Xero Reviews

Affordable professional level accounting software for small business

Comments: It's been easier to use Xero than I expected, but I had a nasty surprise at tax time when I realized the default accounts/descriptions for expenses did not correlate 1:1 to IRS categories. (I should have checked this more closely when I set up my accounts because it's a New Zealand company, and the previous product was local.) This means I will need to double-check all my transactions for 2018 and the IRS has my vastly overestimated tax payment until I can do that and file my return on an extension. I've had a much better experience importing data from financial institutions because Xero uses a well-known importing service that is trusted by the institutions. I like being able to match multiple invoices to bank deposits because I usually don't run to the bank for each check. This will be more valuable as my company grows. I should probably find an accountant to assist me with this, but I haven't found an accountant who understands both craft businesses and Xero.

Pros:

Professional double entry software at a very affordable price Accommodates both cash and accrual accounting Links to financial institutions to get transactions Uses standard importer recognized by the financial institutions instead of just trying to log in remotely (and triggering fraud alerts) Can match multiple invoices to a single deposit transaction imported from bank Can keep using Xero as company grows

Cons:

Pre-existing expense categories/descriptions don't map 1:1 with IRS definitions, so I'm having to go back to all my receipts to make sure expenses are entered in proper accounts because I didn't realize this when I switched More difficult to focus on specific expense categories to check transactions Have not been able to import historic data from previous app (possibly because it's not double entry) so I am still paying the subscription on that software to retain access to my data No integration with Craftybase, so I have to enter supply purchases and customer invoices there independently

To keep track of finances, Xero is a small business' best friend

Comments: We've suggested Xero to a few clients and even forced them to switch from their current accounting software because of how much superior it is than its competitors.

Pros:

If you're not an accountant, Xero is still simple and straightforward to use. Daily operations are based on the straightforward processes of making payments to suppliers and receiving money. It's the best option for a company of that size. It's simple and straightforward to use this accounting software to keep track of your company's money. This program is something I use constantly.

Cons:

Xero is designed for small businesses, therefore it has basic restrictions (journal approvals, etc.). As a company's billing operations reach a certain mass, they outgrow a single Xero instance and require the use of many instances running in parallel to process all of the bills.

The clean and clear accounting software

Comments: Since I started using it, everything I have needed Xero for has been straightforward. It takes minutes to get a basic invoice setup and sent to a client, and not much longer to make a more advanced invoice. It is easy to connect to your bank account and reconcile incomings and outgoings. It is also easy to give your accountants access.Overall, Xero makes it easy for you to avoid mistakes, and very importantly it has plenty of functionality that will allow it to grow with a company, as you need more advanced features, they are there, often at little to no extra cost. Having Xero helped a lot when starting my business, by making handling my fiances and accounting clean and clear.

Pros:

Xero provides a clean and straightforward experience. It has plenty of features for most use cases, but provides functionality that is easy for anyone to use from small business owners up. The integrations they provide, both with Open banking, and allowing you to give your accountants access, make it a breeze to correctly handle your finances and avoid time consuming mistakes come the end of the tax year.

Cons:

Having used Xero for many years, there is not much that I have found that I don't like about the system. Sole traders may find the 20 invoice a month restriction limiting, but that only applies to the Starter subscription. The prices of the others are more than reasonable to validate upgrading which gets you unlimited invoices. On occasion there will be bank feed issues, at which point you might be left wondering why your balances don't match. Finding out there is an issue with the feed from your particular bank is not obivous, but can be found by clicking through to their "Why is this different" page. From my experience this is the only con, and it is quite minor.

The biggest but not the best accounting software

Comments: We are a growth stage startup that originally used Xero because everyone else did and it was easy to integrate. We continue to do so for bank reconciliations and this is what we feel they're best at, but it's so hard to use and incredibly manual, that we've moved a lot of our other features away.

Pros:

Due to its size widely integrates with lots of other tools. Gives you a basic view of your business, and is relatively cheap, so if you're just starting out could be all you need. Provides a lot of functionality likes bank reconciliations, expenses, reporting, invoicing.

Cons:

There seems to be little attempt to improve the product or make it user friendly. Feels like it was build 15 years ago and not much has changed. When you suggest product improvements nothing happens, which is testament to this mentality. Very clunky, no ability to customise.

