Xero Review: Pros, Cons, Features, and Pricing
Xero is an e-commerce accounting software that helps businesses manage their finances online. It's ideal for small to medium-sized retail businesses and accounting teams that need efficient financial tracking and reporting. Xero offers scalable plans, making it a flexible choice for growing e-commerce operations.
As a cloud-based accounting provider, Xero is often compared with QuickBooks Online and Freshbooks. Xero addresses common tasks such as project tracking and financial reporting for accounting departments and business owners. In this article, I'll cover Xero's features, pros and cons, use cases, pricing, and more, so you can decide if it meets your financial management needs.
Xero Evaluation Summary
- From $2.50/month
- Free 30-day trial
Why Trust Our Software Reviews
Xero Overview
In my opinion, Xero is a solid choice for e-commerce accounting, offering a user-friendly interface and excellent integration options. While its onboarding could be smoother, its core and standout features make it a reliable tool for small to medium-sized retailers. However, it may not suit larger enterprises seeking more advanced customization options. If your team values ease of use, competitive pricing, and helpful customer support, Xero is worth considering.
pros
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The software’s automation features save you time on repetitive accounting tasks.
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You can access detailed financial reports to aid decision-making.
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Xero's dashboard is intuitive and easy to navigate.
cons
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Using some advanced features may require additional training.
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Customer support response times can sometimes be slow for urgent issues.
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You might find the initial setup a bit complex without prior experience.
Our Review Methodology
How We Test & Score Tools
We’ve spent years building, refining, and improving our software testing and scoring system. The rubric is designed to capture the nuances of software selection and what makes a tool effective, focusing on critical aspects of the decision-making process.
Below, you can see exactly how our testing and scoring works across seven criteria. It allows us to provide an unbiased evaluation of the software based on core functionality, standout features, ease of use, onboarding, customer support, integrations, customer reviews, and value for money.
Core Functionality (25% of final scoring)
The starting point of our evaluation is always the core functionality of the tool. Does it have the basic features and functions that a user would expect to see? Are any of those core features locked to higher-tiered pricing plans? At its core, we expect a tool to stand up against the baseline capabilities of its competitors.
Standout Features (25% of final scoring)
Next, we evaluate uncommon standout features that go above and beyond the core functionality typically found in tools of its kind. A high score reflects specialized or unique features that make the product faster, more efficient, or offer additional value to the user.
We also evaluate how easy it is to integrate with other tools typically found in the tech stack to expand the functionality and utility of the software. Tools offering plentiful native integrations, 3rd party connections, and API access to build custom integrations score best.
Ease of Use (10% of final scoring)
We consider how quick and easy it is to execute the tasks defined in the core functionality using the tool. High scoring software is well designed, intuitive to use, offers mobile apps, provides templates, and makes relatively complex tasks seem simple.
Onboarding (10% of final scoring)
We know how important rapid team adoption is for a new platform, so we evaluate how easy it is to learn and use a tool with minimal training. We evaluate how quickly a team member can get set up and start using the tool with no experience. High scoring solutions indicate little or no support is required.
Customer Support (10% of final scoring)
We review how quick and easy it is to get unstuck and find help by phone, live chat, or knowledge base. Tools and companies that provide real-time support score best, while chatbots score worst.
Customer Reviews (10% of final scoring)
Beyond our own testing and evaluation, we consider the net promoter score from current and past customers. We review their likelihood, given the option, to choose the tool again for the core functionality. A high scoring software reflects a high net promoter score from current or past customers.
Value for Money (10% of final scoring)
Lastly, in consideration of all the other criteria, we review the average price of entry level plans against the core features and consider the value of the other evaluation criteria. Software that delivers more, for less, will score higher.
Core Features
Invoicing: Xero lets your team create and send professional invoices, customize templates, and set up recurring invoices, saving time.
Expense Tracking: The software facilitates expense tracking and categorization for better financial insights so you can manage your cash flow and budget more effectively.
Bank Reconciliation: Xero automatically matches your bank transactions with your records, reducing. errors and keeping your accounts accurate and up to date.
Financial Reporting: Xero’s reporting tools allow you to generate detailed financial reports so you can make informed business decisions.
Inventory Management: Xero's inventory management tracks stock levels and values in real time, enabling your business to meet customer demand without overstocking.
Business Accounting: Xero accounting helps businesses carry out day-to-day business accounting, allowing them to send invoices, manage accounts payable and receivable and bank feeds, and generate balance sheets.
Ease of Use
Xero’s interface is accessible, enabling straightforward navigation so you can find what you need without the hassle. Automation features such as transaction matching simplify your work by reducing manual entry. Users often praise Xero’s clean layout, which helps them manage finances without feeling overwhelmed.
Integrations
Xero supports a wide range of add-on integrations, including CRM systems, enabling businesses to customize their accounting workflows. It integrates with popular tools such as PayPal, Stripe, Shopify, Hubdoc, HubSpot, WooCommerce, and Expensify.
Xero also has an open API, allowing businesses to create custom apps and connect with third-party apps.
Xero Specs
- 2-Factor Authentication
- Accounts Payable
- Accounts Receivable
- API
- Balance Sheet
- Billing/Invoicing
- BitCoin
- Budgeting
- Calendar Management
- Contact Management
- CRM Integration
- Customer Management
- Dashboard
- Data Export
- Data Import
- Data Visualization
- Expense Tracking
- External Integrations
- Forecasting
- General Account Ledger
- Inventory Tracking
- Multi-Currency
- Multi-User
- Notifications
- P&L
- PayPal
- Payroll
- SAP Integration
- Stripe
- Supplier Management
- Tax Management
