Xero

API access is available for connected applications, but third-party apps from the Xero App Store charge their own subscription fees. Effective March 2, 2026, Xero introduced a developer API pricing model with tiers ranging from $0/month (Starter, 5 connections) to ~$22 USD/month (Core), ~$155 USD/month (Plus), and ~$895 USD/month (Advanced), plus data egress overage charges (~$1.50 USD per GB). Some third-party integrators charge a ~$2.50/month surcharge to cover Xero API connection costs.

There are no mandatory implementation or onboarding fees charged directly by Xero. Self-serve onboarding is free, including 90 days of assistance from a Xero Coach. Custom data migration or setup through third-party certified accounting partners incurs separate consultant fees.

Yes

REST (OAuth 2.0 authentication, JSON and XML request/response payloads, OpenAPI/Swagger specifications available).

Tiered commercial pricing model (Starter, Core, Plus, Advanced, Enterprise). Free Starter tier supports up to 5 connected organizations; higher tiers charge monthly fees and metered data egress overage charges ($2.40 AUD / ~$1.50 USD per GB). Premium endpoints (such as the Journals API and Xero Practice Manager API) require the Advanced tier (~$895 USD / $1,445 AUD per month) and use-case approval.

Rate limits are set to 60 requests per minute per organization, 5 concurrent requests, 10,000 requests per minute app-wide, and daily limits of 5,000 calls/day per organization (1,000/day on the Starter tier). Maximum POST payload size is 3.5 MB (~50 items per request recommended). Selected endpoints like Journals are restricted to the Advanced tier. API data is explicitly prohibited from being used to train AI or machine learning models.

Manual exports from individual modules (Contacts, Invoices, Bills, Chart of Accounts) into CSV or Excel files. Financial reports (General Ledger, Trial Balance, Profit & Loss) export to Excel, PDF, TXT, or Google Sheets. General ledger data can also be exported via Accounting Settings. There is no native single-click full account export or automated scheduled export feature built into the user interface.

Xero offers both a native AI assistant and an official MCP server: 1. Just Ask Xero (JAX): An AI assistant announced at Xerocon London in June 2024, released in beta in August 2024, and updated to an 'AI financial superagent' platform in September 2025. It allows users to query financial metrics, draft invoices, create quotes, and execute accounting tasks via natural language. 2. Official Xero MCP Server: Xero maintains an official Model Context Protocol server (remote HTTP endpoint `https://mcp.xero.com/mcp` and open repository `XeroAPI/xero-mcp-server`). It enables MCP-compatible AI clients (such as Claude Code, Cursor, and VS Code) to authenticate via OAuth and perform read/write queries against Xero financial reports, invoices, contacts, and transaction records.

Supported: Yes. Providers: Merge.dev, Apideck, Codat, Rutter. Details: Xero is widely supported by unified API platforms such as Merge.dev, Apideck, and Codat, which provide normalized Accounting API endpoints to sync invoices, chart of accounts, payments, bank feeds, and contacts across systems.

Onboarding and migration to Xero typically take between a few days to 2 to 4 weeks, depending on data cleanliness, historical volume, and business complexity.

Xero is a leading global cloud-based accounting platform and a primary challenger to QuickBooks in the U.S. small-to-medium business (SMB) and trade/construction contractor market. It offers job costing, project tracking, invoicing, and bank reconciliation tools tailored for contractors, alongside an ecosystem of third-party integrations with specialized construction management software.

Xero serves over 4.9 million total subscribers globally, with accelerating U.S. market expansion that added 110,000 new U.S. customers in FY26.

Xero is viewed as a modern, growing cloud-native platform rather than a legacy system contractors migrate away from. In FY26, Xero reported 31% operating revenue growth to NZ$2.8 billion (~$1.7B USD) and AMRR growth of 37% to NZ$3.3 billion, bolstered by U.S. growth, generative AI capabilities ('Just Ask Xero'), and M&A integration with U.S. B2B payments provider Melio.