Xero vs Striven

QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Enterprise

NetSuite

QuickBooks Online is an all-in-one online business software designed to help manage business finances. The platform is built to scale businesses, unlocking insights and providing the functionality of a larger team, all on one integrated platform.

QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise is an accounting software for small businesses which provides users with real-time access to customer, employee, and vendor information. The software includes tools for managing inventory, shipping, sales orders, pricing, tasks, invoicing, reporting, and more.

NetSuite is an AI-powered cloud-based business management suite. It helps organizations streamline their operations and gain real-time insights into their performance. The suite caters to a range of industries such as manufacturing, retail, and professional services.

Finance Manager

Wait time is measured in days - 3 days it took before our last support request was answered and then it was obvious the support case worker had very little understanding to the issue raised which.   

Accountant

Xero offers excellent support resources and communicates regularly with customers, advising of product updates and features.

Business and Change Manager

customer service is great, even for an SMB like ours, we get good response times and knowledgeable people.

Xero is an award-winning online accounting software designed for small business owners and accountants, available on any computer or mobile device with an internet connection. Automate your invoicing and reporting, get a full picture of your business with up-to-date financial data, and much more.


401(k) Tracking

Access Controls/Permissions

Accounting

Accounts Payable

Accounts Receivable

Accrual Accounting

ACH Payment Processing

Activity Dashboard

Activity Tracking

Ad hoc Reporting

Alerts/Notifications

Approval Process Control

Approval Workflow

Asset Accounting

Asset Tracking

Audit Trail

Automated Quoting

Automatic Backup

Automatic Billing

Bank Reconciliation

Benefits Management

Billing & Invoicing

Billing Portal

Bookkeeping Services Integration

Budgeting/Forecasting

Calendar Management

Case Management

Cash Flow Management

Cash Management

Catalog Management

Chart of Accounts

Check Printing

Check Processing

Check Writing

Client Management

Client Portal

Compliance Management

Consolidation/Roll-Up

Construction Breakdowns

Contact Database

Contact Management

Contingency Billing

Contract/License Management

Cost Tracking

CPA Firms

Credit Card Processing

Cross Ledger Posting

Currency Conversion

Customer Database

Customer History

Customer Statements

Customizable Branding

Customizable Invoices

Customizable Reports

Customizable Templates

Dashboard

Data Import/Export

Data Security

Data Synchronization

Data Visualization

Delivery Management

Direct Deposit

Discount Management

Document Management

Document Storage

Document Templates

Drag & Drop

Due Date Tracking

Dunning Management

Duplicate Payment Alert

Electronic Payments

Email Management

Encryption

Estimating

Expense Claims

Expense Management

Expense Tracking

Fee Calculation & Posting

Financial Analysis

Financial Management

Financial Reporting

Fixed Asset Management

For Accountants

For AEC Industry

For CPA Firms

Forecasting

For Legal Professionals

For Real Estate

For Religious Organizations

For Schools

For Small Businesses

Fraud Detection

Fund Accounting

Fund Management

General Ledger

Hourly Billing

Income & Balance Sheet

Inventory Control

Inventory Management

Reviews for Xero come from a wide variety of industries, including accounting (13% of reviewers), information technology and services (8%), and marketing and advertising (6%). The most frequent use case for Xero cited by reviewers is accounting (68% of reviewers).

Users and use cases

Some reviewers feel Xero offers good value for money compared to traditional tools, and they appreciate the flexible pricing plans and free trial. However, some users report escalating costs for advanced features and frustrations with pricing structure and regional disparities.

Value for money

The Xero integrations most frequently cited by reviewers are: Stripe (a payment processing product rated 4.7 out of 5 for its integration with Xero), PayPal (a payment processing product, 4.9), and Shopify (an eCommerce product, 4.5).

Integrations

Xero is an accounting solution offering key features such as invoice creation, bank reconciliation, online invoicing, and financial reporting, among others.

Xero

Web-based

Android

iPhone

iPad

MYOB Business

Sage 50 Accounting

FreshBooks

Wave

QuickBooks Desktop

Sage Accounting

QuickBooks Online Advanced

FreeAgent

Zoho Books

Sage Intacct

Sage 100

Reckon One

Sage 300

MYOB Acumatica

Starter

Standard

Premium

Limited multi-currency functionality

Operations Manager

It does not manage multiple currency accounts well - quite a niche issue, but an important one for our business.

52% of reviewers feel negative about Xero’s multi-currency features. Users say that support for foreign currencies is only available in higher-priced plans, making it costly for businesses with modest international needs. They report difficulties with handling foreign currency transactions, batch payments, and journal entries, and note that exchange rate management and reporting are not as flexible or robust as required. Reviewers indicate these limitations hinder international operations and add complexity to global accounting.

Slow and limited email support

83% of reviewers feel negative about Xero’s email support. Users report frustration with the lack of phone or live chat options, leading to slow resolution of issues. They indicate that email responses often take over 24 hours, and complex problems can require multiple back-and-forth messages, sometimes stretching over several days or weeks. Reviewers feel this delay is especially problematic for urgent matters and say the process lacks the personal touch and immediacy they expect from support.

Persistent glitches and delays

54% of reviewers feel negative about Xero’s bugs and technical issues. Users mention recurring glitches, crashes, and syncing problems that disrupt their workflow. They report that some errors are difficult to fix, with certain issues remaining unresolved for extended periods. Reviewers indicate that system updates can introduce new problems, and they often experience delays in receiving fixes or meaningful support when technical difficulties arise.

