MYOB costs less at almost every level. Xero's advantage is that every plan, even the cheapest, can lodge a BAS and includes payroll. MYOB Solo is $11 a month against $37 for Xero Ignite, but Solo cannot lodge a BAS and Ignite stops at 20 invoices a month. For a GST-registered sole trader, the real contest is MYOB Business Lite at $35 a month against Xero Ignite at $37, and past 20 invoices a month it is Lite against Xero Grow at $78.
Prices are quoted exactly as each brand shows them, read from xero.com and myob.com on 2 October 2026. Xero says its prices include GST. MYOB's pricing page does not say either way, but MYOB's own offer figures show that Solo's, Lite's and Pro's prices include it, so the plans this comparison turns on compare like for like.
Xero vs MYOB: what does each plan cost?
Standard prices, no promotions, sorted from cheapest. Every plan here can lodge a Business Activity Statement (BAS) except MYOB Solo, and only Xero Ignite limits how many invoices you send.
| Plan | Per month | Invoices | Payroll |
|---|---|---|---|
| MYOB Solo | $11 | No limit | None |
| MYOB Business Lite | $35 | No limit | $3 a head, up to 2 |
| Xero Ignite | $37 | 20 a month | 1 person |
| MYOB Business Pro | $70 | No limit | $3 a head |
| Xero Grow | $78 | No limit | 2 people |
| Xero Comprehensive | $107 | No limit | 5 people |
| Xero Ultimate 10 | $143 | No limit | 10 people |
| MYOB AccountRight Plus | $165 | No limit | Included |
| MYOB AccountRight Premier | $210 | No limit | Included |
MYOB also sells each of these plans by the year, which works out a quarter cheaper than paying monthly: Solo is $99 a year and Lite is $315. Xero's Australian pricing page lists monthly prices only. The full plan detail for each brand is on our Xero pricing and MYOB pricing pages.
What is the difference between Xero and MYOB?
Both are full accounting platforms that send invoices, reconcile bank transactions, track GST and run payroll. The differences that change the bill are these four.
- The catch on the cheapest plan. MYOB Solo has no invoice cap but cannot lodge a BAS. Xero Ignite lodges a BAS but caps you at 20 invoices a month. Each brand's entry plan is missing the thing the other one has.
- How payroll is charged. Every Xero plan includes payroll for a set number of people: one on Ignite, two on Grow, five on Comprehensive. MYOB Lite and Pro charge $3 a month per employee on top, rising to $5 from 1 November 2026, and Lite stops at two employees. MYOB's AccountRight plans include payroll at no extra cost.
- How you pay. MYOB sells each plan by the month or by the year, and the yearly price is a quarter less. Xero lists monthly prices only.
- Where it runs. Xero runs in the browser. MYOB Business runs in the browser too, and MYOB's AccountRight plans also include software to download on a Windows computer, which matters if you want to work on your own machine.
MYOB Solo vs Xero Ignite: the sole trader plans
These are the two plans each brand points one-person businesses at, and they are built around opposite limits.
- MYOB Solo: $99 a year paid annually, or $11 a month. Unlimited quotes and invoices, expense tracking and up to two bank accounts. It tracks GST, but it cannot lodge a BAS, and it has no payroll.
- Xero Ignite: $37 a month, which is $444 a year. It lodges a BAS and pays one person, but it allows 20 invoices a month, and transactions created by connected apps can count towards that limit.
If you are not registered for GST, Solo does the job for under a third of Ignite's price. Once your turnover reaches the $75,000 GST registration threshold, you have to lodge a BAS, and Solo is out. From there the choice is Lite or Ignite.
Which is cheaper for a GST-registered sole trader?
Once you need to lodge a BAS, the cheapest option depends on how many invoices you send. Per year, at standard prices:
- 20 invoices a month or fewer: MYOB Lite at $315 paid annually, or $420 paid monthly, against Xero Ignite at $444. Paid a year up front, MYOB is $129 cheaper. Paid monthly, the two are within $24 of each other.
- More than 20 invoices a month: MYOB Lite at the same $315 to $420, against Xero Grow at $936. MYOB costs less than half as much, because Lite has no invoice cap and Xero has no plan between Ignite and Grow.
- One employee on payroll: Xero Ignite covers one person inside its $444, paid monthly. MYOB Lite adds $36 a year for the payroll add-on, which takes it to $351 paid annually or $456 paid monthly, so paid monthly Xero is $12 a year cheaper.
