Is QuickBooks Giving You a Headache?!? XERO may be Your Answer!

Ugh!!! How many times have you dreaded that task?

It's that task that you just need to put all your focus on and just get it done....you have to update your business financial books in QuickBooks Online!

Sure, there are other things you'd rather be doing for your business, things that give you joy and are the reasons why you started your business in the first place.

Maybe it is sharing information that you are passionate about with your customers?

Or helping them figure out what products you offer that will help make their lives easier?

Or seeing the joy on people's faces when you offer a service that makes people happy?

There are so many other things that you would rather be doing than the financial books for your business, but it has to get done, so you sit down at your desk and start working, only to feel completely frustrated after a few hours because QuickBooks can be so darn cumbersome to use!

As business owners who use QuickBooks, it is no secret that QBO at times can have a steep learning curve and not be the most "user-friendly" program to wrap your brain around. The hours spent trying to figure things out (or the time spent on hold for customer support) can be frustrating, especially when your work day is already jam-packed with many different tasks you need to accomplish to successfully run you business.

What can you do?!?

Well, you can always reach out to us at Owl Eye Bookkeeping Solutions for help with your QuickBooks Online account, but there are other accounting programs out there that are less cumbersome to use and bit more user-friendly....

This is where Xero comes in!

"Xero?!?", you say. "I've never heard of it!"

"Yes! Xero!"

Xero is a business financial application very similar to QuickBooks Online that is beginning to take hold with many businesses in the United States. It is used quite a bit in Canada and other countries around the world for business finances, but it is a bit more straight forward to use and has a more user-friendly platform that is intuitive and easier to use. It is a great option for those running small businesses who don't need many of the advanced accounting tools found in QBO, but still gives many of the needed accounting features to effectively run your business.

So let's dive in to all the benefits that Xero can offer your business!

Accounting Plans and Pricing

Xero offers three pricing plans for your business. Depending on your business needs, there is a plan that allows small business owners to grow and add on features over time.

Xero	QuickBooks Online
Early: $15/month	Simple Start: $30/month
Growing: $42/month	Essentials: $60/month
Established: $78/month	Plus: $90/month
	Advanced: $200/month

• Early: Ideal plan for new businesses that allows 20 invoices to be generated per month and also 5 bills per month to be entered and paid online. You can capture receipts and connect your bank online to the account, and it will allow you to track core financial information.

• Growing: This plan allows to businesses to be able to scale up and removes all caps in the Early plan to allow the business to grow. All transactions are supported in this plan and allows bulk transaction reconciliations to help speed things up and save you valuable time.

• Established: This plan builds on the Growing plan and adds on multi-currency support, project tracking tools, and advanced analytics. It also allows you to track and manage business expenses for companies that need extra financial information for their business.

Accounting Features

Xero gives small business owners all the financial tools to be able to successfully track and manage their business accounting and finances in an easy, user-friendly platform that does not over complicate matters. Some of these features are outlined in the table below:

Features	Xero	QuickBooks Online
Invoicing	Yes (monthly limits in Early plan)	Yes
Billing	Yes (monthly limits in Early plan)	Yes (Essentials, Plus, and Advanced plans only)
Expense tracking	Yes (Established plan only)	Yes
Time tracking	Yes (Established plan only)	Yes (Essentials, Plus, and Advanced plans only)
Inventory management	Yes	Yes (Plus and Advanced plans only)

Ease of Use and Customer Support

This is where Xero excels! Xero's user-friendly platform interface is intuitive, easy to navigate and use efficiently. It's dashboard gives quick access to key financial information with easy to read sections and graphs. Set-up, bank reconciliations, invoicing and expenses are straightforward and easy, with helpful tools and tips to guide you along the way. See more about the platform interface HERE!

Xero also has customer support at their Xero Central page where you can browse through help articles to find answers to your questions. Xero also offers 24/7 online help and assistance with an agent, but the downfall is the agent is not not live and it usually takes approximately 2 hours for them to get back to you.

If you like being able to speak directly with a customer support agent, QBO offers it's clients customer service by phone, live chat, and other online resources, but this solely depends on which plan you currently have, with the top tier plans offering more customer support options.

Third Party Apps

Another place where Xero shines is the large variety of third party apps that can be added to the software to customize your financial books. Over 1000 apps are currently available to add to your Xero accounting program that gives you advanced capabilities in things like payroll, POS systems, and inventory management. QuickBooks also offers third party apps, with around 750 to choose from, but Xero by far offers the most flexibility when customizing your programs with third party apps.

Xero or QBO?

Xero vs. QBO Snapshot	Xero	QuickBooks
Starting price	$15/month (Early Plan)	$30/month (Simple Start)
Free trial	30 days	30 day trail or 3 month reduced price
User limit	Unlimited for all plans	1-25 users, depending on plan
Ease of use	Simple, customizable dashboard	Customizable dashboard but has a learning curve
Customer support	24/7 online support, no live chat	Live chat and phone support during extended hours
Third party apps	Over 1000 apps	Over 750 apps
Bill pay	Manage and pay bills (limited to 5 bills/month for Early plan, unlimited on all other plans)	Bill management/payment only available on higher tiered plans
Expense tracking	Automated import and categorization, receipt uploads and employee reimbursement; only available for highest paying plan.	Advanced automation, categorization, receipt uploads, and mileage tracking

So if you are a small business owner looking for a more intuitive and user-friendly accounting solution without all the advanced financial tools that can just make things more confusing, Xero just may be the program for you! Xero gives small business owners several affordable plans to choose from to fit their immediate business needs, that will allows them to grow their business over time. The programs simple interface and large range of integrations allows business owners to be able to focus on core financial tracking and still be able to to customize their program to fit their business needs.

And if you are looking for a bookkeeper who knows and understands Xero, we are certified Xero advisors at Owl Eye Bookkeeping Solutions, and we can help you get started with Xero for all your business needs!

Want to learn more about how to get started with Xero? Check out these links below to learn more about how Xero can help your businesss and how you can try out Xero for a 30 day free trial!

More Information on Xero

Xero Features and Free 30 day trial of Xero

Check out how to use Xero's Demo Company for more hands-on experience!

(Tables used in this blog post from Xero vs. QuickBooks: Which is Besy in 2024 by A. Goulet, D. Ballard, K. Coates)