Head to head
Xero vs QuickBooks Online
Both products assessed against the same checklist, with ratings drawn from 654 verified reviews.
QuickBooks Online
Accounting Software
4.0
268 verified reviews
R290
per month, from, excl VAT
- Rating gap
- 0.3
- Reviews behind this
- 654
- Monthly price gap
- R40
- Features they share
- 2
Side by side
How they compare
Ratings computed from published reviews, and the specifications that change what a product costs to run. The washed column is the higher rated of the two.
| Compared on | Higher rated overall | Intuit Inc. |
|---|---|---|
| What reviewers say | ||
| Overall rating | 4.3, higher | 4.0 |
| Ease of use | 4.3, higher | 3.9 |
| Value for money | 4.2, higher | 3.9 |
| Customer service | 4.1, higher | 3.8 |
| Functionality | 4.3, higher | 4.0 |
| Verified reviews | 386 | 268 |
| What it costs | ||
| Starting price | R330per month, from | R290per month, from |
| VAT basis | Excl VAT | Excl VAT |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Published plans | 4 | 3 |
| Vendor and support | ||
| Vendor | Xero Limited | Intuit Inc. |
| Founded | 2006 | 1983 |
| Support channels | Email, Online support ticket, Knowledge base, Advisor network | Telephone, Live chat, Email, Knowledge base |
| Integrations listed | 12 | 9 |
| Local bank feeds | 5 | 4 |
The local yardstick
South African compliance
Amber marks a gap rather than a feature. This is usually where the decision is actually made.
Xero
- VAT201 at 15%
- Zero rated and exempt supply handling
- Manual eFiling capture, no direct SARS transfer
- POPIA operator agreement
- Data hosted outside South Africa
QuickBooks Online
- VAT201 at 15%
- Zero rated and exempt supply handling
- Manual eFiling capture, no direct SARS transfer
- Limited IT14SD supporting detail
- POPIA operator agreement
What they cost
Pricing, compared properly
Check the VAT basis on each. Vendors are not consistent, and the difference is 15%.
Xero
Listed excluding VAT
- R330/mo
Ignite
Unlimited users
- R560/mo
GrowPopular
Unlimited users
- R760/mo
Comprehensive
Unlimited users
- R950/mo
Ultimate
Unlimited users
Xero quotes South African prices in rand excluding VAT. The Ignite plan caps invoices, bills and quotes, so most businesses start on Grow.
QuickBooks Online
Listed excluding VAT
- R290/mo
Simple Start
1 user
- R450/mo
EssentialsPopular
3 users
- R620/mo
Plus
5 users
Intuit quotes South African prices excluding VAT and runs frequent introductory discounts. Check the discounted period length before committing.
Capability
The full feature matrix
Every feature either product offers, and whether the other one has it.
| Compared on | Higher rated overall | Intuit Inc. |
|---|---|---|
| 25 features across both products | ||
| Bank feeds | Not included | Included |
| Bank reconciliation with rule learning | Included | Not included |
| Bill and supplier management | Not included | Included |
| Budgeting | Not included | Included |
| Cash flow forecasting | Included | Not included |
| Class and location tracking | Not included | Included |
| Custom report builder | Included | Not included |
| Custom reports | Not included | Included |
| Expense claims | Included | Not included |
| Fixed asset register | Included | Not included |
| Inventory tracking | Included | Included |
| Invoicing and quoting | Not included | Included |
| Invoicing, quoting and online payment links | Included | Not included |
| Mileage tracking | Not included | Included |
| Mobile app for iOS and Android | Included | Included |
| Multi currency | Not included | Included |
| Multi currency with automatic rates | Included | Not included |
| Project and job costing | Included | Not included |
| Project profitability | Not included | Included |
| Purchase orders | Included | Not included |
| Receipt capture with OCR | Not included | Included |
| Two factor authentication as standard | Included | Not included |
| Unlimited users on all plans | Included | Not included |
| VAT tracking and VAT201 report | Not included | Included |
| VAT201 reporting at 15% | Included | Not included |
Our verdict
Which one you should buy
We name a winner. Listing differences and leaving the decision to the reader is not a verdict.
Xero wins this on two structural advantages. Unlimited users on every plan, where QuickBooks counts your accountant against the plan limit on lower tiers. And a materially better bank reconciliation experience, which is where a bookkeeper spends most of their time.
QuickBooks has the better reporting and budgeting for the price, and the best mobile receipt capture in the category. If your requirement is management reporting rather than efficient processing, that matters.
The deciding factor for most South African buyers is bank feed reliability. QuickBooks draws the most complaints in our review set about connections dropping and needing reauthorisation, and Capitec support has historically been its weakest point. Test your actual accounts during the trial and leave them connected for two weeks before you decide.
Neither transfers VAT201 figures to eFiling. Both require manual capture.
We may earn a commission when you subscribe through this link, at no extra cost to you. It never affects a rating or a ranking. How we make money