | Self-serve |
| Starter priceCheapest paid plan | $27/mo | $20/mo | $38/mo | $19/mo |
| Pricing model | Tiered | Tiered | Tiered | Tiered |
| Pricing page | Public prices | Public prices | Public prices | Public prices |
| Billing unit | Per organization per month; no per-user license fees | Per organization per month, in plan tiers; extra users $3/mo each | Per company per month, in plan tiers; no extra seats sold | Per business per month or year |
| Free option | No free plan; one month free with billing details taken at sign-up | Free plan under $50K yearly revenue (1 user + 1 accountant, no bills or bank feeds); 14-day trial | Free plan (1 user, 2 invoices/mo, 1 bank connection); 30-day trial of paid plans | Free Starter plan (unlimited invoices and bills, no bank import) |
| Reference scenario (3 users, monthly) | $59/mo on Growing, computed | $50/mo on Professional, computed | $85/mo on Essentials, computed | $19/mo on Pro, computed |
| Users per plan | No per-user fees on any plan | 1 + accountant / 3 / 5 / 10 / 10 / 15; extra users $3/mo ($2.50 yearly) | 1 / 1 / 3 / 5 / 25 (Free to Advanced); 2 or 3 accountants free on paid plans | Admins, editors and viewers on Pro; payroll manager and tax pro on all plans |
| Multi-currency | Established ($97) | Professional ($50) and up | Essentials ($85) and up | Foreign currency invoices and bills |
| Inventory and projects | Inventory in every plan (Inventory Plus $39/mo); projects on Established | Stock tracking and project profitability on Professional ($50) | Plus ($140) and up | Not listed |
| Card / bank payment fees | 2.9% + 30¢ / ACH debit 1% capped at $9 (Stripe, managed by Xero) | 2.9% + 30¢ / ACH 0.8% capped at $5 (Zoho Payments) | 2.99% / 1% (QuickBooks Payments) | 2.9% + $0.60 (first 10 a month at 2.9% + $0 on Pro) / 1%, $1 minimum |
| Payroll | Xero Payroll, powered by Gusto: $36/mo + $6 per employee or contractor | Zoho Payroll from $39/mo + $6 per employee | Workforce Payroll bundles, e.g. with Essentials $125/mo + $6.50 per employee | $40/mo + $6 per employee and per contractor paid |
| SOC 2 / ISO 27001 | SOC 2 Type II report on request; ISO/IEC 27001:2022 | SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO/IEC 27001 for Zoho cloud services | SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001:2022 on the Intuit Trust Center | Not stated; Level 1 PCI DSS |
| Custom roles / audit log | Fixed user roles; History and notes audit trail | Custom roles on Professional; activity log on every plan | Custom roles on Advanced; audit log from Essentials | Fixed roles that cannot be customized; no audit log described |
| Data export | Any report exported to Excel or PDF; API | Reports to CSV, XLS, XLSX or PDF; API on every plan | Export data tool (reports and lists to Excel); read-only access 1 year after cancelling | Data Export: journal entries and transactions, bills, customers, vendors (XLS or CSV) |
| Bottom line | From its public pages, Xero is full small business accounting priced per organization with no per-user fees, with inventory and purchase orders on every plan. Most businesses that pay bills start on Growing, and currencies and projects need Established. | From its public pages, Zoho Books puts the broadest set of bookkeeping and control features at $50 a month, with SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001 behind it. Bills start on Professional, and the free plan is limited to businesses under $50K revenue. | From its public pages, QuickBooks Online is a full accounting suite with payments, payroll and bill pay from Intuit and a clear plan ladder. Users are tied to tiers, and inventory and projects start on Plus. | From its public pages, Wave is the lowest-cost way here to keep small business books: free invoices and bills, and bank imports and users for $19 a month. It lists fewer bookkeeping and security features than the larger suites. |
Evidence: Xero: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Zoho Books: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; QuickBooks Online: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Wave: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run. Prices in USD as listed, excluding tax. "–" means not recorded.
Review from public pages
Written from Xero's public pages (pricing, security or privacy, and docs) as read on Oct 16, 2026. We did not sign up, and no hands-on run is published yet.
We read Xero's US pricing page with its plan comparison and offer terms, the Growing plan page, the sign-up pages, the Stripe fees page, the purchase orders, inventory, invoicing and financial reporting feature pages, the security page and SOC 2 report request page, the terms of use and the developer docs on tracking categories and the accounting API on Oct 16, 2026; we did not sign up, start the free month or call the API for this review. All prices on the pricing page are listed in USD and exclude tax.
