About Xero
Xero is a cloud-based small business accounting software with tools for managing invoicing, bank reconciliation, inventory, purchasing, expenses, bookkeeping and more. Xero is an alternative to QuickBooks. It is a modern, small business accounting software that lives in the cloud. It's accessible from any computer or mobile device, making for a smarter and easier accounting process, with features including cash flow tracking, payment processing, bank reconciliation, expense tracking, inventory management, financial reporting, and more.
The Xero dashboard presents users with a clear and concise overview of their financial situation. It provides small business owners with a greater understanding of their cashflow by highlighting bank balances, outstanding invoices, upcoming bills and expense claims in a visually appealing way. Daily bank and credit card transactions are automatically imported into Xero and matched to their corresponding accounting transaction. Doing bank reconciliation is as easy as confirming the match is corrected and clicking "OK."
Xero integrates with over 1,000 third-party apps commonly used by small businesses including Stripe, PayPal, Capsule, HubSpot, and more in order to streamline workflows and synchronize data such as sales invoices, client data, cashflow reports, payroll data, and more. Data flows directly into the Xero ledger, removing the time and effort required for manual data entry. Every Xero plan comes with unlimited users, so there's no need to pay for extra licenses. Collaborate with colleagues or invite financial advisors to view data remotely and get valuable real-time advice.
Pricing starting from:
US$5.50/month
- Free Version
- Free Trial
- Subscription
Top 5 alternatives to Xero
Key benefits of Xero
Devices
Business size
Markets
Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, United Kingdom, Guernsey, Ireland, India, Jersey, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, United States and 9 others
Supported Languages
English
Pricing starting from:
US$5.50/month
- Free Version
- Free Trial
- Subscription
Top 5 alternatives to Xero
Images
Features
Total features of Xero: 162
- "What If" Scenarios
- 401(k) Tracking
- ACH Payment Processing
- API
- Access Controls/Permissions
- Accounting
- Accounts Payable
- Accounts Receivable
- Accrual Accounting
- Activity Dashboard
- Activity Tracking
- Ad hoc Reporting
- Alerts/Notifications
- Approval Process Control
- Approval Workflow
- Asset Accounting
- Asset Tracking
- Audit Trail
- Automated Quoting
- Automatic Backup
- Automatic Billing
- Bank Reconciliation
- Benefits Management
- Billing & Invoicing
- Billing Portal
- Budgeting/Forecasting
- CPA Firms
- Calendar Management
- Case Management
- Cash Flow Management
- Cash Management
- Cataloging/Categorization
- Charting
- Check Printing
- Check Processing
- Check Writing
- Client Management
- Client Portal
- Collections Management
- Compliance Management
- Consolidation/Roll-Up
- Construction Breakdowns
- Contact Database
- Contact Management
- Contingency Billing
- Contract/License Management
- Core Accounting
- Cost Tracking
- Credit Card Processing
- Cross Ledger Posting
- Currency Conversion
- Customer Database
- Customer History
- Customer Statements
- Customizable Branding
- Customizable Invoices
- Customizable Reports
- Customizable Templates
- Data Import/Export
- Direct Deposit
- Discount Management
- Document Management
- Document Storage
- Document Templates
- Drag & Drop
- Due Date Tracking
- Dunning Management
- Duplicate Payment Alert
- Electronic Payments
- Email Management
- Email Templates
- Expense Claims
- Expense Management
- Expense Tracking
- Fee Calculation & Posting
- Financial Analysis
- Financial Management
- Financial Reporting
- Fixed Asset Management
- For CPA Firms
- For Government
- Forecasting
- Fraud Detection
- Fund Accounting
- General Ledger
- Hourly Billing
- Income & Balance Sheet
- Inventory Control
- Inventory Management
- Inventory Optimization
- Inventory Tracking
- Invoice History
- Invoice Management
- Invoice Processing
- Job Costing
- Kitting
- Mobile Access
- Mobile App
- Mobile Payments
- Monitoring
- Multi-Channel Management
- Multi-Company
- Multi-Country
- Multi-Currency
- Multi-State
- Nonprofits
- Online Invoicing
- Online Payments
- Order Management
- Order Processing
- Order Tracking
- Overpayment Processing
- Overrun Reporting
- Partial Payments
- Payment Processing
- Payroll Management
- Payroll Reporting
- Price / Margin Management
- Pricing Management
- Product Identification
- Profit/Loss Statement
- Progress Tracking
- Project Accounting
- Project Billing
- Project Management
- Purchase Order Management
- Quotes/Estimates
- Real Time Data
- Real Time Reporting
- Receipt Management
- Receivables Ledger
- Recurring/Subscription Billing
- Reimbursement Management
- Reorder Management
- Reporting/Analytics
- Requisition Management
- Retail Inventory Management
- Revenue Recognition
- Sales Reports
- Sales Tax Management
- Search/Filter
- Self Service Portal
- Shipping Management
- Sourcing Management
- Spend Management
- Staff Management
- Status Tracking
- Stock Management
- Supplier Management
- Tax Calculation
- Tax Compliance
- Tax Management
- Template Management
- Third Party Integrations
- Time & Expense Tracking
- Time Tracking
- Transaction History
- Vacation/Leave Tracking
- Vendor Management
- W-2 Preparation
- Wage Garnishment
- Warehouse Management
Alternatives
Quickbooks Online
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
MYOB Business
QuickBooks Online Advanced
Reviews
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- Industry: Arts & Crafts
- Company size: Self Employed
- Used Weekly for 1+ year
-
Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10
Affordable professional level accounting software for small business
Reviewed on 26/08/2019
It's been easier to use Xero than I expected, but I had a nasty surprise at tax time when I...
