Xero Reviews

Pros
I have been using Xero for a good number of years now and can only recommend it! The usability is fantastic, the ability to see really clearly how the accounts work is groundbreaking in its field. I love the bank reconciliation and the bank feeds. The automation of data is actually fun and linking it into the add-ons can make life a lot easier and save time and money. It is a great way to keep things simple and clear. I love the advisor features, that you can't break it (although you can make a real mess if not careful). For me the biggest benefit is the clarity of the data and the ability to drill down into virtually anything. Don't use Xero in super complex scenarios and I would recommend that you employ a proper XERO accountant - who actually knows how to use Xero and uses the data when using it though or you will end up paying twice - once for entering the data to xero - and again when the accountant pulls it out into their own software. Overall I would absolutely recommend Xero for people who are more serious than working in spreadsheets but who are turning over £50k-£3m+ with a fairly simple process.

Cons
We have found that Xero does not work well in all scenarios but there are work arounds - the bigger the business and the more complex the processes the less it suits but then if you are bigger/more complex you should arguably be using something else! Support is not awesome! It can take time and you are often met with unhelpful suggestions. There has been an increased number of 'blips' in the software in more recent months and the support has been almost useless in those cases and I have had to find workarounds. Conversation/instant message support should surely be on the cards? Another thing that I don't like is the highly evangelical nature of the conferences! It borders on the cultish and if you are not 'in' then you are definitely 'out'! I have not found there to be any benefit to being on the 'directory' for that same reason.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
For bookkeeping, small and medium-sized businesses this software is a dream. It is the most intuitive and easiest to use of all the accounting software that we reviewed. As an accountant, it is easy to fix user errors and mis-postings. There is a proper audit trail and safety checks built in. There are so many time-saving features like find and recode, repeating bills/invoices/journals, bank rules. The move toward AI is exciting too.

Cons
The reports aren't GAP or IAS compliant so it is no good for reporting, final accounts production or tax. To get accountants interested and recommending Xero in the early days, they promised accountants that Final Accounts Production and Corporation Tax software was in their development queue but it never materialised and they burnt a lot of bridges with accountants when they announced that they had dropped FAP plans. This is why Quickbooks are getting such a big foothold and stealing market share from Xero. The software is expensive for what it is and you can get a lot more and better for your money with FreeAgent and QuickBooks. The biggest let down for Xero is that there is no telephone support, at all. Not even call back. You have to email and if you are on the opposite side of the world from New Zealand, it can take a full day to get an inital response and if there is any misunderstanding or info required, it can take days to get your problem resolved. This is really useless and a deal breaker for serious businesses. Another major failing in Xero is the number of times that the Bank Feed just doesn't work. This is outwith Xero's control and so it can often take months to resolve. This is amateur and best and negligent at worst.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 5/10

Pros
Great design, intuitive, great support files and videos, invoicing features are very good, being able to add files to transactions is a big time saver, the fact that it is a full accounting system is great in its price range, although for more complex features you may need an add-on application for example full stock management and stock control.

Cons
The way the contacts database has been developed could be improved to make importing and exporting data easier, that has improved recently with the addition of client codes field. Also greater flexibility of controlling features a user can access would be great.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
What is good about Xero are 1) Real-time bank feeds and bank reconciliation - this is what scared the pants off of Intuit and forced them to develop new functionality. 2) Xero fully embraces and enables third-party developers to provide niche solutions that have rich interaction with Xero. 3) The features keep getting better and better quarter after quarter. 4) Perhaps my relationship as a partner skews this, but I've had nothing but excellent support from Xero. I can call someone if I have to, but I almost always get issues resolved through technical support in a timely fashion. Some of my favorite add-ons for Xero are GeoOp for field services, Deputy which integrates its scheduling, time and attendance functions with Xero payroll, and Float which projects cashflow. The new reporting and the tags are fantastic.

