Xero vs MYOB — Australia 2026
Detailed Xero vs MYOB comparison with AU pricing inc. GST, BAS compliance scores, bank feed support & real pros/cons. Updated March 2026.
Quick Verdict
Xero wins for most AU small businesses
Xero leads on integrations (1000+ vs 300), bank feeds (55 vs 35 banks), and is already Payday Super ready. MYOB wins on Modern Award interpretation, phone support, and lower entry pricing. Choose MYOB if you run hospitality or complex rostering.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Xero | MYOB |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Wellington, NZ (AU operations in Melbourne) | Melbourne, VIC |
| Entry Price | $35/mo | $35/mo |
| BAS Lodgement | Direct ATO lodgement via Standard Business Reporting — prepare, review, and lodge your BAS without leaving Xero. No need to log into the ATO portal or use a separate tax agent portal. | Direct BAS lodgement to the ATO via Standard Business Reporting (SBR). Prepare, review, and lodge BAS within MYOB. Supports quarterly and monthly BAS reporting. |
| STP Phase 2 | compliant | compliant |
| Payday Super | ready | ready |
| Modern Awards | Supports common Modern Awards natively via Xero Payroll. Complex award interpretation (hospitality penalty rates, retail casual loadings) may require Employment Hero or KeyPay integration for full automation. | MYOB updates award libraries when Fair Work changes rates, but changes must be manually re-applied to employee setup. Deep award interpretation (auto-calculation of penalty rates, overtime, and allowances) requires third-party add-on like QuokkaWorks Award Interpreter from the MYOB marketplace. |
| Bank Feeds | Big 4 + 50+ banks | Big 4 + 130+ banks |
| Data Hosting | AU | AU |
| AU Support Hours | 24/7 online support | Mon-Fri 7am-7pm AEST |
| Phone Support | No | Yes |
| Integrations | 1000+ apps | 350+ apps |
Pricing Comparison (AUD, Mar 2026)
Xero Plans
Ignite
$35/mo
AUD inc GST
- ✓Invoices: 20
- ✓Bills: 5
- ✓Bank Reconciliation: Yes
Most Popular
Grow
$75/mo
AUD inc GST
- ✓Invoices: unlimited
- ✓Bills: unlimited
- ✓Bank Reconciliation: Yes
Comprehensive
$100/mo
AUD inc GST
- ✓Invoices: unlimited
- ✓Bills: unlimited
- ✓Bank Reconciliation: Yes
- ✓Multi Currency: Yes
- ✓Projects: Yes
Ultimate
$130/mo
AUD inc GST
- ✓Invoices: unlimited
- ✓Bills: unlimited
- ✓Bank Reconciliation: Yes
- ✓Multi Currency: Yes
- ✓Projects: Yes
- ✓Analytics Plus: Yes
MYOB Plans
Lite
$35/mo
AUD inc GST
- ✓Invoices: unlimited
- ✓Bills: basic
- ✓Bank Reconciliation: Yes
Most Popular
Pro
$70/mo
AUD inc GST
- ✓Invoices: unlimited
- ✓Bills: unlimited
- ✓Bank Reconciliation: Yes
AccountRight Plus
$165/mo
AUD inc GST
- ✓Invoices: unlimited
- ✓Bills: unlimited
- ✓Bank Reconciliation: Yes
- ✓Multi Currency: Yes
- ✓Inventory: Yes
- ✓Time Billing: Yes
AU Compliance Scores
How we scoreScores are out of 5 and reflect depth of compliance support, ease of setup, and ongoing reliability for Australian businesses. Assessed March 2026.
Xero
BAS Lodgement5/5
STP Phase 25/5
Payday Super5/5
Modern Awards4/5
GST Handling5/5
Bank Feeds5/5
MYOB
BAS Lodgement5/5
STP Phase 25/5
Payday Super5/5
Modern Awards3/5
GST Handling5/5
Bank Feeds5/5
Pros & Cons
Xero
Pros
- Australia's most widely-used accounting platform — your accountant almost certainly knows it
- Deepest bank feed coverage with 50+ AU banks including all Big 4 (CBA, NAB, Westpac, ANZ)
- Direct BAS lodgement to ATO via Standard Business Reporting (SBR) — no need for the ATO portal
- Largest app marketplace with 1,000+ integrations (Deputy, ServiceM8, Employment Hero, Shopify, etc.)
- AU-hosted data on AWS Sydney with SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certification
- Payday Super ready for the July 2026 deadline with automatic super payments each pay run
- Payroll now included in all plans at no extra cost (STP Phase 2 compliant)
- 24/7 online support with callback service
Cons
- Most expensive of the major accounting platforms — Grow plan is $75/mo (was $52 before July 2025)
- Ignite plan limited to 20 invoices and 5 bills per month, pushing most businesses to $75/mo Grow plan
- No inbound phone support — callback service only, which may not suit everyone
- Complex Modern Award interpretation (hospitality, retail penalty rates) requires third-party add-on like Employment Hero or KeyPay
- Prices have increased significantly and repeatedly — Grow went from $52 to $75 in July 2025 alone
- No annual billing discount — all plans are monthly billing only
MYOB
Pros
- Australian phone support at 1300 555 666 (Mon-Fri 7am-7pm AEST) — Xero doesn't offer this
- Payroll for unlimited employees included in Pro plan ($70/mo) — no per-employee add-on cost
- 130+ Australian bank feed connections — one of the broadest coverages available
- Direct BAS lodgement to ATO via Standard Business Reporting (SBR)
- Payday Super already available to switch on ahead of the July 2026 deadline
- Genuinely Australian-owned, Australian-hosted, Australian-supported
- 14-day free trial to test before committing
- Annual billing discount available (e.g., Pro drops from $70 to $52.50/mo)
Cons
- Smaller app marketplace (350+ vs Xero's 1,000+) — fewer third-party integrations
- Modern Award interpretation requires third-party add-on (QuokkaWorks) for full automation
- AccountRight Plus is expensive at $165/mo for multi-currency and inventory features
- UI feels less modern and polished compared to Xero
- Market share declining — now approximately 20-25% vs Xero's dominant position
- Shorter free trial (14 days vs Xero's 30 days)
Who Should Choose Xero
Xero is best suited for businesses that need small business, sole trader, accountant managed.
Choose Xero if you are:
- Small Business
- Sole Trader
- Accountant Managed
- Growing Business
Who Should Choose MYOB
MYOB is best suited for businesses that need employer with payroll, phone support needed, au owned preference.
Choose MYOB if you are:
- Employer With Payroll
- Phone Support Needed
- Au Owned Preference
- Hospitality
- Retail