# FreshBooks vs Xero

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** Xero

| Attribute | FreshBooks | Xero |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 64 (75% (high)) | 74 (74% (medium)) |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A web-based accounting platform that streamlines invoicing, payment collection, expense tracking, and financial reporting for small businesses and independent professionals. It is indexed under Accounting Software.","source":"https://www.freshbooks.com/pricing","question":"What is FreshBooks?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"FreshBooks is a paid product; published pricing starts at $2.30 per month. It is sold across 3 plans (Lite, Plus and Premium). There is no free tier. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.freshbooks.com/pricing","question":"How much does FreshBooks cost?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to FreshBooks. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.freshbooks.com/pricing","question":"What platforms does FreshBooks support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for FreshBooks, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://www.freshbooks.com/pricing","question":"Can FreshBooks be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 9 integrations for FreshBooks, including Pidj, NiceJob, Acuity Scheduling, ReviewNudger, EasyCSV, AvaTax, Trophy Jar and Paystorm: Chase Late Payments, plus 1 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.freshbooks.com","question":"What does FreshBooks integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed GDPR for FreshBooks. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as FreshBooks not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.freshbooks.com/policies/security-safeguards","question":"What security certifications does FreshBooks have?","confidence":0.7}]` | `[{"answer":"A cloud accounting solution that consolidates invoicing, payroll management, tax compliance, and financial reporting in one place, with AI-assisted automation to minimize manual data entry. It is indexed under Accounting Software.","source":"https://www.xero.com/pricing-plans/standard/","question":"What is Xero?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Xero offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans start at £18 per month. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.xero.com/pricing-plans/standard/","question":"Is Xero free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to Xero. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.xero.com/pricing-plans/standard/","question":"What platforms does Xero support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Xero, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://www.xero.com/pricing-plans/standard/","question":"Can Xero be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 6 integrations for Xero, including Hubdoc, TaxCycle, Countable, Stripe, GoCardless and WhatsApp. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.xero.com/pricing-plans/standard/","question":"What does Xero integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2, ISO 27001 and GDPR for Xero. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Xero not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.xero.com/security","question":"What security certifications does Xero have?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"Xero is available worldwide. Its primary markets are the United Kingdom and Canada.","source":"https://www.xero.com/pricing-plans/standard/","question":"Where is Xero available?","confidence":0.75}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | A web-based accounting platform that streamlines invoicing, payment collection, expense tracking, and financial reporting for small businesses and independent professionals. | A cloud accounting solution that consolidates invoicing, payroll management, tax compliance, and financial reporting in one place, with AI-assisted automation to minimize manual data entry. |
| features.capabilities | `{"api_access":"full","bank_feeds":"manual_import","deployment":"cloud","ar_invoicing":true,"tax_compliance":"Automatic tax calculation on invoices and payroll","double_entry_gl":true,"payments_capture":true,"accountant_collab":true}` | `{"api_access":"full","bank_feeds":"direct","deployment":"cloud","ar_invoicing":true,"ap_automation":true,"multi_currency":true,"tax_compliance":"VAT, MTD for Income Tax, CIS calculations","payments_capture":true,"accountant_collab":true,"project_accounting":true}` |
| integrations.count | 100 | 1,000 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Pidj"},{"name":"NiceJob"},{"name":"Acuity Scheduling"},{"name":"ReviewNudger"},{"name":"EasyCSV"},{"name":"AvaTax"},{"name":"Trophy Jar"},{"name":"Paystorm: Chase Late Payments"},{"name":"InvoiceSherpa"}]` | `[{"name":"Hubdoc"},{"name":"TaxCycle"},{"name":"Countable"},{"name":"Stripe"},{"name":"GoCardless"},{"name":"WhatsApp","native":true,"category":"messaging","direction":"outbound"}]` |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":["GB","CA"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Lite","summary":"$2.30/mo (promotional: 90% off for 3 months, regular $23.00/mo)","features":["Track and organize client info","5 billable clients","Automated recurring invoices"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":2.3,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"billable_clients":"5"}},{"free":false,"name":"Plus","summary":"$4.30/mo (regular price $43.00/mo)","features":["Track and organize client info","50 billable clients","Automated recurring invoices","Client payment options","Email receipts to account"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":4.3,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Most Popular","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"billable_clients":"50"}},{"free":false,"name":"Premium","summary":"$7.00/mo (regular price $70.00/mo)","features":["Track and organize client info","Unlimited billable clients","Automated recurring invoices","Client payment options","Email receipts to account"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":7,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"billable_clients":"Unlimited"}}],"summary":"From $2.30/mo (introductory) or $23.00/mo (regular). Free 30-day trial.","currency":"USD","freeTier":false,"sourceUrl":"https://www.freshbooks.com/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-09-04T13:24:37.903Z","freeTrialDays":30,"startingPrice":{"amount":2.3,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Ignite","summary":"£18/month","features":["Send quotes and 20 invoices","Accept online invoice payments","MTD for Income Tax ready","Make online bill and payroll payments","Optional company accounts and tax"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":18,"period":"month","currency":"GBP"}],"description":"Basic invoicing and payment capabilities","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Grow","summary":"£39/month","features":["All Ignite features","Send invoices and quotes","Accept online invoice payments","Reconcile transactions","Smart document capture","View real-time reports","Automate bill entry","Submit VAT returns","Forecast cash flow","Customise dashboards","Auto-reconcile"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":39,"period":"month","currency":"GBP"}],"description":"Includes automation and performance monitoring","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Comprehensive","summary":"£55/month","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":55,"period":"month","currency":"GBP"}],"contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Ultimate","summary":"£70/month","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":70,"period":"month","currency":"GBP"}],"contactSales":false}],"addOns":[{"name":"Company accounts and tax","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":120,"period":"year","currency":"GBP"}]},{"name":"International bill payments"}],"summary":"From £18/month. First month free.","currency":"GBP","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.xero.com/pricing-plans/standard/","retrievedAt":"2026-09-07T16:02:05.095Z","freeTrialDays":30,"startingPrice":{"amount":18,"period":"month","currency":"GBP"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | no | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | low | mid |
| pricing.starting_price | `{"amount":2.3,"currency":"USD"}` | `{"amount":18,"currency":"GBP"}` |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | yes |
| security.gdpr | yes | yes |
| security.iso27001 | - | yes |
| security.pci | yes | yes |
| security.soc2 | - | yes |
| security.trust_center | - | https://www.xero.com/media-releases/new-compliance-workflows-to-make-tax-season-less-taxing/ |

## Capabilities (Accounting Software)

| Capability | FreshBooks | Xero |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Double-entry GL | ✓ | - |
| Multi-entity | - | - |
| Multi-currency | - | ✓ |
| Bank feeds | Manual import | Direct feeds |
| **Modules** |  |  |
| AP automation | - | ✓ |
| AR / invoicing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Inventory | - | - |
| Fixed assets | - | - |
| Project accounting | - | ✓ |
| **Compliance** |  |  |
| Tax compliance | Automatic tax calculation on invoices and payroll | VAT, MTD for Income Tax, CIS calculations |
| **Workflow** |  |  |
| Accountant collaboration | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Payments** |  |  |
| Payments capture | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Ecosystem** |  |  |
| API access | Full | Full |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-09-21T02:34:58.876Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*