Cons
There are some features I would like to see "sooner," but they are on the roadmap for "later." People jump on Xero because of the price without having a Xero consultant evaluate their suitability for the application - that can create an expectation gap, and that inevitably leads to an unhappy customer. I just hate it when people let their wallet do their thinking for them and then blame the software because it "doesn't do enough." The payroll is fine. I spoke to the VP in charge of payroll development and he is all about improving the functionality, so it will continue to improve. What is there now is very well designed to be comprehensive and flexible, but there are situations where a third-party payroll like Gusto will make more sense for your organization. They are the first ones to suggest you look at solutions like Gusto, ADP, Paychex and others that integrate seamlessly with Xero. It is annoying that the tags are limited to two categories, and this won't be revised until they have their design for job costing completed. No word yet on when that will be.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
Cloud availability, choice between manual or automatic accounting, incredible reports, easy to print, beautiful, fun to use, don't have to be an accountant to use it, fantastic break-down of categories and overhead vs. cost of goods. Shows great percentages - growth overall, percentage of sales per category and percentage of expenses per category - easy to understand the nuts and bolts of your business with Xero and make quick changes to your business model when a problem arises.

Cons
Balance sheet leaves much to be desired - harder to figure out than the rest of the software and difficult to understand in conjunction with the profit and loss. It's not possible to see a comprehensive financial picture - perhaps what makes it so great for non-accountants is its simplicity makes it hard at times to get into the nitty gritty. The billing aspect of Xero is atrocious, just really, really bad. Invoices on "repeat" stay in a strange ticker until you command them to be sent, it creates a lot of problems. Definitely have a separate billing software if you use Xero, especially if your clients are on subscriptions. I wish it integrated better with a growth planning tool - integrates with CRMs fine but doesn't help you look into the next couple of years, or present a future picture to investors.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
Love the ease of access. We have a team based in Australia, India, & South America - so the online platform is brilliant. As a previous MYOB user (& lover of MYOB), I was surprised with the ease of transition from MYOB to Xero. I also really enjoy how easy it is to link client card files noting the company directors, primary contacts, banking details etc. Very easy to view all the information in one place! Love being able to send the BAS' from Xero as well with a click of the button, and being able to modify & tweak great templates is a MUST.

Cons
One thing that is very challenging, is if the Xero team are not getting back to you as promptly as you need, there is NO phone number to talk to someone. This (for the accounting industry) can be a big let down at times. Normally, the Customer Help is very prompt. Still trying to find an adequate solution so that if I upload a file in my XPM, the rest of my team can view these files. Despite trying and following Xero's suggestions, my team members are still not able to view the documents I've uploaded. We'll get there in the end I'm sure.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 8/10

Pros
I used to be the marketing and accounts assistant for Expert360, and use Xero together with our accountant based on Pakistan. Xero makes it easy for us to send an invoice to our corporate, medium and small business clients. It allows us to view the overdue invoices, which enables us to follow-up on those payables. We were able to see the money that we had collected and the money that still needs to be collected. It also allowed us to track the payables to our consultants. Over all, Xero is an easy-to-use accounting software. It's user-friendly functions and features allows you to instantly view the cash flow of your business.

Cons
One thing that I noticed on the platform is it doesn't allow to create multiple entries from one company. Like we have client A and they have lots of projects with us. We wanted to create like client A1, A2, A3 in the contacts info so that we know who's the one in-charge for each project. But our accountant told us that it would appear in the invoice as client A1, A2, and A3 in the invoice instead of just client A only. He said it would create confusion on the person in-charge for the payments since it's not their usual company name. We contacted Xero about that and they said they will work on the feature and hopefully it will be added in the future. Where you can entire Client A with someone as the contact person and Client A with someone as the contact person. The last time I know you can really just create one contact entry for each client.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 8/10

Pros
Overall, it's a good product. Easy to use. Simple UI though quite dated. It does everything we need it to plus more.

