Xero vs QuickBooks Online vs Quicken: Features, Pricing and Reviews Compared
- Starting price
- $27/mo
- Ease of use
- 8.5
- Functionality
- 8.6
- Value for money
- 7.9
- Customer support
- 7.4
Best for
- Businesses with several people who need to be in the books (owner, office manager, bookkeeper, partner)
- Owners who want to understand their numbers from a dashboard rather than a report pack
- Agencies, consultancies and trades that bill by project and want time and cost tracking
- Starting price
- $38/mo
- Ease of use
- 7.8
- Functionality
- 9.3
- Value for money
- 6.9
- Customer support
- 7.2
Best for
- US businesses whose accountant or bookkeeper already works in QuickBooks
- Service and product businesses that want payroll, payments and bookkeeping from one vendor
- Owners who need an app for everything (field service, ecommerce, CRM) to sync their books automatically
- Starting price
- $3.99/mo
- Ease of use
- 5.9
- Functionality
- 6.4
- Value for money
- 6.4
- Customer support
- 6.0
Best for
- Individuals and couples managing a shared budget
- Freelancers and self-employed professionals
- Small business owners who send invoices
Our verdict
Xero comes out ahead at 82/100 versus QuickBooks Online at 79 and Quicken at 62. Unlimited users on all plans. Xero is the better fit for small businesses that want unlimited users at a flat price. QuickBooks Online makes more sense if you need largest ecosystem of accountants, apps and integrations.
On Xero: Xero is the accounting platform we recommend to owners who want unlimited users and a cleaner interface than QuickBooks, and who don't need the deepest US-specific ecosystem. Bank reconciliation is the best in class, the dashboards are readable without an accountant, and every plan includes unlimited seats. The trade-offs are the invoice cap on the Early plan, support that is ticket-only, and payroll that is an add-on through Gusto.
Features comparison
The 8 accounting capabilities we check on every product, ordered by importance to buyers.
| Feature | Importance | Xero | QuickBooks Online | Quicken |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Invoicing | 95% | Included | Included | Included |
| Bank feeds | 89% | Included | Included | Not included |
| Accountant access | 72% | Included | Included | Not included |
| Receipt capture | 66% | Included | Included | Included |
| Payroll | 61% | Included | Included | Not included |
| Inventory | 34% | Included | Included | Not included |
| Multi-currency | 28% | Included | Included | Not included |
| API access | 22% | Included | Included | Included |
What stands out in each
Bank reconciliation
Xero's reconciliation screen is the reason many bookkeepers prefer it: suggested matches, bank rules, cash coding for bulk work and a clean audit trail. On Growing and above, auto-reconcile handles the routine transactions without you.
Unlimited users on every plan
Unlike QuickBooks, Xero never charges per seat. Owners, staff and your accountant all get logins with role-based permissions, which matters for businesses that want several people entering bills and expenses.
Dashboards and analytics
The home dashboard shows cash in and out, invoices owed and bills due in plain language. Syft-powered analytics add performance dashboards, scorecards and (on Established) industry benchmarks that are unusually readable for an accounting tool.
Invoicing and payments
Quotes, recurring invoices, automatic reminders and online payment through Stripe, PayPal or GoCardless. Tap-to-pay on iPhone and Android lets you take cards in person without a reader.
Bank feeds and reconciliation
Connects to nearly every US bank and card, auto-categorises transactions with rules you can refine, and flags duplicates. Reconciliation is the smoothest part of the product; month-end for a typical service business takes under an hour once rules are set.
Invoicing and payments
Branded invoices, recurring billing, progress invoicing and estimates that convert to invoices. QuickBooks Payments adds card, ACH and Apple Pay collection with automatic matching, at 2.99% for cards (1% ACH). Reminders and late-fee rules are built in.
Reporting
Over 50 standard reports on Simple Start, rising with each tier. Profit and loss, balance sheet and cash flow are solid; class and location tracking (Plus) is what makes multi-crew or multi-location reporting possible. Custom report builder is Advanced-only.
Payroll and contractors
QuickBooks Payroll (from $50/mo + $6 per employee) runs inside the same account: tax filing, direct deposit and W-2/1099 preparation. It is the most convenient option, though Gusto is cheaper and friendlier if you are willing to sync.