Great accounting package for any business

Comments: Overall Xero provides business with all the basics at a reasonable price. Support is only via online chat request and can take some time to return the answers (which you need to login to the account to see) but overall its a good well rounded program that is fairly easy to use by all.

Pros:

Bank feeds are simple and easy to use. Entry of sales invoices and sending easy. Can upload documents and evidence for almost every transaction whether in sales, purchases or journals area which is very handy - dont need to go searching for docs at EOFY for the accountants.

Cons:

Reports can be a bit restricted on what you can include or exclude so can be tricky to get the right one to pull the info you need. Sometimes setting up bank feed can be tricky. Payroll needs more features and simplified. You have lots of different tabs and areas for the information to go so its a process to ensure nothing is missed

Comprehensive Accounting Software for Small Businesses

Comments: Overall, Xero is a great accounting software for small businesses. It is packed with features and has a user-friendly interface. The cost is quite high, but it is worth it for the features that it provides. The customer support could be better, but the overall experience has been positive.

Pros:

Xero is an incredibly comprehensive accounting software that is perfect for small businesses. It has all the necessary features for managing finances and the user interface is easy to use and understand. I love how it can be integrated with other accounting programs and it is constantly being updated with new features and improvements.

Cons:

Xero can be quite expensive as compared to other accounting software and the customer support is not always as helpful as one would hope. I have also encountered some glitches that can cause problems when trying to get things done.

A great premium software with the all the right integrations

Comments: Overall, Xero is great accounting software available in the clould. Its ability to allow workers to work remotely and monitor work is highly useful. It has great accounting tools at your fingertips. The great selection of integrations also help with syncing workflows and tasks cross different platforms like document collections and processing, job management and payment processing.

Pros:

There is a constant improvement of the Xero Blue platform with new integrations coming all the time (like the Karbon integration for contact sync just announced) The Dashboard is highly intuitive and gives an up to date snapshot of the business when you loginThe ability to create reports is highly useful, especially the new update that gives a modern interface with features like budgets for P & L Statements. The ingratiations (an constantly expanding selection)

Cons:

Features like HubDoc that come with Xero have not been updated in years. When compared to their competitors like DEXT they are severely lacking in features and usability. Xero invoicing is very basic, no ability for direct debit payments, no engagement letter etc. Document management software like Suitfiles needs to be used, there is currently no direct integration for document management like Karbon has. Integrations into Xero Green (XPM) basic, XPM has not been updated in many years and to an overhaul to compete. Pricing when compared to software like software assistant is more premium.

Xero, the complete accounting solution for small businesses.

Comments: As an IT intern, I got the opportunity to use Xero to manage the accounting and payroll for a small business project in my university. In my experience, managing the small business finances with Xero has shown to be an effective and user-friendly option. Our institution gained a lot from the tool's capacity to be customized to meet our specific needs and from having the chance to collaborate online with other team members.

Pros:

Xero is a comprehensive online accounting tool that offers a wide range of features for the financial management of small businesses. With Xero, users can manage invoicing, purchasing, inventory, payroll, and more in one platform, making financial tracking a breeze. Additionally, Xero offers an intuitive and user-friendly interface, as well as the ability to customize the tool to meet the specific needs of each business.

Cons:

Xero is a powerful and effective accounting solution, however it might not be appropriate for all types of businesses. The tool's learning curve might be steeper than anticipated for some businesses, and the platform might not be scalable enough to meet their demands as they expand for new businesses.

Using Xexo daily

Pros:

Easy to learn if you have used other systems before.

Cons:

better pricing for clients without the use of third parties

Incredibly powerful accounting tool, but could be better for freelancers

Comments: Overall, Xero is the best accounting software out there. It's not the cheapest, but it's by far the most complete. The learning curve for freelancers and small businesses with no prior knowledge of an accounting software is quite steep, it requires patience. I believe it could be simplified for those users making it more accessible.

Pros:

I've started using Xero a few months ago to manage all the money coming in and out as a freelancer. Compared to other platforms, Xero provides the widest array of features that can help any business no matter the size. It also comes with outstanding integration with banks and online banking tools, and great customizable features for invoices, quotes, automatic email, etc.

