Accounting · Full Double-Entry Accounting
Xero Review
Cloud accounting with no per-user license fees and three simple US plans
Quick verdict
Who Xero fits: Growing trades businesses that want full cloud accounting with several people in the books and no per-user license fees, and whose field-service tool syncs with Xero. Trade-offs: Early plan limited to 20 invoices and 5 bills; US prices rose on October 1, 2026 (now $27/$59/$97); project tracking only on Established; payroll is a paid Gusto-powered add-on; field-service sync varies by tool.
Pricing
Three US plans, monthly billing: Early $27/mo, Growing $59/mo and Established $97/mo (checked October 10, 2026; up from $25, $55 and $90 before October 1, 2026). No per-user license fees on any plan. Early is limited to 20 invoices and 5 bills (auto-reconcile is a $5/mo add-on on Early). Xero Payroll, powered by Gusto, is an optional $36/mo plus $6 per employee or contractor. No free trial is advertised. On October 10, 2026 Xero's US pricing page offered new US customers 80% off the base plan for the first 3 months on their first organization (promo code required; Xero says it may change or cancel the offer at any time).
Affiliate disclosure: The link to Xero on this page goes to its own site and is not an affiliate link.
About Xero
Xero is cloud accounting software headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand, with a US head office in San Mateo, California. Xero says it has been operating since 2006 and serves 5 million customers worldwide. It covers bank reconciliation, invoices and quotes, bills (standard ACH bill payments are included free), expense tracking and reporting, and Xero says more than 1,000 apps connect through the Xero App Store.
The headline point for a growing trades business is that Xero charges no per-user license fees, so adding office staff or your bookkeeper does not raise the subscription. The three US plans are Early, Growing and Established, at $27, $59 and $97 a month on Xero's US pricing page (checked October 10, 2026), up from $25, $55 and $90 before October 1, 2026. Early is limited to 20 invoices and 5 bills; Growing and Established remove those limits, and Established adds project time and cost tracking, employee expenses and multi-currency.
Payroll is an add-on: in the US, Xero Payroll is powered by Gusto and costs $36 a month plus $6 per employee or contractor. Card and ACH payments on invoices run through Stripe, and recurring ACH direct debits through GoCardless. Field-service support varies by tool: Jobber, for example, offers a Xero integration in the US on its Connect and Grow plans that pushes clients, products and services, and invoices one way from Jobber into Xero.
The trade-off: Xero's price does not climb with headcount, but Early is capped at 20 invoices and 5 bills, project tracking needs Established ($97), payroll costs extra, and field-service integrations vary by tool and plan, so check yours before you switch.
How it works
Connect your bank feeds and Xero brings in transactions for you to reconcile (automatic reconciliation is included from Growing up and is a $5/mo add-on on Early). You send invoices and quotes, capture receipts and bills with Smart Document Capture, pay bills by standard ACH at no charge, and run reports and cash-flow forecasts (30 days on Early, 60 on Growing, 180 on Established). Your accountant and staff work in the same file with no per-user license fees. Payroll runs through the Gusto-powered add-on, invoice payments through Stripe, and field-service tools such as Jobber can push clients and invoices into Xero. Xero's pricing page does not advertise a free trial.
Pros & cons
What works
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No per-user license fees
Xero lists 'No per-user license fees' on every US plan, so you can give office staff, techs and your accountant their own logins without the bill rising.
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Simple three-plan lineup
Three US plans (Early, Growing, Established) are easy to compare, at $27, $59 and $97 a month.
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Free standard ACH bill pay
Xero says free standard ACH bill payments are included in its business plans; fees apply for other payment methods.
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Large app marketplace
Xero says more than 1,000 apps connect through the Xero App Store, and it names Stripe for card and ACH invoice payments, GoCardless for direct debit and Gusto for payroll.
What doesn't
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Early plan is limited
Early allows 20 invoices and 5 bills and needs a $5/mo add-on for auto-reconcile, so a business that sends more than 20 invoices or enters more than 5 bills has to move to Growing ($59) or above.
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Prices rose on October 1, 2026
Xero's US plans list at $27, $59 and $97 a month, up from $25, $55 and $90 before October 1, 2026, so check the current price before you budget.
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Project tracking only on the top plan
Tracking time and costs for projects, employee expenses and multi-currency come with Established ($97).
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Payroll costs extra
US payroll is the Gusto-powered add-on at $36 a month plus $6 per employee or contractor, on top of the plan.
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Check your field-service sync
Integrations vary by tool and plan. Jobber's Xero sync, for example, is one-way and only on its Connect and Grow plans, so confirm what your software supports before switching.
Features & integrations
Key features
Integrations
Frequently asked
How much does Xero cost?
On Xero's US pricing page (checked October 10, 2026): Early $27, Growing $59 and Established $97 a month, up from $25, $55 and $90 before October 1, 2026. There are no per-user license fees. Early is limited to 20 invoices and 5 bills; Growing and Established remove those limits. Payroll, powered by Gusto, is an add-on at $36 a month plus $6 per employee or contractor. On October 10, 2026 Xero also offered new US customers 80% off the base plan for the first 3 months on their first organization.
Is Xero better than QuickBooks for contractors?
It depends on your setup. Xero has three plans and no per-user license fees; QuickBooks Online has six plans, caps users by plan (1 on Simple Start up to 25 on Advanced) and puts job costing on Plus ($140/mo). If your bookkeeper and field-service tool already work in QuickBooks, QBO is simpler; if you need several logins on a budget, Xero is worth pricing out.
Does Xero charge per user?
No. Xero's US pricing page lists 'No per-user license fees' as included on every plan, so adding staff or your accountant does not change the subscription price.
Will my field-service software sync with Xero?
Xero says more than 1,000 apps connect through the Xero App Store, but the depth varies. Jobber, for example, offers a Xero integration in the US, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand on its Connect and Grow plans; it syncs clients, products and services, and invoices (with payments) one way from Jobber to Xero. Check your own tool before switching.
Does Xero handle payroll?
In the US, Xero Payroll is powered by Gusto and costs $36 a month plus $6 per employee or contractor on top of your Xero plan, so count it in the monthly cost.
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