QuickBooks (Sole Trader Plus / Simple Start) vs Xero for Making Tax Digital
By the selector's own rules, QuickBooks (Sole Trader Plus / Simple Start) and Xero both work for landlords and sole traders, so the choice comes down to the four points where they differ. Xero offers support for more than one property, support for jointly owned property and handling for holiday lets, which QuickBooks (Sole Trader Plus / Simple Start) does not. Their cheapest plans are listed as £10 plus VAT a month (Sole Trader Plus) for QuickBooks (Sole Trader Plus / Simple Start) and £7 plus VAT a month (Simple) for Xero.
QuickBooks (Sole Trader Plus / Simple Start) suits sole traders or single-property landlords, landlords who want a lower-priced mainstream option and people who do most of their bookkeeping on a phone. 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 | QuickBooks (Sole Trader Plus / Simple Start) | Xero |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest plan | £10 plus VAT a month (Sole Trader Plus) | £7 plus VAT a month (Simple) |
| More than one property | No | Yes |
| Jointly owned property | No | Yes |
| Holiday lets and former FHL | No | Yes |
On the other points we compare (free plan, self-employment income, bank feeds, receipt capture, phone apps and accountant access), they give the same answer, or at least one provider does not say. The full list is under each product’s own page.
Both send MTD for VAT returns, from different plans: QuickBooks (Sole Trader Plus / Simple Start) from the Simple Start plan and Xero from the Ignite plan.
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 | QuickBooks (Sole Trader Plus / Simple Start) | 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) | Available | Intended |
| UK dividends | Available | Availablesince 16 October 2026 |
| UK interest | Available | Availablesince 17 July 2026 |
| Capital gains | Availablesince 24 July 2026 | Intended |
| How it works | ||
| Bridging software that connects to your records | Not stated | Not stated |
| Calendar update periods (1 April to 31 March) | Available | Available |
| A free version | Not stated | Not stated |
| Welsh language | Not stated | Not stated |
| Accessibility | ||
| Blindness or impaired vision | Not stated | Not stated |
| Deafness or impaired hearing | Not stated | Not stated |
| Motor or physical difficulties | Not stated | Not stated |
| Cognitive impairments | Not stated | 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 QuickBooks (Sole Trader Plus / Simple Start) 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 QuickBooks (Sole Trader Plus / Simple Start) and marks it “Available” for Xero.
Does HMRC’s software list show a free version of QuickBooks (Sole Trader Plus / Simple Start) or Xero?
For a free version, HMRC’s software list as it stood on 30 October 2026 says nothing either way for QuickBooks (Sole Trader Plus / Simple Start) and says nothing either way for Xero.
How many features does HMRC’s software list mark as available for QuickBooks (Sole Trader Plus / Simple Start) and Xero?
HMRC’s software list as it stood on 30 October 2026 covers 15 features, and it marks 7 “Available” for QuickBooks (Sole Trader Plus / Simple Start) and 6 “Available” for Xero. For QuickBooks (Sole Trader Plus / Simple Start), it marks 0 “Intended” and gives no answer on 8. 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.
QuickBooks (Sole Trader Plus / Simple Start)
- For landlords
- £10 plus VAT a month
- For sole traders
- £10 plus VAT a month
- Cheapest plan over 12 months
- £120 plus VAT
We checked QuickBooks (Sole Trader Plus / Simple Start)’s prices on 3 November 2026.
Xero
- For landlords
- £7 plus VAT a month
- For sole traders
- £7 plus VAT a month
- Cheapest plan over 12 months
- £84 plus VAT
We checked Xero’s prices on 25 October 2026.
Xero also works for people with rental and self-employment income.
Notes from our checks
QuickBooks (Sole Trader Plus / Simple Start)
Regular monthly prices are shown excluding VAT. When we checked the pricing page on 3 November 2026, the price list it loads showed Intuit's offer of 90% off for six months for new customers, running until 20 November 2026, so the pricing page is the place to see any offer running now. Its setup guidance requires a separate account for each business or property income source. Combined subscription costs were not confirmed, so the selector does not recommend QuickBooks for mixed income. Joint-property support also remains unconfirmed.
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
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