Cons:

Unfortunately, this platform is not very user friendly when it comes to freelancers or small businesses. It's overly complicated for those like me who don't have a team of accountants or employees to manage. In that sense, their competitor FreeAgent does a better job at simplifying these operations for those who run their own business. If Xero gave their users the options to chose between a simplified or expert mode, it would be a killer platform.

Xero use in a School

Comments: Reconciliations are so much easier, integrating with other products is so much easier, there are so many apps which can easily integrate into Xero.

Pros:

Xero is very easy to navigate around and is user friendly. Even a non-finance employee is able to use Xero. The product is able to integrate seamlessly with a school management system importing invoices and contacts which are managed in the school management system. The integration is almost automatic and does not require a user to sync. AMAZING PLATFORM!

Cons:

Nil - Honestly there is nothing I dislike about Xero.

Xero is made for accountants and not small business or tradies.

Comments: Xero is quick to reconcile but so are the other brand options. I am making a lot of money for my accountant because I always need to ring and get help.

Pros:

Easy reconciliation but this is a feature of most brands now.

Cons:

Reports are impossible to configure and source the data I need. The layout is poor and not user friendly. The technical terms used are common to accountants but make no sense to small business operators. The online help is useless and takes forever to get a response. Feature requests are ignored and not even responded to. There are other brands that offer a much easier user interface and at a fraction of the cost. I was forced into XERO as it was the only brand my accountant would support. I have to ring the accountants for help all the time who change a fortune for simple advice. Every feature I need is an extra add on charge. The remember me at login does not work and I have to waste time with 2 step login every time I leave the computer for 5 minutes. XERO does not work well on the tablet. The bank feeds do not deliver all the transaction data detail and its very difficult to identify some businesses. Memorizing transactions and splitting purchases is a real time-waster.

My investment in Xero didn't work out

Comments: I became Xero certified in 2016, I was very enthusiastic about the product at the time, and thought I would be building a practice using it. Unfortunately, the more I used it, the less well it worked for me, due to the reasons given above and more. I also find the Xero portal for practitioners unnecessarily complex and difficult to navigate. The company was always also assigning new account managers to me. I think I've met four or five in total. Xero frequently asked me for feedback and I provided it several times, especially about my discontent with their reconciliation process, which I consider inadequate to my needs as a professional bookkeeper, and which I had seen cause significant problems for business owners trying to maintain their own file. Though I repeated this feedback over the course of several years, it hasn't changed. I realize I'm just one customer, and I don't know if others feel the same way or not. Anyway, in the end, I didn't want to work with this issue anymore.

Pros:

Transaction processing in the bank feed is, as they claim, very well set up. At the time I started using Xero, the company also seemed to provide some needed competition and an alternative to intuit in the small business accounting software space.

Cons:

The other accounting software apps I use are QBO and Wave. Both, IMO, are better than Xero. Back to the bank feed -- Xero is unable to connect with a number of banks. In addition, the bank feed sometimes drops out transactions with no notice to the file owner or bookkeeper. Thanks to the lack of a reconciliation process tied to hard numbers, inaccuracies can pile up in the registers as a result. In addition, overall access to data in the registers is more awkward to accomplish than in either QBO or Wave. Editing transactions is significantly more complex than in QBO. The system of comparison between the "bank statement lines" and the account register was confusing at times. And there are odd glitches in the reporting (cannot recall all the details now, I only have one client left using this app) that I had to watch out for. Xero is a product that has some really amazing capabilities mixed in with real weaknesses.

Helpful, user friendly and intuitive accounts software

Comments: I was reluctant to pay the extra costs to move to Xero from my previous cheaper package but I am more than happy that I finally made the switch. It is a fraction of the cost of having a book-keeper to pay and I feel so much more confident that my accounts are working correctly. The option of additional plugins aid the automation for syncing with software such as woocommerce and amazon, ebay etc. It is a shame that they are additional costs but I would prefer that I had the option to integrate than not, and they are great time savers, which is the biggest help for small business owners.

Pros:

Xero has a lot of automated features that make the process of accounts preparation easy and reliable. The bank feeds work smoothly and it is easy to set up rules to make the process automated on regular transactions - just a click to confirm entry. I have been able to integrate woocommerce, amazon and ebay transactions to ensure I am correctly treating VAT and International orders and purchases correctly.

