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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    TriNet

    Score8 out of 10
    N/ATriNet provides small and medium size businesses (SMBs) with full-service HR and payroll solutions tailored by industry. TriNet also offers specialized services through client access to HR representatives for advice and notifications on impactful regulatory changes.N/A

    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
    TriNetXero
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Early
    $13
    per month
    Growing
    $37
    per month
    Established
    $70
    per month
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    TriNetXero
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details—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
    TriNetXero
    Considered Both Products
    TriNet
    Chose TriNet
    We now use Xero to run our payroll with advice from our accountant, and a private insurance broker to provide our benefits. The payroll is much cheaper to run (important for a small company), and the broker really has our back and is interested in building a long-term …
    Incentivized
    Chose TriNet
    User friendly, clear deadlines
    Incentivized
    Xero
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    83%
    Would buy again
    209 Answers
    93%
    Would buy again
    160 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    86%
    Delivers good value for the price
    178 Answers
    94%
    Delivers good value for the price
    153 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    88%
    Happy with the feature set
    224 Answers
    93%
    Happy with the feature set
    160 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    77%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    125 Answers
    94%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    131 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    88%
    Implementation went as expected
    138 Answers
    99%
    Implementation went as expected
    149 Answers
    Features
    TriNetXero
    Human Resource Management
    Comparison of Human Resource Management features of TriNet and Xero
    Feature
    TriNet
    7.7
    736 Ratings
    6% below category average
    Xero
    -
    Ratings
    Employee demographic data7.9528 Ratings00 Ratings
    Employment history7.7559 Ratings00 Ratings
    Job profiles and administration7.8528 Ratings00 Ratings
    Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.7.7621 Ratings00 Ratings
    Organizational charting7.2442 Ratings00 Ratings
    Organization and location management7.4470 Ratings00 Ratings
    Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)8.1587 Ratings00 Ratings
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of TriNet and Xero
    Feature
    TriNet
    8.2
    792 Ratings
    0% above category average
    Xero
    7.5
    73 Ratings
    1% below category average
    Pay calculation8.5768 Ratings8.065 Ratings
    Support for external payroll vendors8.05 Ratings00 Ratings
    Off-cycle/On-Demand payment7.8283 Ratings00 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration8.5777 Ratings8.023 Ratings
    Direct deposit files8.7724 Ratings7.249 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management8.4640 Ratings7.141 Ratings
    Reimbursement management7.8397 Ratings7.054 Ratings
    Leave and Attendance Management
    Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of TriNet and Xero
    Feature
    TriNet
    7.5
    522 Ratings
    9% below category average
    Xero
    -
    Ratings
    Approval workflow8.2439 Ratings00 Ratings
    Balance details7.2499 Ratings00 Ratings
    Annual carry-forward and encashment7.2409 Ratings00 Ratings
    Employee Self Service
    Comparison of Employee Self Service features of TriNet and Xero
    Feature
    TriNet
    8.0
    774 Ratings
    3% below category average
    Xero
    -
    Ratings
    View and generate pay and benefit information8.7753 Ratings00 Ratings
    Update personal information8.7768 Ratings00 Ratings
    View company policy documentation8.0658 Ratings00 Ratings
    Employee recognition6.3239 Ratings00 Ratings
    View job history8.1580 Ratings00 Ratings
    Asset Management
    Comparison of Asset Management features of TriNet and Xero
    Feature
    TriNet
    1.0
    1 Ratings
    156% below category average
    Xero
    -
    Ratings
    Tracking of all physical assets1.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    HR Reporting
    Comparison of HR Reporting features of TriNet and Xero
    Feature
    TriNet
    7.3
    651 Ratings
    4% below category average
    Xero
    -
    Ratings
    Report builder7.2563 Ratings00 Ratings
    Pre-built reports7.7619 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ability to combine HR data with external data6.9320 Ratings00 Ratings
    Onboarding
    Comparison of Onboarding features of TriNet and Xero
    Feature
    TriNet
    7.8
    636 Ratings
    3% below category average
    Xero
    -
    Ratings
    New hire portal7.9635 Ratings00 Ratings
