The better choice depends on how your team works.
QuickBooks wins when accountant and Intuit workflows reduce friction. Xero wins when many collaborators need access without license growth.
Worthd comparison
QuickBooks vs Xero: US ecosystem or unlimited-user collaboration?
Choose QuickBooks for Intuit ecosystem and accountant familiarity. Choose Xero when collaborative access and no per-user license fee matter.
Enter the subscription, add-on and setup amounts from your quotes yourself. Leave unknown costs blank.
Compare the live vendor offers before choosing
Worthd does not republish precise checkout amounts in comparisons. A copied number can become stale or omit the plan, term, seats, usage, eligibility, promotion, tax, or add-ons that determine the real total.
| Product | Current pricing source |
|---|---|
| QuickBooks Online | Open current vendor pricing |
| Xero | Open current vendor pricing |
Cost factors to model: Payroll, payments, time, inventory, implementation, advisor help, migration, support, and promotions ending.
Verification record: Official pricing sources are monitored every four hours. A detected change is held for confirmation and human review before any public guidance changes.
Xero's 90% intro discount ends Nov 2: what both offers are worth in year one
For new US customers, Xero is taking 90% off the first 6 months, and QuickBooks Online is taking 50% off the first 3 months. Both go back to list price afterward. Xero's offer excludes add-ons, usage and payment fees; check at checkout what QuickBooks' offer covers.
| Plan | Intro price | List price | Saved by the offer | Year one, offer then list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xero Early | $2.70 a month for 6 months | $27 | $145.80 | $178.20 (list: $324) |
| Xero Growing | $5.90 a month for 6 months | $59 | $318.60 | $389.40 (list: $708) |
| Xero Established | $9.70 a month for 6 months | $97 | $523.80 | $640.20 (list: $1,164) |
| QuickBooks Simple Start | $19 a month for 3 months | $38 | $57.00 | $399.00 (list: $456) |
| QuickBooks Essentials | $42.50 a month for 3 months | $85 | $127.50 | $892.50 (list: $1,020) |
| QuickBooks Plus | $70 a month for 3 months | $140 | $210.00 | $1,470.00 (list: $1,680) |
- Xero's deadline: its pricing page says the offer is available until 11:59 p.m. UTC on Nov 2, 2026, with a code, for customers in the United States buying their first organization on xero.com. It cannot be combined with another offer.
- QuickBooks shows no end date on its pricing page. The footnote behind the "50% off for 3 months" banner was not in the text Worthd read, so check its terms at checkout. QuickBooks also now shows a $0 Free plan for one user, without mobile app access or third-party integrations.
- The plans are not like for like. QuickBooks tiers are priced by features and user caps; Xero charges no per-user fee. Use the year-one column to see what the offer is worth, not which tier matches yours.
Worthd's arithmetic from the intro and list prices on Xero's pricing page and QuickBooks' pricing page, both read Oct 28, 2026; year one is the offer months at the intro price plus the remaining months at list, before tax and add-ons. Compare year-two cost too: for a field service shop on Jobber, see QuickBooks vs Xero vs Jobber bookkeeping for a 5-tech shop, or compare Jobber, Housecall Pro and Tradify costs.
Use the October price, not an introductory offer
Xero's US base prices change on October 1, 2026: Early goes from $25 to $27/month, Growing from $55 to $59/month, and Established from $90 to $97/month. These USD amounts exclude sales tax and optional add-ons. Xero says the change applies to new and existing US subscribers and appears on invoices from that date.
Existing discounts or promo codes apply to the new base price until they expire; the multi-organization discount begins to phase out from October 1. A promotional headline is not your renewal quote.
Your next step: check the plan, discount end date and next invoice in your own account. Compare the ongoing total, including add-ons and switching work, before deciding to stay, change plans or move.
Keep access to your records before cancelling
Paid-subscription cancellation and trial expiry have different consequences. Intuit's US guidance says a cancelled paid QuickBooks Online subscription has one year of read-only data access; a cancelled or expired trial has 90 days. Intuit recommends exporting or printing before cancellation. Read-only access does not let you keep editing the books.
Xero's US FAQ says cancelled-subscription data is archived and cannot be accessed while archived. Access requires reactivating the relevant subscription. Do not treat stored data as an ongoing free archive you can browse.
Before you switch: agree with your accountant or bookkeeper which records and reports you need, export them while you have access, and open the saved files to check they are usable. Confirm the final billing/access dates and whether connected services need separate cancellation. Keeping the current system may be the better choice if continuity is unresolved.
Budget for the work of switching, too
| Product | Small-team estimate | Work to include |
|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks | 2-6 weeks | Chart, tax, banking, users, invoices, bills, accountant review |
| Xero | 2-6 weeks | Chart, opening balances, contacts, invoices, bills, bank rules |
These are Worthd planning estimates, not vendor guarantees. Complex data, compliance, integrations, or custom work can take longer.
Do not choose QuickBooks from the temporary promotional price.
Do not choose Xero Early if invoice and bill caps are already too small.
Reconsider the choice when your needs change
QuickBooks wins when accountant and Intuit workflows reduce friction. Xero wins when many collaborators need access without license growth.
Official pages reviewed July 21, 2026
The vendor checkout, order form, or written quote controls. Verify it before purchase. Report a correction.
Recent changes: QuickBooks and Xero
- QuickBooks Online list prices recorded Oct 15 (Oct 15, 2026)
- Xero US prices rose on Oct 1: Early $27, Growing $59, Established $97 (Oct 1, 2026)
Last checked Oct 15, 2026 against the vendors' own pages. All Xero entries · All QuickBooks entries · Compare Jobber, Housecall Pro and Tradify costs · QuickBooks vs Xero vs Jobber Bookkeeping
How Worthd compares: Product fit, cost, setup work, and clear reasons to rule out an option shape the recommendation. Commercial relationships do not determine the winner.