Cons:

As with any new accountancy software, there is a bit of technical detail to get your head around but that is probably to be expected. There are good help articles that are useful for the set up phase.

Worst Software I've ever used

Comments: Terrible. This is the worst software I've ever used. Do NOT buy this. It's been a terrible experience for me my company.

Pros:

I like this software WHEN it works. However, that's generally never the case. My bank feeds haven't been accurate since May of this year. That's five months without accurate transactions and reconciliation.

Cons:

This software would be good if it worked. I've gone five months without accurate reports and transactions. Xero blames it on "Yodlee" but never actually tells me that they've pressed Yodlee on this issue. I've had internal Xero employees tell me their [SENSITIVE CONTENT] doesn't care about small businesses and in my experience this is true. I would never recommend this software or company to anyone. The customer service is non existent. I think they have people there to help but when those people tell you the company doesn't care...there's not much you can do. They say they're good for small business but it seems like the [SENSITIVE CONTENT] feels exactly the opposite.

Xero is the One

Comments: I am very satisfied to be building my practice on Xero. They have a good product with a good company behind it. They seem to really care about their advisors and see them as key to their business model. They have a great community and great support.

Pros:

What I like most about Xero is its open-platform ethos. It's not one particular feature, it's the whole way that Xero approaches what it does, and it shows up all over the product. One small example is how easy it is to manually import bank transactions via CSV file, and then how easy it is to undo that import if it went wrong. It's less about features (although Cash Coding and Find & Recode are brilliant) and more about design choices.

Cons:

I want them to hurry up and integrate Hubdoc into Xero itself. And when that happens, I want there to be a way to generate a report that shows which GL transactions don't have a source document.

Great online software for SMEs

Comments: It has been great software that helped many business to grow with up to date, online financial information.

Pros:

Xero has been one of the first solutions for cloud bookkeeping and accounting and has successfully competed with the likes of Sage and QuickBooks. It has probably the most other software providers that link directly with Xero over APIs.

Cons:

Over the years there were some features that were requested and it took a long time for them to be implemented, also more and more features are additional paid for addons.

It took me a while, but I am a Xero convert!

Comments: When I first began using Xero, I had heard a lot about it and was skeptical. Surely, no software could be so "all that"! I was introduced to it by a colleague who has converted the whole of her mid-size accountancy practice to it, and literally within a day and a half (which did include watching some of the short but very clear tutorial videos) I was not only up and running, but felt confident using it, finding my way around it, locating and fixing errors etc. It's literally that simple and straightforward. It's also incredibly stable - I think in 3 years it's only been offline (to my knowledge) 3 times, each for a very short period. I've also not found ANY bugs so far - almost unheard of! - and the support is fantastic, even though it's online.

Pros:

Provided it's set up properly, Xero is probably the most friendly accounting software - to non-accountants that is - of any I've ever come across. Back in the 90's, MYOB revolutionised accounting software for small business, but Xero takes it to a whole new level, by removing so much of the data entry work that takes time, leaves room for errors and is in general a pain, when you'd rather be - you know, running your business. With Xero, it's up to the individual operator how much they want to automate their accounting transactions; if you want to, you can use the really powerful, but still simple tools to do a lot of the legwork for you. If you prefer to do it more manually, that's OK too - it's still simple and very quick and easy to use.

Cons:

Xero is constantly adding and refining its software. Inventory control is an area I'd like to see strengthened, but that's already way ahead of where it was a couple of years ago. Similarly processing payments in advance. But these are relatively small niggles which for the majority of small businesses don't present any issue.

Xero leads the way for cloud based accounting software for small to medium businesses

Comments: Very good. It certainly seems to be market leader and for good reason.

Pros:

Although may not feature the type of reporting that would set it apart from competitors, it has good integration with other apps that can generally to the job. For accountants, the customer support is good enough. There is a large community so you can usually find the answer you need if you run into an issue

Cons:

Not every useful report is available. And may never get them if they arent on the roadmap. Only really found one strange issue around perpetual revaluing of forex that has not been resolved, and likely wont ever be. Its not critical, but would be useful.

