Hnry vs Xero (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Xero grades higher than Hnry: 2.6 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Xero grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Xero
Cloud accounting for small businesses, with unlimited users
Which one is for you
Pick Hnry if
- Fits if you're a New Zealand sole trader who doesn't want to think about tax
- Works for contractors who'd like tax taken out of each payment automatically
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you run a company or have staff, as the pages describe sole traders only
- Pricey if you earn a lot: the 1% fee runs up to $1,500 plus GST a year
- Tight if you're paid in many small amounts: payments under $50 carry a $0.50 plus GST minimum
- Watch out: the Australian and UK versions are separate sites that we didn't read
Pick Xero if
- Fits if your accountant already works in Xero
- Works for businesses where several staff and advisers need to be in the books, as users are unlimited
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you send more than 20 invoices or enter more than 5 bills, since that's where Early stops
- Watch out: the advertised prices are 80% off for 3 months only, then $27, $59 or $97 a month
- Pricey if you need US payroll, at $36 a month plus $6 a person on top
- Pricey if you bill in other currencies, which need Established at $97, or want auto-reconcile on Early, a $5 add-on
- Skip it if you want a free plan to start on, as there isn't one, and taking the free month costs you the discount
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAHnryFair | 2.6GPAXeroGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C1% plus GST of income paid into the account, capped at $1,500 plus GST a year, with no subscription. Cheap for a small earner, but it climbs to the cap, so it sits in the middle. | CEarly is $27 a month, between this category's middle at $23 and its dearer quarter at $31.10, and it stops at 20 invoices and 5 bills. No limits means Growing at $59. Users are unlimited on every plan, so a team costs no more. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo subscription or card to join, but the fee comes off every payment, with a $0.50 plus GST minimum under $50. No trial. | COne month free on any plan, but you give up the 80%-off-for-3-months offer to take it. There's no free plan, and the listing doesn't say whether a card is needed for the trial. |
| Features | CTax calculated and paid, filings, invoicing, expenses and a business Mastercard. It's built for sole traders and has no ledger for companies. | BBank reconciliation, invoices and quotes, Tap to Pay, bill capture, free ACH bill payments, cash flow forecasts, Syft analytics, the JAX assistant and Gusto payroll. Multiple currencies need Established, but the whole job is here. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Clients pay into the Hnry Account, so setting up means changing how you get paid. | B4.65 from 1,689 App Store ratings, just under the top band. Auto-reconcile, which takes away the most clicking, is part of Growing and Established and a $5 a month add-on on Early. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only on record, and we read only the New Zealand site. No integrations are listed. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, plus an app store with Gusto, Stripe, Syft, Dext, A2X and Mercury. There's no desktop app, which is what keeps it off an A. |
| Best for | New Zealand sole traders who want tax handled | small businesses that work with an accountant |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Hnry and Xero. How we grade
Price against what you get
Hnry has no paid plan and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Xero starts at $27 a month and scores 3.0.
Xero scores higher, and starts $27 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other accounting and invoicing tools on the chart, none scores higher than Hnry for less, and 3 score higher than Xero for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Xero also covers payroll.
At a glance
| Hnry | Xero | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free trial |
| Starts at | Free | $27 per month, billed monthly |
| Free plan | No subscription or card needed to join. Hnry takes 1% + GST of payments into your Hnry Account, capped at $1,500 + GST a year. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | One month free on any plan, taken instead of the 3-month discount |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Hnry | Xero Limited |
| Price read from | hnry.co.nz | xero.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Hnry
- The fee is 1% + GST of income paid into the Hnry Account, so it rises with earnings up to $1,500 + GST a year.
- Payments under $50 carry a minimum fee of $0.50 + GST each, per the pricing FAQ.
- It is built for sole traders; the pages do not describe it as a ledger for companies or staffed businesses.
- Prices were read on the New Zealand site; Australian and UK versions are separate sites that were not read.
Xero
- The advertised prices are 80% off for the first 3 months; plans then renew at $27, $59 or $97 a month.
- Early stops at 20 invoices and 5 bills, and its graphs and cash flow forecast are the basic ones.
- US payroll costs $36 a month plus $6 per employee or contractor, and is not offered to Xero's US mobile-only subscribers.
- These are US prices; Xero sells in other countries, including New Zealand, Australia and the UK, on separate regional sites.
Key features
Hnry
- Tax calculated and paid for you
- Self-employed income paid into the Hnry Account has tax calculated, deducted and paid, and the rest goes where you direct it.
- Tax filings
- Hnry acts as your accountant and files your tax returns when they are due, as part of the fee.
- Invoicing
- Send invoices from the app and have unpaid ones chased. The pricing page says using Hnry to invoice is optional.
- Expenses and business Mastercard
- Log expenses from a photo, or pay with the Hnry Business Mastercard, which raises business expenses automatically.
- Allocations and mileage
- Set automatic payments to savings, investments or charities, and track mileage with the separate Mileage by Hnry app.
Xero
- Bank reconciliation
- Match bank transactions to invoices and bills. Auto-reconcile is part of Growing and Established, and a $5 a month add-on on Early.
- Invoices, quotes and online payments
- Send invoices and quotes with a payment service attached, and take card payments in person with Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android.
- Bills and Smart Document Capture
- Bills and receipts are pulled into Xero from documents, and standard ACH bill payments in US dollars are included on every plan.
- Cash flow forecasts and analytics
- Forecasts run 30, 60 or 180 days ahead depending on the plan, and Syft analytics, dashboards and health scorecards are built in.
- JAX assistant
- Xero's AI assistant answers questions about the business's numbers and handles routine bookkeeping tasks.
- Xero Payroll, powered by Gusto
- Full-service payroll that calculates, files and pays federal and state taxes across all 50 states, without leaving Xero.
Plans
Hnry
Pay as you earn$0
No subscription. Fee is 1% + GST of each payment into your Hnry Account, capped at $1,500 + GST a year, and covers tax filing, expenses and support.
Xero
Early$27
per month, billed monthly
Advertised at $5.40 a month for the first 3 months. Quotes, 20 invoices, 5 bills, bank reconciliation, sales tax and a 30-day cash flow forecast.
Growing$59
per month, billed monthly
Advertised at $11.80 a month for the first 3 months. No invoice or bill limits, auto-reconcile, dashboards, budgets and a 60-day forecast.
Established$97
per month, billed monthly
Advertised at $19.40 a month for the first 3 months. Adds multiple currencies, project time and costs, expense claims and a 180-day forecast.
Ways to pay less
Hnry
No public discounts listed.
Xero
- Other savings
80% off the first 3 months
New US customers buying their first organization pay 20% of the base plan price for 3 months, then the regular monthly price. Add-ons are not discounted.
- Other savings
Two months of Xero Payroll free
Xero's payroll page offers two months free to try Xero Payroll, which then costs $36 a month plus $6 per employee or contractor.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Hnry or Xero?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Hnry is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $27 a month for Xero. Hnry is free, and Xero starts at $27 per month, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, Hnry or Xero?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Hnry has a free plan. Xero does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Hnry and Xero run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Xero lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.