QuickBooks Online vs Xero

Users are the whole argument

QuickBooks Online counts seats: 1 user on Simple Start at US$38 a month, 3 on Essentials at US$85, 5 on Plus at US$140 and 25 on Advanced at US$340, each with two accountant seats. Xero includes unlimited users on all three United States plans: Early at US$25, Growing at US$55 and Established at US$90. A four-person business is US$140 a month at QuickBooks and US$25 at Xero, before any feature comparison.

What the cheapest plan restricts

Xero's Early plan limits volume instead of people: 20 invoices and 5 bills a month. That is a real constraint for anyone invoicing weekly, and it is the reason many businesses land on Growing at US$55. QuickBooks Simple Start does not cap invoices, so the comparison at the bottom of the ladder is between a people limit and a document limit.

Where each one is stronger

Xero's page states multi-currency, project tracking, expense claims, sales tax and 1099 management, payroll through a Gusto partnership and a separate Inventory Plus product. QuickBooks' pricing page publishes its user and accountant counts and a thirty-day trial; we did not verify a feature list from it, so its capabilities show as not verified rather than absent. Both vendors were running introductory discounts when we read their pages.