Xero
Free trialCloud accounting for small businesses: bank reconciliation, invoicing and bills, with no per-user fees.
Best for small businesses where several people need access to the books
Facts checked November 4, 2026
The short answer
Xero is cloud accounting for small businesses, and no plan charges a per-user license fee, so your bookkeeper, your accountant and a co-founder can all log in for the same price. Bank reconciliation, sales tax, W-9 and 1099 tracking and receipt capture come with every plan. The entry plan is tight, though: Early allows 20 invoices and 5 bills, and multiple currencies, project costing and expense claims wait for Established at $97 a month.
Choose it if
- Three or four people need to work in the books and you don't want each extra login to push you up a plan, as QuickBooks Online's user caps do
- Your accountant or bookkeeper already works in Xero, which says 250,000 accountants and bookkeepers use it to run their practices
- You bill clients abroad or pay overseas suppliers, and $97 a month for multiple currencies and international bill payments fits your budget
- You want project time and costs, staff expense claims and mileage in the same place as your accounts
- Clients pay your invoices by PayPal or Venmo and you want those payments matched in your books through the PayPal app in the Xero App Store
Skip it if
- You send more than 20 invoices and want to pay under $30 a month, since the Early plan stops at 20; Wave has a free plan with unlimited invoices
- You work alone, earn under $50,000 a year and want accounting for nothing, which the free plan of Zoho Books covers
- You freelance or run a service business that mostly sends invoices, which is the job FreshBooks is aimed at
- You want an annual plan with a discount, because Xero bills US subscriptions monthly
- You need payroll in the base price, because Xero runs payroll through Gusto as a paid add-on
Main features
Bank reconciliation
Every plan connects to your bank feeds so you can match transactions against invoices and bills. Growing and Established add auto-reconcile, where Xero's assistant JAX matches the transactions it is confident about; on Early that costs $5 a month.
Invoices, quotes and online payments
You send quotes, turn them into invoices and see who has paid. Customers can pay online for a fee, and the PayPal app, published by PayPal, puts a Pay now button for PayPal and Venmo on your invoices.
Bills and bill payments
Early lets you enter 5 bills, while Growing and Established read bills in automatically and track them. Standard ACH bill payments are free on every plan; cross-border payments are optional with fees, and international bill payments come with Established.
Smart Document Capture
Upload or photograph a bill or receipt and Xero pulls out the key details for you to check before they go into your books.
Sales tax and 1099s
Every plan tracks sales tax and handles W-9 and 1099 records for contractors, so the figures are ready at filing time.
Cash flow forecasts and dashboards
The forecast looks 30 days ahead on Early, 60 on Growing and 180 on Established. Growing adds custom dashboards, financial health scorecards and 3 budgets; Established adds KPIs, ratios and benchmarks against your industry.
JAX, the AI assistant
You can ask JAX plain questions about your data, such as "What overdue invoices do I have?", and it categorizes and matches bank transactions it is confident about.
Payroll through Gusto
Xero Payroll, powered by Gusto, runs payroll for employees and contractors on any plan for $36 a month plus $6 per person.
Projects, expenses and multiple currencies
Established tracks time and costs by project, handles staff expense and mileage claims, and lets you invoice and pay in more than one currency.
Mobile app
The Xero Accounting app for iOS and Android is free with any active account. You can invoice, snap receipts, reconcile and take contactless payments with Tap to Pay, powered by Stripe.
Pricing
US dollar prices before tax, billed monthly, checked November 4, 2026. New US customers buying their first organization could get 80% off the base plan for the first 3 months ($5.40, $11.80 or $19.40 a month) or start with one free month; the discount can't be combined with other offers and doesn't cover add-ons, usage or payment fees. Online invoice payments and some bill payment methods carry fees, and Xero says it can change prices at any time.
