QuickBooks Online vs Xero
Verified ratings, feature by feature comparison and real pricing. Everything a North American business needs to pick between these two.
QuickBooks Online
The default accounting system for small business in North America
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Ratings
Every score, at a glance
Verified user ratings across every dimension. QuickBooks Online against Xero, nothing weighted.
Dimensions won
05QuickBooks Online 0, Xero 5
QuickBooks Online vs Xero, across 5 rating dimensions
Widest rating gap
+1.1
Xero leads on ease of use
Verified reviews
481
287 for QuickBooks Online, 194 for Xero
QuickBooks Online287 verified reviews
Xero194 verified reviews
Ratings by dimension
- QuickBooks Online
- Xero
Share of verified reviews
Which product reviewers actually write about.
- QuickBooks Online287
- Xero194
Cost to get started
Cheapest paid plan, shown per month.
Xero is the cheaper way in. Lower is not automatically better, so weigh it against the ratings above.
Head to head
Where each one wins
Row by row, with the stronger score highlighted. Straight from verified reviews.
| QuickBooks Online | Xero | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 3.9 | 4.5 |
| Reviews | 287 | 194 |
| Ease of use | 3.6 | 4.7 |
| Value for money | 3.5 | 4.6 |
| Customer service | 3.1 | 4.1 |
| Functionality | 4.1 | 4.5 |
| Starting price | $38/mo | $20/mo |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Free version | No | No |
Features
Feature by feature, checked off
Everything each product ships, side by side. No marketing gloss.
| Feature | QuickBooks Online | Xero |
|---|---|---|
| Automated bank feeds | ||
| Bank reconciliation with learned rules | ||
| Invoicing and online payments | ||
| Sales tax and GST/HST tracking | ||
| 1099-NEC contractor tracking | ||
| Inventory management | ||
| Project profitability | ||
| Class and location tracking | ||
| Multi currency | ||
| Mileage tracking | ||
| Receipt capture | ||
| Custom reporting | ||
| Budgeting and forecasting | ||
| Accountant access | ||
| Unlimited users on every plan | ||
| Side by side reconciliation | ||
| GST/HST returns for CRA | ||
| Sales tax via Avalara | ||
| Project tracking | ||
| Expense claims | ||
| Inventory | ||
| Fixed asset register | ||
| Full audit trail | ||
| Accountant tools |
Pricing
Both price lists, side by side
Every plan from both vendors, side by side, priced in US dollars.
QuickBooks Online plans
Simple Start
One user. Enough for a sole proprietor or a first hire.
$38/mo
per month
- Income and expense tracking
- Invoicing and payments
- Bank feed and reconciliation
- Sales tax tracking
- 1 user plus your accountant
Essentials
Adds bill pay and time tracking. The common starting point.
$75/mo
per month
- Everything in Simple Start
- Bill management and A/P
- Time tracking
- Multi currency
- 3 users plus your accountant
Plus
Inventory and project profitability. Where most growing teams land.
$115/mo
per month
- Everything in Essentials
- Inventory tracking
- Project profitability
- Class and location tracking
- 5 users plus your accountant
Advanced
For businesses that have outgrown Plus but not accounting software.
$275/mo
per month
- Everything in Plus
- Batch invoicing
- Custom user permissions
- Workflow automation
- 25 users plus your accountant
Get current pricing
These are list prices and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with Intuit for the figure you will actually pay.
Xero plans
Early
Capped at 20 invoices and 5 bills a month. Genuinely small.
$20/mo
per month
- 20 invoices per month
- 5 bills per month
- Bank reconciliation
- Unlimited users
- Short term cash flow
Growing
Uncapped invoicing. Where almost everyone actually starts.
$47/mo
per month
- Unlimited invoices and bills
- Bank reconciliation
- Unlimited users
- Bulk transaction reconcile
- Short term cash flow
Established
Adds multi currency, projects and expense claims.
$80/mo
per month
- Everything in Growing
- Multi currency
- Project tracking
- Expense claims
- Advanced analytics
Get current pricing
These are list prices and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with Xero Limited for the figure you will actually pay.
Verdict
Our verdict
Pick QuickBooks if the accountant network matters more to you than anything else, which for most US businesses it quietly does. Pick Xero if more than two people touch your books, because unlimited users on every plan changes the total cost more than any feature here. Both are good. The deciding question is who else needs a login, and whether your accountant will work in Xero without charging you extra for the privilege.
Written from the reviews on both products. No vendor saw this before publication.