Cheaper Xero alternatives in Australia

If Xero's bill has crept up, you've got options. Billbook is free, Zoho Books has a free plan for small businesses, and MYOB, QuickBooks and Reckon One all have paid plans that can cost less than the Xero plan you're on. The catch is that each one does a different job well, so the cheapest isn't always the best fit.

Here's why people are looking, how the options compare as at October 2026, and how to move without losing your history. We make Billbook, so we've linked every fact to the company's own page.

Why people are looking for a Xero alternativeLink to this section

Two reasons come up again and again.

The July 2026 price rise. Xero put its Australian prices up on 1 July 2026, for new and existing subscribers. Ignite went from $35 to $37 a month (as at October 2026), and every bigger plan went up too. Xero also stopped its discount for running more than one organisation. Here's each plan before and after:

Before 1 July 2026From 1 July 2026

• Ignite+$2 a month$35$37 (+$2, 6%)
• Grow+$3 a month$75$78 (+$3, 4%)
• Comprehensive+$7 a month$100$107 (+$7, 7%)
• Ultimate 10+$13 a month$130$143 (+$13, 10%)
• Ultimate 20+$18 a month$162$180 (+$18, 11%)
• Ultimate 50+$28 a month$222$250 (+$28, 13%)

Over a year, that's $24 more on Ignite, and up to $336 more on Ultimate 50.

Xero's prices a month, before and after 1 July 2026

Plan	Before	After	Rise a month	Rise a year
Ignite	$35	$37	$2	$24
Grow	$75	$78	$3	$36
Comprehensive	$100	$107	$7	$84
Ultimate 10	$130	$143	$13	$156
Ultimate 20	$162	$180	$18	$216
Ultimate 50	$222	$250	$28	$336

There's more on what it means for each plan in Xero's 2026 price rise.

The Ignite limits. Ignite, Xero's cheapest plan, allows 20 invoices and 5 bills a month (opens in a new tab) (checked October 2026). Go over that and you need Grow, which is more than double the price. If you enter more than a handful of supplier bills, you reach that limit quickly.

The options side by sideLink to this section

This table reads the facts each company publishes, with a link to each one and the date we checked. Prices are a month, including GST, at the standard price (not the intro deal).

And the short version, one card each:

BillbookLink to this section

Billbook Free is the whole set of books for one person, with no cap on invoices or bills and no revenue limit. You get quotes and invoices, bills, bank statement import and reconciliation, GST and your BAS worked out, payouts from Shopify, Square and co, stock, projects, multi-currency and the full set of reports. Pro adds your team, receipts read for you and bills imported with AI.

You bring your bank lines in from a statement file, and bank rules and Find matches do most of the reconciling. Billbook works out your BAS, and you lodge it in the ATO's online services, then record it.

Suits: businesses that send more than Ignite allows and want to stop paying for it. More in Billbook vs Xero.

MYOBLink to this section

MYOB is the other big Australian name. Business Lite has unlimited quotes and invoices, bank feeds for up to 2 accounts and BAS lodging. Payroll is charged per employee paid, and that charge goes up on 1 November 2026. There's also Solo, a phone app for sole traders, which doesn't lodge BAS or do payroll.

Suits: businesses that want a big local brand with payroll and lodging built in, and only need a couple of bank accounts on the cheaper plan. See Billbook vs MYOB.

QuickBooksLink to this section

QuickBooks Simple Start includes bank feeds, receipt capture and BAS lodging, for one user plus your accountant. It doesn't include bills and supplier management, which start on Essentials. Payroll is an add-on, run by Employment Hero, charged per employee paid.

Suits: a one-person business that wants bank feeds and lodging and doesn't enter many supplier bills. See Billbook vs QuickBooks.

Reckon OneLink to this section

Reckon One Accounting Plus has unlimited invoices and bills, unlimited users and bank connections on every plan. Payroll is an add-on priced by headcount. Reckon One prepares your BAS, and Reckon's community answers say lodging it goes through an add-on, so check with Reckon if that matters to you. It doesn't do multi-currency.

Suits: a small team that wants bank feeds and lots of people signed in, without paying per user. See Billbook vs Reckon.

Zoho BooksLink to this section

Zoho Books has a free plan for revenue under $50,000 a year, for one user plus your accountant, with statement imports instead of bank feeds. Its paid Standard plan adds bank feeds and up to 3 users. Zoho Books doesn't do Australian payroll, and you lodge your BAS on the ATO's portal yourself.

Suits: small businesses that want bank feeds on a low monthly price and don't pay staff. See Billbook vs Zoho Books.

What to weigh upLink to this section

Leaving Xero is a trade, so know what you use today. Here's what Xero includes and what to check, from its own pages:

Then weigh up these three across the options:

• Bank feeds. Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks and Reckon One have them on their paid plans, and Zoho Books from Standard.
• Payroll. Xero includes payroll for a set number of people on each plan. Elsewhere it's often charged per employee or as an add-on, so add that to the price. Zoho Books has none.
• Lodging from the software. Xero, MYOB Business Lite and up, and QuickBooks lodge your BAS for you. With Zoho Books you lodge it yourself in the ATO's online services, which is free and takes a few minutes.

What you gain depends on the option: no monthly bill at all with Billbook Free, no invoice or bill cap, more people signed in for the same price, or simply a smaller number on your card each month.

How to move from XeroLink to this section

Moving is mostly one export and a check. The usual way:

Moving your books

Trial balance

General ledger

Contacts

Totals match

The full steps are on switching from Xero.

So which is cheapest?Link to this section

If you want to stop paying a monthly bill, Billbook Free costs nothing and has no invoice cap. If you want bank feeds and lodging in one paid plan, compare MYOB and QuickBooks in the table above against how many bills you enter and how many people you pay. If bank feeds matter more than lodging, Reckon One and Zoho Books are worth a look too. And if Xero still suits you best, it may be worth checking you're on the right plan before moving at all.