Xero vs QuickBooks Online (2026): Prices, Plans and Which to Choose

By Piyush Gupta, founder of NQD.ai · Prices checked October 22, 2026 · 9 min read

The short answer

Xero costs $27 to $97 a month in the US and £7 to £70 in the UK; QuickBooks Online costs $38 to $340 and £10 to £123. Xero is cheaper at every level in the US, and the two are close in the UK.

The bigger differences are elsewhere. Xero includes unlimited users and inventory on every plan, and payroll in its mid-range UK plans, but its support is online only and its entry plans cap invoices and bills. QuickBooks includes phone support and gets you multiple currencies on a lower plan, but limits users by plan and, in the UK, charges extra for payroll.

Every price and limit here comes from Xero's and Intuit's own websites, read on October 22, 2026; UK prices exclude VAT. We keep books in both, for clients in their own accounts, so we don't mind which you pick.

US plans and prices

Regular monthly prices, before introductory offers. Both bill monthly; neither shows a yearly price on its pricing page.

US prices in dollars, before tax and introductory offers, read on October 22, 2026.
Plan	Price per month	Users	Limits and what it adds
Xero (US)
Early	$27	Unlimited	20 invoices and 5 bills a month. Automatic reconciliation is $5 a month extra.
Growing	$59	Unlimited	Early's limits lifted. Adds automatic reconciliation, dashboards, budgets and a 60-day cash forecast.
Established	$97	Unlimited	Adds multiple currencies, project time and costs, expense and mileage claims, and a 180-day forecast.
QuickBooks Online (US)
Free	$0	Not stated	2 invoices a month (unlimited if you use QuickBooks Payments) and 1 bank account.
Simple Start	$38	1, plus 2 accountants	Invoices and payments, bill pay, bank feeds and automatic sales tax.
Essentials	$85	3, plus 2 accountants	Adds multiple currencies, time entry and enhanced reports.
Plus	$140	5, plus 2 accountants	Adds projects, inventory, budgeting and purchase orders.
Advanced	$340	25, plus 3 accountants	Adds a custom report builder, forecasting, workflow automation and priority support.

UK plans and prices

Regular monthly prices, excluding VAT, before introductory offers. Xero shows its Simple plan only to businesses not registered for VAT.

UK prices in pounds, excluding VAT and introductory offers, read on October 22, 2026.
Plan	Price per month	Users	Limits and what it adds
Xero (UK)
Simple	£7	Unlimited	For businesses not registered for VAT: 10 invoices a month and receipt capture, no bills or VAT returns.
Ignite	£18	Unlimited	20 invoices and 10 bills a month, VAT returns, payroll at £1.50 a person.
Grow	£39	Unlimited	No invoice or bill limits. Payroll for 1 person, expense claims for 1 user, automatic reconciliation.
Comprehensive	£55	Unlimited	Adds multiple currencies. Payroll for 5 people, expense claims for 5 users.
Ultimate	£70	Unlimited	Adds projects for 10 users. Payroll and expense claims for 10.
QuickBooks Online (UK)
Sole Trader Plus	£10	1, plus your accountant	Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. No direct VAT submission.
Simple Start	£16	1	Adds VAT returns to HMRC.
Essentials	£38	3	Adds multiple currencies, bills and recurring invoices.
Plus	£56	5	Adds projects, inventory, budgeting and purchase orders.
Advanced	£123	25	Adds custom reports, forecasting, workflow automation and premium support.

Where they differ

Xero and QuickBooks Online side by side, from each company's own pages on October 22, 2026.
	Xero	QuickBooks Online
Users	Unlimited on every plan, no per-user fees	1, 3, 5 or 25, by plan
Limits on the entry plan	US Early: 20 invoices and 5 bills a month. UK Ignite: 20 invoices and 10 bills	No invoice cap published on paid plans. US Free: 2 invoices a month
Multiple currencies	US Established ($97), UK Comprehensive (£55)	Essentials ($85, £38)
Projects	US Established ($97), UK Ultimate (£70)	Plus ($140, £56)
Inventory	Every plan, up to 4,000 items	Plus ($140, £56)
US payroll	Xero Payroll, powered by Gusto: $36 a month + $6 per person	QuickBooks Workforce: from $50 a month + $7 per employee
UK payroll	Included for 1, 5 or 10 people on Grow, Comprehensive and Ultimate; £1.50 a person on Ignite	Add-on from £5 a month + £1.50 per employee
Making Tax Digital (UK)	Income Tax on every plan; VAT returns from Ignite	Income Tax on every plan; VAT returns from Simple Start
Support	Online, 24/7. No phone line, but Xero will call you if needed	Phone support included on paid plans, during set hours
Apps	1,000+	Over 800
Introductory offer	90% off for 6 months (US offer ends 2 November 2026)	US: 50% off for 3 months, or a 30-day trial. UK: 90% off for 6 months, or 30 days free

Both calculate sales tax in the US on every paid plan, both reconcile your bank transactions on every plan, and both let your accountant in at no extra cost.

