Side-by-side comparison · Legal, Finance & HR
Deel vs Xero
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 2 tools. Add one more if you like.
At a glance
Overview
| Attribute | Deel | Xero |
|---|---|---|
| In one line | Hire and pay contractors or staff in other countries without setting up a company there. | Online accounting for small businesses, with an AI helper, JAX, that does the busywork. |
| Pricing model | Paid | Paid |
| Starting price | From $14/worker/mo | $27/mo |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Deel | Xero |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 3.8 | 4.0Winner |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 3.0 | 3.5 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 3.5 | 4.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Deel | Xero |
|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | ||
| Free plan | No | No |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app | No | No |
| Browser extension | No | No |
| API access | Yes | Yes |
| Teams & business | ||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | No |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No |
| AI abilities | ||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | – | Yes |
| Makes images | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No |
| Writes code | No | No |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | – | – |
| Works in many languages | Yes | No |
| Capabilities score | 8/ 17 | 7/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Deel | Xero |
|---|---|---|
| Plans | Hire (recruiting) From $14/worker/mo Teams that want help finding candidates. | Early (US) $27/mo New businesses with only a few invoices a month. |
ContractorsOur pick From $49/contractor/mo Businesses paying overseas freelancers and contractors. | Growing (US)Our pick $59/mo Most small businesses with regular sales and bills. | |
Contractor of Record From $325/contractor/mo When you want Deel to carry the risk of misclassifying a contractor. | Established (US) $97/mo Businesses with projects, staff expenses or overseas customers. | |
US PEO From $125/employee/mo US companies that want better benefits for staff. | Australian plans From A$37/mo (Ignite) to A$250/mo (Ultimate 50) Australian businesses, priced by how many people you pay. | |
Employer of Record From $599/employee/mo Hiring full-time staff in a country where you have no company. | ||
| Which plan to pick | Most small businesses start with Contractors for overseas freelancers. Move a person to Employer of Record when they're full-time and long-term, or when local rules mean they should be an employee. Pay is month to month, so you can change as the team changes. | In the US, start on Growing unless you send fewer than 20 invoices a month. In Australia, pick the plan that covers the number of people on your payroll. New customers get a large discount for the first 3 months, so check the current offer before you buy. |
Key features
Pros and cons
| Attribute | Deel | Xero |
|---|---|---|
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| Cons |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Deel | Xero |
|---|---|---|
| Best for |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Deel or Xero?
Xero scores highest overall in our ratings (Deel 3.8/5 and Xero 4.0/5). Deel is best for paying overseas contractors on time in their currency and hiring a full-time employee in a country where you have no company. Xero is best for keeping your books up to date without a full-time bookkeeper and sending invoices and getting paid faster.
Which is cheaper, Deel or Xero?
Deel: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at From $14/worker/mo. Xero: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $27/mo.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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