Two notes on those sums. They compare like for like, because Lite's price includes GST as Xero's does: MYOB's AI BAS page adds Lite at $7 a month, 80% off $35, to its $25 AI BAS add-on and labels the $32 total as including GST. And MYOB's payroll fee rises to $5 per employee a month from 1 November 2026, which takes Lite with one employee to $375 paid annually or $480 paid monthly, so paid monthly Xero Ignite would then be $36 a year cheaper.
Both brands run heavy introductory discounts, so compare the standard prices above, which are what you pay once the offer ends. MYOB's current offers are stated to end on 15 January 2027.
Xero or MYOB: which should you choose?
- Choose MYOB if you are not registered for GST and want the cheapest workable plan (Solo), if you want BAS lodgement for the least money, especially past 20 invoices a month (Lite), if you are happy to pay a year up front for a lower price, or if you want accounting software on your own Windows computer (AccountRight).
- Choose Xero if you want the cheapest plan to lodge a BAS and pay one person without add-ons, or if your bookkeeper or accountant already works in Xero.
- Choose neither if you are a sole trader with no employees and no stock. Most of what both subscriptions charge for is payroll, inventory and multi-currency, and you would be paying for it unused.
Is there a cheaper alternative to both?
Balaana's free plan has unlimited invoices and quotes, unlimited clients, expense and receipt capture, GST tracked on every transaction, a BAS summary report each quarter and a profit and loss statement, for one user, at no cost. The paid plan is $7 a month and adds payment collection, bank feeds and up to three users. Balaana prepares the BAS figures rather than lodging the statement for you, and it does not do payroll, inventory or multiple currencies.
Balaana is not launched yet, so this is a comparison of what each product charges and covers, not a claim that it replaces two platforms with decades behind them. Accounting software for sole traders compares the wider field, including the options that are not Xero or MYOB, and our pricing page has the full plan split.
Related reading
- What each Xero plan costs
- What each MYOB plan costs
- What "free" actually means in accounting software
- What is a BAS?
Frequently asked questions
MYOB, at almost every level. MYOB Solo is $11 a month and Business Lite is $35, against $37 for Xero Ignite and $78 for Xero Grow, and MYOB takes a quarter off for paying a year up front. Solo cannot lodge a BAS and Ignite caps you at 20 invoices a month, so for a GST-registered business sending more than 20 invoices a month the comparison is Lite at $35 against Grow at $78.
Four things change the bill. MYOB Solo cannot lodge a BAS while Xero Ignite caps invoices at 20 a month. Xero includes payroll for a set number of people on every plan, while MYOB Lite and Pro charge $3 a month per employee, rising to $5 from 1 November 2026. MYOB sells yearly plans a quarter cheaper than paying monthly, while Xero lists monthly prices only. And MYOB AccountRight includes software for a Windows computer, while Xero runs in the browser.
Xero states that its Australian prices include GST. MYOB's pricing page does not say, but its own offer figures show that its Solo, Lite and Pro prices do. MYOB's AI BAS page adds Lite at $7 a month, 80% off $35, to its $25 AI BAS add-on and labels the $32 total as including GST, and Pro works the same way. MYOB also advertises Solo's first year at $12 including GST as a saving of $87, which only works if the $99 standard price includes GST too. MYOB shows no such figure for AccountRight, so this comparison uses every price as each brand shows it.
No. Solo tracks GST but cannot lodge a Business Activity Statement, so a GST-registered business needs MYOB Business Lite or above. Every Xero plan, including Ignite, can lodge a BAS.
If you are not registered for GST, MYOB Solo is the cheapest workable plan, at $99 a year. If you are registered and send 20 invoices a month or fewer, MYOB Lite at $315 paid annually is $129 a year cheaper than Xero Ignite at $444, and paid monthly the two are within $24 of each other. If you send more than 20 a month, MYOB Lite costs less than half as much as Xero Grow. If your accountant works in Xero, that can outweigh the price difference.
Balaana has a free plan with unlimited invoices and clients, expense capture, GST tracking, a quarterly BAS summary and a profit and loss statement, for one user. The paid plan is $7 a month. It does not do payroll, inventory or multiple currencies, and it is not launched yet, so it suits sole traders who need none of those.
Sources
- Xero, Pricing Plans, Xero AU and its Ignite plan page, read 2 October 2026: plan prices including GST, invoice limits and payroll headcount. The main pricing page shows Ignite's $37 only under its Self employed tab, not the tab it opens on.
- MYOB, MYOB pricing, its Solo offer terms, its AI BAS page and its pricing update, read 2 October 2026: plan prices, BAS capability, the payroll add-on and its price from 1 November 2026, the promotion end date, and the offer figures that show Solo's, Lite's and Pro's prices include GST.
- Yearly totals are the monthly price times twelve, worked out by us. Software prices move, so check both live pages before deciding.