What users are saying about
109 Ratings
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Based on 109 reviews and ratings
Xero
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Top Rated
530 Ratings
<a href='https://www.trustradius.com/static/about-trustradius-scoring' target='_blank' rel='nofollow noopener'>trScore algorithm: Learn more.</a>Score 8.7 out of 100
Based on 530 reviews and ratings
Feature Set Ratings
- QuickBooks Desktop for Mac ranks higher in 5 feature sets: Payroll Management, Security, Reporting & Analytics, Inventory Management, Order Management
- Xero ranks higher in 2 feature sets: Customization, General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Payroll Management

9.9
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
99%
8.3
Xero
83%
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac ranks higher in 5/5 features
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac ranks higher in 5/5 features
Pay calculation

9.9
99%
9 Ratings
8.2
82%
64 Ratings
Benefit plan administration

9.9
99%
6 Ratings
8.2
82%
23 Ratings
Direct deposit files

9.9
99%
8 Ratings
8.9
89%
49 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management

9.9
99%
5 Ratings
8.8
88%
41 Ratings
Reimbursement management

10.0
100%
7 Ratings
7.6
76%
54 Ratings
Customization

6.1
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
61%
7.7
Xero
77%
Xero ranks higher in 2/2 features
Xero ranks higher in 2/2 features
API for custom integration

6.0
60%
7 Ratings
7.3
73%
78 Ratings
Plug-ins

6.2
62%
10 Ratings
8.1
81%
85 Ratings
Security

9.8
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
98%
8.6
Xero
86%
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac ranks higher in 2/2 features
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac ranks higher in 2/2 features
Single sign-on capability

9.8
98%
20 Ratings
8.7
87%
72 Ratings
Role-based user permissions

9.8
98%
17 Ratings
8.4
84%
114 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics

9.7
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
97%
8.2
Xero
82%
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac ranks higher in 3/3 features
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac ranks higher in 3/3 features
Dashboards

9.6
96%
19 Ratings
8.0
80%
129 Ratings
Standard reports

9.8
98%
22 Ratings
8.7
87%
132 Ratings
Custom reports

9.8
98%
22 Ratings
7.9
79%
121 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting

5.2
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
52%
8.0
Xero
80%
Xero ranks higher in 21/21 features
Xero ranks higher in 21/21 features
Accounts payable

6.8
68%
24 Ratings
8.7
87%
130 Ratings
Accounts receivable

6.8
68%
23 Ratings
8.7
87%
131 Ratings
Cash management

5.6
56%
18 Ratings
8.1
81%
121 Ratings
Bank reconciliation

7.1
71%
24 Ratings
8.9
89%
137 Ratings
Expense management

5.7
57%
20 Ratings
8.1
81%
125 Ratings
Time tracking

5.6
56%
12 Ratings
6.9
69%
42 Ratings
Fixed asset management

5.6
56%
14 Ratings
7.2
72%
86 Ratings
Multi-currency support

1.6
16%
10 Ratings
8.2
82%
82 Ratings
Multi-division support

5.5
55%
11 Ratings
7.5
75%
74 Ratings
Regulations compliance

5.6
56%
10 Ratings
8.3
83%
67 Ratings
Electronic tax filing

6.7
67%
15 Ratings
8.3
83%
65 Ratings
Self-service portal

5.6
56%
13 Ratings
7.8
78%
80 Ratings
Global Financial Support

1.5
15%
7 Ratings
8.1
81%
36 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers

5.6
56%
13 Ratings
7.8
78%
34 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting

5.4
54%
14 Ratings
7.4
74%
40 Ratings
Localizations

1.1
11%
6 Ratings
8.2
82%
40 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations

5.8
58%
17 Ratings
8.7
87%
89 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting

5.5
55%
5 Ratings
7.4
74%
33 Ratings
Configurable Accounting

5.5
55%
9 Ratings
8.3
83%
59 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework

5.5
55%
9 Ratings
8.0
80%
33 Ratings
Standardized Processes

5.6
56%
13 Ratings
8.4
84%
59 Ratings
Inventory Management

7.6
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
76%
6.8
Xero
68%
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac ranks higher in 2/4 features
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac ranks higher in 2/4 features
Inventory tracking

5.7
57%
14 Ratings
6.1
61%
60 Ratings
Automatic reordering

7.8
78%
10 Ratings
7.0
70%
24 Ratings
Location management

7.0
70%
9 Ratings
7.7
77%
29 Ratings
Manufacturing module

10.0
100%
8 Ratings
6.3
63%
16 Ratings
Order Management

8.2
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
82%
7.7
Xero
77%
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac ranks higher in 4/7 features
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac ranks higher in 4/7 features
Pricing

9.8
98%
17 Ratings
7.3
73%
61 Ratings
Order entry

9.9
99%
16 Ratings
7.8
78%
56 Ratings
Credit card processing

9.7
97%
17 Ratings
8.6
86%
57 Ratings
Cost of goods sold

9.7
97%
16 Ratings
8.1
81%
65 Ratings
Order Orchestration

5.7
57%
6 Ratings
7.3
73%
21 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility

6.7
67%
7 Ratings
7.4
74%
24 Ratings
Order exception Resolution

5.6
56%
6 Ratings
7.4
74%
17 Ratings
Attribute Ratings
- Xero is rated higher in 5 areas: Likelihood to Recommend, Likelihood to Renew, Usability, Support Rating, Implementation Rating
- QuickBooks Desktop for Mac and Xero are tied in 1 area: Availability
Likelihood to Recommend

7.1
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
71%
32 Ratings
8.8
Xero
88%
155 Ratings
Likelihood to Renew

8.0
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
80%
9 Ratings
8.8
Xero
88%
29 Ratings
Usability

5.3
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
53%
6 Ratings
8.9
Xero
89%
80 Ratings
Availability

9.0
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
90%
2 Ratings
9.0
Xero
90%
20 Ratings
Performance

QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
N/A
0 Ratings
10.0
Xero
100%
16 Ratings
Support Rating

5.3
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
53%
5 Ratings
7.1
Xero
71%
37 Ratings
In-Person Training

QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
N/A
0 Ratings
9.1
Xero
91%
1 Rating
Online Training

QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
N/A
0 Ratings
10.0
Xero
100%
5 Ratings
Implementation Rating

5.0
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
50%
2 Ratings
9.5
Xero
95%
18 Ratings
Product Scalability

QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
N/A
0 Ratings
10.0
Xero
100%
6 Ratings
Likelihood to Recommend
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
If you're a freelancer or running a very small business where you do your own bookkeeping I think this is a great option, especially if you're familiar with accounting and bookkeeping in general. If you're not so familiar with bookkeeping, I would say that the learning curve is too steep and you might want to look elsewhere for a more intuitive solution
Owner/Producer/Audio Engineer/Musician/Entrepreneur
Harmony Studios Inc.Music, 1-10 employees
Xero
Xero is a 10-point software since it streamlines accounting and financial processes with great agility, generating immediate productivity. I recommend using all its features since, from creating reports to paying bills, the whole process is easy and does not require much knowledge. We can use it remotely with our phones and still build fluidity, plus it can be integrated with Salesforce, building even more power for short-term results.
Senior Account Manager
Arrow ElectronicsInformation Technology & Services, 10,001+ employees
Pros
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
- The program is very easy to learn, the interface is incredibly user-friendly and there are tons of free resources and tutorials available
- It makes managing payroll really easy for the employee and accountant on staff. No more lost time sheets or late paychecks!
- Managing bills and paying them has become streamlined and it's great having everything in one place so we don't lose track of things.

Verified User
Employee in Professional Services
Environmental Services Company, 1-10 employeesXero
- Reporting (customizing look and contents and the ability to add multiple comparative periods is brilliant and not found in many other competitors.
- Bank feeds. The way they organize bank feed and subsequent matching or coding is very user-friendly for non-accountants and fast for accountants.
- Can file VAT returns and is MTD compliant in UK.
- Customer support has been helpful (at least in my experience).
Senior Accountant
Tax Shop AccountantsAccounting, 11-50 employees
Cons
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
- The #1 complaint is that setting it up right is a challenge. People waste time trying to figure it out only to realize that they don't know accounting so of course they don't know how an accounting program should be set up. Like any time you are in over your head, reach out to your network and find someone who can log onto your computer and walk you through it.
- If you need to track the cost of wages to jobs you can't do it with the online payroll, but check for yourself because it's a function that landscaping companies and construction businesses usually need, so maybe they have added it by now. That would really help!
- It's premise-based software and that means you take on the role of hardware admin, and it's a lot of work for what is increasingly becoming a smaller gap in the functionality between QuickBooks for Mac and QuickBooks Online.
- QuickBooks for Mac 2015 has been updated consistently over the last 3 years and continues to provide for the bookkeeping needs of small companies using Macs in their offices. However, it has limited job costing functionality. It is similar in functionality to the 2010 version of QuickBooksPro which runs on Windows.
Intuit Accounting Professionals Trainer/Writer specializing in QuickBooks for Mac, Meetup Groups Organizer/Founder, Adjunct Instructor at Bellevue College
The QuickSourceAccounting, 1-10 employees
Xero
- Overall it is a great platform and quite comprehensive for US based users.
- However, if we focus on multinational companies that want to integrate the information of different companies in several countries within the same solution, we find the need to carry out reports outside the platform to provide the accounting structure and compliance necessary in countries outside the US.

