Hubdoc vs Xero (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Xero grades higher than Hubdoc: 2.6 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Hubdoc grades higher on value for money. Xero grades higher on features and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Hubdoc
Captures bills and receipts and sends the data to accounting software
Xero
Cloud accounting for small businesses, with unlimited users
Which one is for you
Pick Hubdoc if
- Fits if you already use Xero or QuickBooks Online and drown in paper bills
- Works for bookkeepers who want supplier documents collected automatically
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you need a ledger, because it captures documents and doesn't keep books
- Skip it if you want a free plan, as it's a 30-day trial and then $12 a month
- Watch out: the pricing page lists one monthly plan and no annual option
- Watch out: the site sits under the Xero name now, so how it's bundled may change
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
| 2.2GPAHubdocFair | 2.6GPAXeroGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$12 a month for the one plan, inside the category's cheaper quarter (up to $15), though it only does the capture step. | 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 | CA 30-day free trial with no credit card, then $12 a month. No free plan. | 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 | DCaptures documents and extracts data, with supplier rules and sync. It's not a ledger and needs an accounting platform to post to. | 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. You link it to your accounting software and set up supplier rules first. | 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 | BWeb, iPhone and Android, syncing to Xero, QuickBooks Online and Bill.com, with Box for backup. No desktop app. | 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 | capturing bills and receipts for your accounting software | 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: Hubdoc and Xero. How we grade
Price against what you get
Hubdoc starts at $12 a month 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 $15 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other accounting and invoicing tools on the chart, 18 score higher than Hubdoc 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
- Hubdoc also covers documents.
- Xero also covers invoicing, reports and payroll.
At a glance
| Hubdoc | Xero | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $12 USD per month after the free trial | $27 per month, billed monthly |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial, no credit card required | One month free on any plan, taken instead of the 3-month discount |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Hubdoc Inc. | Xero Limited |
| Price read from | hubdoc.com | xero.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Hubdoc
- It captures and extracts documents; it is not a ledger and needs an accounting platform to post to.
- The pricing page lists a single $12 USD monthly plan and gives no annual option.
- The site now sits under the Xero name, so how it is bundled with Xero may change.
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
Hubdoc
- Document capture
- Import bills and receipts by photographing them in the mobile app, forwarding emails, uploading from a desktop or scanning.
- Data extraction
- Reads key information from bills, statements, invoices and receipts so it does not need to be typed in.
- Supplier rules
- Rules automate how receipts, bills and statements from a given supplier are coded when they are sent on.
- Accounting sync
- Sends documents and their data to Xero, QuickBooks Online and Bill.com.
- Collaboration and backup
- Several collaborators can work in one account, documents can be downloaded, and files can be synced to Box.
- Mobile apps
- Apps for smartphones and tablets on Apple and Android devices.
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
Hubdoc
Hubdoc$12
per month after the 30-day trial
One plan with unlimited usage, multiple collaborators, tech support, downloads, backup and Box sync.
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
Hubdoc
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, Hubdoc or Xero?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Hubdoc is cheaper to start with: $12 a month, against $27 a month for Xero. Hubdoc starts at $12 USD per month after the free trial, and Xero starts at $27 per month, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, Hubdoc or Xero?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Hubdoc nor Xero has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
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.