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QuickBooks Online vs Xero pricing
QuickBooks Online and Xero are the two leading small-business accounting tools in the US, and Xero raised its prices on October 1, 2026. This page compares both vendors' published tiers using StackScope's accounting report, last verified October 2026.
Xero is cheaper at every matched tier even after its October 1, 2026 increase: Early is $27 per month against $38 for QuickBooks Simple Start, Growing is $59 against $85 for Essentials, and Established is $97 against $340 for QuickBooks Advanced. The tiers are not identical, since QuickBooks limits Simple Start to 1 user plus 2 accountant accesses, so check the user limits before comparing. Neither has an ongoing free plan, only a 30-day free trial, and Xero includes accountant and bookkeeper access at no extra cost. Intuit currently advertises 50% off for 3 months for new QuickBooks customers.
| Tool | Free plan | Entry tier | Mid tier | Highest public price | Aggregated sentiment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks Online | 30-day free trial; no ongoing free plan. [VENDOR]Simple Start allows 1 user + 2 accountant accesses. [VENDOR] | $38/mo standardSimple Start · MONTHLY: $38 standard. Intuit's current dedicated discount page explicitly advertises 50% off for 3 months for new customers (Simple Start $19/mo during the promo; free trials not eligible) [VENDOR]. Other current Intuit pages still show stale/conflicting older figures and 90%-off text — use $38 standard and flag those pages as stale. ANNUAL: $456/year — derived, straight 12× standard monthly, not a published vendor annual-billing rate [DERIVED — VENDOR]. 5 users: N/A — entry tier supports 1 user; moving up tiers is required. [VENDOR] | $85/moEssentials · 3 users + 2 accountants [VENDOR]. Named mid tier, not used for the fixed 5-user breakpoint since this tier itself only supports 3. New tier confirmed between Essentials and Advanced: Plus, $140/mo, 5 users + 2 accountants — adds inventory, project profitability and budgeting. [VENDOR] Other current Intuit pages still show stale Essentials $75/Plus $115/Advanced $275 figures — do not use those; $85/$140/$340 are the current standard list prices. | $340/moAdvanced · 25 users + 3 accountants [VENDOR]. Publicly priced list price, not Contact Sales. Adds custom roles, automated workflows, advanced/custom reporting, unlimited classes/locations, backup/restore and Priority Circle support. | Catch: pricing increases and support inconsistency recur in reviews. [3P — G2] Praise centers on ease of use, broad accounting workflows, bank connections, and integrations. G2's review summary also flags expense tracking, missing features, and support as recurring negatives. G2/Capterra currently still list the stale Essentials $75/Plus $115/Advanced $275 figures, which conflict with Intuit's current $85/$140/$340 — flagged, not used. [3P — G2/Capterra] Users: 1 on Simple Start, 3 on Essentials, 5 on Plus, 25 on Advanced. Invoices/bills/clients: no numeric cap found beyond user limits. Upgrade trigger: needing more than 1 user, or inventory/project profitability (Plus). AI: no separate AI add-on price found; Intuit Intelligence (25 prompts/month) plus tier-dependent Accounting AI, Payments AI, Sales Tax AI, Customer AI, Finance AI and Project Management AI are bundled into the relevant tiers, not sold separately. [VENDOR] |
| Xero | 30-day free trial; no ongoing free plan. [VENDOR]Accountant/bookkeeper access included at no extra cost. [VENDOR] | [PRICE INCREASE — Oct 1, 2026] $27/mo standardEarly · MONTHLY: $27 standard, up from $25, effective October 1, 2026; applies to new and existing US subscribers, excludes add-ons and sales tax [VENDOR]. Xero's current main US pricing page advertises 80% off for the first 3 months (code DC80325309US) = $5.40/mo for 3 months, then $27 — other current Xero pages still display the prior 90%-off-for-6-months offer, a live vendor-source conflict; verify the active offer at checkout. [VENDOR — source conflict] ANNUAL: not publicly offered — monthly-only public pricing. Xero states no per-user license fees, so 1-user and 5-user prices are identical. [VENDOR] Early remains capped at 20 invoices and 5 bills. | [PRICE INCREASE — Oct 1, 2026] $59/mo standardGrowing · MONTHLY: $59 standard, up from $55, effective October 1, 2026 [VENDOR]. Current main page promo = $11.80/mo for first 3 months, then $59 — see Early's cell for the promo source conflict. ANNUAL: not publicly offered. Removes Early's invoice/bill caps. JAX automated reconciliation available starting here, not on Early. | [PRICE INCREASE — Oct 1, 2026] $97/mo standardEstablished · MONTHLY: $97 standard, up from $90, effective October 1, 2026 [VENDOR]. Current main page promo = $19.40/mo for first 3 months, then $97 — see Early's cell for the promo source conflict. ANNUAL: not publicly offered. Publicly priced, not Contact Sales. | Catch: advanced reporting/customization and occasional bank-feed issues are recurring complaints. [3P — G2] Reviewers consistently praise the clean interface, ease of use, invoicing, and reconciliation. Capterra currently shows stale pre-increase figures ($25/$55) and G2 shows even older figures ($13/$37/$70) — both conflict with Xero's current Oct. 1 pricing and are flagged, not used. [3P — G2/Capterra] Users: unlimited on every tier, no per-user fee. Invoices/bills/clients: Early capped at 20 invoices and 5 bills/month; Growing and Established remove that cap. Upgrade trigger: exceeding Early's invoice/bill volume, or needing JAX automated reconciliation. AI: JAX (Xero's AI finance partner) carries no additional charge; JAX automated reconciliation is bundled starting on Growing, not available on Early. [VENDOR] |
Figures are aggregated from vendor pricing pages and independent third-party pricing research as of October 2026 and reflect published list prices. This page shows two of the four tools in the full Accounting Software report, which carries the complete footnotes and every source conflict we flagged. Confirm current pricing directly with each vendor before purchasing. This is not a recommendation to buy any specific product.
FAQ
Common questions
Is Xero cheaper than QuickBooks?
At the matched entry and mid tiers, yes. Xero Early is $27 per month versus $38 for QuickBooks Simple Start, and Xero Growing is $59 versus $85 for QuickBooks Essentials. This reflects Xero's price increase effective October 1, 2026, from $25, $55 and $90.
Do QuickBooks Online and Xero have free plans?
Neither has an ongoing free plan. Both offer a 30-day free trial.
How much did Xero raise its prices?
Effective October 1, 2026, Xero raised Early from $25 to $27 per month, Growing from $55 to $59 and Established from $90 to $97. The increase applies to new and existing US subscribers.
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Vendor pricing: QuickBooks Online pricing · Xero pricing