It's been easier to use Xero than I expected, but I had a nasty surprise at tax time when I realized the default accounts/descriptions for expenses did not correlate 1:1 to IRS categories. (I should have checked this more closely when I set up my accounts because it's a New Zealand company, and the previous product was local.) This means I will need to double-check all my transactions for 2018 and the IRS has my vastly overestimated tax payment until I can do that and file my return on an extension.
I've had a much better experience importing data from financial institutions because Xero uses a well-known importing service that is trusted by the institutions.
I like being able to match multiple invoices to bank deposits because I usually don't run to the bank for each check. This will be more valuable as my company grows.
I should probably find an accountant to assist me with this, but I haven't found an accountant who understands both craft businesses and Xero.
Pros
Professional double entry software at a very affordable price
Accommodates both cash and accrual accounting
Links to financial institutions to get transactions
Uses standard importer recognized by the financial institutions instead of just trying to log in remotely (and triggering fraud alerts)
Can match multiple invoices to a single deposit transaction imported from bank
Can keep using Xero as company grows
Cons
Pre-existing expense categories/descriptions don't map 1:1 with IRS definitions, so I'm having to go back to all my receipts to make sure expenses are entered in proper accounts because I didn't realize this when I switched
More difficult to focus on specific expense categories to check transactions
Have not been able to import historic data from previous app (possibly because it's not double entry) so I am still paying the subscription on that software to retain access to my data
No integration with Craftybase, so I have to enter supply purchases and customer invoices there independently
Alternatives Considered
Quickbooks OnlineReasons for Choosing Xero
Outright depends on importing data from financial institutions but they were extremely unreliable (apparently they don't use a standard importing service and my credit union kept flagging them as hackers for remote logins) and customer service kept giving me the runaround. It also isn't "professional" double-entry bookkeeping and can't be audited. Outright can't handle Cost of Goods Sold properly and requires manual workarounds. It can't generate professional reports needed when applying for loans.Switched From
GoDaddy Online BookkeepingReasons for Switching to Xero
QuickBooks introduced a special product for Etsy integration, but early adopters had problems with data disappearing and no way to recover it. Otherwise, the cost of QuickBooks to cover the same features I use in Xero would have been very expensive; even a QB consultant told me it's overkill for a business of my size. I forget which other products I looked at, but Xero was recommended by several owners of similar businesses.- Industry: Consumer Services
- Company size: 2-10 Employees
- Used Daily for Free Trial
-
Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10
Math-phobic business owners no more - Easy to Follow tabs, instructions, with examples. Thank...
Reviewed on 20/11/2021
business 101 - understand your business reports - this makes it a lot easier and on google drive, ...
business 101 - understand your business reports - this makes it a lot easier and on google drive, perfect
Pros
reconciling bank statements with the software's created titles and tabs is so much easier.
Cons
this is easy for my level = I can check bookkeeping and accounting annual documents myself.
- Industry: Financial Services
- Company size: 201-500 Employees
- Used Weekly for 1+ year
-
Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 9.0 /10
My Experience with Xero
Reviewed on 11/01/2022
Budgeting, forecasting and reporting.
Budgeting, forecasting and reporting.
Pros
Xero offers online unlimited accounting tools for free.
Cons
Unfortunately, Xero do not allocate accounting capabilities for large and enterprise organizations.
- Industry: Accounting
- Company size: 2-10 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
-
Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10
It took me a while, but I am a Xero convert!
Reviewed on 30/09/2021
When I first began using Xero, I had heard a lot about it and was skeptical. Surely, no software...
When I first began using Xero, I had heard a lot about it and was skeptical. Surely, no software could be so "all that"! I was introduced to it by a colleague who has converted the whole of her mid-size accountancy practice to it, and literally within a day and a half (which did include watching some of the short but very clear tutorial videos) I was not only up and running, but felt confident using it, finding my way around it, locating and fixing errors etc. It's literally that simple and straightforward. It's also incredibly stable - I think in 3 years it's only been offline (to my knowledge) 3 times, each for a very short period. I've also not found ANY bugs so far - almost unheard of! - and the support is fantastic, even though it's online.
