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Pricing checked 3 November 2026 on each vendor’s official pricing page (linked below). Prices change often, so confirm the current price and whether it includes GST before you buy. Xero’s Australian prices are shown including GST. MYOB’s pricing page doesn’t spell out GST treatment next to each plan, so confirm it at checkout.
How we put this together: this comparison is based on the vendors’ public pricing pages, help documentation and app-marketplace listings. We have not run these products in a live business file for this article, and we say so wherever that matters. How we review.
Xero and MYOB are the two accounting platforms most Australian small businesses choose between. Both are cloud-based, both handle GST and BAS, and both offer Single Touch Payroll. The real differences are in how each plan bundles payroll, bills, forecasting and multi-currency, and in which add-on apps your accountant and industry use.
Regular monthly prices (Australia, checked 3 November 2026)
| Xero plan | Price (incl GST) | Notable inclusions |
|---|---|---|
| Ignite | A$37/month | 5 bills, payroll for 1 person, 30-day cash-flow forecast, basic document capture |
| Grow | A$78/month | Bill automation, payroll for 2, 60-day forecast, expenses for 1 user |
| Comprehensive | A$107/month | Payroll for 5, 90-day forecast, multi-currency, expenses for 5 users |
| Ultimate 10 / 20 / 50 / 100 | A$143 / A$180 / A$250 / A$300 a month | Payroll for 10 to 100 people, 180-day forecast, projects, KPIs |
| Ultra | A$500/month | Multi-entity consolidation and forecasting with Syft, payroll for 10 (extra $2 per employee) |
| MYOB plan | Regular price | Notable inclusions |
|---|---|---|
| MYOB Business Lite | A$315/year | For sole traders and businesses with up to 2 employees. Payroll extra $5/month per employee (max 2) |
| MYOB Business Pro | A$70/month | Unlimited bank accounts, sales orders, payroll for unlimited employees at $5/month each |
| MYOB Business AccountRight Plus | A$165/month | Unlimited inventory, unlimited payroll at no extra cost, priority support |
| MYOB Business AccountRight Premier | See MYOB | Adds multiple currencies and an additional business |
| MYOB Business Payroll Only | A$20/month | Standalone payroll for up to 4 employees |
How the plans line up for a new business
- Sole trader, no staff: MYOB Business Lite (A$315/year) costs much less over a year than Xero Ignite (A$37 × 12 = A$444). Check Ignite’s 5-bill limit against how many supplier bills you actually enter.
- Small business with 2–5 employees: Xero Comprehensive includes payroll for 5 people at A$107/month. MYOB Business Pro is A$70/month plus $5 per employee, so about A$95 with five employees. Xero Grow includes payroll for only 2 people.
- Inventory-heavy business: MYOB AccountRight Plus includes unlimited inventory. With Xero, many inventory businesses add a separate inventory app from the Xero App Store, which costs extra.
- Foreign-currency invoices: on Xero you need Comprehensive or above; on MYOB, AccountRight Premier.
Things that matter more than the price
- Your accountant’s preference. If your accountant or BAS agent already works in one platform, setup, year-end and advice are usually cheaper and faster on that platform.
- The apps you need. Check whether your must-have tools (a point of sale, an ecommerce connector, a job-management app) integrate natively. Both Xero and MYOB run app marketplaces. See our Xero apps and MYOB apps hubs.
- Desktop needs. MYOB notes that AccountRight Plus and Premier include some software that can be downloaded on Windows computers. Xero is browser and mobile only.
- Receipts. Xero includes smart document capture (and Hubdoc, per Xero’s app listing). MYOB includes receipt capture through its MYOB Assist app.
Our take
There’s no single winner. On regular prices, MYOB Lite is the cheapest way to get compliant books for a micro business. Xero’s mid-tier plans bundle payroll, forecasting and multi-currency in a way that can work out cheaper for a growing team. Use both free trials, enter a real month of transactions, and ask your accountant before you commit, because moving platforms later takes time.
Official links
General information only. This article is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice, and doesn’t consider your circumstances. Talk to your accountant or BAS/tax agent before changing systems.