Xero price increase: what US small businesses pay now vs QuickBooks

The Xero price increase took effect on October 1, 2026, for new and existing US subscribers: Early went from $25 to $27 a month, Growing from $55 to $59 and Established from $90 to $97. QuickBooks Online raised Essentials, Plus and Advanced at renewals from August 1. Below are both sets of numbers per year, and the cheaper tools worth pricing before your next renewal.

All prices here are US list prices in US dollars, before sales tax and add-ons, as published on each vendor's own pages and checked on October 23, 2026. Xero and Intuit price other countries separately, so check your own country's page if you are billed outside the US.

The Xero price increase adds $24 to $84 a year per US subscription

Xero's own announcement of the US price changes (archived on August 25, 2026) lists the old and new monthly prices and says they apply to new and existing US subscribers from October 1, 2026, showing on invoices from that date. The new figures now appear on Xero's US pricing page.

Two details in the announcement matter more than the headline numbers. Existing discounts and promo codes keep applying to the new prices until they expire. The multi-organization discount, though, "will begin to be phased out" from October 1, 2026. If you or your bookkeeper run several Xero organizations, check how much of each bill that discount covered, because it may matter more than the $2 to $7 a month on each plan.

Xero's stated reason is investment: the announcement says it "delivered a wave of new capabilities" this year. It does not give a figure for how much of the increase funds that work.

Xero US plan prices: Early, Growing, Established

The tiers are not interchangeable, and the cheapest one is tighter than its price suggests. According to Xero's US pricing page, Early includes 20 invoices and 5 bills, and auto-reconciling transactions is a $5-a-month add-on on that plan. Growing adds automated bill entry and auto-reconciliation. Only Established includes multiple currencies and project time and cost tracking. Xero Payroll, powered by Gusto, is $36 a month plus $6 per employee or contractor on every plan.

QuickBooks Online price increase 2026: Essentials, Plus and Advanced at renewal

Intuit's QuickBooks price changes page says monthly prices for QuickBooks Online Essentials, Plus and Advanced change for renewals on or after August 1, 2026, and that Free, Lite, Ledger and Simple Start are unchanged. Recent subscribers keep their price for the first six months; the new price starts with their seventh invoice.

That page gives no dollar figures, so we compared Intuit's own pricing page before and after. The QuickBooks pricing page as archived on June 1, 2026 listed $75, $115 and $275. The live QuickBooks pricing page lists $85, $140 and $340.

Intuit ties the increase to its AI features, saying the change helps it "continue delivering these innovations and the high-quality service you expect". Plus and Advanced rose by more than a fifth; Essentials by about 13%.

Xero vs QuickBooks pricing: what each costs per year now

At list price, Xero's three US plans now cost $324, $708 and $1,164 a year, and QuickBooks Online's four paid plans cost $456 to $4,080. This is a price comparison, not a feature match: the plans bundle different limits, and QuickBooks caps users per plan while Xero's pricing page says it has "no per-user license fees".

Both vendors discount the first months for new customers, which can make a switch look cheaper than it stays. As of October 23, 2026, Xero offers new US customers 90% off base plans for six months, ending November 2, 2026, and QuickBooks shows 50% off for three months. Budget on the list price, because that is what you pay at renewal.

Cheaper accounting software, checked on each pricing page

If either increase has you pricing alternatives, each of these four has an entry plan that costs less than Xero Growing at list price. Each figure comes from the vendor's US pricing page on October 23, 2026.

Zoho Books: the cheapest paid plan with three users

Zoho Books' US pricing page offers a free plan for businesses whose revenue for the financial year stays under $50K, with one user plus one accountant and up to 1,000 invoices a year. Standard is $15 a month billed yearly or $20 monthly, with three users; Professional is $40 or $50 with five. The catch on the free plan: it stops at the $50K revenue threshold, and add-ons other than document autoscans are not supported on it.

Wave: free invoicing, paid bank feeds

Wave's pricing page lists a free Starter plan with unlimited invoices, estimates and bills, and Pro at $19 a month or $190 a year. Automatic bank transaction import is a Pro feature, and card payments on Starter cost 2.9% plus $0.60. Prices are shown in US and Canadian dollars only, so skip Wave if you operate elsewhere.

FreshBooks: priced by billable clients

FreshBooks' pricing page lists Lite at $23 a month for 5 billable clients, Plus at $43 for 50 and Premium at $70 with no client cap. Each extra team member costs $11 a month and payroll is $40 a month plus $6 per person. Skip it if you bill many clients on a small budget, because the caps push you up a tier.

QuickBooks Free: only for the lightest use

The QuickBooks pricing page lists a $0 plan with one user, up to two invoices a month, one connected bank account and no accountant access, mobile app or third-party integrations. It is a way to stay in QuickBooks at no cost, not a replacement for Essentials.

If you would rather keep your books on your own machine, GnuCash is a free, open-source desktop program and Akaunting is open-source accounting you can self-host.

What to do before your next renewal

1. Find your current plan. Xero says to open Subscription in your account and check the Subscription column.
2. Check for a multi-organization discount on your Xero invoice, since that is being phased out.
3. On QuickBooks, note when your seventh invoice or next renewal falls, which is when the new price applies.
4. Price one alternative at list price, not the introductory offer, for a full year.

Upfynd lists 155 tools in Accounting & Invoicing as of October 2026, each with pricing, screenshots and similar products on one page. If you make one of them, listing it is free.