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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Ignition

    Score8.5 out of 10
    N/AIgnition is a platform for professional services that automates and optimizes proposals, client agreements, billing and payment collection to put an end to late payments, unbilled work and mundane repetitive admin.

    $49

    per month

    Xero

    Score8.4 out of 10
    N/AXero is an online accounting software product for small businesses and personal finance. Its features beyond general ledger and double-bookkeeping include quotable invoicing, bank reconciliation, purchase order and expense management, and tax management. Third party apps can extend its features further.

    $13

    per month

    Pricing
    IgnitionXero
    Editions & Modules
    Solo
    $49
    per month
    Core
    $149
    per month
    Pro
    $249
    per month
    Pro+
    $499
    per month
    Early
    $13
    per month
    Growing
    $37
    per month
    Established
    $70
    per month
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    IgnitionXero
    Free Trial
    YesYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsDiscount available for annual pricing.Prices in table are in USD and just apply to the US - other markets & prices are listed below: Canada - Starter $18 CAD/month, Standard $45 CAD/month, Premium 5 $58 CAD/month UK - Starter £14/month, Standard £28/month, Premium £36/month AU - Starter $29 AUD/month, Standard $59 AUD/month, Premium 5 $76 AUD/month NZ - Starter $31 NZD/month, Standard $66 NZD/month, Premium $84 NZD/month
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    IgnitionXero
    Considered Both Products
    Ignition
    Chose Ignition
    You aren't able to customize the design of the proposal, but it surpases everything we have ever tried. It's easy to use and quick to learn.
    Incentivized
    Xero
    Chose Xero
    Xero is a million times better than handisoft. Firstly, it is cloud based so you can access it from anywhere you have internet connection which has been great during the working from home era of the pandemic. Secondly, its client data base is much easier to search and edit …
    Incentivized
    Chose Xero
    Previously exclusively a desktop QuickBooks "shop". Hate the version control issues and need to collect and transfer data files to get source documents. Auto bank downloads clunky and not as intuitive as Xero bank recon features. Few clients use FreshBooks - nice customer …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    93%
    Would buy again
    160 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    94%
    Delivers good value for the price
    153 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    93%
    Happy with the feature set
    160 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    94%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    131 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    99%
    Implementation went as expected
    149 Answers
    Features
    IgnitionXero
    Proposal Creation & Organization
    Comparison of Proposal Creation & Organization features of Ignition and Xero
    Feature
    Ignition
    8.9
    3 Ratings
    13% above category average
    Xero
    -
    Ratings
    Proposal branding8.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Proposal templates9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Proposal content library updates9.52 Ratings00 Ratings
    Searchable proposal database9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Proposal Collaboration & Workflow
    Comparison of Proposal Collaboration & Workflow features of Ignition and Xero
    Feature
    Ignition
    8.4
    3 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Xero
    -
    Ratings
    Proposal collaboration & approval8.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    User permissions/proposal editing controls7.52 Ratings00 Ratings
    Sales proposal workflow10.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Proposal automation user interface8.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Proposal Delivery
    Comparison of Proposal Delivery features of Ignition and Xero
    Feature
    Ignition
    8.3
    3 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Xero
    -
    Ratings
    Proposal distribution9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Interactive proposals8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Proposal content tracking8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of Ignition and Xero
    Feature
    Ignition
    -
    Ratings
    Xero
    7.5
    73 Ratings
    1% below category average
    Pay calculation00 Ratings8.065 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration00 Ratings8.023 Ratings
    Direct deposit files00 Ratings7.249 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings7.141 Ratings
    Reimbursement management00 Ratings7.054 Ratings
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of Ignition and Xero
    Feature
    Ignition
    -
    Ratings
    Xero
    8.0
    169 Ratings
    6% above category average
    API for custom integration00 Ratings7.979 Ratings
    Plug-ins00 Ratings8.1156 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of Ignition and Xero
    Feature
    Ignition
    -
    Ratings
    Xero
    7.1
    213 Ratings
    14% below category average
    Single sign-on capability00 Ratings5.572 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions00 Ratings8.7211 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Ignition and Xero
    Feature
    Ignition
    -
    Ratings
    Xero
    8.3
    241 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Dashboards00 Ratings8.3237 Ratings
    Standard reports00 Ratings8.9239 Ratings
    Custom reports00 Ratings7.9212 Ratings
    General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
    Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Ignition and Xero
    Feature
    Ignition
    -
    Ratings
    Xero
    8.3
    251 Ratings
    8% above category average
    Accounts payable00 Ratings8.0229 Ratings
    Accounts receivable00 Ratings8.1234 Ratings
    Cash management00 Ratings7.7217 Ratings
    Bank reconciliation00 Ratings8.6244 Ratings
    Expense management00 Ratings7.8224 Ratings
    Time tracking00 Ratings6.387 Ratings
