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ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE · MIGRATION GUIDE

Switching from Xero to FreshBooks

FreshBooks imports clients, expenses, items and vendors from CSV files and offers Easy Switch, a paid conversion service that lists Xero as a source. Open invoices and your history need a plan, so export everything from Xero first.

Jump to migration steps Read the full comparison
By Bill Belcamino · Last updated September 18, 2026 · Our methodologyResearched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team
Switching from Xero to FreshBooksVerified Sep 18, 2026

Quick verdict: Export your contacts, chart of accounts, invoices, bills and general ledger from Xero, then either import clients, vendors, items and expenses into FreshBooks yourself from CSV or use Easy Switch, FreshBooks’ conversion service run by MMC Convert, which moves client details, expenses, invoices and more. Easy Switch is included at no extra cost on some Select plans and discounted on Plus and Premium; FreshBooks does not publish its price. Before you cancel Xero, note that Xero keeps a cancelled subscription’s data for up to seven years, accessible by reactivating it.

Estimate · your inputs

Switching Cost & Friction Estimator

Most buyers only budget for the new subscription. This estimates the hidden labor, data-cleanup, and retraining cost of actually making the switch.

25,000
10

Estimate assumes: 1 hour of data-mapping/cleaning labor per 2,000 records, a blended $75/hr ops rate, tiered migration & cleaning tooling fees, and 4 hours of retraining per seat at a $45/hr fully-loaded rate.

Estimated Migration Time —
Data Friction Rating —
Total Hidden Switching Cost $0

    Why teams move from Xero to FreshBooks

    Lower entry price for one person

    FreshBooks Lite is $23/mo against Xero Early at $27/mo, and FreshBooks takes 10% off for yearly billing.

    Invoicing built for service businesses

    Estimates, proposals, client retainers and project profitability are central to FreshBooks’ plans.

    Priced by clients, not invoices

    FreshBooks Lite has no 20-invoice monthly cap like Xero Early; its limit is the number of billable clients (5 on Lite, 50 on Plus).

    How the migration actually works

    There is no one-click importer from Xero into FreshBooks, so choose between a do-it-yourself CSV move and FreshBooks’ Easy Switch service before you start.

    StepWhat you do
    1Pick your FreshBooks plan by client count and usersCount your active billable clients (Lite 5, Plus 50, Premium unlimited) and the people who need logins; each extra team member is $11/mo.
    2Export everything from XeroExport contacts, the chart of accounts, invoices, bills, fixed assets and the general ledger (CSV/XLS, PDF or TXT), plus the reports your accountant needs for the year to date.
    3Decide on Easy Switch or DIYEasy Switch, run by MMC Convert, moves client details, expenses, invoices and more from Xero. Ask FreshBooks for a quote via the Talk to a Specialist button on the Select plan page.
    4Import clients, vendors, items and expensesIf you go DIY, import CSV files for clients, vendors, items and expenses in FreshBooks. Other income and taxes are imported by FreshBooks support from your CSV.
    5Reconnect your bank accountsConnect bank accounts in FreshBooks to bring in transactions, or import them from a CSV file.
    6Re-create open invoices and set opening balancesFreshBooks’ self-serve CSV import does not cover invoices, so re-issue unpaid invoices (or have Easy Switch move them) and have your accountant set opening balances.
    7Keep Xero as your archiveKeep the exported ledger and reports. Xero holds a cancelled subscription’s data for up to seven years and you can regain access by reactivating it.

    What this path doesn’t do for you:

    FreshBooks’ own CSV import covers clients, expenses, items and vendors (not invoices, bills or your chart of accounts), so historical transactions stay in your Xero exports unless you pay for Easy Switch. Easy Switch’s price is not published. If you run Xero Payroll, powered by Gusto, confirm with support how your payroll history moves before you switch; FreshBooks Payroll is a separate $40/mo plus $6 per person add-on.

    Pricing side by side

    PlanXeroFreshBooks
    FreeNo, 30-day free trialNo, 30-day free trial, no card required
    Entry paidEarly — $27/mo (20 invoices, 5 bills)Lite — $23/mo (5 billable clients)
    MidGrowing — $59/moPlus — $43/mo (50 billable clients)
    TopEstablished — $97/moPremium — $70/mo (unlimited clients); Select by quote
    UsersUnlimited on every plan1 included; team members $11/mo each
    Payroll$36/mo + $6 per person (powered by Gusto)$40/mo + $6/mo per person (powered by Gusto)

    List prices checked on xero.com/us/pricing-plans and freshbooks.com/pricing on September 18, 2026. Confirm current rates before you buy.

    Feature parity check

    CapabilityXeroFreshBooks
    Users includedUnlimited1; $11/mo per extra team member
    Plan limitEarly: 20 invoices, 5 bills a monthLite: 5 billable clients; Plus: 50
    Self-serve importContacts, invoices, bills, chart of accounts, bank statements and moreClients, expenses, items, vendors (CSV)
    Assisted conversionConversion Toolbox for accountants (FreshBooks not listed as a source)Easy Switch by MMC Convert (Xero listed as a source)
    Annual discountNone — monthly billing10% off yearly
    AI assistantJAX — currently no additional chargeNone listed on the pricing page

    Going the other direction, or want the full comparison first?

    Read the Xero vs FreshBooks comparison Switching from FreshBooks to Xero instead?
    Verified data

    Security & access: what changes when you switch

    Security, offline and access rules that differ between Xero and FreshBooks. Rows where both tools are the same (1) are left out; the full side-by-side is on each tool’s page: Xero, FreshBooks.

