Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks for a sole trader? Published Australian prices compared

If you work for yourself, accounting software mostly has three jobs: send invoices, match your bank account so you know who has paid, and get your GST right if you’re registered. Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks all sell a plan pitched at that job, and their published prices and limits differ more than the marketing suggests.

This comparison sets out what each company publishes for Australian sole traders: Xero’s Ignite plan, MYOB’s app-only Solo and its browser-based MYOB Business Lite, and QuickBooks’ Simple Start.

How we compared

On Sunday 18 October 2026 we read each company’s own Australian pricing and plan pages. We used no reseller pages, review sites or sales quotes.

What we compared: monthly and yearly prices and GST treatment, introductory offers, limits on invoices and bills, GST tracking and BAS lodgement, connected bank accounts, users, receipt capture and payroll costs.

What we didn’t do: this is a desk comparison of published plans. We didn’t open accounts, reconcile a bank feed or lodge a BAS, and we didn’t assess ease of use, support or data security. Where a page doesn’t mention something, we say “not stated”.

Prices are as the pages showed them on 18 October 2026. All three companies were running introductory discounts that day, so we give standard prices first. There are no affiliate links in this story.

Side by side

Feature	Xero Ignite	MYOB Solo	MYOB Business Lite	QuickBooks Simple Start
Standard price	A$37 a month	A$11 a month, or A$99 a year	A$35 a month, or A$315 a year	A$33 a month
GST, as stated	Includes GST	Includes GST (offer terms)	Not stated	Includes GST
Introductory offer	80% off for 3 months (A$7.40 a month)	Yearly: A$12 for the first 12 months. Monthly: 50% off for 3 months	Yearly: A$94.50 for the first year. Monthly: 50% off for 6 months	70% off (A$9.90 a month); the length is unclear (see below)
Invoices	Quotes and 20 invoices	Unlimited quotes and invoices	Unlimited quotes and invoices	Unlimited invoices and quotes
Bills	Enter 5 bills	Not stated	Not stated	Supplier and bill management not included
GST and BAS	Track GST and lodge BAS	Track GST only	Track GST and lodge BAS	GST tracking and e-lodge BAS
Bank accounts	Not stated	Up to 2	Up to 2	Not stated (automated bank feeds included)
Users	No per-user licence fees	1	Unlimited	1, plus your accountant
Works on	Not stated on plan page	Mobile app only	Web browser and MYOB Assist app	Web, plus free mobile apps
Payroll	Included for 1 person	Not available	Extra per employee, up to 2	QuickBooks Payroll, A$6 per active employee a month

Xero Ignite

Xero’s pricing page lists Ignite at A$37 a month and says prices are in Australian dollars and include GST. On 18 October new Australian customers were offered 80% off for the first three months, which is A$7.40 a month. The page also offers one month free instead; Xero’s terms say the 80% discount can’t be combined with any other offer.

The Ignite plan page describes it as accounting basics for the self-employed. It includes quotes and 20 invoices, bank reconciliation, GST tracking and BAS lodgement, and document capture from bills and receipts. Xero’s pricing page also lists entering 5 bills and payroll for one person on Ignite. The plan page says it is “Ready for Single Touch Payroll”. Xero notes that transactions created by connected apps may count towards the 20-invoice limit, and points you to the Grow plan for more. Grow costs A$78 a month.

Xero says there are no per-user licence fees, and that Ignite subscriptions can be cancelled with one month’s notice. Multiple currencies start on the Comprehensive plan, at A$107 a month.

MYOB Solo

MYOB’s pricing page describes Solo as an all-in-one mobile app for sole traders, covering admin, banking and payments. It runs on the mobile app only.

Solo costs A$99 a year or A$11 a month. The offer terms say you pay A$12, including GST, for the first 12 months on an annual subscription, or, on a monthly subscription, 50% off for three months after a 14-day free trial. Both offers end on 15 January 2027 unless varied. The page’s own offer labels say “70% off” and “50% off for the first 6 months”, which don’t match its footnotes, so check the price at checkout.

Solo includes unlimited quotes and invoices, up to two connected bank accounts, one user, receipt capture in the app and Tap to Pay, which costs A$0.30 plus 1.6% per transaction. MYOB says the app keeps business income separate from your personal finances. It has no payroll.

The important limit: MYOB’s comparison table lists Solo as “Track GST only”. The browser-based plans list “Track GST and lodge BAS”. If you’re registered for GST and want your software to lodge the BAS, Solo isn’t the one.

