QuickBooks 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
QuickBookssite ↗pricing ↗
Accounting software for small businesses, covering invoicing, expenses, payroll and tax reporting. Paid plans start at $38/mo (Simple Start); a free plan exists. The ladder we hold runs 4 paid tiers, topping out at $340/mo (Advanced). We read the same $38/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.
Xerosite ↗pricing ↗
Cloud accounting software for small businesses and their accountants, strong on bank reconciliation and third-party apps. Paid plans start at £3/mo (Ignite); no free plan is published. The ladder we hold runs 4 paid tiers, topping out at £13/mo (Ultimate). It bills by country — entry $2/mo to a US reader and $5/mo in the eurozone, from our same-day reads.
The two ladders
QuickBookssite ↗pricing ↗
read 2026-08-29 · USD
| Plan | Price | What the page says |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | |
| Simple Start | $38/mo | |
| Essentials | $85/mo | |
| Plus | $140/mo | |
| Advanced | $340/mo |
Xerosite ↗pricing ↗
read 2026-08-29 · GBP
| Plan | Price | What the page says |
|---|---|---|
| Ultimate | £13/mo | |
| Comprehensive | £10/mo | |
| Grow | £7/mo | |
| Ignite | £3/mo |
Where they differ
- Cheapest way in: Xero at £3/mo, against QuickBooks at $38/mo. That is the entry price in this market on the dates shown, not a judgement about which suits you.
- Free plans: only QuickBooks publishes one — a plan priced at zero, not a trial.
- How far each ladder goes: QuickBooks tops out at $340/mo, Xero at £13/mo. A deeper ladder is not a worse deal — it is a bill that keeps climbing if you keep growing.
- QuickBooks: We read the same $38/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 $2/mo to a US reader and $5/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.