FreshBooks vs Xero
Both ladders below were read from the vendors’ own pricing pages, in this market, on the dates shown. Nothing is converted: what you see is what each page showed a reader here.
What each one is
FreshBookssite ↗pricing ↗
Accounting software aimed at freelancers and service businesses, organised around invoicing and time tracking. Paid plans start at $23/mo (Lite); no free plan is published. The ladder we hold runs 3 paid tiers, topping out at $70/mo (Premium). We read the same $23/mo in every market we check, so this vendor does not price by country. It quotes USD here rather than local currency, so your bank sets the conversion. Its published prices moved on 2026-09-17 — the change log holds the rows.
Xerosite ↗pricing ↗
Cloud accounting software for small businesses and their accountants, strong on bank reconciliation and third-party apps. Paid plans start at £18/mo (Ignite); no free plan is published. The ladder we hold runs 4 paid tiers, topping out at £70/mo (Ultimate). It bills by country — entry $27/mo to a US reader and $29/mo in the eurozone, from our same-day reads. Its published prices moved on 2026-10-06 — the change log holds the rows.
The two ladders
FreshBookssite ↗pricing ↗
read 2026-09-15 · USD
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Lite | $23/mo |
| Plus | $43/mo |
| Premium | $70/mo |
Xerosite ↗pricing ↗
read 2026-10-13 · GBP
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Ultimate | £70/mo |
| Comprehensive | £55/mo |
| Grow | £39/mo |
| Ignite | £18/mo |
Where they differ
- Cheapest way in: Xero at £18/mo, against FreshBooks at $23/mo. That is the entry price in this market on the dates shown, not a judgement about which suits you.
- Free plans: neither publishes one. Any free access here is a trial, which is a deadline.
- Recently moved: FreshBooks (2026-09-17), Xero (2026-10-06). A change only counts once a second clean read agrees.
- FreshBooks: We read the same $23/mo in every market we check, so this vendor does not price by country. It quotes USD here rather than local currency, so your bank sets the conversion.
- Xero: It bills by country — entry $27/mo to a US reader and $29/mo in the eurozone, from our same-day reads.
How to choose in this category
- Almost every vendor leads with a limited-time discount; the standing price after it is the real comparison.
- Plans differ in users and features more than in price — read the rows, not just the header.
- Several of these vendors charge different amounts by country; the table shows what each market pays.