Xero Accounting Software From the makers of PC Advisor & Macworld magazines, a free 20-minute video series about Xero’s online small business accounting software – for accountants, bookkeepers and small companies. Get an intro to the core features of Xero – essential tools you need every day to invoice and manage your business.
Xero Accounting Software Free Use Xero accounting software free for 30 days. Use it to manage your small business accounts, invoicing, credit card payments and inventory. Your subscription begins as soon as you register, so you have time to try Xero before you fully commit.
Everything in one place
Xero is a powerful online accounting software solution. Run things smoothly, keep records tidy, and make compliance a breeze.
- Automate tasks like invoicing and reporting
- Get a full financial picture of your business
- Make end-of-year tax returns easy
Connect to your bank
Set up bank feeds from your bank accounts so transactions are imported securely into Xero each business day.
- Bank transactions automatically flow into Xero
- Reconcile your bank transactions every day
- See an up-to-date picture of your cash flow
Collaborate in real time
Use Xero to work with your accountant, bookkeeper, or employees, even if you’re on opposite sides of the world.
- Access the same up-to-date information at the same time
- Leave comments and discuss business data in real time
- Allow employees to submit expenses, manage leave, and send invoices
Customize to suit your needs
Make Xero’s online accounting software work for you. Add what you need to make it easier to run your business.
- Build on your plan with add-ons like Xero Expenses and Xero Projects
- Connect to third-party apps like Stripe and Vend
- Choose from over 1,000 apps in the Xero App Store
Self-paced learning for Accountants and Bookkeepers
Update: Self-paced learning is now available for US and Australian accountant and bookkeeper partners as well. Rest of world soon to follow!
Accountants and bookkeepers can now experience self-paced e-learning inside Xero. The new Training tab in My Xero for Partners is now available, where accountants and bookkeepers can learn online about Xero at their own pace – anywhere, anytime.
This exciting release will be rolled out for the UK and NZ editions of Xero, followed by the US and Australia, and comes after last month’s launch of Xero U, which brings live training events like webinars and classroom courses together in one place at xero.com/xero-u.
More than ever, we’re on the move and we’re busy, and not everyone in your accounting practice is on the same schedule. Self-paced learning will enable your practice staff to become certified Xero experts, complete other courses, and monitor training progress to continue growing and accelerating your practice.
Accounting service Xero has very good tools for reconciling accounts, tracking project, and managing sales and purchase transactions. Recent improvements to its setup process and new business overviews solidify it as an excellent choice for small businesses.
- PROS
- Exceptional online support
- Improved security
- Critical business views
- Interactive quotes, Smart Lists
- Good project tracking
- CONS
- Lacks phone and chat help
- User interface could be more intuitive, navigable
Xero skillfully simplifies the standard accounting process for small businesses. Built for the web from the ground up, it supports every major financial element you expect in a double-entry small business accounting solution: sales, purchases, bills and expenses, inventory, and payroll. You can create records for customers, suppliers, employees, and items. You can then use these records in standard customizable transactions, such as invoices, purchase orders, and quotes. Xero also lets you manage fixed assets—something competitors don’t do.
Since 2020, the company has enhanced numerous existing features. An add-on called Xero Analytics Plus, for example, gives you advanced short-term cash flow projections for the next week, month, 60 days, or 90 days. It also has a business snapshot dashboard showing profitability, income and expenses, and more. The Xero Analytics Plus add-on is free to US customers through the end of January 2022, and then according to the company, “standard rates apply.” US rates haven’t been made public, but the rate in the UK is £5 per organization per month.
Another improvement is that logging in is easier and more secure. Dozens of small changes have rolled out to reports, Xero’s mobile apps, invoicing, and more. These modifications and additions make what was already a very good small business accounting website better. But the Editors’ Choice winner this year is once again Intuit QuickBooks Online, because people who aren’t accountants will find it easier to use than any other app.
How Much Does Xero Cost?
Xero comes in three pricing levels that kick in after a 30-day free trial. Xero Early ($12 per month) has monthly limits of 20 invoices and quotes, five bills, and unlimited reconciliation of bank transactions. Xero Growing ($34 per month) adds unlimited billing and invoicing, quotes, and bills. Xero Established ($65 per month) is the only version to offer multiple currency support. It also supports projects and Xero Expenses. Prices and plans given here are for US-based customers.
Xero allows for an unlimited number of users per organization and an unlimited number of companies, both of which are very unusual.
Xero is more affordable than QuickBooks Online. QuickBooks costs between $25 and $180 per month. One of the lowest priced accounting services for small businesses is Zoho Books, which has four pricing levels that go from free to $30 per organization per month.
Early Activities in Xero
If you’re thinking about switching to Xero from a different accounting solution (or Microsoft Excel), you may have a lot of accounting data online already. Xero makes it easy to import records, transactions, and some other info from QuickBooks Online using its direct-conversion tool. If you have files already set up in CSV or TXT format, such as contacts, inventory items, invoices, and so on, you can import those into Xero, too.
If you’re starting fresh with Xero, you can use the site’s thorough setup screen to get started. An introductory video suggests early actions you should take to set up the site for your own company. You can put them into practice by following the exact steps outlined after that. These steps include connecting your bank accounts, reviewing Xero’s transaction categories, and managing bills. Some introductory material teaches you about these functions, followed by links that take you to the pages where you can either practice using the sample data or start entering your own.
This setup tool is great and better than what most competitors offer, but it does take some time to go through. It also exposes you to accounting concepts like the Chart of Accounts early on, which can be beneficial because you’ll better understand what you’re doing once you finish the setup process. The long introduction may be off-putting to users who want to jump in and start working. You can hide these steps and revisit them later if you prefer.
There’s more to do before you start entering transactions, like creating records for contact and items/services and visiting the company’s settings pages, but this initial screen gets you off to a great start.
Appearance and Navigation
Xero and QuickBooks Online have very different looks. Where QuickBooks Online sprawls across the entire screen and uses large fonts and graphics, Xero is more compact, taking up only the center of the screen on some pages. Each app presents key financial data and links to related activities on their homepages, otherwise known as Dashboards. Both Xero and Quickbooks are effective, and QuickBooks’ revamp of its critical homepage makes it even more so.
Conclusion
Xero is a powerful, easy-to-use small business accounting software that covers all your accounting and bookkeeping needs. Whether it helps with the basics of starting a business or more advanced topics such as goods and services tax (GST) and setting up payroll, Xero has you covered. Free yourself from pen and paper with Xero’s free online account, try now!