Xero vs Holded

by Gralio Feb 08, 2025

Xero and Holded both cater to small and medium-sized businesses but offer distinct approaches to business management. Xero excels in accounting with robust features and integrations, while Holded provides a wider range of tools, encompassing CRM and project management, albeit with potentially less powerful accounting features.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 3257 reviews and 60 websites, saving 18 hours, 35 minutes of reading.

Xero

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Holded

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About

Xero is online accounting software designed for small to medium-sized businesses. It offers a range of features including automated bank reconciliation, online billing, and financial reporting. Xero integrates with hundreds of third-party business apps and offers a real-time view of your business finances. Its focus on automation and user-friendly design makes it a popular choice for businesses looking to streamline their financial management.

Holded is a cloud-based business management software designed for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). It offers a suite of tools to manage invoicing, accounting, inventory, projects, CRM, and more. Holded aims to simplify business operations by automating tasks, streamlining financial processes, and providing real-time insights into business performance. It features customizable templates, automated workflows, bank reconciliation, and integrations with other business applications.

Summary

Main difference

Xero is a user-friendly accounting software specializing in core accounting features and integrations with other business apps. Holded offers a broader suite of business management tools, including CRM and project management, in addition to accounting.

Relative strengths of Xero (compared to Holded)

Stronger accounting features
Wider range of integrations with other business apps
More established brand with larger user base

Relative weaknesses of Xero (compared to Holded)

Limited functionality beyond core accounting
Less comprehensive project management capabilities
Potentially higher cost for similar features

Who should use Xero VS. Holded

Xero is user-friendly accounting software ideal for small and medium-sized businesses. It simplifies financial management with features like bank reconciliation, online billing, and customizable reports. Users praise its intuitive interface and integrations, while some note occasional bank feed disconnections and invoicing system quirks. Xero receives high ratings (4.3/5 on G2, 4.39/5 on Capterra).

Holded is cloud-based business management software ideal for small and medium-sized businesses. It offers tools for invoicing, accounting, inventory, project management, and CRM. Holded simplifies business operations with automation and real-time insights. However, some users have reported concerns about reliability and customer service.

Best fit for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs).
Suitable for a wide range of industries, from retail and hospitality to software and non-profits.

Best for small to medium-sized businesses.
Suitable for various industries including retail, e-commerce, and professional services.

Xero and Holded features

Supported

Partially supported

Not supported

Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

Invoicing

Supported

Xero supports creating and scheduling invoices with customizable templates and some automatic data population.

Supported

Holded allows creating and scheduling invoices with customizable templates and automatic data population for contacts, products, bank, and tax information.
Automated Accounting

Supported

Xero automates accounting tasks with user reviews and real-time reporting.

Supported

Holded automates accounting tasks and provides real-time reports with user review.
Bank Account Connection & Reconciliation

Supported

Xero securely connects bank accounts for tracking cash flow and reconciling transactions.

Supported

Holded allows connecting bank accounts and reconciling transactions.
Accounting software integration

Supported

Xero supports the ability to connect to accounting software for financial management through various integration methods.

Supported

Holded integrates with Sage and has an API for connecting other accounting software.
Bank reconciliation

Supported

Xero supports the ability to automatically import bank transactions and reconcile them with accounting records.

Supported

Holded supports automatic bank transaction imports and reconciliation, potentially requiring some manual confirmation.
Accounts receivable

Supported

Xero supports the ability to generate and track invoices and payments from customers.

Supported

Holded allows generating invoices, tracking payments, and integrating with e-commerce platforms.

Qualities

Value and Pricing Transparency

-0.13

Neutral sentiment

-0.6

Rather negative sentiment
Customer Service

-0.11

Neutral sentiment

-0.6

Rather negative sentiment
Ease of Use

+0.83

Strongly positive sentiment

+0.57

Rather positive sentiment
Reliability and Performance

+0.34

Rather positive sentiment

-1

Strongly negative sentiment
Ease of Implementation

+0.64

Rather positive sentiment

No data
Scalability

-0.29

Neutral sentiment

No data

Xero and Holded Pricing

Xero is a cloud-based accounting software that offers a range of plans to suit businesses of all sizes. All plans include features such as sending invoices and quotes, entering bills, reconciling bank transactions, and capturing bills and receipts with Hubdoc.

Plans

User sentiment

Neutral

-0.13

See full Pricing page

Holded offers a 14-day free trial and a 50% discount for the first 3 months. All plans include banking and cash flow management, bank reconciliation, VAT and personal income tax models, analytics, project management, TicketBAI, e-commerce integrations, and chat support.