    Manager tracking tools7.6401 Ratings00 Ratings
    Performance and Goals
    Comparison of Performance and Goals features of TriNet and Xero
    Feature
    TriNet
    6.5
    124 Ratings
    22% below category average
    Xero
    -
    Ratings
    Corporate goal setting6.4108 Ratings00 Ratings
    Individual goal setting6.5120 Ratings00 Ratings
    Line-of sight-visibility6.5106 Ratings00 Ratings
    Performance tracking6.7120 Ratings00 Ratings
    Performance Management
    Comparison of Performance Management features of TriNet and Xero
    Feature
    TriNet
    6.9
    208 Ratings
    15% below category average
    Xero
    -
    Ratings
    Performance plans6.7184 Ratings00 Ratings
    Performance improvement plans6.7171 Ratings00 Ratings
    Review status tracking6.8168 Ratings00 Ratings
    Review reminders7.2179 Ratings00 Ratings
    Multiple review frequency7.214 Ratings00 Ratings
    Succession Planning
    Comparison of Succession Planning features of TriNet and Xero
    Feature
    TriNet
    7.3
    99 Ratings
    8% below category average
    Xero
    -
    Ratings
    Candidate ranking8.21 Ratings00 Ratings
    Candidate search7.293 Ratings00 Ratings
    Candidate development6.488 Ratings00 Ratings
    Recruiting / ATS
    Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of TriNet and Xero
    Feature
    TriNet
    7.0
    141 Ratings
    12% below category average
    Xero
    -
    Ratings
    Job Requisition Management6.8110 Ratings00 Ratings
    Company Website Posting5.51 Ratings00 Ratings
    Publish to Social Media6.892 Ratings00 Ratings
    Job Search Site Posting6.8112 Ratings00 Ratings
    Duplicate Candidate Prevention9.11 Ratings00 Ratings
    Applicant Tracking7.0119 Ratings00 Ratings
    Notifications and Alerts7.3129 Ratings00 Ratings
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of TriNet and Xero
    Feature
    TriNet
    -
    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 TriNet and Xero
    Feature
    TriNet
    -
    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 TriNet and Xero
    Feature
    TriNet
    -
    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 TriNet and Xero
    Feature
    TriNet
    -
    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 TriNet and Xero
    Feature
    TriNet
    -
    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 TriNet and Xero
    Feature
    TriNet
    -
    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
    TriNetXero
    Small Businesses
    UZIO
    Score9.4 out of 10
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Score4.2 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Zoho People
    Score8.6 out of 10
    MYOB
    Score8.3 out of 10
    Enterprises
    PeopleStrong
    Score10 out of 10
    Microsoft Dynamics GP
    Score5.4 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    TriNetXero
    Likelihood to Recommend
    7.9
    (810 ratings)
    8.3
    (266 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    7.3
    (60 ratings)
    4.7
    (38 ratings)
    Usability
    8.0
    (706 ratings)
    8.3
    (192 ratings)
    Availability
    8.3
    (23 ratings)
    3.1
    (12 ratings)
    Performance
    7.9
    (22 ratings)
    8.0
    (10 ratings)
    Support Rating
    7.6
    (787 ratings)
    5.6
    (40 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    9.4
    (6 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    Online Training
    8.1
    (10 ratings)
    10.0
    (6 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.3
    (32 ratings)
    7.6
    (13 ratings)
    Configurability
    6.2
    (16 ratings)
    8.1
    (3 ratings)
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    5.9
    (6 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    CPA Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (10 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    6.4
    (12 ratings)
    7.4
    (150 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    8.0
    (22 ratings)
    7.0
    (8 ratings)
    Professional Services
    8.5
    (7 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    7.9
    (20 ratings)
    6.5
    (4 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    7.9
    (20 ratings)
    6.5
    (4 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    TriNetXero
    Likelihood to Recommend
    TriNet
    I truly believe TriNet is the best PEO out there. Our specialist, [...], was top notch and always made me feel special. I appreciate all the features available, not just for my employees but for me, as an HR specialist. The benefits I am now able to offer is why we joined but all the features and ease of use is what will keep us clients moving forward. My only issue was feeling a bit rushed through training. I was told I would get written procedures but they were pretty antiquated.
    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
    TriNet
    • Customer support is great when working with Amy Hoffman. She's always very quick to respond and helpful. I'd say she's the thing that makes me want to stay with TriNet the most.
