Xero Review

Our Verdict

Xero is the best QuickBooks alternative for small businesses, offering unlimited users, a clean interface, and excellent global support. Particularly strong for international businesses and teams that need collaborative accounting.

GetASearch Score: 8/10

Rating: 4.5/5 (1456 reviews)

Score Breakdown

What is Xero?

Xero is a cloud-based accounting platform built for small businesses, serving 3.9+ million subscribers globally. Headquartered in New Zealand, Xero has become the leading alternative to QuickBooks - particularly popular in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand - with an intuitive interface, strong bank feed integrations, and unlimited user seats on all plans. The platform automates bank reconciliation by importing transactions from 21,000+ financial institutions and using machine learning to suggest categorizations. Key features include invoicing (with payment tracking and reminders), expense claims, inventory management, purchase orders, and multi-currency support for 160+ currencies. Xero's standout advantage is unlimited users on all plans - QuickBooks charges per user, making Xero significantly cheaper for teams. Plans start at $15/month (Starter) for 20 invoices/month, $42/month (Standard) for unlimited invoices, and $78/month (Premium) adding multi-currency and project tracking. The Xero App Marketplace offers 1,000+ integrations covering payroll, POS, CRM, and industry-specific tools. Real-time collaboration lets your accountant and bookkeeper access your books simultaneously. Mobile apps provide invoicing, receipt capture, and bank reconciliation on the go.

Integrations: Stripe, PayPal, Shopify, Square, HubSpot

How We Tested Xero

We tested Xero for 30 days across its core accounting functionalities and multi-currency support. Our evaluation covered general ledger management, invoicing, bank reconciliation, and financial reporting. We assessed accuracy of calculations, ease of use for international transactions, and overall user interface design to provide an objective score.

Overview

<p>Xero is a cloud-based accounting platform popular in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. It offers double-entry accounting, bank reconciliation, invoicing, and a massive app marketplace. Xero is the primary QuickBooks competitor outside the US.</p>

Interface & usability

<p>The dashboard is clean with a modern design that appeals to small business owners. Bank reconciliation is fast with suggested matches. The interface is more intuitive than QuickBooks for many users, especially those new to accounting.</p>

Key features

<p><strong>Bank Reconciliation:</strong> Automatic transaction import with smart matching suggestions.</p><p><strong>Invoicing:</strong> Professional invoices with online payment, reminders, and recurring billing.</p><p><strong>App Marketplace:</strong> 1,000+ integrations for payroll, inventory, CRM, and more.</p><p><strong>Multi-Currency:</strong> Native multi-currency accounting for international businesses.</p>

Pricing

<p>Starter ($15/month): 20 invoices, 5 bills, bank reconciliation. Standard ($42/month): unlimited invoices and bills. Premium ($78/month): multi-currency. Pricing varies by country.</p>

Security & compliance

<p>ISO 27001 certified. SOC 2 Type II compliant. Two-factor authentication. Data encrypted at rest and in transit. 99.9% uptime SLA.</p>

Verdict

<p>Xero is the best cloud accounting platform for businesses outside the US, especially in Australia, NZ, and the UK. Its interface is more modern than QuickBooks, and the app marketplace is extensive. US businesses may find QuickBooks has better tax integration.</p>

Xero Features

Key Specifications

Xero Pricing

• Starter: $15/mo
• Standard: $42/mo
• Premium: $78/mo

Best For

• Small businesses with multiple team members
• International businesses needing multi-currency
• Businesses with accountant/bookkeeper collaboration
• UK, Australia, and NZ-based companies

Not Ideal For

• US businesses deeply integrated with QuickBooks ecosystem
• Companies needing robust inventory management
• Solo freelancers with minimal accounting needs
• Businesses requiring built-in payroll

Final Verdict

Xero is the best QuickBooks alternative for small businesses, offering unlimited users, a clean interface, and excellent global support. Particularly strong for international businesses and teams that need collaborative accounting.

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