Xero is changing the landscape of cloud accounting

Comments: My experience with Xero can be described as fulfilling, it has simplified my workflow and saved me a lot of time and effort, I no longer spend long hours at the office. This has also impacted positively on my health. I would recommend this software to everyone.

Pros:

“It’s so clean to apply, even for non-financial human beings” My financial institution transactions are robotically connect to Xero so I don’t have to manually input them myself. I get my Financial statements the first week after the year end Another charming issue of this software is that it is a great idea if a corporation is unfolded across a couple of places with personnel operating in various locations. The accountants from every location can get admission to the financial data of all branches at any moment irrespective of their vicinity or time. As a world main provider of online accounting software program, Xero utilizes world-elegance cloud safety. Your data is appropriately saved in the cloud, and guarded from both Cyber criminals and perils like fire or flood.

Cons:

The expenses tracking can be formatted to allow multiply currencies to be easily uploaded in batches or real time. No integrated ‘Debtor Chasing’ function so companies will have to manually follow up on their unpaid invoices.

Great software for SMB

Comments: We came to Xero from Sage and has changed the way we manage our accounts, and helped the team be more productive.

Pros:

customer service is great, even for an SMB like ours, we get good response times and knowledgeable people. the system is very easy to use and has great functionality for managing our sales and supplier invoices so that we can keep track of our cashflow accurately. Apps library is great and has everything that we need.

Cons:

certain functionality around automation and AI is not there but can be added via connected apps.

Xero has helped us transform and streamline our processes

Comments: Xero has streamlined our operations, and simplified our record keeping, and notification of when bills are due for payment or invoices due for collection. The dashboard is fantastic for an overall picture. The reporting tools are excellent, and the ease of use is so logical and straightforward, that it's simple l to self-teach even for a beginner. On top of that when you have any questions the how-to guides are thorough in themselves, and support is excellent and very quick to come back to you with an in depth answer.

Pros:

The ease of use is fantastic, and a beginner is able to self-teach quite easily with the fantastic guides and webinars that are available from Xero. The support is also exceptional and I have always had my queries answered in great detail and very quickly.

Cons:

My main issue was that I would like to be able to create different delivery addresses on invoices that have one invoice address but different delivery locations, as it's important to specify. To workaround we write it in the body of the invoice, however with previous systems we have been able to enter multiple delivery addresses, for one invoice address and select the required one each time.

Easy to Implement and Manage Global Business, Low Customization Options

Comments: Kanopy has found Xero to serve its needs well, but ultimately we moved on and migrated to NetSuite years later. We still keep Xero though for 1 international subsidiary that we found to be advantageous not to migrate. The mature business with complex operations may not find all needs are met with Xero, especially if the desire is to integrate many other tools/software with the ERP in a bi-directional data flow.

Pros:

Xero serves well as an "out of the box" accounting system, not unlike Quickbooks. It also has more functionality and use internationally, making it a superior choice to QB if your business operates on a global, multicurrency basis. There are some solid automations which can be implemented with Xero as well, and the canned reporting generally suffices for the majority of basic financial needs.

Cons:

Xero lacks the open customization options that software like Netsuite or Dynamics offers. For a small business this will often be fine, but a scaling operation looking to automate many functions based on unique business needs may someday find they have outgrown Xero and need to undergo an (often painful) ERP migration.

Your businesses best friend!

Comments: I absolutely love Xero and advise all my clients to work on the software.

Pros:

I love the fact that Xero speeds up all day to day processes and awesome reporting!

Cons:

Some of the banks in my country does not have stable feeds, this makes it a bit difficult for bank rec's.

The best at what it does

Comments: Full Disclosure: I am an accountant and I recommend Xero to many of my clients. When the expectations are in alignment with the capabilities of the software, then everyone is happy. People get into trouble with ANY software when they jump in thinking they know what it does and are then disappointed. All accounting and ERP software has limitations and Xero is no exception, but what it does, it does well. It provides payables, receivables, bank reconciliation and general ledger as its core functionality. There is a very capable estimating/quoting/order/ process that ties into AR invoices smoothly. But, the requisition/purchase/inventory side is very, very basic. In fact there are no requisitions and the purchase orders are so limited that I recommend you not use them. The inventory is only what is needed to make the sales side functional. So, if you need strong inventory support, you have to use a third-party add-on designed just for this purpose.

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.