    What changesXero (today)FreshBooks (after)
    SOC 2 reportSOC 2 reportType not stated by vendorsourceSOC 2 Type Isource
    ISO/IEC 27001CertifiedsourceNot published
    Other certificationsPCI DSS v4.0 (SAQ A; Level 2 merchant)sourcePCI DSS Level 1source
    GDPR data processing agreementDPA offeredsourceNot published
    Two-factor authenticationYesEnforcement: All plans (MFA is mandatory for all users)sourceYesEnforcement: All plans (2FA is required for email-and-password logins)source
    EncryptionEncryption in transit and at rest (algorithms not stated)source256-bit SSL in transitsource
    Offline modePartialIn the Xero mobile app you can draft invoices and capture receipts offline and they sync when you reconnect; everything else, including the web app, needs an internet connection.sourceNot documented
    Office & room hardwareTap to Pay in the Xero Accounting app (powered by Stripe) takes contactless in-person payments for invoices with no extra hardware or terminal.source—
    Editorial assessment

    Before you cut over

    • People who rely on Xero offline will lose that: FreshBooks doesn’t document an offline mode. Tell field and travelling staff before the switch.

    Checked September 19, 2026 against each vendor’s own trust center, help docs and app pages. Hover or tap “source” to see the exact wording we relied on. “Not published” means we could not find the vendor saying it on its own site; it doesn’t mean the feature is missing. Plan names are the lowest plan the vendor says includes the feature. Security · Offline · Remote vs office · Download the data

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Can FreshBooks import my Xero data automatically?

    Not with a one-click importer. You can import clients, expenses, items and vendors from CSV yourself, or use Easy Switch, FreshBooks’ conversion service run by MMC Convert, which lists Xero as a supported source.

    How much does Easy Switch cost?

    FreshBooks does not publish a price. It is included at no extra cost on some Select plans and offered at a discounted cost on Plus, Premium and other Select plans; ask via Talk to a Specialist.

    Will my Xero invoices come across?

    Not through FreshBooks’ self-serve CSV import, which does not cover invoices. Re-create unpaid invoices or have Easy Switch move them, and keep your Xero exports for history.

    What happens to my Xero data after I cancel?

    Xero says a cancelled subscription’s data can be accessed for up to seven years by reactivating the subscription, unless you ask for it to be deleted. Export what you need before you cancel.

    Will FreshBooks cost less than Xero?

    For one user on Lite ($23/mo) it costs less than Xero Early ($27/mo). Each extra FreshBooks user adds $11/mo, while Xero includes unlimited users.

    Canonical data for the tools on this page

    Every pricing fact, rating, AI billing model and switching guide we hold on each tool, on one page, with the date each figure was last verified.

    FreshBooksPricing, free plan, AI cost & every comparison›XeroPricing, free plan, AI cost & every comparison›
    Xero vs FreshBooksHead-to-head comparisonQuickBooks vs FreshBooksHead-to-head comparisonQuickBooks vs XeroHead-to-head comparison
    FreshBooks to XeroSwitching guideFreshBooks to QuickBooksSwitching guideQuickBooks to FreshBooksSwitching guideQuickBooks to XeroSwitching guideXero to QuickBooksSwitching guide

    Sources

    Prices on this page were recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page on the date shown at the top of the page. Vendors change pricing often — check the live source before you buy.

    Every figure is also in our open dataset (JSON and CSV, CC BY 4.0), with its source page and verification date. See how we research pricing.

    Cite this page: HelpCompare, “Switching from Xero to FreshBooks”, helpcompare.com/xero-to-freshbooks-migration/ (updated ).

    Source links on this site are checked every month; last check . How sources are checked.

    Start with the job

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    Plain-language guides: the steps, what to check before you buy, common mistakes, and every tool it takes with verified prices.

    Send invoices and get paidDo the bookkeeping and track expensesGet ready for taxesPay bills and vendors on timeSend quotes and estimatesTrack time and billable hoursRun client work at an agencyRun payrollAll 50 job guides
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    Built for the leader who owns the selection, answers for the spend, drives the rollout, and lives with the results. HelpCompare covers the whole decision, not just the first step.

    01 · CompareWhich tool fits your team, side by side.132 comparisons 02 · Price & approveSourced, dated pricing and a one-page brief for sign-off.Decision brief 03 · SwitchWhat moves, what you rebuild, what it costs.264 guides 04 · ShareDownload and cite the data. CC BY 4.0.Open data
    Bill Belcamino, founder of HelpCompare
    About the author

    Bill Belcamino

    Founder and author, HelpCompare

    Engineer by training, operator by experience, marketer by choice. Bill spent eight and a half years as an engineer at HP, was COO of Auctiva (the number one third-party selling platform on eBay, past 200,000 users) and ran Google’s $70M/year search syndication partnership at Alot.com. Then he spent 13 years building his own web properties with his own money at stake. He has bought, trialled, integrated and cancelled more SaaS tools than he can count, and started HelpCompare because the real cost of switching tools is the part nobody covers.

    “I’ve sat on both sides of the table: the agency recommending the tool and the client paying for it.”

    Researched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team. Pricing on this page was last verified on September 18, 2026. No paid sponsorships, no affiliate commissions.

    Read Bill’s story How we verify pricingSpot an error? Tell Bill