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Accounting software review

Xero

Cloud accounting from Xero with unlimited users on every plan. The Growing plan, $59 a month, adds unlimited supplier bills to bank feeds, reconciliation and tracking by location; support is online only.

By XeroParent company: Xero Limited

RTC SCORE

8.7

#1 of 9 with enough data

Our verdict

Strong books for the price, with unlimited users and tracking by location from $59 a month. Restaurants on Toast or Clover need an outside connector, and support is online only.

What we like

  • Unlimited users on every plan, so the owner, the office and the accountant all get their own login at no extra cost.
  • Growing ($59) has no cap on supplier bills or invoices, includes auto-reconcile and free standard ACH bill payments.
  • Tracking categories show results by location on every plan, and Lightspeed's connection posts daily sales by accounting group and payment method.
  • Month to month, a 30-day free trial and support cases 24/7.

What to watch

  • Support is by online case and email only: no live chat and no phone line you can call.
  • Cancelling takes one month's notice, and that month is billed.
  • Only Square and Lightspeed are listed; Toast and Clover need a connector from another company, and there is nothing for Shift4 POS, SpotOn or Heartland.
  • After you cancel, your data is archived and unavailable unless you pay to reactivate.

How the score breaks down

RTC Score8.7out of 10

Methodology v1.0.0

Data completeness100%

We could verify 100% of the scoring data

Strongest points
12-month cost (reference restaurant), POS data that reaches the books, Bank feeds
Weakest point
POS systems that connect

Score by criterion

  • 12-month cost (reference restaurant)Weight 20%Strongest8.1 out of 10

    $708 over 12 months

  • POS data that reaches the booksWeight 8%Strongest10.0 out of 10
  • Bank feedsWeight 7%Strongest10.0 out of 10
  • POS systems that connectWeight 7%Weakest2.9 out of 10
  • Initial termWeight 7%10.0 out of 10
  • Bank reconciliationWeight 6%10.0 out of 10
  • Supplier billsWeight 6%10.0 out of 10
  • Live support channelsWeight 6%2.5 out of 10
  • Published pricingWeight 5%10.0 out of 10
  • Access for your accountantWeight 5%10.0 out of 10
  • Payroll into the booksWeight 5%10.0 out of 10
  • Early termination feeWeight 5%10.0 out of 10
  • Results by location or classWeight 4%10.0 out of 10
  • Live support hours a weekWeight 4%10.0 out of 10
  • Notice to avoid renewalWeight 3%10.0 out of 10
  • Customer invoicesWeight 2%10.0 out of 10

All the data, with sources

Each value links to its source. "Not published" means the vendor doesn't disclose it; "Unconfirmed" means we looked and couldn't confirm it. Data points we have for fewer than four vendors are left out until we can compare them.

