Xero accounting vs QuickBooks - Which is better?

The Basic plan from the QuickBooks accounting system starts at $25 per month. All of the fundamentals of organizing receipts, tracking expenses and income, making invoicing, and receiving payments are included in this plan from Xero. 

The Plus plan, which costs $70 per month and includes all of the aforementioned features along with access for a maximum of five users, inventory, time tracking, and access to additional reporting, including reporting on project profitability, is the choice of many growing businesses.

The most expensive plan has the opulent features one would expect: a monthly advance of $150. You can use features like automated reminders and invoice approvals, batch invoices and expenses, management, and custom reporting with QuickBooks Top Plan.

Add-ons for payroll are available in three types: "Payroll Core", "Payroll Premium", and "Payroll Elite" which cost between $45 and $4 per employee per month and $125 and $10 per employee per month, respectively.

If you are located in the United States, your accountant might be most concerned about your lack of using Xero software. They will probably be accustomed to working with QuickBooks because it is the market leader in the United States.

For just $25 per month, the QuickBooks Basic plan is a great offer. QuickBooks is an excellent option for freelancers seeking all of the essential features of accounting software on a budget.

1. The software in QuickBooks is user-friendly and geared toward customers. Its design is easy to comprehend.

2. You can easily manage your taxes with QuickBooks. 

3. QuickBooks is always improving and evolving. The software has a lot of amendments that can always be useful for operating your business.

1. The risk of system crash exists. 

2. Direct professional support is not available

3. Issues related to file size arise.

4. Limitations are set on the number of users 

5. Data backup is not accurate. The chances of losing data exist.

The Early plan of Xero costs $9 per month, but the features are very limited. You can only enter five bills, and send five invoices and quotes, and a reconciliation of 20 bank transactions can be done. 

The majority of small businesses will benefit from their Growing plan. For $30 per month, invoices and quotations can be sent, bills can be entered, and bank transactions can be reconciled. 

Businesses require the Established plan of Xero to use all of the features. You can receive the Growing features, as well as multi-currency support, expense capture and management, and project cost and time tracking for $60 per month.

Pricing starts at $39 per month for the base and $6 per person for access to their Gusto full-service payroll, which is available to customers in all 50 states in the United States.

In terms of depth of user experience, Xero is an excellent accounting software. Xero is capable of adding to the growth of your startup business. It is a well-built accounting tool for small businesses.

Retail businesses can track inventory, add stock to quotations and invoices, and report on trending product lines. Xero ought to be there for you every step of the way as your business expands.

1. You can manage your accounts from any location. It's easy to use. 

2. It ensures the safety and security of business transactions. 

3. You can get product updates for free. 

4. It makes it simple to collaborate. 

5. You can upgrade according to your business's requirements.

1. The inventory, purchase, and requisition aspects are extremely basic. 

2. Projects, expense claims, and support for multiple currencies are restricted to the most expensive plan. 

3. Businesses will have to manually follow up on unpaid invoices because there is no built-in "Debtor Chasing" function. 

4. Xero's accounting system does not support ETPs (Exchange Trade Products).

QuickBooks occupies the highest market share across the world, with a colossal 62% chunk of accounting software users worldwide.

While the global market share of Xero is 8.8% (bumping up to 9.09% in 2023), with the majority of users based in the United Kingdom.

The user interface of QuickBooks Online was popularly considered outdated at the beginning of the 2010s. However, things have evolved since then, and rivals like Xero have forced QuickBooks to reevaluate its user interface. But there is still room for improvement here. It has a more contemporary feel and is easier to use. 

Businesses in the US should go with QuickBooks Online if they want a lot of value at a low price, advanced reporting, and a minimalist user interface. Businesses outside North America should go with Xero.

Related read: How to choose accounting software for small businesses?

Volopay is expense management and automation software that was designed to help businesses deal with all their financial challenges and pain points. One of the most amazing features offered by Volopay is the direct accounting integration with QuickBooks and Xero.

This means that all the transactions your business conduct through the Volopay platform or cards get recorded in real-time and entered under the right categories into the accounting sheets. Auto-categorization and expense mapping tools are used to study the pattern and transaction type of the business to create the most accurate accounting book.

There is a lot more you can do with Volopay; book a demo now!