QuickBooks Online vs Xero
The honest version: both are capable, both have real weaknesses their users write about constantly, and there's a third option this comparison won't hide until the end — it's free, so we can afford to be fair about the first two.
QuickBooks Online
From ~$38/mo (1 user, no inventory/projects); ~$140/mo for 5 users
The market leader in small-business accounting, priced per tier with hard user limits.
QuickBooks Online runs ~$38/mo for one user and ~$140/mo (Plus) to reach five after the August 2026 increase — roughly $460–$1,680 a year before payroll, which adds ~$50/mo plus a per-employee fee. The top tier has risen 70% since 2023.
- “Prices went up every single year — Advanced is up 70% since 2023”
- “Hour-long holds and chatbot loops when something breaks”
- “The forced new UI made everything slower and there's no opt-out”
Xero
From ~$25/mo (capped: 20 invoices, 5 bills/mo); ~$90/mo for the full set
A polished, globally popular cloud accounting platform — notably with unlimited users on every plan.
After the March 2026 US restructure, Xero runs $25/mo on an entry plan capped at 20 invoices and 5 bills per month, up to $90/mo for the full set — roughly $300–$1,080 a year, with US payroll, receipts and sales-tax tooling as further add-ons.
- “Price rises twice a year with nothing new for loyal customers”
- “They killed classic invoicing and forced a worse replacement on everyone”
- “The $25 entry tier allows 20 invoices and 5 bills a month”
you need US payroll filed end-to-end, or your accountant insists on QBO files.
you want unlimited users on a paid plan, or multi-currency accounting matters.
The option QuickBooks-vs-Xero articles skip
Coordinator covers what both do — free, with unlimited users and no usage meters — inside one system that also runs the rest of a small business: real books, projects with job costing, booking pages, client records, and a network where your invoice lands in your client's books. The honest trade: it's web-only today, and each specialist keeps its deepest niche feature — both comparison pages above say exactly which.
Free. No card. About two minutes to set up.
Competitor pricing approximate, from published plans as of August 2026.
Settle it with the free one
Try the third option this afternoon — if it doesn't fit, the other two aren't going anywhere.
Free. No card. About two minutes to set up.