The accountant's favourite cloud platform — clean and widely supported
Xero has become the cloud accounting standard in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, and is widely used globally. Its clean interface, strong bank feed integrations, and broad accountant adoption make it the safest choice for businesses that want their bookkeeper or accountant to be able to log in and find everything familiar.
The ecosystem is extensive — over 1,000 apps integrate with Xero, covering payroll (Gusto, Pento), inventory, time tracking, and e-commerce. The 30-day free trial requires no credit card.
Where Xero excels
Widely adopted by UK accountants — your bookkeeper almost certainly knows it already.
Bank reconciliation is fast and reliable — smart matching learns from your past decisions.
1,000+ third-party integrations covering every business need.
Clean, well-designed interface — approachable for non-accountants.
Where it falls short
No phone support — email and community only, which frustrates users who need urgent help.
Payroll requires a separate add-on (Xero Payroll) in most regions — not bundled.
Invoice limits on Starter plan (20 invoices/month) make it inadequate for most active businesses.
Pricing
Starter (£15/mo) is limited to 20 invoices and 5 bills per month — only useful for very early-stage businesses. Standard (£30/mo) removes these limits and is the minimum viable plan for most businesses. Premium (£42/mo) adds multi-currency support. 30-day free trial, no credit card required.
| Plan | Price | Invoicing | Expense Tracking | Payroll | Bank Reconciliation | VAT Returns | What's included |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | £15/mo | — | — | — | — | — | 20 invoices/month, 5 bills, bank reconciliation, VAT returns |
| Standard | £30/mo | — | — | — | — | — | Unlimited invoices, bills, payroll (up to 5 people), expense claims |
| Premium | £42/mo | — | — | — | — | — | Everything in Standard + multi-currency (160+ currencies) |
Features
- Invoicing
- Expense Tracking
- Payroll
- Bank Reconciliation
- VAT Returns
About
Xero is a cloud accounting platform used by over 3 million small businesses worldwide. It covers invoicing, bank reconciliation, expense tracking, payroll, and VAT returns with a clean interface designed for business owners rather than accountants.
- Founded
- 2006
- HQ
- Wellington, New Zealand
- Support channels
- Email · Knowledge base · Community forum