Pricing
Data pointValue
Monthly price$59/moSource: Xero (opens in a new tab)Growing, billed monthly. New US customers can get 80% off for the first 3 months ($11.80); after that the regular price applies.
Monthly price if paid yearlyN/ASource: Xero (opens in a new tab)Asked whether you can pay yearly, Xero's US pricing page only describes monthly invoicing.
Users includedNo limitSource: Xero (opens in a new tab)
Each extra userN/ASource: Xero (opens in a new tab)Every plan includes unlimited users, so there is no per-user charge.
Published pricingPublishedSource: Xero (opens in a new tab)
Free planNoSource: Xero (opens in a new tab)No free plan; the cheapest plan is Early at $27 a month, and there is a 30-day free trial.
Other feesStandard ACH bill payments are free; same-day, cross-border and other payment methods carry fees. Online invoice payments carry payment fees. Some direct bank feeds have a charge that Xero passes on with advance notice. Xero Payroll, powered by Gusto, is $36 a month plus $6 per employee or contractor.Source: Xero (opens in a new tab)
Books and reconciliation
Data pointValue
Bank feedsAutomatic feeds from your bankSource: Xero (opens in a new tab)If your bank doesn't connect, you can upload PDF statements or OFX, QBO or CSV files.
Bank reconciliationYesSource: Xero (opens in a new tab)On every plan. Auto-reconcile is included on Growing and Established and costs $5 a month on Early.
Supplier bills (accounts payable)IncludedSource: Xero (opens in a new tab)No cap on Growing. Early allows only 5 bills, which is why it is not the reference plan.
Customer invoices (accounts receivable)IncludedSource: Xero (opens in a new tab)No cap on Growing; Early sends up to 20 invoices.
Results by location or classIncludedSource: Xero Central (opens in a new tab)Tracking categories (for example Location) tag income and expenses; two can be active at once. The US pricing page does not limit them to a plan.
Access for your accountantOwn login at no extra costSource: Xero (opens in a new tab)
Bookkeeping service from the vendorNot offeredSource: Xero (opens in a new tab)Xero sells no bookkeeping service; its free Xero Coach only helps with setup for 90 days, and Xero points you to its directory of accountants and bookkeepers.
POS and payroll connections
Data pointValue
Connects with these POS systemsSquare, LightspeedSource: Xero App Store US (opens in a new tab)Both listed in the Xero App Store US: Square (apps.xero.com/us, search 'square') and Lightspeed Restaurant K-series, by Lightspeed. Toast and Clover only through third-party connectors (Synder, Bookkeep, PayTraQer); no Shift4 POS, SpotOn or Heartland listing.
POS data that reaches the booksDaily sales split by category, tax, tips and paymentSource: Xero App Store US (opens in a new tab)Lightspeed's connection also syncs payment fees, surcharges and cash movements. This is Lightspeed's description; we did not test it.
How payroll reaches the booksIts own payroll and outside providersSource: Xero (opens in a new tab)Xero Payroll is run with Gusto inside Xero; Gusto itself and other payroll apps are also listed in the Xero App Store US.
Contract and exit
Data pointValue
Initial termMonth to monthSource: Xero (opens in a new tab)Month to month.
Automatic renewalMonth to monthSource: Xero (opens in a new tab)Renews each month, with no renewal term.
Notice to avoid renewal30 daysSource: Xero (opens in a new tab)One month's notice, and that month is still billed.
Early termination feeNoneSource: Xero (opens in a new tab)No term and no penalty, but the month of notice is billed.
Early termination clauseNo early termination fee. Month to month, but cancelling takes one month's notice and you are charged for that notice month.Source: Xero (opens in a new tab)
Right to raise pricesXero may change pricing at any time; the pricing plan can be amended and changes don't apply retrospectively. For material changes to its terms Xero aims to give 60 days' notice, and you can leave with the standard one month's notice.Source: Xero (opens in a new tab)
Your records when you leaveLimited or lost access after you leaveSource: Xero (opens in a new tab)Xero keeps the archived data for a while, but you only get it back by reactivating and paying the subscription; export your reports before you leave.
Support
Data pointValue
Live supportEmail or tickets onlySource: Xero (opens in a new tab)You open a case from Xero Central and get the answer by email; Xero calls you back only when it helps. No live chat or inbound phone line.
Live support hours a week168Source: Xero (opens in a new tab)Online cases 24/7, answered by email.
Language
Data pointValue
Software in SpanishNoSource: Xero (opens in a new tab)
Invoices in SpanishUnconfirmedSource: Xero (opens in a new tab)Xero does not document invoices in Spanish for the US product; we looked on its US pricing, features and Spanish-language pages.
Support in SpanishNoSource: Xero (opens in a new tab)Xero's US support pages publish no Spanish service, and Xero says its product is in English only.
Website in Spanish for the USNoSource: Xero (opens in a new tab)Of about 1,950 US pages, only a few event, training and notice pages are in Spanish; the product, pricing and support pages are in English.

More about Xero

How we score