Does Stripe or Xero have a free plan?

Neither offers a permanently free plan. Xero offers a free trial instead.

Stripe vs Xero

A side-by-side look at Stripe and Xero: what each costs to start, whether there is a free plan, how easy they are to pick up, and which features and integrations they cover.

Which should you choose?

Choose Stripe if

SaaS and subscription businesses
Developers building custom checkout or marketplace flows
Online businesses selling in many currencies
Startups that want one provider for online and in-person payments

Visit Stripe

Choose Xero if

Businesses that want owners, staff and an accountant in one file without per-user fees
Companies based in the UK, Australia or New Zealand
Growing businesses that connect ecommerce, payment and CRM apps

Visit Xero

Cheapest to start

Not comparable

Free plan

Neither

Highest editor rating

Stripe · 4.7

Comparison of Stripe and Xero
Compare	Stripe Visit site	Xero Visit site
Free plan	No	No
Free trial	No	Yes
Starting price	Pay as you go	From $25/mo
Editor rating	4.7	4.3
Ease of use	Moderate (3/5)	Moderate (3/5)
Category	Finance & Accounting	Finance & Accounting
Pricing model	No monthly fee; US card processing is 2.9% plus $0.30 per successful domestic transaction, and add-on products such as Billing, Invoicing and Tax are charged as a percentage of volume. Custom rates are available at high volume.	Three US plans at $25, $55 and $90 per month, with no per-user fees. The Early plan caps monthly invoices and bills, and plan names and prices differ by country.
Plans	Standard (pay as you go) — Custom Stripe Billing (add-on) — Custom Custom — Custom	Early — $25/mo Growing — $55/mo Established — $90/mo
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android, API, CLI	Web, iOS, Android, API
Integrations	HubSpot, Make, Salesforce, Slack, Typeform, Webflow, WooCommerce, Xero, Zapier	HubSpot, Make, PayPal, Shopify, Stripe, Zapier
Best for	SaaS and subscription businesses Developers building custom checkout or marketplace flows Online businesses selling in many currencies Startups that want one provider for online and in-person payments	Businesses that want owners, staff and an accountant in one file without per-user fees Companies based in the UK, Australia or New Zealand Growing businesses that connect ecommerce, payment and CRM apps
Pros	Best-in-class API, SDKs, documentation and test mode Broad product range: subscriptions, invoicing, tax, in-person, marketplaces and payouts No monthly fee and transparent published rates No-code options (Payment Links, Checkout, customer portal) for non-developers	Unlimited users on every plan Clean, fast bank reconciliation workflow Large app marketplace and a well-documented API Strong in the UK, Australia and New Zealand, including native payroll in those regions
Cons	Flat per-transaction pricing is more expensive than interchange-plus at high volume Add-on products (Billing, Tax, Invoicing) each add their own percentage Most integrations beyond Payment Links still need developer time Risk reviews can trigger holds or rolling reserves for higher-risk businesses	Early plan caps invoices (about 20) and bills (about 5) per month Multi-currency, expense claims and project tracking require the top plan US payroll relies on Gusto rather than a built-in module No inbound phone support; help is via online support and callbacks
API access	Yes	Yes
App marketplace	No	Yes
Bank connections	No	Yes
Client portal	Yes	No
Expense tracking	No	Yes
Inventory management	No	Yes
Mobile app	Yes	Yes
Multi-currency	Yes	No
Multi-currency invoicing	No	Yes
Payment processing	Yes	No
Point of sale	Yes	No
Quotes & invoices	No	Yes
Recurring invoices	Yes	Yes
Reporting & dashboards	Yes	Yes
Roles & permissions	No	Yes
SSO / SAML	Yes	No
Subscription billing	Yes	No
Tax reports	Yes	Yes
Webhooks	Yes	No

Common questions

Does Stripe or Xero have a free plan?: Neither offers a permanently free plan. Xero offers a free trial instead.

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