    Fixed asset management00 Ratings7.7152 Ratings
    Multi-currency support00 Ratings7.9149 Ratings
    Multi-division support00 Ratings7.4129 Ratings
    Regulations compliance00 Ratings8.3131 Ratings
    Electronic tax filing00 Ratings8.6134 Ratings
    Self-service portal00 Ratings7.7153 Ratings
    Global Financial Support00 Ratings7.884 Ratings
    Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings7.881 Ratings
    Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings10.040 Ratings
    Localizations00 Ratings10.039 Ratings
    Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings10.090 Ratings
    Enterprise Accounting00 Ratings10.033 Ratings
    Configurable Accounting00 Ratings10.059 Ratings
    Centralized Rules Framework00 Ratings6.033 Ratings
    Standardized Processes00 Ratings8.059 Ratings
    Inventory Management
    Comparison of Inventory Management features of Ignition and Xero
    Feature
    Ignition
    -
    Ratings
    Xero
    6.3
    119 Ratings
    14% below category average
    Inventory tracking00 Ratings7.1115 Ratings
    Automatic reordering00 Ratings6.224 Ratings
    Location management00 Ratings6.229 Ratings
    Manufacturing module00 Ratings6.016 Ratings
    Order Management
    Comparison of Order Management features of Ignition and Xero
    Feature
    Ignition
    -
    Ratings
    Xero
    7.3
    89 Ratings
    1% below category average
    Pricing00 Ratings10.062 Ratings
    Order entry00 Ratings10.056 Ratings
    Credit card processing00 Ratings6.358 Ratings
    Cost of goods sold00 Ratings6.366 Ratings
    Order Orchestration00 Ratings6.121 Ratings
    End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings6.124 Ratings
    Order exception Resolution00 Ratings6.117 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    IgnitionXero
    Small Businesses
    Qwilr
    Score8.1 out of 10
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Score4.2 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    No answers on this topic
    MYOB
    Score8.3 out of 10
    Enterprises
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft Dynamics GP
    Score5.4 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    IgnitionXero
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.0
    (3 ratings)
    8.3
    (266 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    -
    (0 ratings)
    4.7
    (38 ratings)
    Usability
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.3
    (192 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    3.1
    (12 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (10 ratings)
    Support Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.6
    (40 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (6 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.6
    (13 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.1
    (3 ratings)
    CPA Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (10 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.4
    (150 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (8 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.5
    (4 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.5
    (4 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    IgnitionXero
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Ignition
    Ignition (initially called Practice Ignition) performs quite well at proposal building, contract development, tracking and invoicing, payment and collections. The only issues where I see Ignition not being a good fit is in smaller firms that require a more feature rich plan. A perfect example is a solo firm has a limited number of proposals they can activate, and would have to spend extra for additional features like multiple e-signatures.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Xero
    The only time I wouldn't be suggesting it is to consultants or solopreneurs. I think it's too overwhelming unless you are experienced or have a background related to finance. So it's not that the product isn't powerful, it's that it can be too powerful. For all other size businesses it really is what you need to use to make life simple to track everything in your business. It definitely saves me time by having it all in one place and not multiple spreadsheets etc
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Ignition
    • Automatic Payments: You set up a proposal to collect payments once and you don't have to worry about bugging the client for payment every month.
    • Amazing support: I have always received answers from the support team within the same day. They are very patient and understanding.
    • Integrates with Xero: It integrates with our accounting software, making reporting faster.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Xero
    • The bank feed integration makes reconciling transactions easy
    • Once you load a template for your invoices, every client gets a professional looking invoice
    • Bill paying and tracking of payments is also easy; you load your bill into Xero, pay it through the bank, and when the transaction is completed it comes through on bank feeds. If you need to query when a bill was paid, it is all there in Xero
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Ignition
    • The charge back process is messy and not transparent enough. When there is a charge back, PI deducts the amount from other payments settling on the same day, and does not provide a break down of the amounts. This makes it impossible to track without getting help from support.
    • PI should send email alerts monthly (or at some interval determined by user) for expiring engagements.
    • PI should allow the client to make service selections -- we should be able to offer 2 or 3 options under a service offering, and the client chooses and sees the impact on monthly/annual pricing.
    • PI should allow for more than 2 templates (Business and Individual).
    • PI should integrate with Jet Pack Workflow to automate the creation of new jobs once a proposal is approved.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Xero
    • Having different email addresses for different parts of a customer's business (eg invoices and statements to different places)
    • Easily seeing the text of emails that have been sent through Xero