The plan table is clear about limits: Early allows quotes and 20 invoices and 5 bills a month, and Growing removes those limits and adds auto-reconcile and up to 3 budgets. Multiple currencies, projects and expense claims are on Established. The page states no per-user license fees, and the Growing plan page lists inventory and purchase orders in every plan.
A few points need a question to Xero. Inventory Plus is listed as optional with no price on the pricing page, while the sign-up page shows $39 a month. The Growing plan page says its reports plan up to 30 days ahead, while the table lists a 60-day forecast for Growing. The FAQ titled "Can I pay the subscription annually?" describes monthly invoicing without saying yes or no. The pricing page offers 80% off for 3 months and, as a separate path, one month free with billing details taken at sign-up.
Every plan is priced per organization with no per-user license fees, so 3 users cost the same as 1.
vs QuickBooks Online: QuickBooks Online ties users to tiers (3 on Essentials); FreshBooks charges $11 a month per team member.
Inventory and purchase orders are listed among the features in every plan; Inventory Plus, for online sales channels, is a $39 a month add-on.
vs QuickBooks Online: QuickBooks Online starts inventory and purchase orders on Plus ($140); Zoho Books on Professional ($50).
Through Stripe managed by Xero, US ACH debit is 1% capped at $9 and bank transfer 0.5% capped at $5; cards are 2.9% + 30¢.
Compared: QuickBooks Payments and Wave list 1% for bank payments with no cap stated.
The security page states ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and SOC 2 reports; customers download them after logging in, others request them with a form.
vs FreshBooks: FreshBooks’ press release covers a SOC 2 Type 1 report; Wave states PCI DSS only.
Early allows 20 invoices (counted when approved or sent; invoices created by apps may count) and 5 bills a month, so most businesses that pay suppliers start on Growing at $59.
Use multiple currencies, track time and costs for projects, and expense claims are marked only on Established ($97 a month).
The sign-up terms authorize Xero to charge the recurring total at the end of the one month free unless you cancel before the next billing date.
Workaround: The pricing page offers 80% off the first 3 months as an alternative for new US customers.
Access is managed through Xero’s built-in user roles; the pages we read describe no custom roles.
Xero bills per organization per month with no per-user fees, and subscriptions auto-renew monthly. For our scenario, 3 users with 30 invoices and 20 bills a month, Early’s limits (20 invoices, 5 bills) rule it out, so the cheapest fit is Growing at $59 a month at list price (computed), or $11.80 a month for the first 3 months with the 80% offer for new US customers. Established ($97) adds multiple currencies and projects. Add-ons and fees: Inventory Plus $39 a month, payroll $36 a month plus $6 per person, auto-reconcile on Early $5 a month, and Stripe fees of 2.9% + 30¢ for cards and 1% capped at $9 for ACH debit. Standard ACH bill payments are included on all plans; other payment methods carry fees.
Any report can be exported as a spreadsheet or PDF, the History and notes report can be exported as an audit trail, and the accounting API is documented. The terms let you end a subscription with one month’s notice; export your reports and data before access ends.
From its public pages, Xero is full small business accounting priced per organization with no per-user fees, with inventory and purchase orders on every plan. Most businesses that pay bills start on Growing, and currencies and projects need Established.
| Limit | As recorded |
|---|---|
| Billing unit | Per organization per month; no per-user license fees |
| Free option | No free plan; one month free with billing details taken at sign-up |
| Reference scenario (3 users, monthly) | $59/mo on Growing, computed |
| Users per plan | No per-user fees on any plan |
| Multi-currency | Established ($97) |
| Inventory and projects | Inventory in every plan (Inventory Plus $39/mo); projects on Established |
| Card / bank payment fees | 2.9% + 30¢ / ACH debit 1% capped at $9 (Stripe, managed by Xero) |
| Payroll | Xero Payroll, powered by Gusto: $36/mo + $6 per employee or contractor |
| SOC 2 / ISO 27001 | SOC 2 Type II report on request; ISO/IEC 27001:2022 |
| Custom roles / audit log | Fixed user roles; History and notes audit trail |
| Data export | Any report exported to Excel or PDF; API |
Read from the vendor's public pages on Oct 16, 2026. No hands-on run is published yet. How we check
We have not published a sign-up run for Xero yet. The access facts above were read from its sign-up and pricing pages on Oct 16, 2026.
We have not published API calls for Xero yet.
Xero lists 4 plans. The cheapest paid plan, Early, costs $27/mo.
Prices as listed, USD, excluding tax; observed 2026-10-16.
Source: xero.com pricing page. Prices change; the observed date above is when our agent read them.
We read the pricing, payments, payroll, security, help center and developer pages of three accounting suites on the same day and scored them on the same six indicators. What 3 users with invoices, bills and bank feeds cost, where multi-currency, inventory and roles sit, and who should pick which.