Early
$27 / month
Quotes, 20 invoices, 5 bills, bank reconciliation, Smart Document Capture, sales tax, W-9 and 1099 management, basic graphs, 30-day cash flow forecast
Growing
$59 / month
Everything in Early with no invoice or bill caps listed, plus automated bill entry, auto-reconcile, custom dashboards, scorecards, 3 budgets and a 60-day forecast
Established
$97 / month
Everything in Growing plus multiple currencies, project time and cost tracking, expense and mileage claims, KPIs and ratios, industry benchmarks, international bill payments and a 180-day forecast
Xero Payroll, powered by Gusto (add-on)
$36 plus $6 per employee or contractor / month
Payroll on any plan
Auto-reconcile (add-on for Early)
$5 / month
Automatic matching of bank transactions, already included in Growing and Established
Reviews
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Alternatives to Xero
| Product | Choose it instead if | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| FreshBooks | You freelance or run a service business and mostly need to send invoices to clients | $23 a month (Lite) |
Questions people ask
Does Xero have a free plan?
No. Xero's US plans start at $27 a month for Early. When we checked on November 4, 2026, new customers could take one free month on any plan, or 80% off the first three months if they bought a plan straight away.
How much does Xero cost in the US?
Early is $27 a month, Growing $59 and Established $97, before tax and billed monthly. Payroll through Gusto adds $36 a month plus $6 per employee or contractor, and auto-reconcile costs $5 a month on Early. Prices were checked on November 4, 2026.
Does Xero charge per user?
No. Xero's pricing page lists no per-user license fees on any plan, so adding a bookkeeper or accountant doesn't raise your bill. QuickBooks Online, by comparison, caps users at 1, 3, 5 or 25 depending on the plan.
What are the limits on Xero's Early plan?
Early lets you send quotes and 20 invoices and enter 5 bills, and invoices created by connected apps can count toward that limit. It has no custom dashboards, budgets, multiple currencies or projects. Xero points you to Growing if you need more than 20 invoices.
Does Xero include payroll?
Not in the base price. Xero runs payroll through Gusto as an add-on on any plan, for $36 a month plus $6 per employee or contractor.
Is Xero better than QuickBooks Online?
Xero usually costs less once several people need access, because it has no per-user fees and its top US plan is $97 a month against $340 for QuickBooks Online Advanced. QuickBooks has a free plan for one user and is the better pick if your accountant already works in it.
Can Xero handle multiple currencies?
Yes, but only on Established at $97 a month. Early and Growing work in one currency.
Does Xero have a mobile app?
Yes. The Xero Accounting app runs on iOS and Android and is free for all active Xero accounts. Xero recommends iOS 16 or later.
Sources we checked 15
- xero.com/us/pricing-plans for US plans and prices, plan features and limits, add-ons and their prices, 80% offer terms, free month, monthly billing, no per-user fees, coach setup help checked November 4, 2026
- xero.com/us/pricing-plans/early for Early plan invoice and bill limits and the app-partner footnote checked November 4, 2026
- xero.com/us/pricing-plans/growing for Growing plan features checked November 4, 2026
- xero.com/us for 1,000+ apps, 5 million customers, 250,000 accountants and bookkeepers, one free month on any plan, 24/7 online support, JAX checked November 4, 2026
- xero.com/us/accounting-software for Feature list checked November 4, 2026
- xero.com/us/accounting-software/xero-accounting-mobile-app for iOS and Android app, free with an active account, Tap to Pay, JAX in the app checked November 4, 2026
- xero.com/us/about for Operating since 2006, Xero Limited, 5 million customers in 180+ countries checked November 4, 2026
- xero.com/us/about/offices for Office locations and regional headquarters checked November 4, 2026
- xero.com/us/investors for Company began in New Zealand in 2006 checked November 4, 2026
- xero.com/us/about/contact for Support channels checked November 4, 2026
- apps.xero.com/us/app/paypal for PayPal app publisher and what it does checked November 4, 2026
- quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing for QuickBooks Online free plan, prices and user caps for comparison checked November 4, 2026
- zoho.com/us/books/pricing for Zoho Books free plan limits checked November 4, 2026
- waveapps.com/pricing for Wave free Starter plan checked November 4, 2026
- freshbooks.com/pricing for FreshBooks plans for comparison checked November 4, 2026