Xero vs MYOB vs QuickBooks NZ 2026 — feature & pricing comparison
A side-by-side look at the three platforms that dominate the New Zealand small-business accounting market, focused on what actually matters under NZ tax rules: GST filing, payday filing, IRD integration, NZ bank feeds and the practical questions of switching cost and accountant compatibility.
Pricing tiers (always check vendor for current $)
We do not hard-code dollar amounts because all three vendors revise pricing several times a year. Use these links to check today's pricing directly:
What the tiers usually buy you
All three vendors stratify roughly the same way:
- Starter / Lite: Limited invoice and bill counts per month. Suits sole traders with simple cash-basis bookkeeping.
- Standard / Plus: Unlimited invoices and bills, multi-user, bank reconciliation, GST returns. The most common SME tier.
- Premium / Advanced: Adds multi-currency, fixed-asset register, project tracking, more advanced reporting. For businesses that need any of these.
Payroll is bundled in Xero NZ plans; it is a paid add-on on MYOB Business and QuickBooks Online. If you employ anyone, factor the payroll add-on into the headline price comparison.
NZ-specific feature comparison
| NZ-specific feature | Xero | MYOB | QuickBooks |
|---|---|---|---|
| GST return filing direct to IRD | Yes, native | Yes, native | Calc + manual / partner-assisted |
| Payday filing direct to IRD | Yes, native | Yes, native | Via add-on / export |
| AIM provisional tax method | Yes | Yes | Not currently |
| NZ payroll bundled in plan | Bundled | Paid add-on | Paid add-on |
| NZ bank feeds (ANZ / ASB / BNZ / Westpac / Kiwibank) | All major | All major | Partial coverage |
| Inventory & job costing depth | Basic to moderate | Strong (esp. AccountRight) | Basic to moderate |
| Desktop install option | Cloud only | Yes (AccountRight) | Cloud only |
| Multi-currency | Premium tier | Mid+ | Plus+ tier |
Sources: each vendor's NZ documentation pages (linked above) and IRD's software providers listing. Verified 2026-06-06. IRD's listed-services list is the authoritative source for which software products can file GST and payday-file directly.
Considerations when switching
The most expensive part of switching is rarely the new subscription — it is the opening-balance migration, chart-of-accounts mapping and reconciliation of in-flight invoices. Things to factor in:
- Opening balances and prior-year comparatives: usually 1-2 years migrated in detail; older history kept in the old system or as PDF archive.
- Chart-of-accounts mapping: Xero and MYOB use different default account structures; a bad mapping shows up at year-end.
- Bank-feed reconnection: NZ bank feeds require explicit re-authorisation per bank. Allow a week of lag for ANZ / ASB / BNZ / Westpac / Kiwibank.
- Payroll cutover: the cleanest cutover is at the start of a tax year (1 April). Mid-year cutovers are doable but require careful YTD-figure transfer.
- Add-on integrations: any third-party app (POS, inventory, time-tracking) needs reconnecting and re-mapping.
Most NZ accountants can quote a fixed-fee migration. Ask your accountant before you sign up to the new platform — sometimes they have partner pricing that beats the public tier.
Considerations by business type
Instead of a "best for X" ranking — which depends on tax structure, employee count, GST cycle and existing accountant — these are the factors most likely to matter for each business shape:
Sole trader / contractor (no employees)
Entry-tier plans of any of the three will handle invoicing, expense capture and IRD GST filing. The differentiator is who your accountant uses — if you plan to engage one, ask them first. If you don't have an accountant, weight the decision toward whichever you find easier to use day-to-day.
SME with employees (PAYE filing)
Bundled NZ payroll is a meaningful price difference. Native payday filing avoids a manual IRD step every pay run. Calculate the all-in cost (base plan + payroll add-on + any payroll-only product) before comparing the headline subscription price.
Inventory-heavy or job-costing business
MYOB's AccountRight (desktop) and MYOB Business higher tiers offer deeper inventory and job-costing features than Xero or QuickBooks at equivalent price points. Worth a side-by-side trial before committing.
Multi-currency / cross-border (e.g. Australia + NZ)
All three offer multi-currency at upper tiers; check live FX rates, gain/loss reporting and integration with your bank's FX product.
Trusts, look-through companies and complex structures
The software is rarely the bottleneck — IR3, IR4, IR526, trust returns and beneficiary distributions are usually handled by your accountant in their tax-prep software, not by your bookkeeping platform. Ask your accountant which bookkeeping platform makes their year-end easier.
Need help choosing — or migrating?
Talk to a Chartered Accountant about which platform fits your tax structure, employee count and existing data. We refer every quote request to our partner firm, Lynch & Associates, who will contact you within one business day.
Get a quote — free for usersSources
- IRD — Listed software providers for digital services (GST & payday filing)
- Xero — Xero NZ pricing
- MYOB — MYOB NZ accounting software
- QuickBooks — QuickBooks pricing (Intuit)
Editorial note: Pricing and NZ feature parity for all three vendors change frequently. We update this comparison quarterly against vendor pages and the IRD listed-services list. Last verified 2026-06-06.
Disclosure: TaxAccountants.co.nz is an introduction service. Quote requests are referred to Lynch & Associates Chartered Accountants. We are not a software reseller and we do not receive payment from Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks for this comparison.