QuickenAutomatic account sync
Simplifi connects to more than 14,000 financial institutions and updates transactions and balances automatically. Accounts are viewed in one place rather than logged into separately.
Real-time Spending Plan
The Spending Plan starts with income, subtracts bills, subscriptions, Savings Goals, and planned spending, and shows what is left to spend. It recalculates as transactions post and as expected income changes.
Bills and subscriptions finder
Recurring transactions are organized into one list of bills and subscriptions. Users can confirm or edit the list and flag services they no longer use to cancel them.
Retirement Planner scenarios
The planner projects retirement savings using up to 15 variables, including Social Security income, tax rates, and separate pre- and post-retirement returns. Users can test early retirement or larger contributions and compare results.
Pricing comparison
Xero starts at $27/mo (30-day trial); QuickBooks Online starts at $38/mo (30-day trial); Quicken starts at $3.99/mo. Plans are shown as the vendors publish them; the BSR Value subscore reflects what you get for the money.
Early
For new businesses with light volume. Unlimited users.
- 20 invoices and 5 bills per month
- Bank reconciliation
- Online invoice payments
- 30-day cash flow forecast
Growing
Unlimited invoices and bills, dashboards and budgets.
- Unlimited invoices and bills
- Auto-reconcile transactions
- Performance dashboards
- 3 budgets
Established
Multi-currency, projects, expenses and advanced analytics.
- Multi-currency
- Project time and cost tracking
- Employee expense claims
- KPIs and industry benchmarks
Introductory discounts (often 90% off for the first six months) make the first bills very low; the regular price kicks in afterward. The Early plan's 20-invoice and 5-bill cap is the main gotcha. Payroll, Inventory Plus and auto-reconcile on Early are add-ons, and online payment processing fees apply.
Value for money: 7.9/10 · Monthly, Cancel anytime, No per-user fees · Vendor pricing page ↗
Simple Start
One user. Invoicing, expenses, bank feeds, basic reports.
- 1 user + accountant
- Income & expense tracking
- Invoices and estimates
- Sales tax
Essentials
Three users. Adds bill management and time tracking.
- 3 users
- Bill pay and management
- Time tracking
- Multi-currency
Plus
Five users. Adds inventory and project profitability.
- 5 users
- Inventory tracking
- Project profitability
- Budgeting
Advanced
25 users. Custom roles, workflows, batch invoicing, dedicated support.
- 25 users
- Custom roles and permissions
- Workflow automation
- Batch invoicing
Intuit runs near-permanent promotions (typically 50% off for three months), so the first bill is lower than list price. Payroll, Payments processing fees, QuickBooks Time and Live Bookkeeping are all extra. Prices have risen most years; budget for an increase at renewal.
Value for money: 6.9/10 · Monthly, Annual, Cancel anytime · Vendor pricing page ↗
QuickenQuicken Simplifi
Built for individuals and couples who want budgeting, savings, investments, and retirement planning in one app.
- Spending Plan showing what is left to spend or save, updated in real time
- Savings Goals added to the monthly budget
- Recurring bills and subscriptions list with flags for unused services
- Retirement Planner with up to 15 variables across Basic and Advanced tabs
Quicken Business & Personal
Designed for self-employed professionals, freelancers, and small business owners who need business and personal finances together.
- Income and expense tracking for business and personal accounts
- Invoicing and online payment options to get paid faster
- Tools that simplify business taxes and cash flow management
- Customizable reports covering business and personal finances
Both subscription plans are billed annually and renew automatically at the then-current rate unless canceled before the renewal date. No free plan or free trial is listed. First-year offers apply to new memberships ordered directly from Quicken by November 29, 2026, and cannot be combined with other offers.
Value for money: 6.4/10
Integrations comparison
No integrations in common · 6 only in Xero · 8 only in QuickBooks Online · 1 only in Quicken. Logos link to our review when we cover the tool.
AmazonOnly Quicken1Which one is best for my use case?
Who each product is built for, who should look elsewhere, and the jobs it gets bought for, from our editorial review and the vendor's own customer profile.