Cons
Until recently, there wasn't much I didn't like. I probably couldn't name anything, apart from the somewhat dated UI - but that's a stretch. Recently however, Xero have taken a core feature (Expenses) and starting selling it as an add-on, on top of the monthly subscription fee. Expenses as you may know, and would expect, is 'included' in the monthly subscription and formed part of the core software. There was no additional charge. They've recently updated the Expenses feature (which they should be doing anyway) and now believe that because they've updated it, that warrants it being pulled from core and sold separately as an add-on. As a current subscriber, I signed up for the all inclusive package. Having features ripped from the core package and charged for in addtion to the monthly subscription is not on. Especially when no discount or reduction of the monthly subscription cost was offered. As a SaaS provider, any and all future updates, regardless of how big or small they are, should form part of the monthly subscription. Choosing an accounting package is a big decision and once you're committed, it's difficult and often costly to change. With Xero now employing this kind of model, I'd caution anyone considering Xero to think again, think hard. Today it's Expenses, tomorrow it could be something else. These disgusting tactics employed by Xero are unacceptable.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 2/10

Pros
My accountants use it extensively so it makes my work and their work integrate so easily which ultimately saves money. Reconciliation is a very labour intensive exercise and Xero cuts a huge amount of time out of this process. On its own it is quite cheap too. I have an expensive plugin (Tradegecko), but the functionality of that pays for itself. Xero creates the framework of my entire business system.

Cons
If you have a business where you have a large number of transactions coming in for the same value, e.g. if you have magazine subscriptions all for $5 a month each then Xero is not a good option, at all. I did have this problem and it was a total pain. I have corresponded extensively with Xero on this issue and they do not see it as a priority and have said directly that they have no intentions on making improvements. This surprises me as their customer service is generally quite good. There is quite a large thread on the support forums on this topic. If this is a potential issue for you then here is my advice. Set up a trial account with Xero and MYOB and test both for this important reconciliation feature. If you know what you are doing it shouldn't take too long (or ask someone who knows what they are doing). These systems change and evolve so quickly that by the time you read this review one of them might have improved their system. MYOB has been beaten badly by Xero in the past few years but from what I have seen (I recently exhibited next to them at a show) they have come a long way since I stopped using their system.

Rating breakdown

Pros
There isn’t a lot of cloud accounting software today that can handle the more complex businesses as well as xero. The automatic bank feeds (they are adding new direct bank feeds constantly), the integrations with over 700 third party applications Automatic invoice reminders Ability to do flexible budgeting and forecasting in xero and report on it Tracking Categories and reporting on a Category is super easy Fixed asset register is included and easy depreciation allocation Unlimted users (great basic permissions - more flexibility lacking) There is constant updates and upgrades with a solid product improvement pipeline

Cons
Would love a third tracking category It doesn’t have a delivery note option (although through a complex process you can create one) Customer statements doesn’t include the standard days outstanding buckets as expected, e.g. debt due currently, 30 day, 60 days etc Customer prepayments doesn’t appear as credits/negative balances on statements - very confusing to customers You can’t delete a contact once created (very easy to create a contact), only archive Would have loved for finance lease (amortisation table) reporting to be set automatically

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 9/10

Pros
I have no bookkeeping background and was able to easily learn how to use Xero. My business partner and I can login from anywhere in the world and get an up to date picture of our finances, pay invoices, review reports, check profitability and more. Our year end process is much faster and streamlined and we feel like we have much more control over our business. We have integrated data from our POS system (Touch Bistro) using the Shogo Integration tool and allows us to track sales by category alongside costs. We have also integrated Payment Evolution with Xero so we can run payroll and make EFT payments to suppliers directly. Invoices are closed out automatically and remittance notices provided saving time, money and keeping our suppliers happy.

