If you only send out an invoice or two each month, the Early plan is an affordable option at $13 per month. Otherwise, you’ll have to bump up your subscription or consider QuickBooks Online plans. If you’re in the market for accounting software, you might be feeling overwhelmed by all the options out there. While Xero and QuickBooks are wildly popular, they’re not the only options available.

• With the Xero VAT calculator, you don’t need to worry about applying the right VAT rates—it does it for you.
• Additional automation abilities let you select inventory items from a preset list, quickly duplicate a previous invoice, or set up automatic invoices for repeat orders.
• BooXkeeping is an outsourced bookkeeping service provider that offers a wide range of solutions to help businesses manage their finances more efficiently.
• Video training courses, a blog, and a community forum are also available.

So you might want to approach it wisely and thoroughly compare the two solutions agains your requirements. That means careful consideration, planning, and a deep understanding of the unique needs of your business. Some best practices for choosing accounting software might also help, providing a roadmap for businesses to make informed decisions. QuickBooks Online is an impressive financial management platform that offers a harmonious blend of sophistication and user-friendliness. Its intuitive interface allows users to easily navigate through its impressive feature set.

How similar are Xero and QuickBooks?

A guide to the best international accounting software for UK businesses, including QuickBooks, Sage, Xero, Oracle NetSuite and more. With QuickBooks, you can connect any bank account to the platform provided that the bank is supported under the Open Banking regulations. All three plans have optional add-ons for an extra balancing books high resolution stock photography and images cost, such as Payroll from an additional £5 a month. All your data is automatically backed up to the cloud and synced across all your devices, so any changes made on the move will be updated when you next login in your laptop or desktop. This includes snapping pictures of your receipts and uploading them via your phone.

If you can’t justify paying for QuickBooks Online or Xero or they have too many features your business doesn’t need, Wave might be an ideal alternative. It has comparable invoicing features, but lacks an audit trail and doesn’t integrate with third-party apps. If you need to give accounting access to more than five people, Xero could be the better option for you. QuickBooks Online’s most popular Plus plan tops out at five users; its highest-tier Advanced plan allows up to 25 users, but that plan is expensive at $200 per month.

Pricing and Plans

With a free plan and paid plans starting at $20 per month, Zoho Books has plans for most budgets. Higher-tier plans include unique features, like workflow rules, on top of tools that help you measure project profitability. Phone support and live chat support are available 24/5 to all paying customers, but third-party integrations are limited compared to QuickBooks Online and Xero.

You can pay partially or fully and let QuickBooks automatically track the amount you paid and update the billing dashboard accordingly. Furthermore, you can pay your employees manually or through batch payments. If you want to experience a robust payroll solution, integrate Xero with third-party applications. Daily bank feeds are complex, so Xero provides an accurate picture of the business finances. You can view a summary of incoming and outgoing money on its dashboard.

If you pay VAT, work with suppliers or are a growing business, you can take your pick from Essentials (up to 3 users) or Plus (up to 5 users). The features list grows with the monthly subscription cost, and you can bolt-on extra services such as Payroll for a small extra monthly fee. With the QuickBooks app, you can stay on top of all your business finances and accounting from your phone. Available for free on iOS and Android when you’re a QuickBooks Online customer, the app offers instant access to your QuickBooks dashboard, including accounting reports, invoicing and much more. For this category, we rank Xero first due to its free 24/7 online customer support across all its plans.

About QuickBooks Online and Xero

Xero’s software also lets you map your accounts to different categories of tax form, keeping everything organized. QuickBooks supports six custom invoice templates, and lets you track the status of the invoice with read receipts. If needed, you can easily send customers reminders, and can match any payments received with the correct invoice for efficient bookkeeping. Finally, even the software vendors themselves are telling the world that their AI offerings aren’t really there yet.

QuickBooks’ design is logical and easy to understand, making it accessible to everyone, from seasoned accountants to small business owners, regardless of their accounting expertise. Xero empowers businesses with its robust reporting and analytics capabilities. The platform offers an array of customizable reports, allowing users to tailor insights to their specific needs. This adaptability extends to key metrics, enabling users to focus on the data that matters most.

QuickBooks Online – the evolution of accounting excellence

By choosing the software that best integrates with their existing tools and platforms, businesses can improve their efficiency and productivity. Affordability and scalability are paramount considerations, and here, Xero is more affordable and scalable than QuickBooks. With Xero’s low starting price, businesses can access a comprehensive feature set without breaking the bank.

Users who sign up for Xero through BooXkeeping also get access to discounted pricing, making Xero an even more affordable option for businesses. Overall, Xero is a reliable and efficient option for businesses looking to streamline their accounting processes and stay on top of their finances. While Xero prides itself on versatility, businesses with highly specialized needs may find that QuickBooks Online possesses more industry-specific features.

It’s a reliable companion for businesses that use various business tools, ensuring financial management remains at the core of a thriving ecosystem. Xero’s customizable invoicing feature simplifies infusing brand identity into financial documents. Users can seamlessly integrate company logos, select brand-appropriate colors, and choose fonts that resonate with their brand personality. Regardless of their design skills, users can create professional and visually appealing invoices.