QuickBooks vs Xero: Which is Better in 2025?

The answer really depends on your specific business needs and preferences. QuickBooks has long been the industry standard in the US, offering robust tax features and comprehensive reporting that many small business owners find invaluable. Its integration with other Intuit products like TurboTax is seamless, and its inventory management capabilities are more developed than Xero's. If your business requires complex financial reporting or you're primarily US-based, QuickBooks might give you more of what you need.

Xero, on the other hand, has been winning over small businesses with its more intuitive interface and unlimited user accounts on all plans. If collaboration is important to you – whether with team members or your accountant – Xero's approach can save you money and headaches. Many small business owners without accounting backgrounds find Xero's learning curve gentler, and its bank reconciliation features are particularly praised for their simplicity and smart suggestions. International businesses also tend to prefer Xero for its better multi-currency support on all plan tiers.

QuickBooks tends to be the more expensive option, with its entry-level Simple Start plan starting at $9.50 per month compared to Xero's Starter plan at $2.90 per month. As you scale up, the price difference becomes even more noticeable – QuickBooks' Advanced plan at $38 monthly versus Xero's Premium plan at just $6.90. This significant price gap often makes Xero more attractive for budget-conscious businesses, especially when you consider that Xero offers unlimited users on every plan while QuickBooks charges per user after certain limits.

However, pricing shouldn't be viewed in isolation. QuickBooks justifies its higher price with more extensive features in certain areas, particularly for US tax management and reporting. Many businesses find that the time saved with QuickBooks' more comprehensive reporting tools and tax features offsets the higher monthly cost. Both services offer 30-day free trials, so it's worth testing both to see which provides better value for your specific business needs rather than just comparing the sticker price.

Xero slightly edges out QuickBooks in the pure numbers game with over 800 third-party integrations compared to QuickBooks' 650+. Xero has established itself as particularly friendly to developers, resulting in a diverse ecosystem of apps that can extend its functionality. This approach has made Xero especially popular with tech-forward businesses that want to create a customized tech stack rather than rely on one vendor for everything.

QuickBooks, however, offers exceptionally strong integrations within the Intuit ecosystem. If you're already using other Intuit products like TurboTax or Mailchimp, the seamless data flow between these services can be a major advantage. QuickBooks also tends to have deeper integrations with major US banks and financial institutions, which can streamline bank reconciliation for US-based businesses. The quality of integrations ultimately matters more than quantity, so it's worth checking if your mission-critical apps work better with one platform or the other.

The support experience differs significantly between these platforms. QuickBooks offers more channels for support with phone, email, live chat, and community forums all available. Their support team is larger and covers more time zones, which can be a deciding factor if you need immediate assistance during a financial crunch. However, customer satisfaction with QuickBooks support has been mixed, with some users reporting long wait times and inconsistent quality of help.

Xero's support approach is more limited in channels—they've moved away from offering phone support except for their highest-tier plans—but they generally receive higher satisfaction ratings for the quality of support provided. Their help center is exceptionally well-designed with clear, detailed guidance and video tutorials that many users find sufficient for solving problems without direct contact. The Xero community is also very active, with users helping each other and sharing best practices. This self-service approach works well for many businesses but might feel lacking if you prefer direct, immediate support in crisis situations.

Moving from one accounting platform to another can be challenging, but both QuickBooks and Xero have developed tools to ease the transition. Xero has particularly focused on making migration from QuickBooks as painless as possible, with specific conversion tools and detailed migration guides. Users report that Xero's import tools effectively preserve historical transaction data, categories, and contacts, though some manual verification is always recommended. Their support team also provides migration assistance that smaller businesses find helpful.

QuickBooks' approach to importing from Xero works reasonably well for basic data but may require more manual adjustment for complex accounts. Many accountants recommend making the switch at the end of a financial year to minimize complications. Whichever direction you're moving, expect to spend some time verifying that your data has transferred correctly and adjusting to the new workflow. The learning curve when switching tends to be steeper when moving to QuickBooks from Xero than vice versa, according to user feedback, though this varies based on your comfort level with accounting software generally.