Xero too expensive just to send invoices? You’re not imagining it.
If you’re a sole trader paying $78 to $143 a month (Xero’s own pricing page, as at September 2026) for Xero to do three things (send invoices, track GST, hand numbers to your accountant at BAS time), you’re paying for payroll, bank feeds and inventory you never touch. Users begged Xero for a cheaper sole-trader tier. The answer was another price rise.
What Xero’s own users are saying
★★★“Xero needs a less expensive simpler version for sole traders that doesn't need GST but allows you to send more than 20 invoices!”
★“Xero was great five years ago. Now we're paying almost double and getting the same basic functionality.”
★“$75 monthly to make invoices and track expenses is terrible.”
All excerpts are public App Store reviews, quoted with their dates. Xero’s plans and pricing may have changed; last checked September 2026.
What a sole trader actually needs vs what Xero sells
| Xero | Dinkum Invoice | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $78 to $143/mo (Grow, Comprehensive, Ultimate 10; as at September 2026) | Free unlimited invoicing; $9/mo to save your details, locked for life |
| Unlimited Tax Invoices | Cheapest plan historically capped invoices per month | Unlimited on the free tier |
| GST / BAS | Full BAS lodgement support | Correct GST shown on every Tax Invoice; no BAS lodgement in the app |
| Invoicing from your phone | A decade of reviews call the mobile app a second-class citizen | Phone-first and offline-first: invoice from the ute in 60 seconds |
| Payroll, bank feeds, inventory | Yes, that’s what you’re paying for | Deliberately not included. If you need these, stay on Xero. |
| Your accountant | Accountants love Xero | Download a PDF of any invoice to hand over; no direct software sync |
Honest guidance
Keep Xero if you run payroll, carry inventory, or your accountant does your books inside it daily. It’s good software priced for real businesses.
Switch if you’re a sole trader or 1–3 person operation whose Xero usage is “send invoice, check who’s paid, hand a PDF to my accountant at BAS time.” That’s a $9 job, not a $78 to $143 one.
Drop to $9 before the next price rise
Xero’s increases typically land April–July. Create an account and lock in $9/mo for life.