Cons
Some of the reporting features don't show the information that I need - for example the sales tax report. I also find it frustrating that I can't integrate my online banking with Xero - we use a credit union so this might be the bank's issue. Some of the navigation is not great. For example the search feature can be a little fussy and when you complete an action you don't get returned to the page you left.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 9/10

Pros
easy to use ticks all boxes for SME accounting many integration

Cons
price, in particular, once you need multiple add-ons email support only slow load times (this should be fixed once they moved from Rackspace to AWS apparently)

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
I've used Intuit Quickbooks since 1995. I used to upgrade it about every 10 years, and eventually went with a monthly subscription to take advantage of upgraded features, notably auto-connecting with my online bank accounts. Unfortunately, QB would not connect with Paypal so I decided to abandon it. I searched for a replacement, checked out FreshBooks (which really isn't an accounting program, it's just an invoicing program -- sort of useless) and came upon Xero. I signed up for a free demo account and really liked it particularly because it connects to my bank and Paypal seamlessly. I like it for its reporting, and easy to get at everything that I need. I run a marketing agency and it's just about a perfect fit. Easy email-invoicing, with easy connections to online payments through Paypal (Quickbooks tries to force you to use their merchant account). I set up my clients one at a time as I invoice them each month, email the invoice (with a PDF attachment) with a link to pay with a card, and the software tracks the payment and credits the client's account immediately.

Cons
One of the downsides of using XERO vs Quickbooks is that finding accountants that can handle the files is relatively rare. And I'm wondering if it will connect with tax prep software with no problems. (That was ONE saving grace of Quickbooks is that it would import your financials into their tax prep program).

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
Xero is a new-generation online accounting app built from the ground up for online usage. The interface is mostly intuitive and easy to navigate. The underlying framework is true double-entry accounting with all the power that provides, but you don't have to go there to get daily work done, as a rule. There is a vast array of integrations available to add leverage to your company dataflow. Support is good and rarely needed. The app is very well documented and supplies detailed help articles for most operations.

Cons
The pricing is not bad but I feel it is a little high for a one-person business. They offer a time-tracking add-on but it is an additional 50% of the app cost per month, and this is a feature many competitors throw in for free. Like all web-based apps, your enjoyment in using it will depend in part on the quality of your internet connection.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
Smooth-running and numerous integrations with other essential business management apps Reasonably priced for small business Has integrated inventory and billing through PayPal and Stripe

Cons
I'm a very loyal user and my company has grown up shoulder-to-shoulder with Xero's growth. There's very few wrinkles from an accountant's POV. I find startup clients sometimes get confused with the "Easy-to-Use-And-Setup" spiel - it certainly is for a bookkeeper familiar with the app! In general, the dashboard apps in this industry can belie their many-layered nature.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
I love that xero does everything for both my businesses on the same dashboard - I can just toggle between the 2. The invoices look great and are well recieved by my corporate clients making me look professional and bigger than I am. The VAT is calculated for the quarter at the click of a button and I can even post directly to HMRC from within xero. Most of all though it tells me that I've done a good job each time I get my reconcilations done - which always makes me smile.

Cons
Sometimes there can be challenges with the bank feeds - when they're running at their best it's wonderful the accounts are updates in real time but sometimes they get a bit cranky and take ages to upload - I don't think it's all xeros fault - I think sometimes it's the software that does the connecting but either way, it's the only thing that sometimes causes me grief.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 8/10

Pros
I love that it is a fully functional accounting package that is cloud-based. It allows me and my clients to work from anywhere and still keep our numbers and business running smoothly. Since my business focuses mainly on Entrepreneurs running businesses online the amazing suite of integrations makes thins so much "easier" for my clients on a day to day basis.

Cons
The only "con" that I have is that it is a subscription-based service and that it can be pricey for new businesses starting out. Their base packages that I have access to as an accountant are good for other types of businesses but for an online based business no matter how small, the transaction limit for the smaller packages is waaaay to small.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 9/10

Pros
Xero has an interface that's easy to read and to navigate. The setup process is well presented and the support is good in response to tickets and also in their excellent training programs. Once you’ve understood how the flow of importing transactions and bank feeds, reconciling and generating reports is presented, you can keep your bookkeeping well ahead of any competitor’s product.

