QuickBooks Online vs Xero
A side-by-side of the facts we have verified on each vendor's own pages: price, audience and what each one connects to. Not reviewed yet: we name an owner pick only after hands-on testing. "Unknown" means not confirmed yet, not "doesn't exist."
| QuickBooks Online | Xero | |
|---|---|---|
| Use case | Bookkeeping | Bookkeeping |
| Best for (vendor's words) | All small businesses | Small businesses, construction, trades |
| What it does | Accounting with Intuit Intelligence AI: automated categorization, AI chat (beta), Payments AI, Accounting AI cleanup (features vary by plan). | Accounting with JAX AI finance partner, bank reconciliation, quotes, bills, purchase orders. |
| Starting price (from vendor) | Free $0/mo (limited); Simple Start $38/mo list (promo shown $19/mo for 3 months) | Early $27/mo, Growing $59/mo, Established $97/mo (promo shown: new US customers get 80% off the first 3 months, Early $5.40/mo; no end date shown) |
| Checked | 2026-10-29 | 2026-11-02 |
| Official pricing page | QuickBooks Online | Xero |
Integrations side by side
Native built in · Zapier-Make through a connector · None confirmed not supported · Unknown not confirmed yet
| System | QuickBooks Online | Xero |
|---|---|---|
| POS | Zapier-Make Square via Zapier (Square + QuickBooks Online Zapier page) Source | Native Square listed in the Xero App Store Point of sale category: "Square helps sellers of all sizes start, run, and grow…" (also Lightspeed Retail POS) Source |
| CRM | Zapier-Make HubSpot via Zapier (HubSpot + QuickBooks Online Zapier page) Source | Native HubSpot listed in the Xero App Store CRM category ("Data sync by HubSpot": "Sync contacts, products, invoices, and payments…"); a native Xero–Salesforce integration is also listed Source |
| QuickBooks | Unknown is the system | Unknown n/a (alternative) |
| Native native (send invoices from a connected Gmail address; one Gmail per company) Source | Native Google Gemini connected app: Xero media release (14 Oct 2026) "today announced a new integration with Google Gemini, bringing live financial intelligence and Xero data directly into Gemini conversations". No Google Workspace/Drive app confirmed. Source | |
| Calendar | Unknown n/a | Unknown n/a |
| Field service | Native Field service software connects to QuickBooks Online through the field service vendors' own integrations: Jobber's QuickBooks Online integration keeps "customer, invoice, and payment information accurate without any double-entry", and Housecall Pro "provides seamless integration with both QuickBooks Online and Desktop" (https://www.housecallpro.com/features/quickbooks/). Source | Native The Xero App Store lists field service apps that connect to Xero, including Jobber ("sync their customers, products & services, invoices, and payments to Xero") and ServiceM8 ("Invoices approved in ServiceM8 are raised in Xero for automatic reconciliation. Clients and items sync between ServiceM8 & Xero"). Source |
| Zapier | Native Official "QuickBooks Online" app listed in the Zapier app directory Source | Native Official "Xero" app listed in the Zapier app directory Source |
Common questions
What is the difference between QuickBooks Online and Xero?
QuickBooks Online: Accounting with Intuit Intelligence AI: automated categorization, AI chat (beta), Payments AI, Accounting AI cleanup (features vary by plan). Xero: Accounting with JAX AI finance partner, bank reconciliation, quotes, bills, purchase orders. (Both descriptions are taken from each vendor's own pages.)
How much do QuickBooks Online and Xero cost?
QuickBooks Online lists Free $0/mo (limited); Simple Start $38/mo list (promo shown $19/mo for 3 months) (checked 2026-10-29). Xero lists Early $27/mo, Growing $59/mo, Established $97/mo (promo shown: new US customers get 80% off the first 3 months, Early $5.40/mo; no end date shown) (checked 2026-11-02). Prices change, so confirm on each vendor's pricing page.
What do QuickBooks Online and Xero both connect to?
Both have a confirmed connection to: POS, CRM, Google, Field service, Zapier.
Which is better, QuickBooks Online or Xero?
We do not name a winner yet. We will only pick one after testing both inside a real business. Until then this page shows the verified facts side by side.
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