QuickBooks vs Xero or Sage for a small business in Canada, and why the software is included.
Owners ask which accounting software to buy before they ask almost anything else. Here are the three we work in, what each one lists for in Canada today, and why, if we keep your books, you won't pay for any of them separately.
The short answer: QuickBooks Online, Xero and Sage Accounting all do the core of small-business bookkeeping in Canada: bank reconciliation, invoicing and reports. On each vendor's Canadian pricing page on September 27, 2026, their small-business plans listed at $20 to $220 a month before tax. The right one depends more on who needs to log in and what you already use than on features. When HarperCo keeps your books, the subscription is included in the flat monthly price.
What do QuickBooks, Xero and Sage cost in Canada?
These are the regular monthly list prices, checked on each vendor's Canadian page on September 27, 2026. All three were running introductory discounts that day: QuickBooks at 90% off for six months, Xero at 80% off for three months, and Sage at 75% off for six months. Budget on the regular price. That's what you pay in month seven.
| Plan | Per month | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks Online Lite | $20 | 1 user, no accountant access |
| QuickBooks Online EasyStart | $30 | 1 user, plus access for your accountant |
| QuickBooks Online Plus | $110 | 5 users, budgets, inventory |
| QuickBooks Online Advanced | $220 | 25 users |
| Xero Starter | $25 | 20 invoices and 5 bills |
| Xero Standard | $60 | Drops the Starter limits |
| Xero Premium | $80 | Adds multiple currencies |
| Sage Accounting Start | $23 | 1 user |
| Sage Accounting Standard | $50 | Adds purchases and cash flow tools |
| Sage Accounting Plus | $72 | Adds inventory and multiple currencies |
Regular monthly list prices, taxes extra, introductory discounts left out. Sources: QuickBooks Canada, Xero Canada (Canadian dollars), Sage Canada, all checked September 27, 2026. Vendors change prices, so check before you buy.
QuickBooks vs Xero for a small business: what actually differs?
Less than the ads suggest. All three reconcile your bank accounts, send invoices and produce the standard reports. The differences sit at the edges.
- Who can get in. QuickBooks Online Lite doesn't include accountant access, so your bookkeeper or CPA can't work in the file. EasyStart and up do. QuickBooks also caps users by plan, at 1, 5 or 25.
- Volume limits. Xero Starter stops at 20 invoices and 5 bills. That's fine for a side business and tight for a trade.
- Inventory and currencies. QuickBooks Online Plus tracks inventory. Xero Premium handles multiple currencies. Sage Accounting Plus does both.
Which one should a PEI business pick?
If your books already live in one of the three and they work, stay put. Switching mid-year means mapping accounts, moving opening balances and running two systems until the dust settles. None of that makes your numbers any better.
If you're starting fresh, three questions do most of the choosing. Who needs to log in: you, a partner, a bookkeeper, your CPA? How many invoices and bills go through in a month? Do you carry inventory or deal in US dollars? The answers usually point at one plan, and it's rarely the most expensive one. It's also worth asking your CPA which one they'd rather receive at year end.
Why is the software included in HarperCo's price?
Because the software is a tool for the job, not the job. We work in QuickBooks Online, Xero or Sage, and as the FAQ puts it, the subscription is part of your monthly price. There's no separate software bill.
That does three things for you. First, the price you see is the price you pay. Monthly Books Bank-Ready is $850 a month, and the software sits inside that number. Second, picking the plan tier becomes our problem, not a line on your card. Third, the tool is never the reason you stay. Every scope is month to month, with a clean handoff of your records if you leave.
If you're watching every dollar, Books Compliance is $395 a month. That scope includes the software too.
Does the software keep the books for you?
No, and this is the part the ads skip. Bank feeds pull transactions in. Someone still has to categorize them, match them to receipts, and reconcile each account to its statement every month. Software makes that faster. It doesn't make it happen.
On the lending side, I read files built in all kinds of software. The brand on the report never came up. What came up was whether the numbers were current and reconciled.
Key facts
- QuickBooks Online in Canada lists Lite at $20, EasyStart at $30, Plus at $110 and Advanced at $220 a month, taxes not included (QuickBooks Canada pricing, checked September 27, 2026).
- Xero in Canada lists Starter at $25, Standard at $60 and Premium at $80 a month, in Canadian dollars, excluding taxes (Xero Canada pricing, checked September 27, 2026).
- Sage Accounting in Canada lists Start at $23, Standard at $50 and Plus at $72 a month, plus tax (Sage Canada pricing, checked September 27, 2026).
- HarperCo includes the accounting software subscription in every monthly bookkeeping scope (HarperCo FAQ).
- HarperCo's monthly scopes are Books Compliance at $395, Monthly Books at $625, Monthly Books Bank-Ready at $850 and Monthly Books Plus at $1,200, each per month (HarperCo, Monthly Bookkeeping).
More notes
What bookkeeping actually costs in PEIAugust 10, 2026 · 4-min read Months behind on bookkeeping? How a catch-up actually worksSeptember 27, 2026 · 5-min readNot sure your file is set up right?
The free Books Checkup reads your books the way a lender would, whichever software they live in, and tells you plainly what's clean and what isn't. Thirty minutes, one page of written findings, yours to keep.
Get your free Books Checkup → See every plan and price on one page →Notes like this are general information, not advice on your specific situation — that’s what the kitchen table is for. — Dominic