Which is better for freelancers and consultants in Canada? It depends on what you care about, so here are both answers and the arithmetic under them.
Zoho Books and Stripe takes two of the four lenses and Xero and PayPal none, and two are too close to call. They rate within a point of each other on every measure, so the choice comes down to cost and to how each one feels to work in.
| If you care most about | Xero and PayPal | Zoho Books and Stripe |
|---|---|---|
| Best all-rounderToo close to call, 2 apart (Zoho Books and Stripe is nominally ahead) | 72 | 74 |
| Best on a budgetZoho Books and Stripe by 5 | 69 | 74 |
| Easiest to startToo close to call, 2 apart (Xero and PayPal is nominally ahead) | 76 | 74 |
| Best as you growZoho Books and Stripe by 7 | 74 | 81 |
Xero and PayPal splits the work across Xero and PayPal. Zoho Books and Stripe splits the work across Zoho Books and Stripe.
| Category | Xero and PayPal | Zoho Books and Stripe |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting | ||
| Accounting |  Xero |  Zoho Books |
| Invoicing | ||
| Invoicing | Xero | Zoho Books |
| Taking payments | ||
| Taking payments |  PayPal |  Stripe |
Greyed-out rows use the same tool on both sides. A category is one job a stack has to do; a tool is one product you sign up for.
The price to actually launch, the catches that come with it, and what you give up by picking one over the other.
The same books, with the payment method most clients already have. Clients pay the PayPal link on a Xero invoice without signing up for anything.
PayPal costs more per payment than Stripe everywhere but Canada, where the two are level.
Working with clients who expect to pay by PayPal, or who pay from abroad.
The cheapest way to run proper books: Zoho Books is free until your revenue passes about US$50,000, and Stripe charges only per payment.
Fewer connections to other tools than Xero or QuickBooks.
Starting out, or a side business that has to cost almost nothing.