File No. 119 against No. 131
Zoho Books vs Xero: what each costs
Zoho Books and Xero are accounting software for small businesses, and both price per organization rather than per person. The difference in how they bill: Zoho Books includes a set number of users on each plan, while Xero states no per-user license fees but caps invoices and bills on its entry plan.
The short answer. Xero vs Zoho Books pricing: Zoho Books costs less to start, with a $0 Free plan for 1 user plus 1 accountant and Standard at $15 a month billed annually. Xero has no free plan; Early is $27 a month at its regular price, capped at 20 invoices and 5 bills. Files checked 6 Oct and 11 Oct 2026.
What each one costs
Every figure below is read from the two price files at the moment this page loads, so this page cannot drift away from them. Each row links to the vendor page the price came from.
| Plan | Price | Billed | Checked | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho Books Free, or from $15/org/mo | ||||
| Free | $0 | free plan | Vendor page | |
| Standard | $15/org/mo | billed annually | Vendor page | |
| Professional | $40/org/mo | billed annually | Vendor page | |
| Premium | $60/org/mo | billed annually | Vendor page | |
| Elite | $120/org/mo | billed annually | Vendor page | |
| Ultimate | $240/org/mo | billed annually | Vendor page | |
| Xero From $27/mo | ||||
| Early | $27/mo | billed monthly, regular price | Vendor page | |
| Growing | $59/mo | billed monthly, regular price | Vendor page | |
| Established | $97/mo | billed monthly, regular price | Vendor page | |
Which one is for you
Pick Zoho Books if a free plan or a low annual price matters and the team fits the included users: Standard at $15 a month billed annually covers 3 users.
Pick Xero if the headcount is large or may grow, since it states no per-user license fees: a team of 1, 5 or 20 pays the same $27, $59 or $97 a month.
What Zoho Books's pricing page does not say
- The price is per organization, not per user. Each plan includes a fixed number of users (3 on Standard, 5 on Professional, 10 on Premium and Elite, 15 on Ultimate). More users are an add-on at $2.5 per user per month, billed annually.
- The rates shown when the page opens are the Billed Annually rates. Each has a higher crossed-out figure beside it ($20 beside $15 on Standard, $50 beside $40 on Professional, $70 beside $60 on Premium). The month-to-month rates were not captured for this file.
- Several functions are priced separately as add-ons, each billed annually: Document autoscans at $8 per 50 scans per month, Locations at $10 per location per month, Expense claim at $7 per active user per month and BillPay at $59 per month.
- Bank feeds and sales tax tracking are listed from Standard, and inventory tracking, purchase orders and multi-currency from Professional. None of them appears in the Free list.
- Elite costs twice what Premium costs ($120 against $60) and includes the same 10 users. The difference is inventory and warehouse functions.
- Prices are exclusive of local taxes.
What Xero's pricing page does not say
- The large figures on the page are offer prices. $5.40, $11.80 and $19.40 a month last for the first 3 months, then the regular prices of $27, $59 and $97 apply and renew monthly.
- The offer terms limit the 80% discount to new customers in the United States buying their first organization on xero.com with the code named in those terms. The discount covers the base plan only, not add-ons, usage or payment fees, and Xero can change or cancel it at any time.
- Early is capped at 20 invoices and 5 bills. The terms say the invoice limit counts invoices that are approved as well as sent, and that invoices created by connected apps may count toward it.
- Payroll is not in any plan. Xero Payroll, powered by Gusto, is an optional add-on at $36 a month plus $6 per employee or contractor on all three plans.
- Auto-reconcile is included from Growing. On Early it is an optional add-on at $5.00 per month.
- Multiple currencies, project time and cost tracking, and employee expense and mileage claims are listed only on Established, the $97 plan.
- Prices exclude taxes, which the terms say are calculated from the billing address. Payment fees apply to online invoice payments and to bill payments other than standard ACH, and the fee amounts are not on the pricing page.
- The terms say a move to a less expensive plan is possible 1 month after upgrading.
Zoho Books or Xero for one person
Zoho Books has a Free plan at $0 for 1 user plus 1 accountant, with invoices, bank reconciliation and recurring invoices listed. Xero lists no free plan; its entry plan, Early, is $27 a month at the regular price and is capped at 20 invoices and 5 bills. The Xero file also records a time-limited introductory offer on Early for the first 3 months.
What a team of 5 or 20 pays
Zoho Books includes a fixed number of users per plan; Xero charges the same plan price for any number of people.
| Team | Zoho Books (billed annually) | Xero (regular monthly price) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | Free, $0 | Early, $27 |
| 5 people | Professional, $40 (5 users) | Early, $27, or Growing, $59 without invoice limits |
| 20 people | Ultimate, $240 (15 users) plus an extra-user add-on for 5 more | Same as above, $27, $59 or $97 |
The extra-user add-on price is recorded in Zoho Books' file.
Billing differences
- Billing basis. The Zoho Books figures are the Billed Annually rates the page opens on; its month-to-month rates were not captured. The Xero figures are monthly regular prices; its yearly rates were not captured. The two columns are not on the same billing basis.
- Invoice and user limits. Xero Early caps 20 invoices and 5 bills; Growing at $59 removes both. Zoho Books caps users per plan, from 3 on Standard to 15 on Ultimate.
- Add-ons. Payroll is an add-on on Xero. Zoho Books sells Document autoscans, Locations, Expense claim and BillPay as add-ons.
- Taxes. Both files record prices before taxes.
The full tables are in Zoho Books' price file and Xero's price file. Other tools are in the invoicing drawer, and a related comparison is Zoho Books vs QuickBooks Online.
The evidence
Both vendors' pricing pages, as they looked when the figures were read.
Figures on this page come from the two files named above, each read off the vendor's own pricing page on the date shown. Prices change without notice; check before buying.
The files behind this
- Zoho Books Free, or from $15/org/mo
- Xero From $27/mo