MYOB Business Lite

Lite is MYOB’s browser-based plan “for sole traders and small business with up to 2 employees”. It costs A$315 a year or A$35 a month. New and returning customers can pay A$94.50 for the first year on an annual subscription, or, on a monthly subscription, 50% off for six months after a 14-day trial. As with Solo, the page’s offer labels don’t match its footnotes, so check the price at checkout. The pricing page doesn’t say whether Lite’s prices include GST.

Lite lists GST tracking and BAS lodgement, inventory and orders, up to two connected bank accounts, unlimited users and receipts through the MYOB Assist app.

Payroll is extra. You can add payroll with Single Touch Payroll for up to two employees. The pricing page still shows A$3 a month per employee, but MYOB’s pricing update says the fee rises to A$5 per employee paid each month, including GST, from 1 November 2026. MYOB says the new fee appears on invoices from 1 December 2026, and that Lite and Pro base prices stay the same.

QuickBooks Simple Start

QuickBooks’ pricing page lists Simple Start at A$33 a month and says all prices are in Australian dollars and include GST. There is a 30-day free trial.

On 18 October the page advertised 70% off “for 6 months”, A$9.90 a month, and its savings figure (A$138.60) works out to six months. Its pricing terms, however, describe 70% off “for the first 3 months” and full price from month four. On our arithmetic, the first year costs A$257.40 on the six-month reading and A$326.70 on the three-month one. Ask before you subscribe.

Simple Start includes one user plus access for your accountant, unlimited invoices and quotes, automated bank feeds, receipt capture, and GST tracking and BAS lodgement with a pre-lodgement check. It doesn’t include recurring invoices, supplier and bill management or multiple currencies, which start on Essentials at A$60 a month.

Payroll is a separate service, run by Employment Hero. QuickBooks’ payroll page prices Standard Payroll at A$6, including GST, for each active employee a month, and says it is Single Touch Payroll compliant. QuickBooks says payroll can’t be used in its mobile apps and isn’t eligible for the subscription discounts.

What a year costs

At standard prices, a year costs A$444 on Xero Ignite paid monthly (12 times A$37), A$396 on QuickBooks Simple Start paid monthly (12 times A$33; QuickBooks also offers a discount for annual billing, but the page doesn’t price it), A$99 on MYOB Solo paid yearly, and A$315 on MYOB Business Lite paid yearly. That’s our arithmetic, before payroll or other add-ons.

On our arithmetic, with the offers running on 18 October, the first year costs A$355.20 on Xero (three months at A$7.40, then nine at A$37), A$12 on Solo and A$94.50 on Lite paid yearly. QuickBooks depends on which of its two offer lengths applies.

Which fits which sole trader

There is no single winner. On the published facts:

• Not registered for GST, working from your phone: MYOB Solo is the cheapest published option, and the only one built as an app-only product. You must register for GST once your GST turnover reaches A$75,000, according to business.gov.au. If you expect to get there, check whether you’d have to move to another plan.
• Registered for GST, sending more than 20 invoices a month: QuickBooks Simple Start and MYOB Business Lite both list unlimited invoices and BAS lodgement. Xero Ignite’s 20-invoice cap would push you to Grow.
• Paying one employee: Xero Ignite includes payroll for one person. On MYOB Lite that person costs A$5 a month from 1 November, and on QuickBooks A$6 a month.

Whichever you choose, business.gov.au says most business records must be kept for five years. It also notes that the ATO’s free myDeductions tool lets sole traders record business income and expenses for their tax return. Our Xero and Google Gemini story covers Xero’s newest AI connection, and our booking software comparison covers tools that send sales into Xero and QuickBooks.

Checklist

• Decide whether you need BAS lodgement. MYOB Solo tracks GST only; Xero Ignite, MYOB Business Lite and QuickBooks Simple Start list BAS lodgement.
• Count your invoices. Xero Ignite allows 20, and transactions from connected apps may count towards that limit; MYOB and QuickBooks’ entry plans list unlimited invoices.
• Price the first year at standard rates. A$444 on Xero Ignite and A$396 on QuickBooks Simple Start paid monthly, A$99 on MYOB Solo yearly and A$315 on MYOB Lite yearly.
• Confirm the QuickBooks discount length in writing. Its pricing page advertises 70% off for six months, but its terms describe three months.
• Budget for payroll if you employ anyone. MYOB’s fee is A$5 per employee paid each month from 1 November 2026; QuickBooks Payroll is A$6 per active employee.
• Check how many bank accounts you need to connect. MYOB Solo and Lite connect up to two.
• Keep business records for five years. business.gov.au says that applies to most records, whichever software you use.