    • More easily archiving old pay items. Our HR software updates rates when awards are updated which means a lot of old pay rates are in the system and they have multiple clicks to archive each one. Clicking the ones to archive in bulk and then just click archive for all would be much more efficient.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Ignition
    No answers on this topic
    Xero
    In addition to the matters covered in this review, my reason for renewing this product is that Xero's functionality and the constant updates that the company provides, makes the software even more business friendly. The software therefore builds a brand loyalty among customers.
    Read full review
    Usability
    Ignition
    The Ignition product is quite usable for the average user. The app has preloaded templates that can get even new-hires to navigate the software and set up proposals. The only area where I see the Ignition product lacking is the additional fees smaller firms may have to pay to get the full feature advantages of the product.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Xero
    As a standalone software, it allows users to fulfill most of the basic functions (e.g. transaction input and report generation) simply and conveniently. It also allows for multiple APIs to help augment various tasks that accounting-adjacent (e.g. claims processing). The cloud based model and portability to mobile devices allows tasks to be carried out in a more convenient way.
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Ignition
    No answers on this topic
    Xero
    We have been actively using and 100% Xero based for our ecommerce accounting practice for over 4 years. There has on been one real outage for more than 5 minutes. Xero was open and transparent about the outage, what they were doing to resolve the issue, and provided 15 minute updates. Showing how they care about their customers and partners. Plus, showing that their customers care too, were understanding, and went surfing or in our case took a nap. Couldn't run our business without Xero as a partner.
    Read full review
    Performance
    Ignition
    No answers on this topic
    Xero
    On a good day, things worked but after upgrades, things began to slow and or not work at all at times. I coined the moving circle while I waited as the "Xero Wheel of Death". Sometimes it never stopped and force quitting was necessary.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Ignition
    No answers on this topic
    Xero
    Always respond and keep issues open until you are satisfied with the result. Generally good responses, in the past, I had some support responses that were really basic and really annoying. They type where "have your tried restarting your computer" style of answers. Well, of course, I went through all the basics before contacting them. Duh, but I suppose not everyone does. Otherwise, it would be a 10. The last year has shown a marked improvement in the support responses however.
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    Ignition
    No answers on this topic
    Xero
    The format was great; someone was there to ask questions or help if you were stuck.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Online Training
    Ignition
    No answers on this topic
    Xero
    All of Xero's training is online and available for anyone (business owner or accountants) to learn and become experts in their system. There is a range of content from product training to real world webinars from their partners. Xero is beautiful accounting software and their training is the same.
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Ignition
    No answers on this topic
    Xero
    If it can be done, time the implementation near a new fiscal year so you can start clean. Otherwise, you have to go back and do historical data from the beginning of the fiscal year, which can be brain draining.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Ignition
    You aren't able to customize the design of the proposal, but it surpases everything we have ever tried. It's easy to use and quick to learn.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Xero
    Each of the products I listed had their own list of drawbacks, but the one thing they all had in common, which was right on top of that list of drawbacks, was ease of use. I struggled to get myself accustomed to each system and struggled, but when it came to getting a client to even try and use it was when the true struggle started. Just found it easier to make use of Xero from the very beginning.
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Ignition
    No answers on this topic
    Xero
    I have yet to fully stress test the product given the size of the company where I am using it. I am sure as we scale to more customers, more vendors and more reporting requirements, I will have a better understanding of what it is capable of in terms of bandwidth and processing
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Ignition
    • We have reduced our A/R by 60% and expect to completely eliminate A/R by the end of this year.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Xero
    • Xero is a basic accounting system that performs basic accounting tasks easily and accurately. For that, it provides a positive impact on our day to day accounting operations.
    • Because of Xero's basic structure, I feel it lacks some of the sophistication that some users want and need. The ability to create unique custom reports would enhance the impact Xero would have on meeting business objectives by providing current and useful accounting information.
    • In my opinion, Xero's lack of focus on their customers - their users - is a real issue with me. In my opinion, those of us that are in the trenches that work with the system on a daily basis have to deal with the shortcomings of the system with the knowledge that Xero support refuses to address the operational issues that make their user's lives difficult. I feel if Xero would focus on truly making their software better from a users point of view, it has the potential to be a great system.
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Ignition Screenshots

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    Xero Screenshots

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