Xero

No. Xero has no free plan. Its entry plan is $37/mo (Ignite), and every plan includes Unlimited users, so the price rises when you move up a plan, not when you add people.

Xero's Australian plans run from $37/mo (Ignite) to $143/mo (Ultimate 10). Grow and the plan at $107/mo (Comprehensive) sit in between. Prices are monthly in Australian dollars with no lock-in contract, and every plan includes Unlimited users and payroll.

Xero's range starts at $37/mo (Ignite), which is sized for a very small business, and Grow is the step up for a business sending more invoices. Multi-currency arrives on the plan at $107/mo (Comprehensive), and project tracking and deeper analytics on the plan at $143/mo (Ultimate 10). Payroll is part of every plan.

Nothing for extra users, bank feeds or payroll. Every Xero plan includes Unlimited users and Unlimited bank feeds, payroll is part of the plan, receipt capture is included, and there is no lock-in contract. Third-party apps from the Xero marketplace are priced by their own vendors.

Yes. Payroll is included on every Xero plan at no extra per-employee cost. This covers STP Phase 2 reporting, superannuation payments and leave, with the plan you need set by how many people you pay.

Xero allows Unlimited users on every plan. There is no per-seat charge, so your bookkeeper, your accountant and the rest of the team can all have a login without the bill going up.

Yes. Xero connects to the ATO and lodges your BAS from inside the software. GST is worked out as you code transactions, so the figures are ready when the statement is due.

Xero includes Unlimited bank feeds on every plan, including the entry plan. Feeds connect to Australian banks and card providers and import transactions daily for reconciliation.

Xero and QuickBooks both lodge BAS with the ATO and run STP Phase 2 payroll. Xero includes Unlimited users and payroll on every plan; QuickBooks prices by plan with user limits and charges for payroll separately. The comparison table above costs both at your invoice count and headcount, and the Xero vs QuickBooks page walks through the differences.

Xero's entry plan is $37/mo (Ignite) with payroll included and Unlimited users. MYOB prices its range differently, with payroll as a per-employee add-on on its lower plans and included on its AccountRight plans. Which costs less depends on your headcount, so put your own numbers into the table above rather than reading a single figure.

No. Xero is available on a rolling monthly subscription with no lock-in contract. You can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel at any time.

Xero keeps your books and handles the ATO paperwork: it lodges BAS and GST, reports payroll under STP Phase 2 and pays super. Day to day, you connect your bank accounts (Unlimited bank feeds), reconcile what comes in, and photograph receipts into Hubdoc instead of keeping paper. Support is 24/7 online, and your accountant gets access at no charge.

Xero does not sell payroll separately in Australia: it is part of the accounting plans, and the number of people you pay decides which plan you need. Our payroll table costs it on $78/mo (Grow), and a bigger team moves up the plan ladder, which runs to 100 employees. Inside that ladder the headcount picks the plan, so there is no separate charge per employee.

Yes. Xero supports Single Touch Payroll Phase 2 and reports wages, tax and super to the ATO with each pay run. It also handles Payday Super, in force since 1 July 2026, under which super is paid with each pay run instead of once a quarter.

Xero includes basic Australian Award support, and its Modern Award interpretation is rated Limited. It handles standard pay rates and leave types. Businesses in award-heavy industries such as hospitality, retail, or construction, with complex penalty rates, overtime rules, or shift loadings, should check the award interpretation column of the payroll table before relying on it.

It is part of the plan, not an add-on. Every Xero plan in Australia includes payroll, so there is no second subscription to buy. The catch is the cap: each plan covers a set number of payroll employees, and one person over that limit means paying for the next plan up.

Xero payroll is for a business that keeps its books in Xero, because payroll comes inside the accounting plan and arrives on the same bill. Our table costs it on $78/mo (Grow), and the plan rises with headcount up to 100 employees. It is a weaker fit if your staff are on complicated awards: Xero's award interpretation covers basic awards only.

On the compliance basics there is little between them: Xero and MYOB both report under STP Phase 2, pay super and lodge BAS. The difference is Modern Awards. Xero's own interpretation covers basic awards only, and MYOB's approach sits in the same column of the payroll table. If your staff are on penalty rates and shift loadings, start with that column.

Yes. Xero handles Payday Super: super is calculated each pay run alongside STP Phase 2 reporting and paid through Xero's super payments, so contributions go out on the same cycle as wages.

Yes. Xero works out super in the pay run and pays it from inside Xero, so you are not keying contributions into a separate system. That matters more under Payday Super, in force since 1 July 2026, because super is now paid with each pay run instead of once a quarter.