Xero Invoice – Pricing & Integrations

Xero Invoice offers three pricing tiers: the Early tier ($13 per month), the Growing tier ($37 per month), and the Established tier ($70 per month). There is a free 30-day trial so that an aspiring user can get to grips with the software, but there’s no full-on free plan.

We specifically recommend the Growing plan, as it offers unlimited monthly invoices, as opposed to the Early tier’s tight limit of 20 invoices per month. The features that are offered by the Growing tier are quite substantial, including the ability to attach files, calculate taxes, and create estimates for clients, alongside standard invoicing capabilities.

All three tiers have their strengths and weaknesses, however, so if you’re looking to dissect the inner workings of Xero’s pricing and features, read on!

In this guide:

• Xero Invoice Pricing Plans
• Xero Invoice Add-Ons and Integrations
• Xero Invoice Features
• Xero Invoice Alternatives
• Frequently Asked Questions

Xero Invoice Pricing Plans

Xero Invoice has three plans, each intended for businesses of different sizes. The differences between the three plans are quite marginal, so you won’t find yourself too torn on which one you should opt with. The jump from Early to Growing removes the limit on monthly invoices, while the jump from Growing to Established allows for multi-currency transactions.

These plans all charge a monthly rate, and unlike some software providers, you won’t be able to opt for a yearly payment to save money.

Xero Early – Best for Businesses Just Starting Out

Limits:

• Unlimited clients
• Unlimited users
• 20 invoices
• Unlimited estimates

The Xero Early plan costs $13 a month, with a strict invoice limit: While clients, users, and estimates are unlimited, invoices are capped at 20, which is quite low.

As the name suggests, this tier is for businesses in their infancy. It's a good fit for businesses that are just starting out and looking to grow, or even little side hustles run out of a garage.

Xero Growing – Best for Businesses on the Rise

Limits:

• Unlimited clients
• Unlimited users
• Unlimited invoices
• Unlimited estimates

The Xero Growing tier costs $37 per month. The main (and only) difference between the Growing tier and the Early tier is the fact that the limit on invoices is gone, meaning you can send more than 20 invoices a month.

This tier is our favorite, as it carries all the features of the Early tier, while entirely removing the limit on monthly invoices. Most businesses would find themselves brushing up against the 20-a-month limit, if not breaking it entirely, so to have this removed is hugely beneficial.

If you find yourself running a business that is approaching 20 invoices a month, it’s a good idea to just opt for this tier – you might find yourself breaking that ceiling pretty soon, and it’s nice to not have to keep tabs on how many you’ve sent in a month.

Xero Established – Best for International Businesses

Limits:

• Unlimited clients
• Unlimited users
• Unlimited invoices
• Unlimited estimates

Xero’s final tier, the Established tier, costs $70 per month. The only difference from the Growing tier is the new ability to charge in multiple currencies.

As this price increase is almost double the previous tier, you’ll need to know for a fact that your company absolutely needs the ability to charge in multiple currencies.

It’s for this reason that the Established tier is best for businesses that are, well… established. Any businesses that ship or sell internationally and need to charge in Euros, Canadian dollars, or anything else, will benefit from this tier. Otherwise, stick to the Growing tier.

Xero Invoicing Add-Ons & Integrations

Xero Invoicing comes with a ton of optional add-ons that can make operating the software a more streamlined process for your business.

Firstly, you can attach three email marketing platforms to your Xero account: Oncord (starting at $39 a month), Constant Contact (starting at $20 a month), and Mailchimp (starting at $9.99 a month). These can help you connect your client list to a list of existing customers, which can be helpful if you want to keep all your messaging in one place.

However, the integrations really ramp up when it comes to ecommerce and CRM. With 39 ecommerce integrations and 82 CRM integrations, there’s a lot you can add and change with your Xero account.

Some ecommerce highlights include A2X, which automates ecommerce accounting for Shopify, Amazon, Etsy, Walmart, and eBay sellers for $19 per month, and Link My Books, which creates invoices for anything sold on eBay and Amazon from $11 per month.

Some CRM recommendations are HubSpot and Constant Contact, which both allow you to stay on top of your customers’ behavior and relationship to your business.

Xero Invoicing Features

Xero has a solid array of features that allow it to stand among the greats. There aren’t any massive weaknesses, with the main one being its somewhat lackluster support resources. However, it makes up for this with very substantial invoice delivery tools, as well as analytics and reporting.

Creating Invoices

When creating invoices for your customers, you’ll be able to calculate taxes, attach files, and display discounts and tracked hours. And it’s not just invoices – you’ll also be able to create and send estimates, which can help land customers if they find your prices appealing.

Sending Invoices

Once you’ve made your invoices, sending them out is the next step, and Xero has a lot of tools to help you out here. You’ll be able to set up recurring invoices for repeat customers, and payment reminders for clients who need a prod in order to pay your invoices. You can also track the invoices’ progress, and even send from a mobile device.

Receiving Payment

When it comes time for your customers to pay their invoices, they can use a chosen third-party payment processor, such as PayPal or Stripe. If your business is connected to one of these processors already, it’ll be very easy to connect the pre-existing account. This is the opposite of paying directly through the software itself.

Reporting and Analytics

As mentioned, Xero has everything you’d want when it comes to reporting and analytics, which can help if you want to show off to customers or investors. This includes customizable reports that can include sales tax and receivables, both by customers and by time.

Support

Finally, if anything goes wrong, you might be interested in Xero's support resources. The only way you can contact Xero is through email, but there are knowledge centers and community forums that can also help you out. However, there are no phone lines or live chat options.

Xero Invoicing Alternatives

Alas, no invoice software platform is perfect, so you might be on the lookout for other platforms that can pick up Xero’s slack.

Firstly, Xero doesn’t offer any templates and color customization options. These can be helpful if you’re trying to jazz up your invoices. QuickBooks (starting at $15 per month), Zoho (starting at $11 per month), and Invoice2Go (starting at $5.99 per month) all offer a wide range of templates, as well as letting you change colors and logos.

While Xero is very reasonably priced, you might be looking for something even cheaper. If this is the case, Square Invoices and Wave both eschew monthly fees, instead charging 2.9% of each invoice you process.

For larger businesses that ship overseas, the ability to charge in multiple currencies can be crucial. Xero doesn’t offer this unless you opt for the highest tier, so if you’re looking for a cheaper way to charge multiple currencies, then FreshBooks, Sage, Invoice2Go, and Zoho all offer it on their lowest tiers.

If you're after a more versatile piece of accounting software, see how FreshBooks, Sage, and Xero's broader offerings stack up side by side here.

First-party payment processing vs third-party payment processing is very much a matter of personal preference, but if you’d rather be paid through the software rather than through PayPal or Stripe, QuickBooks and FreshBooks both offer first-party payment.

Finally, Xero doesn’t offer the best support network. No matter what tier you use, you’ll only be able to email support, or check the knowledge base or community forum. This can be fine if you know what you’re doing, but if you’re looking for actual support, you might want to look at Square Invoices, which offers live chat and phone support options. The Advanced tier of QuickBooks ($150 per month) also offers the previously mentioned support lines, and provides a 24/7 service.

Frequently Asked Questions