Which is better for freelancers and consultants in the US? It depends on what you care about, so here are both answers and the arithmetic under them.
QuickBooks and PayPal takes three of the four lenses and Xero and PayPal none, and one is 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 | QuickBooks and PayPal | Xero and PayPal |
|---|---|---|
| Best all-rounderQuickBooks and PayPal by 5 | 74 | 69 |
| Best on a budgetToo close to call | 60 | 60 |
| Easiest to startQuickBooks and PayPal by 10 | 84 | 74 |
| Best as you growQuickBooks and PayPal by 3 | 76 | 73 |
QuickBooks and PayPal splits the work across QuickBooks Online and PayPal. Xero and PayPal splits the work across Xero and PayPal.
| Category | QuickBooks and PayPal | Xero and PayPal |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting | ||
| Accounting |  QuickBooks Online |  Xero |
| Invoicing | ||
| Invoicing | QuickBooks Online | Xero |
| Taking payments | ||
| Taking payments |  PayPal | PayPal |
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.
Familiar books and the payment button clients recognise. Little to set up on either side, and support you can phone.
The dearest way to get paid of the pairs here, and dearer still in the US and New Zealand.
Getting going this afternoon with tools your clients already use.
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.