NetSuite ERP vs. Xero

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
NetSuite ERP
Score 8.0 out of 10
N/A
NetSuite is a suite of ERP and accounting modules which is sold in various editions aimed at different size customers. The multi-country, multi-currency version is an additional module called OneWorld. Netsuite is a SaaS system and is not offered in an on-premise edition.N/A
Xero
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
Xero 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
NetSuite ERPXero
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Early
$13
per month
Growing
$37
per month
Established
$70
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
NetSuite ERPXero
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsUsers subscribe to NetSuite for an annual license fee. The license is made up of three main components: core platform, optional modules and the number of users. There is also a one-time implementation fee for initial setup. New modules and users and can be added as a business grows.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
NetSuite ERPXero
Considered Both Products
NetSuite ERP
Chose NetSuite ERP
NetSuite ERP isn't comparable to QuickBooks Online or Xero as they are lightweight software and NetSuite ERP can do quite a heavy lift. Sage Intacct wasn't as modern and reporting was more difficult.
Chose NetSuite ERP
While I wasn't directly involved in decision-making when our company selected NetSuite ERP (I was not yet with the company), I can provide insight into why it was chosen over other options. NetSuite ERP stood out from others at the time due to its comprehensive nature and …
Chose NetSuite ERP
Netsuite is more customizable and is better for a larger more complex business like ours.
Chose NetSuite ERP
NetSuite, by far, offers the most customizable, intuitive and user-friendly platform compared with its competition.

It's superior OneWorld offering for companies with multiple subsidiaries and direct integration with other areas of the business (sales, marketing, etc.) make it …
Chose NetSuite ERP
We use Xero in all of our other companies. I have used QuickBooks in the past. I have compared Netsuite to Xero in past responses so I won't rehash everything. The benefit of Netsuite is having all data and processes in one system with highly customizable reporting. The benefit …
Xero
Chose Xero
I've used a lot of different accounting systems. Many of them so big and powerful, but a hassle to get set up. Xero is light, inexpensive, and easy to use. When I originally selected them they seemed like they were developing new features at a quick rate as well. I was invited …
Chose Xero
Netsuite is very heavy, whilst Xero seems lighter in comparison, it's able to do a lot of what Netsuite can, provided you have the right external software to plug into it for the missing functionality. The biggest reason we moved from Netsuite, was cost. Xero is almost for …
Chose Xero
Both platforms have their strengths outside of Xero, but ultimately my familiarity and trust of the platform won the day. I believe Quickbooks has improved since the last time I evaluated it, but having deployed Xero in a number of firms, it is harder to make me switch because …
Chose Xero
We really liked Xero because it was incredibly affordable when compared to the other solutions that we evaluated. There are some things that need to be improved but overall it's a really enjoyable online accounting solution. I'm happy with my experience of Xero and I know there …
Chose Xero
I did a side by side with Quickbooks online and I find Xero is just much easier to jump in, get things done, and get out. They are very deliberate in the same way Apple is making sure that any feature added works extremely well and adds to the user experience. Very well thought …
Chose Xero
Xero is by far my top choice because of cost, simplicity, and online access. Netsuite is nice for one company I work with because of its integrated inventory, order management, and CRM modules and its flexible reporting options. However, Netsuite is much more costly and …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
NetSuite ERPXero
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
NetSuite ERP
1.1
15 Ratings
147% below category average
Xero
7.7
73 Ratings
3% above category average
Pay calculation1.013 Ratings7.965 Ratings
Benefit plan administration1.010 Ratings8.123 Ratings
Direct deposit files1.39 Ratings7.849 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings7.741 Ratings
Reimbursement management00 Ratings7.254 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
NetSuite ERP
9.1
74 Ratings
23% above category average
Xero
7.5
129 Ratings
6% above category average
API for custom integration9.264 Ratings7.779 Ratings
Plug-ins9.547 Ratings7.4116 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
NetSuite ERP
9.2
81 Ratings
12% above category average
Xero
8.0
164 Ratings
0% above category average
Single sign-on capability9.362 Ratings7.272 Ratings
Role-based user permissions9.280 Ratings8.8162 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
NetSuite ERP
9.3
72 Ratings
29% above category average
Xero
8.1
185 Ratings
7% above category average
Dashboards9.371 Ratings8.0181 Ratings
