Xero vs Zoho Books
Xero and Zoho Books are both accounting & finance tools aimed at small businesses. Zoho Books costs less, from $20/mo versus $27/mo for Xero. Only Zoho Books has a free plan.
Xero
Cloud accounting popular outside the US
Zoho Books
Affordable accounting with a free tier
| Pricing | Paid · $27 | Freemium · $20 |
| Starting price | $27/mo | $20/mo |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Free trial | 30 days | 14 days |
| Built for | Small businesses | Small businesses |
| Platforms | web, ios, android | web, ios, android |
| Country | NZ · 2006 | IN · 2011 |
| Rating | — | — |
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).
Choose Zoho Books if
SMBs seeking value and multi-country compliance.
- Excellent value
- Free plan for small businesses
- Strong compliance coverage
Look elsewhere if: US businesses tied to QuickBooks-savvy accountants.
Xero vs Zoho Books pricing
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
Zoho Books
- Free$0Revenue under $50K/yr, 1 user + accountant, 1,000 invoices/yr
- Standard$20/org/mo$15/mo billed annually; 3 users
- Professional$50/org/mo$40/mo billed annually; 5 users, inventory, projects
- Premium$70/org/mo$60/mo billed annually; 10 users, custom modules
- Elite$150/org/mo$120/mo billed annually; full inventory management
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
Zoho Books · Key features
- Invoicing, quotes and recurring billing
- Bank feeds and reconciliation
- Inventory and projects
- Multi-country tax compliance
- Client portal and workflows
- Zoho suite integration
Cons
- UI can feel busy
- Best inside Zoho ecosystem
- Support variable
Xero vs Zoho Books: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Xero or Zoho Books?
Zoho Books starts at $20/mo and Xero at $27/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Xero and Zoho Books have a free plan?
Xero has no free plan, a 30-day free trial. Zoho Books has a free plan.