How much does Xero cost a month? Every plan in the UK, Australia and NZ
What each Xero plan costs a month in the UK, Australia and New Zealand, what payroll and other extras add, and a worked yearly cost after VAT or GST.
Updated 24 October 2026
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Short answer: Xero costs £18 to £70 a month in the UK (plus VAT), A$37 to A$300 a month in Australia (including GST), and NZ$37 to NZ$135 a month in New Zealand (plus GST), depending on the plan. Most small businesses with staff end up on the middle plan, Grow: £39, A$78 or NZ$89 a month. The plan price is not the whole bill: payroll for each extra person, extra expense-claim users and some add-ons are charged on top, and new customers usually get a large discount for the first three or six months. If you are registered for VAT or GST you claim the tax back, and the subscription is a business expense.
These are the regular prices on xero.com on 24 October 2026 (Australian prices are the ones that took effect on 1 July 2026). Xero changes its prices and plan names from time to time, so check the pricing page for your country before you decide.
Xero prices by plan and country
| Plan | UK (excl. VAT) | Australia (incl. GST) | New Zealand (excl. GST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ignite | £18 | A$37 | NZ$37 |
| Grow | £39 | A$78 | NZ$89 |
| Comprehensive | £55 | A$107 | NZ$117 |
| Ultimate | £70 | A$143 (Ultimate 10) to A$300 (Ultimate 100) | NZ$135 |
In Australia, Ultimate comes in sizes named after the number of people on payroll: Ultimate 10 at A$143, Ultimate 20 at A$180, Ultimate 50 at A$250 and Ultimate 100 at A$300.
Subscriptions are charged monthly and renew until you cancel; there is no lock-in contract.
What each plan gets you
- Ignite is for a business that sends a few invoices. In the UK it allows 20 invoices and 10 bills a month; in New Zealand 20 invoices and 5 bills. It has basic graphs and a 30-day cash flow view, and no multi-currency. In the UK, automatic bank reconciliation is a £3.50 a month add-on on this plan.
- Grow removes the invoice and bill limits, includes payroll for one person and expense claims for one user, and adds customisable dashboards and a 60-day short-term cash flow view.
- Comprehensive adds multi-currency, payroll for five people, expense claims for five users, a 90-day cash flow view, financial health scorecards and budgets.
- Ultimate adds projects (job costing for 10 users), payroll for 10 people (more on the larger Australian tiers), a 180-day cash flow view, KPI and ratio analysis and industry benchmarking.
The inclusions differ a little by country; the list above follows the UK and New Zealand pricing pages.
The extras that make the bill bigger
| Extra | UK | Australia | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Each extra person on payroll | £1.50 (£1 on Ultimate) | Charged above the plan’s limit | NZ$4 (NZ$2 on Ultimate) |
| Each extra expense-claim user | £2.50 | A$5 | NZ$5 |
| Each extra project user (Ultimate) | £5 | A$5 | NZ$7 |
| Automatic reconciliation on Ignite | £3.50 a month | NZ$8 a month | |
| Company Accounts and Tax (year-end accounts and corporation tax return) | £120 a year |
Other costs to expect: fees when customers pay your invoices online by card or direct debit (charged by the payment provider), a charge for bill payments above the plan’s monthly number, and any apps you connect to Xero, which bill separately.
A worked example: what a café really pays in a year
These figures are made up. A café in Leeds is VAT registered and pays four staff through Xero Payroll. The owner compares Grow and Comprehensive.
| Grow | Comprehensive | |
|---|---|---|
| Plan, per month | 39.00 | 55.00 |
| Payroll people included | 1 | 5 |
| Extra people at £1.50 | 3 × 1.50 = 4.50 | 0 |
| Monthly cost (excl. VAT) | 43.50 | 55.00 |
| VAT at 20%, claimed back on the VAT return | 8.70 | 11.00 |
| Cost for the year (excl. VAT) | 522.00 | 660.00 |
Grow costs £138 a year less. It also stays cheaper as the team grows: Grow costs £37.50 plus £1.50 per person on payroll, and Comprehensive costs £10 a month more than that once five or more people are paid. Upgrade for multi-currency, budgets, the 90-day cash view or more expense users, not for payroll alone.
If the café is a new Xero customer and takes the UK offer of 90% off for six months, the base plan costs £3.90 a month for six months and £39 after that: £257.40 in the first year instead of £468 (the extra payroll charges may not be discounted; check the offer terms).
The same in Australia. An electrician’s Pty Ltd on Grow pays A$78 a month including GST, A$936 a year. If it is registered for GST it claims back one eleventh, A$85.09, so the real cost is A$850.91 a year, and that is deductible as a business expense.
How to see what you pay now
In Xero, open the organisation menu (your business name, top left) and choose Subscription and billing. It shows the plan, any add-ons, the number of payroll people and expense users billed last month, and past invoices. Menu names change between Xero releases; if you cannot find it, search Xero Central for “subscription and billing”.
If your accountant or bookkeeper set up your Xero, check who pays the bill. Some practices are billed for the subscription and pass the cost on in their fee, and some can move a client to partner pricing. Ask before you cancel or change plans, because the subscription owner controls billing.
How to keep the cost down
- Count the people billed for payroll and expenses each month. Someone who left in March but still has an active pay template or expense user can keep costing you.
- Do not upgrade for one feature you can get elsewhere. If you only want a longer cash view, a free cash runway calculator or a spreadsheet 13-week forecast may do.
- Remove apps nobody opens. Connected apps bill separately and quietly.
- Use the reports you already pay for. Every plan includes the Profit and Loss, Balance Sheet and aged receivables. The Xero reports guide says which six to read each month.
Common questions
How much is Xero per month in the UK? £18 for Ignite, £39 for Grow, £55 for Comprehensive and £70 for Ultimate, all excluding VAT, at the prices on xero.com on 24 October 2026. Extra payroll people are £1.50 each (£1 on Ultimate).
How much does Xero cost in Australia? From 1 July 2026: Ignite A$37, Grow A$78, Comprehensive A$107, and Ultimate from A$143 (10 people on payroll) to A$300 (100 people) a month, including GST.
How much does Xero cost in New Zealand? Ignite NZ$37, Grow NZ$89, Comprehensive NZ$117 and Ultimate NZ$135 a month, excluding GST.
Is there a free version of Xero? No. There is a free trial (usually 30 days) and new customers are often offered a large discount for the first few months, but every plan is paid after that.
Can I claim the Xero subscription as a business expense? Yes, it is a normal running cost of the business. If you are registered for VAT or GST you can also claim back the tax on the invoice, so the real cost is the price excluding tax.
Which Xero plan do most small businesses need? If you have staff or more than about 20 invoices a month, Grow. Move to Comprehensive for multi-currency or budgets, and to Ultimate for project costing. Payroll alone is rarely a reason to upgrade, because each extra person is charged on every plan.
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