Standard reports9.370 Ratings8.3184 Ratings
Custom reports9.370 Ratings8.1164 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
NetSuite ERP
7.7
258 Ratings
1% above category average
Xero
7.4
194 Ratings
0% below category average
Accounts payable8.3252 Ratings8.8181 Ratings
Accounts receivable8.3233 Ratings9.0182 Ratings
Global Financial Support9.526 Ratings6.454 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers9.528 Ratings7.452 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations9.141 Ratings9.390 Ratings
Configurable Accounting9.535 Ratings5.459 Ratings
Standardized Processes9.537 Ratings5.859 Ratings
Cash management00 Ratings8.1166 Ratings
Bank reconciliation00 Ratings9.1189 Ratings
Expense management00 Ratings8.0172 Ratings
Time tracking00 Ratings7.963 Ratings
Fixed asset management00 Ratings7.9118 Ratings
Multi-currency support00 Ratings7.6113 Ratings
Multi-division support00 Ratings7.595 Ratings
Regulations compliance00 Ratings8.397 Ratings
Electronic tax filing00 Ratings8.998 Ratings
Self-service portal00 Ratings7.8109 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings5.840 Ratings
Localizations00 Ratings8.039 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting00 Ratings4.033 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework00 Ratings4.833 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
NetSuite ERP
8.8
48 Ratings
11% above category average
Xero
6.5
89 Ratings
8% below category average
Inventory tracking9.847 Ratings6.485 Ratings
Automatic reordering8.628 Ratings6.924 Ratings
Location management9.335 Ratings6.829 Ratings
Manufacturing module00 Ratings6.216 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
NetSuite ERP
8.8
207 Ratings
12% above category average
Xero
6.8
89 Ratings
8% below category average
Pricing9.353 Ratings6.762 Ratings
Order entry8.1203 Ratings6.856 Ratings
Credit card processing8.537 Ratings7.258 Ratings
Cost of goods sold8.848 Ratings7.266 Ratings
Order Orchestration9.521 Ratings6.521 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings6.424 Ratings
Order exception Resolution00 Ratings6.517 Ratings
Subledger and Financial Process
Comparison of Subledger and Financial Process features of Product A and Product B
NetSuite ERP
7.5
199 Ratings
1% above category average
Xero
-
Ratings
Billing Management8.3188 Ratings00 Ratings
Cash and Asset Management9.527 Ratings00 Ratings
Travel & Expense Management8.631 Ratings00 Ratings
Budgetary Control & Encumbrance Accounting8.627 Ratings00 Ratings
Period Close9.535 Ratings00 Ratings
Project Financial Management
Comparison of Project Financial Management features of Product A and Product B
NetSuite ERP
6.4
32 Ratings
17% below category average
Xero
-
Ratings
Budgeting and Forecasting5.926 Ratings00 Ratings
Project Costing5.923 Ratings00 Ratings
Cost Capture5.922 Ratings00 Ratings
Capital Project Management4.014 Ratings00 Ratings
Customer Contract Compliance9.513 Ratings00 Ratings
Project Revenue Recognition6.722 Ratings00 Ratings
Project Execution Management
Comparison of Project Execution Management features of Product A and Product B
NetSuite ERP
4.1
17 Ratings
50% below category average
Xero
-
Ratings
Project Planning and Scheduling8.614 Ratings00 Ratings
Task Insight for Project Managers3.311 Ratings00 Ratings
Project Mobile Functionality3.010 Ratings00 Ratings
Definable Resource Pools3.68 Ratings00 Ratings
Grants Management
Comparison of Grants Management features of Product A and Product B
NetSuite ERP
3.1
12 Ratings
84% below category average
Xero
-
Ratings
Award Lifecycle Management3.57 Ratings00 Ratings
Procurement
Comparison of Procurement features of Product A and Product B
NetSuite ERP
3.3
19 Ratings
71% below category average
Xero
-
Ratings
Bids Analyzed and Compared3.58 Ratings00 Ratings
Contract Authoring2.010 Ratings00 Ratings
Contract Repository3.58 Ratings00 Ratings
Requisitions-to-Purchase Orders Integrated3.613 Ratings00 Ratings
Supplier Management9.613 Ratings00 Ratings
Risk Management
Comparison of Risk Management features of Product A and Product B
NetSuite ERP
3.1
11 Ratings
71% below category average
Xero
-
Ratings
Risk Repository3.58 Ratings00 Ratings
Control Management2.011 Ratings00 Ratings
Control Efficiency Assessments3.57 Ratings00 Ratings
Issue Detection3.58 Ratings00 Ratings
Remediation and Certification3.58 Ratings00 Ratings
Logistics
Comparison of Logistics features of Product A and Product B
NetSuite ERP
3.0
17 Ratings
78% below category average
Xero
-
Ratings
Transportation Planning and Optimization2.89 Ratings00 Ratings
Transportation Execution Management2.88 Ratings00 Ratings
Trade and Customs Management2.88 Ratings00 Ratings
Fulfillment Management9.514 Ratings00 Ratings
Warehouse Workforce Management2.511 Ratings00 Ratings
Manufacturing
Comparison of Manufacturing features of Product A and Product B
NetSuite ERP
9.0
16 Ratings
18% above category average
Xero
-
Ratings
Production Process Design8.612 Ratings00 Ratings
Production Management8.614 Ratings00 Ratings
Configuration Management9.510 Ratings00 Ratings
Work Execution9.512 Ratings00 Ratings
Manufacturing Costs8.614 Ratings00 Ratings
Supply Chain
Comparison of Supply Chain features of Product A and Product B
NetSuite ERP
7.9
132 Ratings
9% above category average
