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Software · head to head

Recurly vs Xero

Recurly logo

Recurly

Software

The subscription management platform built for growth

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Xero logo

Xero

Software

Beautiful accounting software

From
$13/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Recurly starter is $249 a month plus 0.9 percent of billing volume above the first $40K, so the cost rises with revenue rather than with usage; 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: Recurly covers Subscription billing, Xero covers Bank reconciliation.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Recurly and Xero actually diverge.

Attributes where Recurly and Xero differ
AttributeRecurlyXero
Starting price$29/month$13/month
PlatformsWeb, ApiWeb, Ios, Android, Api
Founded20092006

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

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 Recurly

  • Subscription billing
  • Revenue recovery
  • Payment gateway optimization
  • Analytics
  • API
  • Braintree
  • SOC 2
  • PCI DSS

Only in Xero

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

Both cover

  • Stripe
  • PayPal

What people use each for

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

Recurly

  • Subscription billing and recurring invoicingnot Xero
  • Dunning and failed payment recoverynot Xero
  • Trials, plan changes and promotionsnot Xero
  • Revenue recognition through the RevRec add-onnot Xero
  • Shopify-native subscriptions with subscribe and savenot Xero

Xero

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

Where each one falls short

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

Recurly

  • Starter is $249 a month plus 0.9 percent of billing volume above the first $40K, so the cost rises with revenue rather than with usage
  • All-Access is quoted at under 1 percent of billing volume with a $1M minimum, putting it out of reach of smaller merchants
  • Only one dunning campaign on Starter; multiple campaigns need All-Access
  • SSO, multicurrency and payments orchestration are All-Access only
  • Revenue recognition and the Engage churn tooling are separate add-ons at $850 and $1,600 a month

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

Recurly

$29/month
  • CoreFree
    • Basic billing
    • Revenue recovery
    • Analytics

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 Recurly if

  • You need subscription billing.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want revenue recovery.
Recurly review

Choose Xero if

  • You need bank reconciliation.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want invoicing.
Xero review

Questions people ask

Is Recurly or Xero better?
Neither clearly leads. Recurly starts at $29/month and Xero at $13/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Recurly or Xero?
Recurly starts at $29/month and Xero at $13/month.
Does Recurly or Xero run on more platforms?
Recurly runs on Web, Api. Xero runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
What is Recurly best used for?
Recurly is most often used for subscription billing and recurring invoicing, dunning and failed payment recovery, trials, plan changes and promotions, revenue recognition through the revrec add-on. Of those, subscription billing and recurring invoicing and dunning and failed payment recovery are not what Xero is typically brought in for.
What can Recurly do that Xero cannot?
Recurly covers Subscription billing, Revenue recovery, Payment gateway optimization, Analytics. Xero covers Bank reconciliation, Invoicing, Bill payment, Expense claims. Both handle Stripe, PayPal.
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