Xero review

Xero starts at $25. Across the accounting software ranked on this site the median entry price is €16.66, so Xero sits in the pricier part of the field. The entry figure opens a plan, and what you pay later depends on the tier and billing period you pick.

There is no free plan. Xero works on a free trial, so you get full access for a set window rather than a cheaper tier you keep for good. The signup model is free trial, which suits a small business that wants to run a real stretch of trading before committing to a subscription.

The free trial runs 30. The median trial across the accounting software ranked here is 15, and the top of the range on this site is 365. That is enough time to link bank feeds and set up payroll before a paid plan starts.

Payroll is included in the Xero subscription, so it does not need a second system or a separate payroll vendor. Among accounting tools here, most either include payroll or sell it as an add-on, and Xero sits on the included side. That keeps payroll and the books in the same place for a small business.

Bank feeds are supported, so transactions land in the books without being typed in by hand. That is close to standard in this category, where most ranked tools also carry bank feeds, so treat it as a requirement met rather than a differentiator. Pairing feeds with 1,000 integrations keeps the wider toolset connected.

Support runs through help centre, which suits people who would rather look up an answer in their own time than queue for a call. A help centre is the commonest route across the ranked accounting tools here. Anyone who needs a live chat or a phone line should weigh that before settling.

Xero publishes an app on ios, so figures and invoices can be checked away from a desk. Mobile is the platform listed for the brand, so anyone who depends on desktop heavy work or scheduled exports should confirm the desktop side before choosing. The trial gives room to test that in real use.

Xero lists 1,000 integrations, which is the practical reason to watch what you build during the trial. A wide connector list matters for a small business already running other tools, because data can move without manual exports. Pair that with bank feeds and most of the daily flow is covered.