    • The webinars are very helpful. I utilize those frequently and our CFO has signed up for some as well.
    • The expense management system has been very helpful. There are a couple issues with it, but it's leaps better than what the company was doing before this system through TriNet.
    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
    TriNet
    • The online interface for the annual benefits strategy is difficult to navigate and not intuitive.
    • Sometimes the payroll processing division provides explanations that are not very clear or accessible to non-HR professionals.
    • The cost of the service is at the higher end of the market offerings.
    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
    TriNet
    e are currently seeing a massive shift in HR tech, with rapid strides being made in the integration of AI and Machine Learning models. These advancements allow for:Predictive analytics for workforce planning.Automated, intelligent chatbots for instant employee support.Smart data synthesis that provides actionable insights rather than just raw numbers.TriNet appears to be lagging in these areas, missing opportunities to leverage AI to reduce administrative overhead and improve data accuracy
    Read full review
    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
    TriNet
    The platform is highly intuitive and user-friendly, making it easy to navigate for both admins and employees when handling everyday tasks like payroll processing, benefits enrollment, and HR reporting. The flexibility in HR and payroll features does not require a need for extensive training. The mobile app stands out as amazing, with a great interface that enables quick access to employee related items
    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
    TriNet
    We had an issue with application errors - took TriNet 5 months to fix it, mean while we had someone manually tracking and keeping up with many requests and questions about the application error which affected time off. When we were all registering for Benefits during open enrollment there were lots of bugs that caused issues with registering for benefits or being able to see what benefits were available
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    TriNet
    For the most part pages load quickly. Working for a software company we understand performance is everything, even a few seconds delay can feel like a lifetime, that being said, we ran into a few times where pages didn't load, information didn't load correctly, and an influx in users (like open enrollment) cause things to slow down
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    TriNet
    The support overall is very good. There seems to be a good number of customer support staff and they are knowledgeable and pleasant to deal with and it almost all cases are able to resolve the question or issue very quickly. My only complaint would be having to wait in some cases as I'm based in the UK and the correct department may not be open 24 hours.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    TriNet
    it's been awhile, but I recall them being helpful. I got through a lot of it and when I needed help, they can walk me through it over the phone. It's also pretty user friendly in general at a platform. I don't really know what else to type, but they came and helped me in person and also when there was something new, they came and talked to me. They have not done that since with the new model that I hate
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Xero
    The format was great; someone was there to ask questions or help if you were stuck.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Online Training
    TriNet
    Since this was already implemented. I have another employee briefly train me. Then Trinet rep gave me some training as needed for things that came up. For one payroll preview report I figured it could be done, but I had asked the rep to be sure. One important training was when there was an employee leaving the company.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    TriNet
    not applicable as I implementation was done 5 years ago and have no recollection of the details of the process. Above it says to skip question if not involved in the process but it will not allow me to skip it as it states explanation requitred thus making this process extremely frustrating.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    TriNet
    I liked Rippling's software better than TriNet. However, the pricing on employee benefits was through the roof, and they don't offer many selections/options. If it was a software only decision, I would go with Rippling (the 2.0 version of Zenefits which TriNet offers). However, the software isn't a major need, compared to smooth payroll and benefits that I get from TriNet (and great service). I'm happy at TriNet long term as long as the health insurance rates aren't exhorbinant.
    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
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    TriNet
    Very reasonable vs other competitors - worked out a good deal.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Xero
    No answers on this topic
    Scalability
    TriNet
    We are a small company, do we use it across departments and sites? Yes, we are all remote working, so there are as many sites as there are people. We also have our entire staff using TriNet, so every department from Accounting, Admin, HR, Development, QA, and Management are all using this. Can't say for sure how great the scalability is as we are only about 30 employees
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Professional Services
    TriNet
    Incredible professional resources are available.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Xero
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    TriNet
    • Stay within HR Compliance - when the new laws about Salary change came into effect I received an email on impacted employees and how to address.
    • More involvement in employee benefits. With greater benefit selection more employees were able to find plans that suited their needs.
    • The TimeClock took a little time to get used to. It is still a little frustrating at times for hourly employees to be able to track how many hours they actually have for the week/pay-period. The off the clock meals count towards "hours" and employees have to subtract that out to be able to see what they need for the rest of the week.
    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

    Xero Screenshots

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