Cons
Any bookkeeping software requires some knowledge, training and experience in the theory and process of accounting. Xero is no exception, despite what may be claimed. Having said that, Xero is the least difficult to comprehend of the better softwares available.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
Easy to create invoices, match transactions between Xero and your bank, and simple to view your daily balance. Invoices look professional with logo and custom business information, and you can email invoices to clients directly from Xero. You can also use their payroll portal, but we don't use that particular feature. Xero also connects with Stripe, our credit card processing company, and automatically handles the processing fees. We appreciated how easily it integrated with Stripe.

Cons
It's very easy to duplicate transactions, or to create invoices and bills within the wrong month. After doing so it's difficult to find the transactions and to delete them. I'm very savvy with software and spreadsheets and it definitely surprises me when my accountant contacts me to ask me about a transaction that appears to be a duplicate.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 7/10

Pros
Xero is very intuitive and easy to use. As an owner of an accounting company focusing on bookkeeping, I use Xero exclusively. The other competitor in this arena is QBO. While their functionality and integrations are similar, Xero excels with amazing customer service, a more solid platform (they have been in the web-based game longer) and ease of use. All of my clients that have used both prefer Xero as well. Intuit is too large a company and you get thrown around when you have questions. Xero customer services is friendly and quick. They are honestly a pleasure to work with.

Cons
The major drawback to Xero is their reporting. QB has better reports for various needs, as an accountant. Xero is slowly improving but it has been a very, very slow process. Sometimes this can be infuriating. Their free internal payroll platform is lacking a bit as well but I haven't compared it to QBO. It works but I prefer to use Gusto with the automatic sync for my clients.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
Ease of use Cloud-based Tools to streamline reconciliation Huge array of add-ons to meet a variety of marketplace needs

Cons
Has had some downtime recently. They're good about notifying about upcoming maintenance intervals, but there have been a couple of incidences of downtime that have affected my work. They fixed it quickly, which is really all you can ask. Stuff happens in the technical realm.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
As a user of Vend POS we are able to integrate using an extension with Xero, which simplifies our stock control and invoice payment and reconciliation workflow tremendously. The Xero suite has been a simple experience and we have been using it for Payroll for a year as well. Our CPAs are able to access and use the data to work on our tax returns as well.

Cons
There are more commonly used web-based bookkeeping and accounting suites that may be more suitable for more complex businesses such as Quicken where the adoption and recognition of terms, reports, workflows is already there. More CPA and employees will be familiar with them off the bat. Xero is a bit unique in that it was built from the ground up more recently as a simple alternative to these large corporate accounting suites and technologies.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 8/10

Pros
- Ease of use: Understandable menus- navigation is a cinch - Cost: a fraction of the cost of Quickbooks Desktop + a server and on par with Quickbooks Online - SaaS integration- Have a software you need connected? There is likely an API for it

Cons
No job costing, in depth inventory without using a third party app Reporting is limited Both of these cons will be addressed this year, likely and there are SaaS add on solutions present.

Rating breakdown

Pros
- Easy to learn software! - Easy to use - Great reporting - Great audit trail to see where users are editing - Easy to edit mistakes and see where they came from - Easy to set up and guides were very helpful This software was such a great tool for our company. We use it across several businesses and share (varied) access with managers and accounting staff. Customize-able dashboard was great to see everything you needed upon opening the program. Great, in depth reporting to really audit and track anything that makes your company tick. I would highly recommend this software!

Cons
- The restricted access is not able to be customized enough. If I wanted a user to have access to certain areas, they had to gain access to multiple areas outside their scope. The audit feature was a great tool for teaching and seeing where I needed to train employees if they made errors

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
Xero offers many great functions which makes modern day accounting just that - modern! A big timesaver is that Xero gets the client to regularly go in and code all transactions, which is one less job for the accountant. Xero is also very user friendly in that it is easy to quickly log in and download the latest profit and loss or balance sheet to see where the business is in real-time, instead of having to wait for the end of year accounts to be prepared. Customer support is also excellent and very efficient. It helps that Xero lets you invite Xero support into the Xero account you are having issues with.

Cons
The payroll function is quite tricky to use, compared to other payroll services out there in the market.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 9/10