Ideal for
- Businesses with several people who need to be in the books (owner, office manager, bookkeeper, partner)
- Owners who want to understand their numbers from a dashboard rather than a report pack
- Agencies, consultancies and trades that bill by project and want time and cost tracking
Not for
- Very new businesses sending more than 20 invoices a month; the Early plan cap pushes you to Growing fast
- Businesses that want to pick up the phone for support
- US companies whose accountant only works in QuickBooks
Common use cases
Sells to: Freelancers, Small businesses, Mid-size companies. Common industries: Professional services, Construction and trades, Retail, Hospitality, Nonprofits, Agencies.
Ideal for
- US businesses whose accountant or bookkeeper already works in QuickBooks
- Service and product businesses that want payroll, payments and bookkeeping from one vendor
- Owners who need an app for everything (field service, ecommerce, CRM) to sync their books automatically
Not for
- Solo operators on a tight budget; Xero or Wave cover the basics for less
- Companies outside the US, where local tax and bank support is thinner
- Teams that need more than three users but don't need inventory; the jump to Plus is steep
Common use cases
Sells to: Freelancers, Small businesses, Mid-size companies. Common industries: Professional services, Construction and trades, Retail, Ecommerce, Nonprofits, Restaurants.
QuickenIdeal for
- Individuals and couples managing a shared budget
- Freelancers and self-employed professionals
- Small business owners who send invoices
- Rental property owners tracking income and expenses
Not for
- Users outside the U.S. and Canada
- Buyers who need a free plan or free trial
- Users who need every feature on mobile
Common use cases
Sells to: Freelancers, Small businesses, Mid size businesses, Enterprises.
Support, training and setup
How you get help, how you learn the product, and how fast you can be running.
- Support score
- 7.4/10Leads
- Ease of use
- 8.5/10Leads
- Support channels
- 24/7 online support (ticket)
- Help center (Xero Central)
- Xero Coach onboarding (first 90 days)
- No inbound phone line
- Training
- Xero Central guides
- Video tutorials
- Live webinars
- Xero Advisor certification
- Free onboarding calls
- Deployment
- Cloud / SaaS
- iOS app
- Android app
- Typical setup
- Same day; free conversion from QuickBooks
- Languages
- English
- Support score
- 7.2/10
- Ease of use
- 7.8/10
- Support channels
- Live chat
- Phone (callback)
- Help center
- Community forum
- Priority Circle (Advanced)
- Training
- Documentation
- Video tutorials
- Webinars
- ProAdvisor network
- Live onboarding (paid)
- Deployment
- Cloud / SaaS
- iOS app
- Android app
- Typical setup
- Same day
- Languages
- English, Spanish, French (Canada)
Quicken- Support score
- 6.0/10
- Ease of use
- 5.9/10
- Support channels
- Email/Help Desk
- Phone Support
- Training
Not published
- Deployment
- Web
- Typical setup
- Not published
- Languages
- Not published
Security and reliability
Certifications and controls as published by each vendor. We list them; we don't audit them.
- Security
- ISO 27001
- SOC 2 Type II
- Two-factor authentication (required)
- Data encrypted at rest
- Public API
- Yes
- Mobile apps
- iOS · Android
- Company
- Wellington, New Zealand · 5,000+ employees · founded 2006
- Security
- SOC 2
- Two-factor authentication
- 256-bit encryption
- Role-based permissions
- Public API
- Yes
- Mobile apps
- iOS · Android
- Company
- Mountain View, CA · 10,000+ employees · founded 1983
Quicken- Security
- Secure sharing with partners, financial advisors, and tax professionals
- Personal data is not sold
- No advertising in the product model
- Public API
- Yes
- Mobile apps
- None published
- Company
- Menlo Park, CA, USA
Pros and cons
Our editors' pros and cons for each product. No user reviews have been published for these products yet.
Pros
- Unlimited users on all plans
- Clean, modern interface with fast bank reconciliation
- Large app marketplace
Cons
- Entry plan caps invoices and bills per month
- Support is email-based with no phone line
- US payroll relies on a third-party integration
Pros
- Largest ecosystem of accountants, apps and integrations
- Strong invoicing, bank feeds and reporting
- Payroll, payments and time tracking available in the same account
Cons
- Frequent price increases; plans cost well above most rivals
- User limits on each tier
- Support quality is a common complaint
QuickenPros
- The Spending Plan shows what remains to spend in real time and works with zero-sum, envelope, or 50-30-20 budgeting methods.
