Spotlight Reporting vs Xero (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Spotlight Reporting if

• Fits if you are an accountant giving clients monthly reports from Xero or QuickBooks
• Works for a finance lead who needs forecasts and dashboards over one or two entities

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you need a ledger: it reports on one and does not replace it
• Pricey if you run one small business, at $75 a month for a single organization
• Watch out: the pricing page says the monthly figures but not whether billing is monthly or yearly
• Not for you if you use neither Xero nor QuickBooks, as those are the only ledgers named
• Watch out: prices exclude sales tax, and franchise pricing is on a separate page we did not 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

Spotlight Reporting

• It reports on data from an accounting ledger; it does not replace one. The pages name Xero and QuickBooks.
• The pricing page states a monthly figure but not whether the plans are billed monthly or yearly.
• Prices are shown excluding sales tax.
• Franchise and network pricing is on a separate page and was not read for this listing.

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.

Spotlight Reporting

Management reports

Builds narrative and visual reports from accounting data, with Spotlight AI suggestions and executive summaries layered on the calculated figures.

Forecasting

Three-way forecasts, budgets and scenarios for cash flow and planning, with consolidated forecasting across entities.

Dashboards

Drag-and-drop KPI dashboards. Advisor Starter allows 1 dashboard per organization; higher advisor plans allow unlimited.

Consolidation

Group reporting across entities and currencies is included from Advisor Starter and Business 10.

ESG reporting and certification

Spotlight Sustain ESG reports come with Advisor Growth and up, and the advisor plans include free certification for the team.

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.

Spotlight Reporting

• Business$75

  per month for 1 organization, billing basis not stated

  Finance-team plan: reporting, forecasting and dashboards for 1 organization. Extra organizations $65 a month each.

• Business 10$349

  per month for up to 10 organizations, billing basis not stated

  Finance-team plan with multi-entity consolidation and up to 3 training sessions a year. Extra organizations $30 each.

• Advisor Starter$349

  per month for up to 10 client organizations, billing basis not stated

  Accountants' plan: reporting, forecasting, dashboards, consolidation, certification and one training session a year.

• Advisor Growth$549

  per month for up to 25 client organizations, billing basis not stated

  Adds unlimited dashboards, Spotlight Sustain ESG reporting, a Customer Success Manager and unlimited training.

• Advisor Scale$995

  per month for up to 75 client organizations, billing basis not stated

  Adds priority support, strategic reviews and tailored training for the team.

• EnterpriseCustom

  For accounting firms with more than 75 client organizations; the full platform with a dedicated senior success manager.

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.

Spotlight Reporting

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.