Xero vs HelloBooks in Ireland: which suits your business?

Checked on 22 October 2026. Each row links back to the sources listed at the end of the page.

On Irish VAT the gap closed in September 2026. Xero’s Irish VAT solution prepares the VAT3 and the RTD and exports a file for ROS. HelloBooks computes the same VAT3 boxes from the coded ledger and shows each figure with the transactions behind it, and you key the totals into ROS. In both cases a person signs in to ROS and submits.

Payroll is level too, in the sense that neither product runs it for Irish employers. Xero’s Irish plan list does not include payroll, and HelloBooks has Irish payroll on its roadmap. An Irish employer on either product keeps a separate payroll package and posts the wages into the accounts.

Xero has been in Ireland for years and many Irish practices already run dozens of clients on it. If your accountant works in Xero every day, that familiarity counts: queries are answered faster and year-end files arrive in a format the practice expects. Xero also has a wide catalogue of connected apps for things like inventory, payments and expenses.

The new VAT export is a real convenience for anyone who prefers uploading a file to typing totals. If ROS export is your deciding feature, Xero now offers it and HelloBooks does not.

HelloBooks starts free, and the entry plan has no invoice or bill count cap, whereas Xero’s Starter plan limits you to 20 invoices and 5 bills. Multi-currency arrives on HelloBooks Pro rather than only on the top plan, which matters for Irish firms that invoice in sterling or dollars.

The bigger difference is who does the work. HelloBooks reads each bank line, receipt and bill, proposes the account and the Irish VAT rate, and waits for a person to confirm. Owners who do their own books spend minutes on review instead of hours on entry, and accountants receive a ledger that is already coded.

Most Irish businesses move at the start of a VAT period so that one return is prepared entirely in the old system and the next entirely in the new one. HelloBooks takes opening balances, contacts and open invoices through CSV templates, and the old Xero file stays available for history and for Revenue’s record-keeping rules.

Bank activity comes in by statement upload today, with direct connections to Irish banks rolling out. Plan the switch with your accountant so the first VAT3 from HelloBooks is reviewed side by side with the last one from Xero.

Choose Xero if your accountant insists on it, if you rely on a specific app from its marketplace, or if a ROS export file is a must. Choose HelloBooks if you want the bookkeeping largely done for you, if you invoice in more than one currency without paying for a top tier, or if you want to start without a subscription. Either way, keep payroll in a dedicated Irish payroll product for now.