Xero Accounting Solution Reviews

“flexible dashboard and reporting”

Pros

As accounting has moved online, Xero has been a cost-effective and user friendly option for us. It supports multiple users with different permission levels which works really well for our team. Since our accountant is a verified user, we also get excellent customer support through them. There are plenty of features so each person can handle reporting and reconciliation in the way that suits them best, while still arriving at the same outcome. The dashboard is customizable too which makes it easy to keep the most important information front and center at a glance.

Cons

Honestly there's very little to complain about. The only thing I can see is that if someone doesn't already understand how to track and report income and expenses, it might feel a bit overwhelming at first. That said, with a little guidance in the beginning, it starts to make sense pretty quickly.

“helpful support always available”

Pros

Getting proper help made a big difference and the feature set is quite good. The reporting works really well once someone shows you how to use it correctly. I also had a positive experience with the app integrations and Xero Me.

Cons

One thing that caused problems for a while was the dashboard changing randomly. It also isn't as user friendly as it could be and figuring things out on your own is not very easy too.

“Great experience overall”

Pros

Using Xero has been a really positive experience because it lets us handle payments, invoices and customer information all in one place. Having everything on the same platform makes day to day management much more convenient.

Cons

At times the interface can feel a bit cluttered. It would also be better if the customization options offered more flexibility.

“excellent invoicing and reporting value”

Pros

Entering invoices and keeping tabs on what we're billing is very easy. Pulling reports like balance statements, invoices, profit and loss and similar financial data is simple as well. It offers a lot of value for the price and I haven't run into any bugs or technical problems while using it.

Cons

The only reason I didn't start using this tool earlier was that our bank doesn't integrate with it. Because of that, our accountant has to enter the bank data manually. That issue is really on the bank's side though, not the tool itself.

“affordable and user friendly accounting”

Pros

Running a small business with Xero has been a really positive experience. The software is very affordable, quick to get started with and simple to set up. It's clearly designed for people without an accounting background which makes the whole platform feel very approachable and user friendly. On top of that the online help forum is genuinely useful, with plenty of articles that explain how to handle most tasks.

Cons

Managing multiple companies in it is where it gets frustrating. You cannot stay logged into more than one business at the same time so switching back and forth becomes a hassle. Intercompany transactions also take extra effort since they have to be entered separately in both entities.

“Pretty easy to use”

Pros

Even from the interface Xero seems very easy to use. I have used it on client accounts and even after trying other products that look a lot like it, down to the colors and layout but it still stands out. It really is like the original that others tried to copy.

Cons

Honestly there's very little to complain about if you need a finance platform that works well for a micro business up to an SME. It handles swipe integration, lets you export data and makes reporting simple so most of the features you'd want are already there. The only downsides are very minor interface annoyances, such as not being able to set links to open in a new tab with one click.

“Good for small business”

Pros

This software is very easy to use and it offers excellent value for the price. It's a really good option for small businesses and for anyone who doesn't have a strong accounting background.

Cons

One downside is the customer support which could be better. Everything is handled through email so there's no option to call and speak with someone directly when an issue comes up.

“UI keeps getting worse”

Pros

Back before the new invoicing redesign, the interface and overall user experience were excellent. It also used to be very good value for the money, until the company went public and started making questionable decisions, like stripping out the expenses module and replacing it with a paid version that had fewer features and a worse interface. Support is fairly decent when it comes to helping with things Xero is actually willing to address but when the issue is a bug, a deliberately broken feature or the constant nags and advertising, the support is extremely poor.

Cons

Watching the UI and UX decline has been incredibly frustrating. Nearly every interface update adds one or two useful touches but also brings a pile of new annoyances. Changes used to feel like they were made for the people actually paying to use the product, whereas now they seem aimed at pleasing shareholders, often at the expense of usability. On top of that ads are plastered throughout the interface which just makes a bookkeeper's job more difficult than it needs to be. There are also features that no longer work even though they used to function properly. A classic example is auto-assigning the next ID on an imported invoice as it worked before, then stopped and despite promises to fix it, six years later it still hasn't been given proper developer attention and likely never will.

“fantastic payroll value”

Pros

Out of all the payroll systems we have used, Xero has been the best by far. It offers really good value for money, the customer support is excellent and the platform is very user friendly.

Cons

Honestly I don't have anything negative to say. It's very easy to use and I haven't run into any problems while using it every week.

“anywhere access and live dashboards”

Pros

One of the best things about Xero is how attractively priced it is and being able to access it from anywhere is a huge advantage. The automated bank feeds and reconciliation save a lot of time while also cutting down on errors. It also connects well with PayPal and banks which makes managing payments and purchases much more convenient. On top of that it gives real-time visibility into financial data, with live dashboards for cash flow, expenses and invoices.

Cons

The reporting options in this tool are a bit limited although it works perfectly well for anyone who only needs standard reports. If you need more advanced reporting, you may sometimes have to rely on additional data add-ons.

“Pretty poor support”

Pros

Nothing about the invoicing process works well here. Repeat reminders end up staying permanently and the upgrades just waste time instead of improving anything. Phone support is basically unavailable and the quote-to-invoice process keeps leaving out important details so I have to manually rewrite information from quotes into invoices. Navigation is also confusing and awkward. Compared with this, QuickBooks was much better. I would switch back if I could but because of the incentives tied to this setup, that is not really an option.

Cons

There are problems with most parts of the system. The quote-to-invoice conversion is incomplete, deleting invoices is harder than it should be and reminder invoices become permanent and get assigned new invoice numbers.

“powerful integrations and great value”

Pros

It is easy to use, offers really good value for the money and connects well with other platforms which makes it a very capable tool overall.

Cons

Support is handled through messages and while that works fine, it would still be better to have a live agent available to speak with when more complicated issues come up.

“Decent cloud accounting tools”

Pros

Xero has a very user friendly interface so handling accounting tasks is much simpler even without an accounting background. Since it's cloud-based, I can get to my financial information from anywhere and the bank integrations work really well. Features like automatic bank feeds, invoicing and reconciliation cut down a lot of manual work and save plenty of time.

Cons

A few of the more advanced capabilities only come through add-ons which can make the overall cost go up. Support is helpful when you reach them but response times can be slower during busy periods. The pricing can also feel a bit expensive for small businesses that only need the basics.

“helpful support”

Pros

After using Xero for about three years I have been really happy with it overall. The customer support team has been consistently helpful whenever I have needed assistance and they usually resolve things pretty quickly. The dashboard is easy to navigate and getting my books set up was simple enough to figure out. The newer budgeting tools have been a nice addition, the reporting is detailed and useful and it connects well with my Square and Amazon accounts.

Cons

The ongoing price increases have been hard to absorb and make it tougher to keep within budget. Bank syncing has also been pretty hard. There are entire months when I am unable to import transactions which leaves me stuck entering everything manually and that's incredibly frustrating.

“mobile payments and auto invoicing”

Pros

One thing that really helps with Xero is the mobile app which lets me handle patient payments during discharge at my organization and also generates invoices automatically.

Cons

Throughout the entire time I have been with my current organization, I haven't run into any major issues or overwhelming situations while using it.

“flexible invoicing”

Pros

It was easy to set up and run and I didn't need to bring in any outside implementation partners to start using it. It also makes online payment processing simple, helps me keep track of inventory and lets me customize invoices the way I need.

Cons

This tool doesn't offer all the accounting features that larger global enterprises might need but it does make up for that with strong integration options that let me connect it to external tools like SAP Concur.

“clean invoicing and simple setup”

Pros

Using this has been very easy. The invoicing is especially helpful, adding new staff is quick and uncomplicated and the invoices themselves look clean and professional.

Cons

At times it can feel a little laggy, the interface could be more visually appealing and it would be better if there were a simpler way to handle multiple invoices at once.

“well-organized accounting win”

Pros

The layout is user friendly and well organized so day to day tasks are simple to manage. Payroll generally runs without issues and handling invoices and payments is clear and easy too.

Cons

A few parts of payroll don't really support more specialized HR needs. Switching between employees in the payroll list can be a bit confusing because selecting one can make others disappear from view. The end-of-year prompts also keep showing up even after everything has been completed. It's also fairly pricey compared with some other options although it does cut down a lot of the usual admin work which still helps balance out the cost.

“payroll that just works”

Pros

Payroll processing was easy and efficient to use. Overall the system is very user friendly and keeps you informed at each step which helps make sure all compliance requirements are covered.

Cons

At times the platform feels a bit dull because of the limited color and overall interface design. A visual refresh or UI update would definitely help with that.

“flexible journals and updates”

Pros

Using it has been pretty easy and one thing I especially like is not having to manually reverse journals. I can just go back and make adjustments within the reporting period whenever something needs to be updated which saves a lot of time.

Cons

There are still a few areas where it doesn't fully do what I need. Running reports can also be a bit frustrating at times especially when I am trying to track down something specific.