Softwr

Proposal & Quote · head to head

Dubsado vs Xero

Dubsado logo

Dubsado

Proposal & Quote

Business management for creatives

From
$20/month
Rated
-
Xero logo

Xero

All industries

Beautiful accounting software

From
$13/month
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Dubsado automated workflows, scheduling and public proposals all require the Premier plan at $525 a year; Xero the Early plan caps you at 20 invoices and 5 bills per month, and the invoice limit counts both approving and sending
  • They diverge on capability: Dubsado covers Scheduler, Xero covers Bank reconciliation.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Dubsado and Xero actually diverge.

Attributes where Dubsado and Xero differ
AttributeDubsadoXero
Starting price$20/month$13/month
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android, Api
CategoryProposal & QuoteAll industries
Founded20162006

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Dubsado

  • Scheduler
  • CRM
  • Contracts
  • Automation workflows
  • Google Calendar
  • Outlook
  • QuickBooks
  • Zapier

Only in Xero

  • Bank reconciliation
  • Bill payment
  • Expense claims
  • Financial reporting
  • Inventory tracking
  • Project tracking
  • Mobile apps
  • PayPal

Both cover

  • Invoicing
  • Stripe

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Dubsado

  • Client management and project workflows for freelancers and studiosnot Xero
  • Sending proposals, contracts and invoices with automated follow upnot Xero

Xero

  • Small business bookkeeping, invoicing and bank reconciliationnot Dubsado
  • Bill payment and purchase order managementnot Dubsado
  • Sharing books with an accountant or bookkeepernot Dubsado

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Dubsado

  • Automated workflows, scheduling and public proposals all require the Premier plan at $525 a year
  • The Starter plan allows a single lead capture form
  • Zapier and bookkeeping integrations are excluded from Starter
  • Additional brands are $10 a month each
  • Only 3 users are included, with 4 to 10 costing $25 a month and 21 to 30 costing $60

Xero

  • The Early plan caps you at 20 invoices and 5 bills per month, and the invoice limit counts both approving and sending
  • Invoices created by connected app partners count against the Early plan invoice limit
  • Multiple currencies, project time and cost tracking, employee expense and mileage claims and industry benchmarking are restricted to the top Established plan at $90 per month
  • Cash flow forecasting is capped at 30 days on Early and 60 days on Growing, with 180 days only on Established
  • Payroll is not included in any plan and costs an extra $36 a month plus $6 per employee or contractor through Gusto
  • Inventory Plus is a paid optional add-on rather than part of any plan
  • The advertised 90% off applies only to the first 6 months, after which the regular $25, $55 or $90 monthly price auto-renews
  • The introductory discount excludes add-ons, usage charges and payment fees
  • Payment fees apply to online invoice payments and to bill payments other than standard domestic ACH, and are billed on top of the subscription
  • Subscriptions are billed monthly with no annual payment option, and after upgrading you must wait one month before downgrading to a cheaper plan
  • Xero states subscription prices are increasing from October 1, 2026

Pricing, plan by plan

Dubsado

$20/month
  • Starter$20/month
    • 3 clients
    • Core features
    • Scheduler
  • Premier$40/month
    • Unlimited clients
    • All features
    • Automation

Xero

$13/month
  • Early$13/month
    • Send 20 invoices
    • Enter 5 bills
    • Reconcile bank transactions
  • Growing$37/month
    • Unlimited invoices & bills
    • Bulk reconcile transactions
    • Short-term cash flow
  • Established$70/month
    • Everything in Growing
    • Use multiple currencies
    • Track projects

Which should you pick?

Choose Dubsado if

  • You need scheduler.
  • You also want crm.

Choose Xero if

  • You need bank reconciliation.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want bill payment.

Questions people ask

Is Dubsado or Xero better?
Neither clearly leads. Dubsado starts at $20/month and Xero at $13/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Dubsado or Xero?
Dubsado starts at $20/month and Xero at $13/month.
Does Dubsado or Xero run on more platforms?
Dubsado runs on Web. Xero runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
What is Dubsado best used for?
Dubsado is most often used for client management and project workflows for freelancers and studios, sending proposals, contracts and invoices with automated follow up. Of those, client management and project workflows for freelancers and studios and sending proposals, contracts and invoices with automated follow up are not what Xero is typically brought in for.
What can Dubsado do that Xero cannot?
Dubsado covers Scheduler, CRM, Contracts, Automation workflows. Xero covers Bank reconciliation, Bill payment, Expense claims, Financial reporting. Both handle Invoicing, Stripe.

Related pages

Other head to heads