What actually matters when choosing accounting and payroll software in Australia, and how to avoid paying for features you won't use.
The main difference between plans is how many people you can pay. Ignite also caps invoices (20) and bills (5) each month. Multi-currency starts at Comprehensive. Xero bills monthly, and prices rose on 1 July 2026.
Once you're onboarding staff regularly, managing rosters or juggling award rules, a platform like Employment Hero puts payroll, HR documents and rostering together. It's priced per employee, so compare the total cost with Xero's payroll.
| Xero plan | Price/month | People paid | Key limits & extras | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ignite | $37 | 1 | 20 invoices and 5 bills a month | Sole traders starting out |
| Grow | $78 | 2 | Unlimited invoices and bills | Small service businesses |
| Comprehensive | $107 | 5 | Multi-currency, 90-day cash-flow forecast | Growing teams, importers |
| Ultimate 10 / 20 | $143 / $180 | 10 / 20 | Projects, KPIs, longer forecasts | Established SMEs |
| Ultimate 50 / 100 | $250 / $300 | 50 / 100 | As above | Larger payrolls |