High and escalating costs

44% of reviewers feel negative about Xero’s pricing. Users think the subscription fees are high, particularly for small businesses or those needing advanced features. They mention that costs can increase quickly with add-ons, multiple entities, or higher-tier plans required for essential functions like multi-currency. Reviewers also note frustration with frequent price hikes and the lack of affordable options for startups or businesses with limited budgets.

Unresponsive customer service experience

maneger

Customer Support Response Times: Some users have reported longer response times for customer support queries, which can be frustrating when dealing with urgent issues.

51% of reviewers feel negative about Xero’s customer support. Users express dissatisfaction with slow response times, lack of live assistance, and difficulty reaching knowledgeable representatives. They mention that support is primarily ticket-based, often resulting in delayed or unhelpful answers, especially during urgent situations. Reviewers also highlight challenges with the help center and forums, feeling that their concerns are not always acknowledged or addressed effectively.

Clean and intuitive design

Director

The interface is intuitive, and the software is designed to be user-friendly, even for those who are not accounting experts.

87% of reviewers feel positive about Xero’s user interface. Users say the interface is visually appealing, logically organized, and easy to navigate, even for those without accounting backgrounds. They appreciate the clear layout, customizable features, and seamless integration with third-party apps. Reviewers find that the interface supports efficient workflow, quick access to tools, and a pleasant user experience across both desktop and mobile platforms.

Streamlined bookkeeping processes

Planning and project control engineer

Xero performs well in both primary and complex bookkeeping tasks and provides flexibility in managing accounts receivable and accounts payable.

Marketing Manager

It had very outstanding bookkeeping services which allows you to easily collect, assemble and securely store all your financial documents and receipts in an easily accessible location.

90% of reviewers feel positive about Xero’s bookkeeping features. Users indicate that Xero simplifies both basic and complex bookkeeping tasks, allowing them to organize financial documents, receipts, and records efficiently. They value the platform’s ability to automate reconciliation, reduce manual input, and support collaboration among multiple users. Some reviewers note that Xero’s intuitive interface and integration options make bookkeeping accessible for non-experts, saving time and reducing the need for external bookkeepers.

Quick and guided onboarding

Sales and Brand Manager

I like how Xero makes it easy for beginners and new people to do business and get started.

Attorney and Managing Partner

Xero is a pretty straightforward product that is effectively almost immediately deployable.

88% of reviewers feel positive about Xero’s setup process. Users report that getting started with Xero is straightforward, aided by comprehensive tutorials, helpful guides, and accessible online resources. They find the onboarding experience smooth, especially for beginners, and mention that automation features and adaptable setup options help tailor the platform to their business needs. Reviewers appreciate that the platform’s design allows for rapid deployment and that support materials are readily available during the initial setup phase.

VIrtual Assistant

Also would like to be able to label transactions when reconciling, so that instead of deleting lines individually from bank statement import that are personal transaction not related to my business in any way, a label will then just disregard the transaction instead of continually trying to match it with a Xero item code.

It simplifies tasks like invoicing, tracking expenses, and generating reports, which saves time and helps me stay on top of everything

Financial Controller

Its simple, clear dashboard makes everyday accounting tasks—such as invoicing, bank reconciliation, and expense tracking—efficient.

Treasury Accountant

Additionally, certain features like multi-currency handling or more advanced integrations, are only available in higher-tier plans, which can make it less cost-effective for growing businesses.

Finance Operations

The pricing could be better and it needs some work for companies who deal with multiple currencies (examples: being able to make payments from Xero via batches for other currencies, or when reconciling it doesn't default to AUD)

Group Financial Controller

Xero's budgeting / forecasting functions doesn't work correctly for us (changes not saved and budgets not populating correctly) and so we still maintain budgets on spreadsheets.

Senior Financial Accountant

Automation of finance tasks: Easy to set up Bank feeds; Easy to send out invoices; Easy to complete reconciliations such as stripe/other payment gateways using automated matching software which frees up a lot of time.

Sales, Accounts

Xero is a great piece of kit, we use it for payroll general accounting and tracking and paying bills, it also is integrated with our retail and inventory system.

Finance team

The option to tailor the system exactly to the needs of our team, the clear and well laid out user interface and the direct connection with the bank accounts, making reconciliations quick and easy.

Managing Director

Simple, easy-to-use software for quotes, invoices, bank account reconciliation, expenses, budgeting and reporting, VAT returns & payroll.

For smaller entities with few transactions it can be a challenge to justify the fees, but having cloud based software is very handy where we have multiple infrequent users vs manging installed software.

Managing director

The Dashboard can also be customized to suit which information is important to you and allows to you see the important information at a glance.

Head of procurement

sometimes the OCR reader/scanner doesnt read the entire invoice meaning that you have to manually pick out parts of the invoice and input yourself.

With Xero we can automate recurring quarterly billing, speeding up the process vs manual invoicing.

It is very easy to link Barclays bank accounts - transactions feed into Xero regularly making it easy to reconcile transactions without the manual process of logging into the bank portal.

Endless features allow each individual to approach reporting and reconciliation in whichever way suits them but all lead to the same resaults.

It integrates seamlessly with our bank accounts in multiple currencies, as well as our MRP system.

Marketing Consultant

I love that it has a proper general ledger with codes, and standard accounting reports like Chart of Accounts, Profit and Loss, etc.

Xero vs Striven Comparison (2026)

Xero

Striven

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives