Xero Accounting Solution Reviews

“terrible support and no listening”

Pros

This company might as well be called Zero instead of Xero. I have spent several days trying to get a login problem sorted out and got nowhere. I spoke with three different people and every one of them wanted to talk over me instead of actually hearing what I was saying. They all acted like they already had the answer without taking the time to understand that I had already tried their suggestions multiple times. On top of that I asked to speak with a senior manager and that seems practically impossible. I even had customer service staff call me back pretending to be senior management and when I questioned one about his title, it turned out he was just another support representative. My honest advice is to keep your distance from this company. Accountants may love it but the customer service for end users is the worst I have ever dealt with. After 25 years in business, I have never come across anything like this. In one word, just terrible.

Cons

The customer service is unbelievably poor. They simply do not listen.

“clear dashboard visibility”

Pros

Right away the simple layout makes everything feel organized. The dashboard shows outstanding invoices and overdue invoices very clearly which is essential for our team since we need to check those numbers quickly and without confusion.

Cons

One downside is that help and support are not very accessible and there's only a single how-to video available.

“fantastic bank feeds and mobile updates”

Pros

Keeping my books current takes very little effort thanks to the bank feed integrations. The mobile app is also really handy for quick updates especially when I am reconciling transactions. I really appreciate that it automatically suggests matches for existing entries and recurring transactions which saves a lot of time.

Cons

One thing I'd still like to see in the phone app is the ability to create transfers between accounts. If that were added, I'd barely need to sign in to the desktop version at all, other than to check reports.

“Uesful for small teams”

Pros

As a starting accounting system for a small business, Xero works well. We use it to handle company expense claims and it doesn't take much training before employees across the company can submit their own expenses for things like education, healthcare and transport.

Cons

Once the company starts growing, employees still need proper guidance on the different cost centers. We often end up returning expense claims for corrections because the wrong cost center was selected or the expense category wasn't filled out correctly.

“amazon bookkeeping lifesaver”

Pros

Running the accounting side of my Amazon business used to be a nightmare until I started using Xero. Paired with A2X, it has saved me countless hours on bookkeeping and year-end accounting. It's been a real lifesaver and once you understand how it works, it's accurate and easy to use.

Cons

Getting everything set up is really difficult without help from an accountant. The account mapping is crucial and it has to be configured properly from the start.

“accounting made enjoyable”

Pros

One thing that genuinely surprised me is how this software turns both standard and more complex financial reports into something manageable and even enjoyable without requiring much effort. On top of that the double-entry bookkeeping feature lets me handle all the major and smaller accounting tasks I need in one place.

Cons

It gives me complete access to every accounting task in a very comfortable and convenient way. Honestly I have been very pleased using this software and haven't run into any real downsides.

“trusted choice for accounting”

Pros

Since ATO uses it going with Xero felt like the practical choice. My accountant also said there weren't many real alternatives for us and even our club treasurer chose it separately because it was more affordable than the other options.

Cons

It still feels a little expensive but the features are well thought out and make sense. We were pushed into adopting it on a tight deadline though that really wasn't caused by the tool itself.

“powerful accounting for growing teams”

Pros

Our team went with Xero because it allows unlimited users, fits midsize businesses really well and comes with advanced admin tools. It also works across all the major browsers people use every day. One of its strongest advantages is definitely the accounting system itself which has been a very positive part of using the platform.

Cons

Customer support is acceptable but it doesn't really stand out and that seems like a downside to me. The interface also isn't especially simple when you first start using it so getting comfortable with the system takes a bit more time.

“projects and client support shine”

Pros

The projects tools in Xero have been really useful and the matching screen during reconciliation works well. It covers everything I need to take care of my clients.

Cons

The overall interface could be better and the reconciliation process can feel a little confusing. It's not the most practical setup when you have to dig around to track down an issue.

“user friendly reports and handy tools”

Pros

Using it day to day is very fun and the reports are really useful to have on hand. The bank feed feature is also excellent when it's working the way it should.

Cons

A few features don't always function properly, such as the bank feed not setting up with the company credit card. Some parts of the reconciliation process also involve too many steps, for example, it would be much better to raise a refund directly from the bank feed page.

“simple and efficient bookkeeping”

Pros

Everything about it is very simple and efficient. I can spot everything I need almost instantly at a glance.

Cons

The only downside is that syncing with the bank account can take around 24 hours or so.

“cuts bookkeeping time in half”

Pros

Out of all the accounting tools I have used, this one has been the best. It's very user friendly and has reduced my bookkeeping time by half. Absolutely fantastic.

Cons

I haven't run into any issues yet.

“handy cloud access anywhere”

Pros

Being cloud-based with a mobile app makes this really convenient to use. I can log in anytime and from anywhere which is a big advantage.

Cons

The downside is the customer support response time is quite slow especially since there's no live chat option for users in Asia. That means getting an immediate solution isn't always possible.

“simple fit for small businesses”

Pros

This is a really amazing, simple tool for small businesses that don't need a lot of extra complexity.

Cons

It could be harder to scale if the business grows over time.

“clean invoicing and sales tracking”

Pros

Getting invoices out and keeping track of sales and payments is pretty easy with Xero and the platform is fairly simple to work with overall.

Cons

There are still quite a few features we have not fully explored or do not completely understand yet although I think with more training we would be able to make better use of everything available. Adjusting stock quantities also takes more time than it should and that part could definitely be more improved.

“reporting that keeps us aligned”

Pros

There are loads of reports in Xero and it does an excellent job of helping me keep track of all my accounting. My accountant is a big fan of it as well because the reports give her exactly what she needs in a clear, readable format so she can quickly understand what's going on in my business.

Cons

A few areas of the software feel pretty technical if you don't have an accounting background. I also made a mistake with some numbers at one point and I still haven't been able to track down where it happened or how to correct it.

“poor support and messy automation”

Pros

Honestly there isn't anything positive I can point to. The software feels like little more than an overhyped analyzed cashbook. Support has been weak and some responses from their team make it obvious the advisor doesn't really understand accounting, account structures or the kind of damage their advice could cause.

Cons

Right from the start the setup feels wrong. Every purchase gets treated as a contact, whether it's an actual supplier or something minor like a bottle of milk from Tesco. A small office expense like that should just be posted straight to the nominal code, not used to create a brand-new supplier. The bank feed is also misleading because cash in and cash out should match the bank statement, yet transfers between savings and current accounts are excluded so it doesn't give a true picture. On top of that customer receipts are not properly reconciled even when the bank entry name exactly matches the customer account. Too much of the support burden gets pushed onto the accountant providing the service. It also creates customer and supplier accounts by itself whenever it doesn't recognize a payment or receipt and software should never be deciding on its own to create records like that. It's also less automated than Sage Accounts in some important areas. For example, when doing bulk invoicing over several days, you cannot set the date at the software level and have to keep changing it manually. During a first-time import from Sage, if it doesn't understand an item on an invoice, it just adds a new line whether you want it to or not and apparently there's no way to reverse it once it happens. It also works with Receipt Bank in a frustrating way, where you can waste hours trying to stop an expense from being assigned to a customer. I could keep listing problems.

“friendly interface for daily work”

Pros

Day to day work has become much simpler with Xero. It's easy to navigate, the interface seems very user friendly and everything is easy to understand.

Cons

I'd still love to see more tutorials on BAS and GST. Aside from that, working with it has been a really pleasant experience overall.

“bank linking that actually works”

Pros

Being able to connect it to my bank has been a big win. I had tried QuickBooks before but my bank wasn't even available there. This one seems to support a much broader list of banks and that has made it a much better fit for me.

Cons

At this point I really haven't come across anything I strongly dislike about it. Most things seem easy enough to use although it is a bit disappointing that some features are only available behind a paywall.

“real-time finance powerhouse”

Pros

Having Xero in place has completely changed how we manage our finances, giving us all the real-time visibility we could ask for and when something isn't built in, the integrations usually fill the gap. It feels more suited to proper accounting work than some of the simpler tools out there but once you set it up properly with your accountants, it's absolutely worth it. The depth, range of features and all-in-one approach to handling company finances make it a system we genuinely use every day and enjoy using.

Cons

The interface is currently being refreshed and honestly that update is overdue because the design does feel a bit dated. Even so, it's still clean, clear and aside from that, there's really very little not to love about it.