Happy Valley

Mercury vs Xero

Mercury and Xero are both accounting & finance tools. Mercury is aimed at small businesses and developers, while Xero is aimed at small businesses. Xero costs less, from $27/mo versus $29.90/mo for Mercury. Only Mercury has a free plan.

Mercury

Banking built for startups

Xero

Cloud accounting popular outside the US

PricingFreemium · $30Paid · $27
Starting price$29.90/mo$27/mo
Free planYesNo
Free trial—30 days
Built forSmall businesses, DevelopersSmall businesses
Platformsweb, ios, androidweb, ios, android
CountryUS · 2017NZ · 2006
Rating——

Choose Mercury if

US-incorporated startups.

  • Fast, founder-friendly onboarding
  • No monthly fees on core
  • Excellent UI

Look elsewhere if: Non-US entities.

Choose Xero if

Small businesses outside the US and teams with many users who need books access.

  • Unlimited users on all plans
  • Excellent reconciliation experience
  • Strong in UK, ANZ and international markets

Look elsewhere if: Very small freelancers (Wave, FreshBooks) or Turkish e-invoice compliance (Paraşüt).

Mercury vs Xero pricing

Mercury

  • Mercury$0Banking, cards, invoicing, bill pay, expense management
  • Plus$29.90/moRecurring invoices, ACH debit invoicing; 15% off annually
  • Pro$299/moRelationship manager, NetSuite categorizations

Xero

  • Early$27/mo20 invoices, 5 bills; 90% off first 6 months until Nov 2 2026
  • Growing$59/moUnlimited invoices and bills
  • Established$97/moMulti-currency, projects, analytics

Mercury · Key features

  • Business checking and savings
  • Debit and credit cards
  • Treasury and yield
  • Invoicing and bill pay
  • International wires
  • API and integrations

Cons

  • US entities only
  • Cash deposits limited
  • Not a full-service bank

Xero · Key features

  • Bank reconciliation with smart matching
  • Invoices, quotes and online payments
  • Bills, expenses and Hubdoc document capture
  • Multi-currency accounting (Established)
  • Projects, inventory and fixed assets
  • Analytics, short-term cash flow and reporting

Cons

  • Early plan limits are tight
  • US payroll requires integrations
  • Multi-currency only on the top plan

Mercury vs Xero: FAQ

Which is cheaper, Mercury or Xero?

Xero starts at $27/mo and Mercury at $29.90/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.

Do Mercury and Xero have a free plan?

Mercury has a free plan. Xero has no free plan, a 30-day free trial.

Not sure yet?