Patriot Accounting vs Xero
We give Patriot Accounting a 2.0 GPA and Xero a 2.6, out of 4.0. 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.
Patriot Accounting
Low-cost US small business accounting that pairs with Patriot Payroll
Xero
Cloud accounting for small businesses, with unlimited users
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAPatriot AccountingFair | 2.6GPAXeroGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CBasic is $20 a month once the 3 months at $10 are over, between the cheaper quarter of accounting tools at $15 and the middle at $23. Users and invoices are unlimited, but estimates and recurring invoices take you to Premium at $30. | 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, though, which helps once a team is involved. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 30-day free trial, and the listing doesn't say whether it needs a card. There's no free plan, and the 3 months at half price after it is a discount, not more free time. | 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 | CInvoices paid by card, Apple Pay or ACH, bank imports and reconciliation, cash and accrual views side by side, checks, 1099s and payroll that posts itself. But estimates and repeat invoices need Premium, and the listing shows no time tracking, projects or inventory. | 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, and no app. There are bank and card accounts to connect and statements to reconcile each month before the books look after themselves. | 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: Patriot says its site is built to work in a phone browser instead of an app. Stripe is the only outside connection on the listing, beside bank imports and its own payroll. | 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 | low-cost US books with payroll from the same company | 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: Patriot Accounting and Xero. How we grade
Price against what you get
Patriot Accounting starts at $10 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 $17 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other accounting and invoicing tools on the chart, 4 score higher than Patriot Accounting 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
- Patriot Accounting starts at $20 per month, billed monthly, after $10 a month for the first 3 months. Xero starts at $27 per month, billed monthly.
- Only Xero lists iOS and Android apps.
At a glance
| Patriot Accounting | Xero | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $20 per month, billed monthly, after $10 a month for the first 3 months | $27 per month, billed monthly |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial | One month free on any plan, taken instead of the 3-month discount |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Patriot Software | Xero Limited |
| Price read from | patriotsoftware.com | xero.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Patriot Accounting
- US small businesses that want low-cost books with phone support
- Owners who pay contractors and need 1099s
- Businesses that want accounting and payroll from one company
Xero
- Small businesses that want every staff member and adviser in the books at no extra cost
- Businesses that work with an accountant who already uses Xero
- Companies that bill or pay in several currencies, on Established
Worth knowing
Patriot Accounting
- The advertised prices are 50% off for 3 months after the trial; plans then renew at $20 or $30 a month.
- Payroll costs extra: Basic Payroll is $17 a month plus $4 per worker paid, Full Service $37 plus $5, with $12 a month per added state.
- There is no mobile app: Patriot says the site is built to work in a phone browser instead.
- Its tax features are US ones, from 1099s to payroll filing; a bookkeeping service is sold apart from $100 a month plus an onboarding fee.
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
Patriot Accounting
- Invoices and online payments
- Unlimited invoices to unlimited customers. Through Stripe, customers pay by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or ACH.
- Bank imports and reconciliation
- Connect bank and card accounts so activity flows in, or upload a file instead, then reconcile against monthly statements.
- Cash and accrual side by side
- A dual ledger lets you and your accountant switch between cash and accrual views without converting the books.
- Vendors, contractors and 1099s
- Unlimited vendor payments, printed checks, Forms 1099 and 1096, optional 1099 e-filing and a free portal for contractors.
- Unlimited users
- Invite your team and accountant at no extra cost. User-based permissions need Accounting Premium.
- Patriot Payroll
- Payroll from the same company records its journal entries in the books automatically, sold as a separate subscription.
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
Patriot Accounting
Accounting Basic$20
per month, billed monthly
Advertised at $10 a month for the first 3 months. Unlimited customers, invoices and vendors, bank imports, reconciliation, reports and card payments.
Accounting Premium$30
per month, billed monthly
Advertised at $15 a month for the first 3 months. Adds estimates, recurring invoices, payment reminders, user permissions, subaccounts and receipts.
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
Patriot Accounting
- Other savings
30 days free, then 50% off for 3 months
New accounts get a 30-day free trial and then pay half price for 3 months: $10 a month for Basic and $15 for Premium. The bookkeeping service is excluded.
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.
