QuickBooks vs Xero for Shopify: Compare and Connect
QuickBooks vs Xero for Shopify comes down to three things: how many people need access, whether you sell in several currencies, and how your Shopify sales reach the books. Xero prices by plan with no per-user fees and includes multi-currency on its top US plan; QuickBooks Online prices by plan with a user limit on each. The bigger decision is the connector: one that posts every order, or one that posts a summary per payout, which is what matches your bank deposit.
Prices are as Xero’s and Intuit’s US pricing pages showed them on October 23, 2026, and app details as their Shopify App Store listings showed them that day. This is a software comparison, not tax or accounting advice.
QuickBooks vs Xero for a Shopify store
| QuickBooks Online (US) | Xero (US) | |
|---|---|---|
| Plans and list prices | Simple Start $38/month, Essentials $85, Plus $140, Advanced $340 (a free plan exists too) | Early $27/month, Growing $59, Established $97 |
| Users | 1 on Simple Start, 3 on Essentials, 5 on Plus, 25 on Advanced | No per-user license fees |
| Multi-currency | Not stated on the pricing page | Included on Established |
| Introductory offers on Oct 23, 2026 | 50% off for 3 months on paid plans | 90% off for the first 6 months, until November 2, 2026 |
| Payroll | Not compared here | Add-on, $36/month plus $6 per person |
| Shopify connection | Connector apps from the Shopify App Store | Xero’s own free Shopify app, or connector apps |
If two or three people need access and you sell in one currency, both work; compare the plans that fit your user count. If you sell in several currencies, Xero states it plainly on its Established plan, while for QuickBooks you need to confirm which plan includes it before choosing.
Two ways the sync works
Per order. Each Shopify order becomes a sale in your accounting software. You see every order in the books, which helps if you need customer-level detail. The downside is hundreds of entries a month, none of them matches the deposit in your bank, because Shopify pays out net of fees and refunds.
Per payout (summary). The connector posts one summary for each Shopify payout: sales, refunds, fees, taxes and the net amount. That summary matches the deposit line in your bank feed, so reconciliation is one match per payout. Our Shopify bookkeeping guide shows the entries behind one payout.
For a small store the summary method is easier to keep clean. Per-order sync suits stores that invoice business customers individually or need each sale as a document.
Connector apps compared
| App | Works with | How it posts | Price on the listing | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xero (by Xero) | Xero | Daily summary of sales and payments, or individual orders; matches payouts to Xero bank feeds; up to 90 days of history | Free to install | 4.6 (68 reviews) |
| A2X | QuickBooks Online, Xero, Sage, NetSuite | Payout summaries | From $29/month (200 orders) | 4.9 (360) |
| Link My Books | Xero, QuickBooks Online | Shopify payouts with sales, refunds, fees and taxes broken down | From $21/month (200 orders) | 4.8 (44) |
| Bold QuickBooks Sync Pro | QuickBooks Online | Orders and refunds, daily sales summary, payout fees | From $19.99/month (200 orders, then $0.15 each) | 3.2 (168) |
Xero’s own app is the only free option here. A2X and Link My Books price by monthly orders, so check your busiest month.
Set-up checklist
- Chart of accounts first. Create accounts for Shopify sales, shipping income, refunds, merchant fees, sales tax or VAT payable, and a Shopify clearing account.
- Map taxes. Tell the connector which tax rates in Shopify map to which tax codes in your books. A wrong mapping stays hidden until you prepare a tax return.
- Map fees and payment methods. Shopify Payments, PayPal and other gateways each pay out separately; give each its own clearing account.
- Gift cards. Map gift card sales to a liability account, not to revenue; they become revenue when redeemed.
- Decide on history. Import only from a clean start date, such as the beginning of your financial year, rather than everything at once.
- Run a test month. Reconcile one month’s payouts against the bank before you trust the sync.
- B2B? Shopify’s Spring ’26 Edition says QuickBooks now natively supports B2B, syncing B2B orders and PO numbers. If you sell wholesale on Shopify, check what that covers before adding a connector.
Collected sales tax obligations are explained in Shopify sales tax, and the costs on your Shopify bill in Shopify fees. Our other money topics are in the running a store hub.
Frequently asked questions
Does Shopify integrate with QuickBooks? Yes, through connector apps from the Shopify App Store, such as A2X, Link My Books or Bold QuickBooks Sync Pro, which post Shopify sales, fees and refunds to QuickBooks Online. Shopify’s Spring ’26 Edition also lists native QuickBooks support for B2B orders.
Is the Xero app for Shopify free? Xero’s own Shopify app is free to install according to its listing on October 23, 2026, and it can sync a daily summary or individual orders and match payouts to your bank feed. You still pay for your Xero subscription.
Which is better for multi-currency, QuickBooks or Xero? Xero’s US pricing page lists multi-currency on its Established plan. Intuit’s pricing page does not state which QuickBooks Online plans include it, so confirm with Intuit before choosing if you sell in several currencies.
Should I sync every Shopify order or a summary per payout? A summary per payout matches the deposit in your bank and keeps the books short, which suits a small store. Sync individual orders if you need each sale as a separate document, for example when you invoice business customers.