Xero
Cloud accounting with three US plans, no per-user fees, Gusto payroll and the JAX AI assistant
What is Xero?
Xero is cloud accounting software for small businesses and their accountants. It connects to bank data from 21,000+ institutions, reconciles transactions, sends quotes and invoices with online payment, tracks and pays bills, and produces real-time reports and cash flow forecasts. US plans are billed monthly per organization with no per-user licence fees: Early allows 20 invoices and 5 bills, Growing adds unlimited invoicing, automated bill entry and auto-reconcile, and Established adds multi-currency, projects and expense claims. JAX, its AI assistant, answers questions about your numbers and drafts invoices at no extra charge. Payroll is a Gusto add-on.
Good for
- Small businesses that want several people in the books without per-user fees
- Businesses that work closely with an accountant or bookkeeper
- Companies that bill or pay in foreign currencies
Key features
- Bank connections to 21,000+ institutions, with bank reconciliation on every plan
- JAX auto-reconciles transactions when it is highly confident and suggests matches otherwise (Growing and above)
- JAX AI chat answers questions about your financials with charts and tables, researches tax and benchmarks, and drafts invoices from quotes
- Smart Document Capture for bills and receipts on every plan
- Quotes, invoices and online invoice payments, plus free standard ACH bill payments
- Cash flow forecasts of 30, 60 or 180 days, dashboards and scorecards by plan
- Multi-currency in 160+ currencies, project tracking and expense claims on Established
- Sales tax with Avalara and 1,000+ app integrations
Limitations to know about
- Early caps you at 20 invoices and 5 bills, and auto-reconcile costs $5 a month extra
- Multi-currency, projects and expense claims need Established ($97/mo)
- Payroll costs $36 a month plus $6 per person through Gusto
- The US pricing page offers monthly billing only, with no annual price
Xero pricing
Xero has no free plan. Trial: One month free on any Xero plan. Early, Growing and Established cost $27 to $97 a month.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Early | $27/mo, or $2.70/mo for the first 6 months (90% off) | Quotes and 20 invoices, 5 bills, bank reconciliation, Smart Document Capture, sales tax, W-9 and 1099 management, 30-day cash flow forecast, free standard ACH bill payments |
| Growing | $59/mo, or $5.90/mo for the first 6 months (90% off) | Unlimited invoices and quotes, automated bill entry, auto-reconcile, 60-day cash flow forecast, custom dashboards, scorecards, budgets |
| Established | $97/mo, or $9.70/mo for the first 6 months (90% off) | Everything in Growing plus multiple currencies, project time and cost tracking, employee expense and mileage claims, KPIs and industry benchmarks, international bill payments, 180-day cash flow forecast |
Costs on top of a plan
- Xero Payroll, powered by Gusto: $36/mo + $6 per employee or contractor (Calculates and files payroll taxes in all 50 states; not covered by the 90% discount)
- Auto-reconcile transactions: $5/mo (Add-on for the Early plan; included in Growing and Established)
Xero alternatives
QuickBooks Online
Intuit's cloud accounting for US small businesses, from a free tier to plans with AI bookkeeping
Zoho Books
Accounting with a free plan under $50K revenue, six US plans priced per organization and the Zia AI assistant
FreshBooks
Invoicing and accounting for freelancers and service businesses, priced by number of billable clients
Sage Accounting
UK cloud accounting with payroll and the Sage Copilot AI assistant included in all three plans
FreeAgent
UK accounting for sole traders, companies and landlords, free with a NatWest Group business account
Wave
Free invoicing and double-entry bookkeeping for small businesses, with a $19 Pro plan for bank sync
Compare Xero with these side by side
Head to head: Xero vs QuickBooks Online · Xero vs FreshBooks · Xero vs Sage Accounting
Frequently asked questions
Is Xero free?
No, Xero does not have a free plan. Trial: One month free on any Xero plan. Paid plans start at $27/mo.
How much does Xero cost?
Early, Growing and Established cost $27 to $97 a month. On Early: per organization, no per-user licence fees; send quotes and 20 invoices, enter 5 bills; auto-reconcile is a $5/month add-on. Promotion: 90% off ($2.70/month) for the first 6 months for new US customers, until 2 November 2026. Prices as published on Xero's pricing page on 21 October 2026.
Does Xero charge per user?
No. The US pricing page lists 'No per-user license fees'; plans are priced per organization at $27, $59 or $97 a month.
Does JAX cost extra?
Xero says there is currently no additional charge for subscribers to use JAX chat, and that it may change JAX's terms, including pricing.
What is Xero used for?
Xero is cloud accounting software for small businesses and their accountants. People use it for small businesses that want several people in the books without per-user fees, businesses that work closely with an accountant or bookkeeper and companies that bill or pay in foreign currencies.
What are the alternatives to Xero?
Tools that do a similar job include QuickBooks Online, Zoho Books, FreshBooks, Sage Accounting and FreeAgent. Each has its own page here with its plans, limits and prices.
Who makes Xero?
Xero is made by Xero Limited, based in Wellington, New Zealand. The company was founded in 2006.
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from the pages below, read on the dates shown: Xero Limited's own pages first, and a named public reference where they are silent.
- xero.com/us/pricing-plans/ (US plan prices, 90%-off promotion terms, plan limits and features, payroll and auto-reconcile add-on prices, billing FAQ) read 21 October 2026
- xero.com/us/pricing-plans/early/ (Early plan invoice limit and billing details) read 21 October 2026
- xero.com/us/ (product description, features, 1000+ apps claim) read 21 October 2026
- xero.com/us/accounting-software/all-features/ (feature list: bank connections to 21,000+ institutions, Gusto payroll, multi-currency, Avalara sales tax, Xero Accounting app, one month free offer) read 21 October 2026
- xero.com/us/ai-in-accounting/jax/ (JAX AI features, availability and cost) read 21 October 2026
- xero.com/us/accounting-software/reconcile-bank-transactions/ (bank feeds, JAX auto-reconcile, bank rules, plan requirement) read 21 October 2026
- xero.com/us/about/ (legal company name (Xero Limited)) read 21 October 2026
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xero_(software) (company founding year and headquarters) read 21 October 2026
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