Xero vs Zoho Books
Verified ratings, feature by feature comparison and real pricing. Everything a North American business needs to pick between these two.
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Ratings
Every score, at a glance
Verified user ratings across every dimension. Xero against Zoho Books, nothing weighted.
Dimensions won
41Xero 4, Zoho Books 1
Xero vs Zoho Books, across 5 rating dimensions
Widest rating gap
+0.4
Xero leads on ease of use
Verified reviews
442
194 for Xero, 248 for Zoho Books
Xero194 verified reviews
Zoho Books248 verified reviews
Ratings by dimension
- Xero
- Zoho Books
Share of verified reviews
Which product reviewers actually write about.
- Xero194
- Zoho Books248
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.
| Xero | Zoho Books | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.5 | 4.2 |
| Reviews | 194 | 248 |
| Ease of use | 4.7 | 4.3 |
| Value for money | 4.6 | 4.7 |
| Customer service | 4.1 | 3.7 |
| Functionality | 4.5 | 4.4 |
| Starting price | $20/mo | $20/mo |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Free version | No | Yes |
Features
Feature by feature, checked off
Everything each product ships, side by side. No marketing gloss.
| Feature | Xero | Zoho Books |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited users on every plan | ||
| Automated bank feeds | ||
| Side by side reconciliation | ||
| Invoicing and online payments | ||
| GST/HST returns for CRA | ||
| Sales tax via Avalara | ||
| Project tracking | ||
| Expense claims | ||
| Multi currency | ||
| Inventory | ||
| Fixed asset register | ||
| Full audit trail | ||
| Accountant tools | ||
| True double entry accounting | ||
| Automated bank feeds and reconciliation rules | ||
| Client portal with online payment | ||
| Recurring invoices and payment reminders | ||
| Inventory tracking on Professional and above | ||
| Multi currency with automatic exchange rates | ||
| Custom workflow automation | ||
| Project time tracking and billing | ||
| Open API on affordable tiers | ||
| Deep integration with the wider Zoho suite |
Pricing
Both price lists, side by side
Every plan from both vendors, side by side, priced in US dollars.
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.
Zoho Books plans
Free
For businesses under 50,000 dollars of annual revenue.
Free
no card required
- 1 user plus 1 accountant
- Client portal
- Automatic payment reminders
- Up to 1,000 invoices a year
- Bank feed connections
Standard
3 users. The plan most small businesses actually start on.
$20/mo
per month
- 3 users
- Recurring invoices and expenses
- Bank reconciliation rules
- Project time tracking
- Sales tax tracking
- 15 dollars a month billed annually
Professional
5 users. Adds purchase orders, inventory and multi currency.
$50/mo
per month
- 5 users
- Purchase orders and sales orders
- Inventory tracking
- Multi currency handling
- Custom workflow rules
- Vendor portal
Premium
10 users. Custom domain, budgeting and deeper automation.
$70/mo
per month
- 10 users
- Custom domain and branding
- Budgeting
- Custom buttons and functions
- Twenty five custom modules
- Validation rules
Get current pricing
These are list prices and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with Zoho for the figure you will actually pay.