Debbie vs Xero for Making Tax Digital
By the selector's own rules, Debbie and Xero both work for landlords and sole traders, including people with both kinds of income, so the choice comes down to the five points where they differ. Xero offers bank feeds, phone apps, access for an accountant and MTD for VAT returns, which Debbie does not. Their cheapest plans are listed as £10 a month, no VAT charged (Solo) for Debbie and £7 plus VAT a month (Simple) for Xero.
Debbie suits sole traders who would rather upload a bank statement each quarter than connect a live bank feed, tradespeople who want quotes, invoices and their MTD filing in the same app and people with a trade and a single rental property who want both on one account. Xero suits landlords with multiple properties, sole traders who also need payroll and anyone already using an accountant on Xero.
The facts on this page come from each provider’s own pages and from HMRC’s software list, and how we compare products explains how we check them.
If you are thinking of moving from one to the other, the guide to changing your MTD software explains what GOV.UK says about when you can move and what happens to your records.
Where they differ
These are the points where our checks of the two products came out differently. A “No” means we did not find that feature on the provider’s own pages when we last checked them. Where we had nothing to go on for one of the two, we leave the point out here rather than guess.
| Point | Debbie | Xero |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest plan | £10 a month, no VAT charged (Solo) | £7 plus VAT a month (Simple) |
| Bank feeds | No | Yes |
| Phone apps | No | Yes (iOS and Android) |
| Accountant access | No | Yes |
| MTD for VAT returns | No | Yes, from the Ignite plan |
On the other points we compare (free plan, more than one property, jointly owned property, holiday lets and former FHL, self-employment income and receipt capture), they give the same answer, or at least one provider does not say. The full list is under each product’s own page.
If you are registered for VAT, the guide to one product for MTD for VAT and Income Tax explains what GOV.UK asks you to check and which of the products we compare say they handle both.
What HMRC’s software list says about both
HMRC’s list marks each feature as available now or intended for later. This is what HMRC’s list says, not something we have tested ourselves. Where HMRC lists a product under more than one name, we show the strongest answer and the listing it comes from.
| Feature | Debbie | Xero |
|---|---|---|
| Your tax return and other income | ||
| Sending your tax return | Available | Available |
| Foreign property | Not stated | Available |
| Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) | Available | Availablesince 16 October 2026 |
| Employment (PAYE) | Intended | Intended |
| UK dividends | Intended | Availablesince 16 October 2026 |
| UK interest | Intended | Availablesince 17 July 2026 |
| Capital gains | Not stated | Intended |
| How it works | ||
| Bridging software that connects to your records | Not stated | Not stated |
| Calendar update periods (1 April to 31 March) | Not stated | Available |
| A free version | Not stated | Not stated |
| Welsh language | Not stated | Not stated |
| Accessibility | ||
| Blindness or impaired vision | Available | Not stated |
| Deafness or impaired hearing | Available | Not stated |
| Motor or physical difficulties | Available | Not stated |
| Cognitive impairments | Available | Not stated |
This is HMRC’s list as it stood on 30 October 2026, at HMRC’s commit 201b34e. A date beside a feature is when HMRC’s list changed it from intended to available. HMRC’s software finder shows the current answers. How we read HMRC’s list
Does HMRC’s software list show Debbie and Xero as available for sending your tax return?
For sending your tax return, HMRC’s software list as it stood on 30 October 2026 marks it “Available” for Debbie and marks it “Available” for Xero.
Does HMRC’s software list show a free version of Debbie or Xero?
For a free version, HMRC’s software list as it stood on 30 October 2026 says nothing either way for Debbie and says nothing either way for Xero.
How many features does HMRC’s software list mark as available for Debbie and Xero?
HMRC’s software list as it stood on 30 October 2026 covers 15 features, and it marks 6 “Available” for Debbie and 6 “Available” for Xero. For Debbie, it marks 3 “Intended” and gives no answer on 6. For Xero, it marks 2 “Intended” and gives no answer on 7.
The cheapest plan for your situation
A product’s cheapest plan is not always one you can use, because some plans are only for landlords or only for sole traders. These are the lowest prices the selector would show each reader, as each provider states them. Where a price grows with the number of properties, it is shown as a starting price. The figure over 12 months is the same plan at its regular price, worked out the way the software cost calculator does it.
Debbie
- For landlords
- £10 a month, no VAT charged
- For sole traders
- £10 a month, no VAT charged
- For people with rental and self-employment income
- £17 a month, no VAT charged
- Cheapest plan over 12 months for landlords and sole traders
- £120, no VAT chargedThe monthly price times 12; the provider also bills by the year
- Cheapest plan over 12 months for people with rental and self-employment income
- £204, no VAT chargedThe monthly price times 12; the provider also bills by the year
We checked Debbie’s prices on 25 October 2026.
Xero
- For landlords
- £7 plus VAT a month
- For sole traders
- £7 plus VAT a month
- For people with rental and self-employment income
- £7 plus VAT a month
- Cheapest plan over 12 months
- £84 plus VAT
We checked Xero’s prices on 25 October 2026.
Notes from our checks
Debbie
Debbie's FAQ says it sends MTD quarterly updates, the end of year figures and the final declaration to HMRC once you confirm them, and HMRC's software list shows self-employment income, UK property income, quarterly updates and the tax return as available. Records come from a bank statement you export and upload; the FAQ says a live bank feed is planned but not available yet, so we do not show a bank feed. The landlord pages describe property records, Section 24 relief and your share of a jointly owned property. The pages say a property counts as one business slot without saying whether that means each property or a whole letting business, so each plan is matched only to as many properties as it has slots, and Debbie may suit larger portfolios than shown here. Debbie runs in the phone's browser and is added to the home screen rather than downloaded from an app store, so we do not show iOS or Android apps. The FAQ says sending VAT returns to HMRC is not built yet. A login for an accountant and furnished holiday let handling were not found on the pages we read, so we do not show them; the Tax Return Pack is a download for whoever files for you. We show the full monthly price; the first month is free, and the page advertises a second free month for a limited time.
Xero
Regular prices include the September 2026 increase. Xero advertises one month free or 90% off for the first six months for eligible new customers. Simple is for non-VAT-registered businesses. Payroll, Expenses and other add-ons depend on the plan.
Neither product is ranked above the other here: the page sets out what each provider says so you can weigh it against your own situation. How we compare products
More on these two products
Other comparisons with Debbie or Xero
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- Pandle vs Xero
- Powered Now vs Xero
- Provestor for Landlords vs Xero
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- untied vs Xero