Accounting & invoicing · Overview

Xero: what American businesses should know

Xero is cloud accounting software popular with small businesses and accountants, known for a clean interface and a large app marketplace.

  • Full review in progress. This page is an overview to help you decide whether Xero belongs on your shortlist. It has no rating yet. Our in-depth review, with setup, daily use, support and real costs, will replace it.

What Xero is

Xero is made by Xero Limited. It sits in our Accounting & invoicing category, alongside the other options listed at the end of this page.

Best suited to: Small businesses that work closely with an accountant and want everything in the cloud.

What it does

  • Invoicing, bills and bank reconciliation
  • Unlimited users on its plans (check current terms)
  • Multi-currency for international business
  • Large marketplace of connected apps

Which business sizes it fits

How Xero lines up with the four business sizes we use across USA24.

Solo

Good fit

Freelancers and one-person businesses

Main Street

Good fit

2–20 employees

Growth

Good fit

20–200 employees

Global

Less typical

Teams across borders

What to check before you buy

Questions to answer, ideally during a free trial or a demo, before you commit:

  • US payroll options, which work through partners.
  • Plan limits on invoices and bills.
  • Whether your accountant supports Xero.
  • Sales tax handling for your states.
  • US tax and compliance. Software doesn't replace professional advice on payroll, sales tax or industry rules.
  • Getting your data out. Ask how you would export your data if you ever switch.

Pricing

Xero pricing depends on the plan, number of users and add-ons, and vendors change it often. We don't list prices on overview pages; check the current plans on the official Xero website. Our full review will break down the real cost.

Other options in Accounting & invoicing

Next step

Shortlist it, then test it on real work.

Read our five-step guide to choosing business software, then run Xero through one real week of your work before you decide.