Plans

User sentiment

Rather negative

-0.6

See full Pricing page

Xero and Holded review insights

3227 reviews analysed from and

Users love

User-friendly interface, easy to learn and use
Excellent bank reconciliation features, including bank rules
Comprehensive reporting options available
Seamless integration with other apps like Hubdoc

User-friendly and intuitive interface, praised for ease of use.
Comprehensive features covering invoicing, accounting, inventory, projects, and CRM.
Real-time insights into business performance through dashboards and reports.
Automated workflows for tasks like invoicing and bank reconciliation.
Customizable templates for invoices and other documents.

Users dislike

Bank feeds can be unreliable and sometimes disconnect
New invoicing system is clunky and less efficient
Payroll features have been removed from the starter plan
Price has increased significantly in recent years with minimal new features

Bank synchronization issues, with reports of failed connections and duplicate entries.
Difficulty generating reports for non-standard date ranges.
Limited customization options for reports and analysis.
Customer support response times can be slow, especially via chat.
Lack of specific features for certain regions, like SII management in the Canary Islands.

Xero and Holded Ratings

G2

4.3/5

(684)
Capterra

4.4/5

(2425)

Glassdoor

4.3/5

(76)

Company health

Employee growth

No data

7% increase in the last year

Web traffic

No data

7% increase in the last quarter

Financing

No data

October 2020 - $27M

How do Xero's and Holded's bank reconciliation features compare?

Both Xero and Holded offer bank reconciliation features, including automatic bank feeds and transaction matching. While user reviews highlight Xero's bank reconciliation as a strength, some users have reported occasional issues with bank feed reliability. Holded also promotes bank account connection and reconciliation, but there is less user feedback available regarding its performance and reliability.

Which product offers better integration with other business applications?

Xero offers better integration with other business applications. While Holded integrates with Sage, Square, and has an API, Xero boasts integration with hundreds of third-party apps. This wider integration ecosystem makes Xero more adaptable and potentially more valuable for businesses relying on a diverse range of software solutions.

What are the advantages of Xero?

Xero stands out with its user-friendly interface, praised for ease of use and learning. Its bank reconciliation features, including bank rules, are highly regarded, and it offers comprehensive reporting options. Seamless integration with other apps, particularly Hubdoc, is another key advantage. Xero's focus on automation and real-time financial view makes it a strong choice for streamlining financial management.

What are the disadvantages of Xero?

Xero's bank feeds can be unreliable and sometimes disconnect, causing frustration for users. The newer invoicing system is considered clunky and less efficient compared to the previous version. The removal of payroll features from the starter plan limits its value for businesses needing basic payroll functionality. Finally, users have noted significant price increases in recent years with minimal additions of new features, impacting the perceived value.

Is Xero cheaper than Holded?

Xero's pricing starts at $20 USD per month while Holded's pricing starts at 14.5 EUR per month. At current conversion rates, this makes Holded cheaper than Xero. However, currency exchange rates fluctuate, so this could change.

Alternatives to Xero and Holded

QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Online is cloud-based accounting software designed to help businesses manage their finances. It offers tools for tracking income and expenses, creating invoices, managing inventory, and generating financial reports. QuickBooks Online is primarily geared towards small to medium-sized businesses and offers a user-friendly interface for managing financial data.

NetSuite

NetSuite is a popular cloud-based business management software for mid-sized and large companies. It brings together tools for managing finances, customer relationships (CRM), inventory, and online sales. With a focus on automation and data insights, NetSuite helps businesses streamline operations and make informed decisions. It's widely used across various industries, from manufacturing to services, promising better control and growth.

FreshBooks

FreshBooks is cloud-based accounting software designed for small and medium-sized businesses. It simplifies tasks like invoicing, expense tracking, time management, and online payments. FreshBooks aims to make financial management more accessible and less time-consuming for business owners.

Enterpryze

Enterpryze is a cloud-based business management software designed for small and medium-sized businesses. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools covering inventory management, sales, CRM, financials, and more, all within a single platform. Enterpryze aims to simplify business processes and improve efficiency for growing companies. They stand out by providing a fully integrated system that is easy to use and quick to implement.

SAP Concur

SAP Concur helps businesses of all sizes manage their travel expenses, invoices, and overall spending. It streamlines expense reports, automates invoice approvals, and provides real-time visibility into company spending. This helps control costs, reduce risks, and improve employee productivity. SAP Concur integrates with other software and offers a mobile app for employee convenience.

Coupa

Coupa is a cloud-based software platform that helps businesses of all sizes manage their spending. It brings together all your spending information, from sourcing and purchasing to invoices and expenses, in one place. This gives you greater control and visibility, helping you save money, improve efficiency, and make smarter decisions. Coupa integrates with other systems like your ERP, and offers tools for managing vendors, automating tasks, and analyzing spending patterns.

Page co-authored by

Michal Kaczor

CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

Tymon Terlikiewicz

CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

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