Xero
-
Ratings
Forecasting7.917 Ratings00 Ratings
Inventory Planning7.3129 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance Monitoring8.614 Ratings00 Ratings
Product Lifecycle Management
Comparison of Product Lifecycle Management features of Product A and Product B
NetSuite ERP
3.8
13 Ratings
63% below category average
Xero
-
Ratings
Proposal Management2.610 Ratings00 Ratings
Product Master Data Management3.29 Ratings00 Ratings
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NetSuite ERPXero
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Score 9.1 out of 10
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Infor VISUAL
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Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
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User Ratings
NetSuite ERPXero
Likelihood to Recommend
8.5
(356 ratings)
8.6
(209 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.2
(49 ratings)
9.9
(32 ratings)
Usability
8.6
(231 ratings)
8.8
(134 ratings)
Availability
9.0
(16 ratings)
9.0
(10 ratings)
Performance
8.0
(15 ratings)
10.0
(8 ratings)
Support Rating
7.1
(215 ratings)
9.0
(36 ratings)
In-Person Training
7.3
(2 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Online Training
6.4
(10 ratings)
10.0
(5 ratings)
Implementation Rating
6.4
(17 ratings)
7.3
(10 ratings)
Configurability
8.7
(5 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
7.3
(3 ratings)
6.7
(94 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.0
(8 ratings)
10.0
(6 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
4.8
(2 ratings)
9.0
(2 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
5.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
NetSuite ERPXero
Likelihood to Recommend
NetSuite
Really in this hybrid environment, being up in the cloud and being able to securely access the data and work from anywhere, I think it's a real game changer for my team. So I really like the fact that NetSuite keeps up with security features and allows users to access it from anywhere.
Read full review
Xero
If they are using foreign exchange I always use Xero. If I need reporting to be customized we always use Xero. If the client is already working in a software and it is working for them we will leave them in the software they are in.
Read full review
Pros
NetSuite
  • NetSuite does analytics very well.
  • They do reporting very well. I love the ability to have control over how the information flows through my NetSuite, my user roles, and my responsibilities. I can assign certain tasks to certain people, and they do that and then also have the control to approve that and make sure it's done correctly.
  • Just being able to drill down into a particular GL account or into a particular line item and see what really makes that up and what's driving our certain costs.
Read full review
Xero
  • Their method of moving between screens was very logical and intuitive which is not a "given" attribute among software packages.
  • Finding transactions was relatively easy with just common sense.
  • The use of this software was generally well received in that the accountants did not discredit the software as cheap, poorly organized, or timely to learn. No one at Corporate had a vendetta against using Xero.
  • It does a good job of allowing the users to drill down to the final detail of an account balance - which is fundamental to the accounting department's needs.
Read full review
Cons
NetSuite
  • Honestly, right now, my biggest pain point is kind of our own doing, but I would appreciate a little bit more support and help in the area of performance management and kind of understanding how our application is built, what are the best choices for customizing or solving a problem in terms of performance, because our company is rather large, we have a lot of data coming in and out, and that has been an issue for us recently.
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Xero
  • I would like to have the ability to sign up a holding company and all its trading entities under one subscription, in order to have amalgamated and separate accounting records and reports for each trading entity.
  • This is pertaining to my own Xero business clients: I would like to have a full featured, customizable practice client support /ticketing and task manager system, with reminders that can be sent to my clients and my team for various tasks due.
  • I would like Xero to have a cheaper option for their packages that include invoicing and related documents, as in my country we have options with an opposition accounting firm that offers a subscription where clients can create up to 2000 invoices per year for free.
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Likelihood to Renew
NetSuite
NetSuite is able to cover all of our needs, spanning multiple departments and managerial levels. We use it daily for a multitude of functions, including creating promotions, estimating inventory, pulling historical reports, forecasting sales, and more. Overall, we're very satisfied with NetSuite as an ERP solution and recommend it to medium to large businesses.
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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.
