CentriWebIn the Xero vs MYOB choice, Xero suits a business that works in the cloud, connects many other apps and may trade in more than one currency, while MYOB suits a business that wants Windows desktop software, stock and job costing in one product, or a low-cost web plan with simple payroll. On their Australian plans, both handle invoicing, bank transactions, GST and payroll, so the deciding factors are usually which plan covers your payroll and stock, and what your other systems need to connect to.
Prices below come from each vendor’s own pricing pages as at November 2026, and both run frequent introductory offers. Check their pages for current prices. Ask your accountant too, because the software they already work in can save you fees.
Xero vs MYOB at a glance
| Question | Xero | MYOB |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Cloud accounting software, with plans published for Australia, the United States and other countries | Accounting and payroll software with web plans and AccountRight desktop plans, published for Australia and New Zealand |
| How it charges (Australia) | Monthly plans from $107 a month after the offer period, AUD including GST | Lite yearly, Pro and AccountRight monthly; Pro $70 a month after the offer |
| Payroll | Included, by number of people paid (5 to 50) | Per employee on Lite and Pro; included on AccountRight Plus |
| Desktop software | Not listed on its pricing page | Included on AccountRight Plus and Premier |
| Connected apps | 1000+ apps, according to its pricing page | More than 350 apps, according to its add-ons page |
| Who maintains it | You and your bookkeeper or accountant | You and your bookkeeper or accountant |
| Who it suits | Cloud-first businesses with several connected apps | Businesses wanting desktop access, stock or job costing in one product |
Xero plans and prices
Xero’s Australian pricing page says prices are in AUD and include GST. It lists four plans, with an 80% discount for the first three months for new Australian customers:
- Comprehensive: $107 a month, payroll for up to 5 people
- Ultimate 10: $143 a month, payroll for up to 10
- Ultimate 20: $180 a month, payroll for up to 20
- Ultimate 50: $250 a month, payroll for up to 50
All four include multiple currencies, bank reconciliation with auto-reconcile, invoices and quotes, bill entry, GST tracking and BAS lodgement, automated superannuation and smart document capture. Project tracking and KPI analysis start on Ultimate. The page’s footnotes also mention Ignite and Grow plans without showing their prices, so ask Xero if you want a smaller plan.
Plans differ by country. Xero’s United States pricing page, priced in USD, lists Early at $27, Growing at $59 and Established at $97 a month, with payroll as an optional add-on powered by Gusto at $36 a month plus $6 per person paid.
MYOB plans and prices
MYOB’s Australian pricing page shows prices in $ and does not say whether GST is included. After introductory offers:
- MYOB Business Lite: $315 a year, payroll for up to 2 employees at $5 a month each, up to 2 connected bank accounts
- MYOB Business Pro: $70 a month, unlimited employees at $5 a month each
- Payroll Only: $20 a month for up to 4 employees
- AccountRight Plus: $165 a month, payroll included, unlimited inventory, Windows desktop software
- AccountRight Premier: price not listed on the page; adds multiple currencies, more locations and more than one business
Lite and Pro are web-based, and unlimited inventory is a $22 a month add-on on those plans. AccountRight Plus and Premier let you bill jobs by time and set budgets per job.
MYOB’s New Zealand pricing page shows prices plus GST: Lite $315 a year, Pro $585 a year, AccountRight Plus $100 a month, AccountRight Premier $120 a month and Payroll Only $25 a month plus $3 per employee paid.
A worked example: four staff on payroll
Take a business in Australia with four employees that needs invoicing, bank reconciliation and payroll, and no stock. Using the published prices after the introductory period:
- Xero Comprehensive: $107 a month including GST, with payroll for up to five people in the price.
- MYOB Business Pro: $70 a month plus four employees at $5 each, so $90 a month. MYOB’s page does not say whether GST is included, so ask before you compare the two figures directly.
Add a fifth and sixth employee and the picture shifts: Xero would need the Ultimate 10 plan at $143, while MYOB Pro would rise by $5 per person. Put your own headcount and features into the same sum. The cheapest plan is only cheaper if it covers what you need without paid add-ons.
What Xero does well
- Predictable payroll pricing. In Australia, payroll is in the plan by headcount band, so a business with four staff knows its bill.
- Multiple currencies on every Australian plan. Useful if you buy from or sell to overseas customers.
- A large app marketplace. The Xero App Store groups apps into categories including CRM and marketing, invoicing and jobs, payments, ecommerce, payroll and HR, and time tracking.
- Available in more countries. If you have, or plan, operations outside Australia and New Zealand, Xero publishes plans for other markets.
What MYOB does well
- Desktop software. AccountRight Plus and Premier include Windows desktop software, which suits a business with an office machine that does the books or an unreliable connection.
- Low entry price. Lite is billed yearly, which can suit a sole trader with few transactions.
- Stock and jobs in one product. AccountRight Plus includes unlimited inventory and job budgets, so a business that holds stock or costs jobs may not need extra apps.
- Payroll Only plan. A business that only needs to pay a few staff can pay for payroll alone.
What connects to what
The accounting file is usually the end of a chain: an enquiry becomes a quote, the quote becomes a job, the job becomes an invoice, and the payment lands in the bank feed. Before choosing, list the systems that need to talk to your accounts:
- your CRM or job management software, which should create the customer and invoice
- your payment provider, so payments match invoices automatically
- your ecommerce store or booking system, if you have one
- your payroll and timesheet tools
Then check each one in the marketplaces. Xero’s pricing page says it integrates with 1000+ apps. MYOB’s add-ons page says you can choose from more than 350 apps, and the MYOB developer site lists the MYOB Business API among its APIs for developers building connections. Look for the specific app you use, not the total count, and check whether the connection runs both ways or only pushes data in one direction.
Where no ready-made connection exists, an automation tool can usually fill the gap. Our guide to Xero automation shows what that looks like in practice, and invoice reminder automation covers getting paid on time. More comparisons of business systems are in our systems guides.
How to choose
- Count the people you pay, and price payroll on each option for that number.
- Decide whether you need desktop software, stock tracking, job costing or multiple currencies, and which plan includes each.
- List your other systems and confirm each one connects.
- Ask your accountant or bookkeeper which they use, and whether they can arrange the subscription for you.
- Compare the price after the introductory period ends, not the first three months.
Moving later is possible but takes work, so it is worth an hour now.
Where a system built for your business fits better
Neither Xero nor MYOB is designed to run your quoting, jobs and follow-up. When invoices are typed in twice, or payments are matched by hand every week, the fix is usually a connection between your CRM or job system and your accounts, set up once and checked when the apps change. CentriWeb builds and looks after those automations for businesses such as accounting firms and other professional services.
It does not suit everyone. If you send a handful of invoices a month, a standard plan and the built-in bank feed are plenty. If your bookkeeper already keeps things tidy, or the marketplace app for your job software does what you need on its standard plan, there is nothing to build.