Pros
Provided it's set up properly, Xero is probably the most friendly accounting software - to non-accountants that is - of any I've ever come across. Back in the 90's, MYOB revolutionised accounting software for small business, but Xero takes it to a whole new level, by removing so much of the data entry work that takes time, leaves room for errors and is in general a pain, when you'd rather be - you know, running your business. With Xero, it's up to the individual operator how much they want to automate their accounting transactions; if you want to, you can use the really powerful, but still simple tools to do a lot of the legwork for you. If you prefer to do it more manually, that's OK too - it's still simple and very quick and easy to use.
Cons
Xero is constantly adding and refining its software. Inventory control is an area I'd like to see strengthened, but that's already way ahead of where it was a couple of years ago. Similarly processing payments in advance. But these are relatively small niggles which for the majority of small businesses don't present any issue.
Alternatives Considered
MYOB BusinessReasons for Choosing Xero
I was contracting to an accountancy firm who had converted their entire practice to Xero.Switched From
MYOB Business- Industry: Retail
- Company size: Self Employed
- Used Daily for 1-5 months
-
Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10
Making accounting simplified and easy to navigate
Reviewed on 13/01/2022
Excellent experience so far! I switched from Quickbooks and never turned back
Excellent experience so far! I switched from Quickbooks and never turned back
Pros
The software has been crucial for the operation of my small business, it connects with Shopify sales very well and the reporting functions allows me to track sales and profitability easily. It also makes it easy for tax time.
Cons
N/A - every function has been great and no dislikes as yet
Xero FAQs
Below are some frequently asked questions for Xero.Q. What type of pricing plans does Xero offer?
Xero offers the following pricing plans:
- Starting from: US$5.50/month
- Pricing model: Subscription
- Free Trial: Available
Early: $5.50/month Growing: $16/month Established: $31/month
Q. Who are the typical users of Xero?
Xero has the following typical customers:
Self Employed, 2-10, 11-50, 51-200, 201-500, 501-1,000
Q. What languages does Xero support?
Xero supports the following languages:
English
Q. Does Xero support mobile devices?
Xero supports the following devices:
Android (Mobile), iPhone (Mobile), iPad (Mobile)
Q. What other apps does Xero integrate with?
Xero integrates with the following applications:
Accelo, Actionstep, ActiveCollab, Acuity Scheduling, Administrate Training Management, Adobe Commerce, Agile CRM, ApprovalMax, AroFlo, Authorize.Net, AutoEntry, BarTab, Batchbook, BigCommerce, BlueFolder, BookingBug, BuilderTREND, Capsule, Chargebee, Chargify, Chaser, Checkfront, Checkmybooks, Chrometa, Cin7, ClicData, Clio, CollabSpot, Constant Contact, Copper, Corecon, Current RMS, CustomerSure, Cyfe, DEAR Systems, Datamolino, Debtor Daddy, Deputy, Dext Prepare, Dryrun, EZRentOut, Ecwid, Emburse Nexonia Expenses, Emburse Tallie, Entryless, Epos Now, Everhour, Expensify, Exsalerate CRM, FUTRLI, Fathom, Fergus, FieldAware, Financial Driver, Fishbowl, Float, Float Cash Flow, FreshBooks, Freshdesk, GeoNext, Google Workspace, Grow, Handshake, Harvest, Hike, Hotelogix, Hubdoc, Insightly, InvoiceSherpa, JobAdder, Kickserv, Klipfolio, Lightspeed POS, LivePlan, MRPeasy, Mailchimp, Manu Online, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Power BI, Mindbody, MinuteDock, MyBuys, Nobly, OnePageCRM, OneSaas, Onsight, Operations Hub, Panalitix, PandaDoc, PayPal, Payment Evolution, Payoneer, Pepperi, Plooto, Podio, Practice Ignition, ProWorkflow, ProfitSee, Proposify, QuickBooks Commerce, QuickBooks Time, Quickbooks Online, Quoter, Quotient, Qvinci, Qwilr, RESULTS.com, Re-Leased, Really Simple Systems CRM, Rydoo, Sage 50cloud, Sage Business Cloud Accounting, SalesSeek, Sapaad, Satago, ServiceM8, Shoeboxed, Shopify, Simple Salon, Solve CRM, Spotlight Reporting, Square Point of Sale, Starshipit, Streamtime, Stripe, SugarCRM, Synchroteam, Synergy Practice Management, Tidy, Time Tracker, TimeCamp, Timely, Tradify, Trigger, Unleashed, Veeqo, Vend, WORKetc, WooCommerce, Workato, WorkflowMax, XEDI Web EDI, XO Cashflow, ZENOTI, Zahara, Zapier, Zendesk Sell, Zoho Analytics, Zoho Books, Zoho CRM, ezyCollect, ezyVet, simPRO, vWorkApp, webexpenses
Q. What level of support does Xero offer?
Xero offers the following support options:
Email/Help Desk, FAQs/Forum, Knowledge Base, 24/7 (Live rep), Chat
Related categories
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