Verified User
Manager in Professional Services
Accounting Company, 51-200 employeesPricing Details
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
General
Free Trial
—Free/Freemium Version
—Premium Consulting/Integration Services
—Entry-level set up fee?
No
Starting Price
—QuickBooks Desktop for Mac Editions & Modules
—
Additional Pricing Details
—Xero
General
Free Trial
Yes
Free/Freemium Version
—Premium Consulting/Integration Services
—Entry-level set up fee?
No
Starting Price
$11 per month
Xero Editions & Modules
Edition
Early | $111 |
---|---|
Growing | $321 |
Established | $621 |
- per month
Additional Pricing Details
—Likelihood to Renew
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac 8.0
Based on 9 answers
I haven't spent that much time with the newer versions of QuickBooks for Mac, but I think I'm seeing it make the much-needed improvements. For example, something as simple as undoing the previous reconciliation was a terrible chore, and I'm glad that feature has been included in the newer versions of QuickBooks for Mac
Senior Accountant
CAI Capital Accountant Inc.Accounting, 11-50 employees
Xero
Xero 8.8
Based on 29 answers
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.
Consultant - Cloud accounting integration, Real Time Accounting
FuturebooksAccounting, 1-10 employees
Usability
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac 5.3
Based on 6 answers
The Mac version is OK overall. I find the Windows versions to be much more robust but Mac is quite good for Mac users. Though I think die hard Mac users should consider QuickBooks Online instead as there is a new QB for Mac app that makes using QBO much better!
Owner
Smithson Bookkeeping & Business ServicesAccounting, 1-10 employees
Xero
Xero 8.9
Based on 80 answers
It has deep functionality, and it's easy to use for invoicing, quoting, financial reporting, and customer management. This product manages financial information for small business owners in a unique way. The phone interface is really good as well-meaning I can keep on top of the finances on my phone and feel confident about the financial decisions I'm making.
Workplace Culture Architect & Owner
Carolyn SworaManagement Consulting, 1-10 employees
Reliability and Availability
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac 9.0
Based on 2 answers
I've been using the QuickBooks online version for a little over 6 months now (upgraded from Mac desktop) and I haven't had any access issues. There have been times when it was down for service/upgrade however there is always plenty of notification time given by the Quick Books Online Support team. These upgrade maintenance time frames are always over night hours and on the weekends so everything can be worked around very easily.
President
Forrest & Blake Marketing AdvertisingMarketing and Advertising, 1-10 employees
Xero
Xero 9.0
Based on 20 answers
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.
Co-Founder
Catching CloudsAccounting, 1-10 employees
Performance
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic
Xero
Xero 10.0
Based on 16 answers
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.

Verified User
C-Level Executive in Corporate
Information Technology and Services Company, 11-50 employeesSupport Rating
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac 5.3
Based on 5 answers
Fortunately, I haven't had to reach out much for support.
Executive Director
Dayton Dist. Academy Osteopathic MedicineNon-profit Organization Management, 1-10 employees
Xero
Xero 7.1
Based on 37 answers
Support has always been responsive and quickly resolved any questions I have. The only reason I don't give full points is because there's no way to call for immediate help. I'm fine with this because I don't need it badly enough to pay for it
CFO
RenewableTech VenturesVenture Capital & Private Equity, 11-50 employees
In-Person Training
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic
Xero
Xero 9.1
Based on 1 answer
The format was great; someone was there to ask questions or help if you were stuck.
Executive Director
EpsomTax.com LimitedAccounting, 11-50 employees
Online Training
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic
Xero
Xero 10.0
Based on 5 answers
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.
Co-Founder
Catching CloudsAccounting, 1-10 employees
Implementation Rating
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac 5.0
Based on 2 answers
No answer on this topic is available.
Xero
Xero 9.5
Based on 18 answers
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.
Owner / Head Trainer
When Hounds FlyConsumer Services, 1-10 employees
Alternatives Considered
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
I love using Quickbooks compared to other software we've tried. QuickBooks Online and TSheets interface. Customer service and problem resolution are generally excellent, with well-trained and proficient agents taking calls or on chat. Ease of use and accessibility via the mobile app. Great courses were available to help with learning the basics and some advanced accounting background. I love learning! Online accessibility - it can work anywhere with an internet connection. Linking to bank and credit card accounts is handy.

Verified User
Employee in Finance and Accounting
Wholesale Company, 1-10 employeesXero
Solely the ease of use. This has saved me so much time on day-to-day tracking it is astonishing. Not only does it make it super easy to send invoices, but it also makes it easy to print invoices off, eases the process of partial payments, and keeps good track of all notes made to the account.
Customer Success manager
JOHNSONCONCEPT LLC.Marketing & Advertising, 11-50 employees
Scalability
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic
Xero
Xero 10.0
Based on 6 answers
Over 600 plus apps available for integration and easy to create standard charts of account and report templates to implement across multiple entities. Same pricing regardless of number of transactions or users. Real benefit is variety of integrated apps that allow you to automate processes and have functionality that 10 years ago was only available in ERP systems costing hundreds of thousands.

Verified User
Partner in Finance and Accounting
Accounting Company, 1-10 employeesReturn on Investment
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
- The ROI was good for when we were a smaller company because it is a lot cheaper than other more sophisticated programs.
- The negative impact is that it caused a lot of extra manual entering and data entry that too often resulted in mistakes.
Finance Assistant
Team RehabilitationMedical Practice, 1001-5000 employees
Xero
- Makes bookkeeping easier for clients or for us to do on behalf of clients.
- Time saving reports for BAS preparation.
- Picks up on potential issues in General Ledger Exceptions report.
- Dashboard can show accounts watchlist and current payables/receivables.
- Matches bills/sales to bank feed transactions and you can select multiple or split payments.
Senior Bookkeeper
MultipleFood & Beverages, 201-500 employees