Home / Compare / Xero vs Zoho Books
Xero vs Zoho Books
Xero: Charges by plan, not by seat, so adding people does not change the bill. Zoho Books: Has a free plan for small revenue and inventory features on paid plans. Prices listed are per organization.
Plans and prices
| Tool | Plan | Price | Included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xero | Early | $27/mo | No per-user fee. 20 invoices and 5 bills a month |
| Xero | Growing | $59/mo | No per-user fee |
| Xero | Established | $97/mo | No per-user fee |
| Zoho Books | Free | Free | 1 user + 1 accountant. 1,000 invoices a year; while revenue stays under $50K |
| Zoho Books | Standard | $20/mo | 3 |
| Zoho Books | Professional | $50/mo | 5 |
| Zoho Books | Premium | $70/mo | 10 |
The cheapest paid plan is $27 a month at Xero and $20 a month at Zoho Books, a gap of $84 a year ($252 over three years).
Where each one rates higher
- Xero rates higher on payroll, accountant access, several users.
- Zoho Books rates higher on inventory, free plan.
| Our fit rating | Xero | Zoho Books |
|---|---|---|
| Payroll | Good | Limited |
| Inventory | Good | Strong |
| Invoicing | Good | Good |
| Accountant access | Strong | Good |
| Several users | Strong | Good |
| Ease of learning | Good | Good |
| Free plan | Minimal or none | Good |
Ratings are our editorial judgments, published on How we score. They are not vendor claims.
Who wins for four typical setups
Same scoring as the quiz, limited to these two tools, for US businesses.
| Setup | Better fit |
|---|---|
| Solo freelancer, 5 invoices a month, wants free | Zoho Books |
| Product shop, 3 users, works with an accountant | Xero |
| Small team with payroll and an accountant | Xero |
| Invoice-heavy, wants to stay under $30 a month | Zoho Books |
Take the 90-second quiz The quiz needs no email or phone number.
How we are paid. Vendor links on this site go straight to each vendor's own pricing page. They are not referral links today, so we earn no commission from them. We plan to join vendor referral programs. When those links go live they will earn us a commission, this notice will say so, and results will still ignore commissions. This is software matching, not accounting or tax advice. Read the details.