- Simplifi connects to more than 14,000 financial institutions, so most accounts can be tracked in one view.
- Business & Personal puts invoicing, online payments, business tax tools, and personal finances in one subscription.
- The Retirement Planner lets users model up to 15 variables and compare scenarios such as retiring earlier.
- Quicken states that advertising is not part of its product model and that it does not sell personal data.
Cons
- No free plan or free trial is listed, so a paid subscription is required to try the cloud apps.
- Certain features are not supported on the mobile apps, so some tasks require the web version.
- Quicken products are not designed to function outside the U.S. and Canada.
- Zillow Rental Manager is the only listed integration, which limits connections to other business tools.
Full side-by-side table
Xero leads in 10 of 12 rows where they differ. Green marks the leader in each row.
Quicken 62Leads 1 of 12 rows · Best for couples, freelancers, and small business owners wanting budgeting and cash flow in one app| Feature | Xero Best for small businesses that want unlimited users at a flat price | QuickBooks Online Best for US small businesses whose accountant already uses it | Quicken Best for couples, freelancers, and small business owners wanting budgeting and cash flow in one app |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scores | |||
| BSR score | 82 | 79 | 62 |
| Ease | 8.5 | 7.8 | 5.9 |
| Features | 8.6 | 9.3 | 6.4 |
| Value | 7.9 | 6.9 | 6.4 |
| Support | 7.4 | 7.2 | 6.0 |
| Pricing | |||
| Starting price | $27/mo | $38/mo | $3.99/mo |
| Free plan | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Free trial | 30-day trial | 30-day trial | — |
| Features | |||
| Features included | 8 / 8 | 8 / 8 | 3 / 8 |
| Invoicing | Included | Included | Included |
| Bank feeds | Included | Included | Not included |
| Payroll | Included | Included | Not included |
| Multi-currency | Included | Included | Not included |
| Receipt capture | Included | Included | Included |
| Inventory | Included | Included | Not included |
| Accountant access | Included | Included | Not included |
| API access | Included | Included | Included |
| Details | |||
| Biggest strength | Unlimited users on all plans | Largest ecosystem of accountants, apps and integrations | The Spending Plan shows what remains to spend in real time and works with zero-sum, envelope, or 50-30-20 budgeting methods. |
| Biggest weakness | Entry plan caps invoices and bills per month | Frequent price increases; plans cost well above most rivals | No free plan or free trial is listed, so a paid subscription is required to try the cloud apps. |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android | Web |
| Best fit | Unlimited users | 1–25 users | Freelancers, Small businesses, Mid size businesses, Enterprises |
Xero vs QuickBooks Online vs Quicken: FAQs
Is Xero better than QuickBooks Online?
Xero scores 82/100 against QuickBooks Online's 79, a 3-point lead. Unlimited users on all plans. QuickBooks Online is the better pick if largest ecosystem of accountants, apps and integrations matters more to you.
Which is cheaper, Xero or QuickBooks Online or Quicken?
Quicken has the lowest starting price at $3.99/mo. Xero starts at $27/mo; QuickBooks Online starts at $38/mo. Per-user pricing, annual discounts and add-ons change the real total, so price out your actual seat count.
Which has more features?
Xero covers 8 of the 8 accounting features we track, including Bank feeds, Payroll, Multi-currency which not every product here offers.
Do Xero and QuickBooks Online integrate with the same tools?
They publish different integration lists. Xero lists Gusto (Xero Payroll), GoCardless, Hubdoc, Dext; QuickBooks Online lists QuickBooks Payroll, QuickBooks Payments, Amazon, Gusto; Quicken lists Zillow Rental Manager.
How this comparison was made
Each product was scored on the same four subscores (Ease, Features, Value, Support) from the vendor's published pricing and documentation, our editorial review, then combined into a 100-point BSR score. Hands-on tested: Xero, QuickBooks Online. Feature checks use one list per category; plans, integrations, support and security come from what each vendor publishes and are refreshed when listings change. Green marks the leader in a row. Sponsored placements are labeled elsewhere on the site and never touch a comparison. Full methodology →