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Usability
NetSuite
I have given this rating due to below use cases: - Order Management - Advanced Revenue Management - Invoicing - Automated Billing - Inbound and Outbound Integrations with applications such as Salesforce, Zip, Stripe, Mavenlink, Avalara, Floquast - Project management and billing - Training -Customer Support - Knowledge Article Support
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Xero
Xero has all the features that you need, basically. From chart of accounts, reconciling books, to making annual financial reports. What I'm currently looking for Xero right now is to provide more broader integration with the other apps so we can use it for customer-facing experience also. All in all, everything works well!
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Reliability and Availability
NetSuite
It has been very reliable. I can only think of 1-2 times in 4.5 years that we have had issues getting in, and in each case were able to get back in within 1 hour. There has not been a major downtime
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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.
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Performance
NetSuite
Most of the time the performance is very good. Pages load in a few seconds; financial reports take less than 5 seconds; basic searches take a few seconds. But performance can be sporadic throughout the day and cause the run time to triple.
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Xero
Pages generally load quickly, but it's a fairly common occurrence to have pages taking a bit longer than I'd like to load (as in, 4+ seconds). Occasionally I have to refresh a page to get it to work. Bank feed and integrations tend to be slow in general, but that could easily be due to API latency on the side of the other parties. Most of the time, though, the bank feeds refresh before I login so it's not a huge problem. Not necessarily good performance compared to a local app like QuickBooks desktop, but definitely good performance for a cloud application. Room for growth? yes.
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Support Rating
NetSuite
The account rep changes quite often, which requires restarting. Suite Answers is a very good tool but can be hard to use for somebody who is not fully confident with Netsuite. Asking questions that are not already answered in Suite Answers can be rough. Training is readily available, but most of the time stays on the surface and doesn't answer medium to more advanced questions.
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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.
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In-Person Training
NetSuite
I had in person training for a day when first got the software. The training was good. The challenge was that there was a large gap between training and when we went live so we forgot quite a lot
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Xero
The format was great; someone was there to ask questions or help if you were stuck.
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Online Training
NetSuite
Online training is quite strong. I have used for specific pieces of functionality.However it is not sufficient in all areas.
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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.
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Implementation Rating
NetSuite
I felt NetSuite Professional Services did an excellent job of guiding us in the implementation. I also felt our internal teams were a little resistant to the change and engagement of new software. Had we performed better engaging and buying into the new software, I would be able to rate the implementation better. Therefore, the lower number should not be viewed as a deficiency with the software or the professional services teams, but as an reminder of how important complete buy-in from the local users is.
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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.
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Alternatives Considered
NetSuite
Well, the reason why I'm with NetSuite is because obviously it beats out those other options quite considerably. It gave us the whole ecosystem that gave us everything we needed. I didn't need a dedicated administrator whose full-time job is to deal with it like our current system would need to really be useful. I can find people or train people how to use it right away. So for us, that really beats it out compared to the Sage and QuickBooks where we were looking at it from a perspective of, yeah, we can find people who are experts in those fields. They don't scale up to the size that we need as we're going to really quickly go from R&D company into doing tens of millions of dollars a year in revenue and activities. So that's where it beats us out over say Sage or QuickBooks is it's got that complete scalability. We can go to multiple subsidiaries, foreign currency, not a problem. It's got that full functionality.
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Xero
I've used a lot of different accounting systems. Many of them so big and powerful, but a hassle to get set up. Xero is light, inexpensive, and easy to use. When I originally selected them they seemed like they were developing new features at a quick rate as well. I was invited to be part of focus sessions to make the product better. That part has slowed down significantly though.
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Scalability
NetSuite
We have been able to scale our business 25X without any major overhaul with Netsuite. Its dashboard setup makes onboarding new employees very easy and allows data to be shared across multiple offices. Its cloud setup does not put any pressure on IT to scale servers or other infrastructure. We have been able to become much more efficient in all aspects of the business.
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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
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Return on Investment
NetSuite
  • Positive impact, again, it's our source of truth, so we are able to not have questions about how much money we have in the bank or do we have enough material to build this job. Being able to know those things immediately is super valuable.
  • I mean it's the grease that skids the wheels that gets us to accomplish the things that we do in our business.
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Xero
  • Saved many hours through automatic invoices and followups
  • Saved many hours by allowing transactions to start via bank feeds (ie I don't have to input a transaction and mark it against what is in the bank/cc account; rather, the transaction in the account is where you input the transaction into the books.
  • Has the scalability my business requires, and not much more.
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ScreenShots

NetSuite ERP Screenshots

Screenshot of one view into the most critical business processes.Screenshot of Mobile-friendly design

Xero Screenshots

Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of