Which to choose

Xero suits you if

several people need to log in, since every plan has unlimited users;
you track stock, which every Xero plan includes and QuickBooks only from Plus ($140, £56);
you run UK payroll for a few people, which Xero includes from Grow (£39);
you're in the US and want the lower price at each level;
you're happy with online support.

QuickBooks Online suits you if

you want to be able to phone support;
you invoice in other currencies on a budget: Essentials ($85, £38) has them, against Xero's Established ($97) or Comprehensive (£55);
you're in the UK and need projects, which QuickBooks has from Plus (£56) and Xero only in Ultimate (£70);
you send more than 20 invoices a month but want to stay on a cheap plan;
you're a very small US business: QuickBooks Free costs nothing for 2 invoices a month.

Often the deciding factor is simpler: which one your bookkeeper or accountant already works in. Both are on HMRC's list for Making Tax Digital; see what Making Tax Digital for Income Tax asks of you.

Switching from one to the other

QuickBooks to Xero, US: through Jet Convert, free for your current and prior fiscal year, moving your chart of accounts, contacts and transactions; more years may cost extra. It takes between 20 minutes and 5 business days. Payroll information doesn't move.
QuickBooks to Xero, UK: through Movemybooks, free for up to 24 months of data, then £60 plus VAT per extra year.
Xero to QuickBooks: through Dataswitcher, free for up to 2 years of data (Intuit says the free offer may be for a limited time), into a new, empty QuickBooks company. It doesn't move bank reconciliation history, attachments, payroll or employees, and in the UK it doesn't carry over VAT settings or filing history. Intuit quotes a few days to a few weeks in the US, and 2 to 4 working days in the UK.

Whichever way you go, switch at the start of a month or quarter, reconcile the last month in the old system first, and export the reports you'll need before you cancel it.

Where NQD.ai fits

We keep books, so read this part with that in mind. We work in Xero or QuickBooks Online, in an account in your name, so you can pick either and keep it if you leave. We close the books by the 5th business day and have a person review every close.

Our plans are $299, $499 and $799 a month in the US, or £219, £369 and £599 in the UK with no VAT added, for up to 100, 300 and 700 transactions; the software subscription is separate. Our first 10 founding clients get 6 months free.

Book a Free Call

Or see the bookkeeping offer in full and every NQD.ai price on one page.

Every price here comes from Xero's or Intuit's own website on October 22, 2026. Both change prices and offers often; if one has changed, email support@nqd.ai and we'll correct it.

Frequently asked questions

Is Xero cheaper than QuickBooks Online?

In the US, yes, at every level: Xero is $27, $59 or $97 a month, QuickBooks Online $38, $85, $140 or $340 (QuickBooks also has a free plan limited to 2 invoices a month). In the UK they're close: Xero is £7 to £70 a month and QuickBooks £10 to £123, both excluding VAT, and QuickBooks Simple Start (£16) costs less than Xero Ignite (£18). Both take 90% off the first 6 months for new UK customers.

Which is better for a small business, Xero or QuickBooks?

It depends on how you work. Xero includes unlimited users on every plan, inventory on every plan and, in the UK, payroll from its Grow plan, but its support is online only and its entry plans cap invoices and bills. QuickBooks includes phone support and gets you multiple currencies on a lower plan, but it limits users by plan and, in the UK, charges extra for payroll. Often the deciding factor is which one your bookkeeper or accountant already uses.

Does Xero have unlimited users?

Yes. Every Xero plan includes unlimited users with no per-user fees, in both the US and the UK; only add-ons like UK payroll, expenses and projects charge for people beyond the plan's allowance. QuickBooks Online allows 1, 3, 5 or 25 users depending on the plan, plus access for your accountant.

Does Xero have phone support?

No. Xero's support is online and available 24/7: you raise a case through Xero Central, and Xero says it will call you if needed, but it has no phone number to call. QuickBooks Online includes phone support with every paid plan, during set hours.

Do Xero and QuickBooks work with Making Tax Digital?

Yes. In the UK, every Xero plan and every QuickBooks Online plan is ready for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. For VAT returns you need Xero Ignite (£18) or above, or QuickBooks Simple Start (£16) or above: Xero Simple and QuickBooks Sole Trader Plus don't submit VAT returns.

Can I switch from QuickBooks to Xero, or from Xero to QuickBooks?

Yes, and both offer a free conversion of recent years. Moving to Xero in the US goes through Jet Convert, free for your current and prior fiscal year; in the UK through Movemybooks, free for up to 24 months, then £60 plus VAT per extra year. Moving to QuickBooks goes through Dataswitcher, free for up to 2 years. Xero's US conversion doesn't move payroll information, and QuickBooks' conversion leaves out payroll, bank reconciliation history and attachments.

Is there a free version of Xero or QuickBooks?

QuickBooks has a free US plan limited to 2 invoices a month (unlimited if you use QuickBooks Payments) and 1 bank account. Xero has no free plan; its cheapest are Early in the US ($27) and Simple in the UK (£7). Both offer an introductory discount instead.

More price guides

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Sources

All read on October 22, 2026.

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