You needed to send invoices. A bookkeeper or accountant recommended Xero. You signed up, connected your bank, and got the invoicing working.

That was the job. And Xero does it.

It also does payroll and single-touch payroll lodgement, multi-currency, expense claims with receipt capture, inventory tracking, a fixed assets register, project tracking and profitability reporting, and a full accountant collaboration portal. You pay for the whole platform. Most small businesses open three things.

The Four Things Your Business Actually Uses

Invoices with line items. The bank feed to match incoming payments. An outstanding balance view. An occasional look at the profit and loss report.

That is the job most small businesses hired Xero to do. Xero does all four well. It also ships with a platform built for a business with a dedicated accounting function. You are paying for that function whether you use it or not.

What your Xero subscription pays for
  • Payroll and STP lodgement
  • Bank reconciliation and account feeds
  • Multi-currency support
  • Expense claims and receipts
  • Inventory tracking
  • Fixed assets register
  • Project tracking and profitability
  • Accountant collaboration and reporting
What most small businesses actually open
  • Invoices with line items
  • Bank feed to match payments
  • Outstanding balance view
  • Occasional P&L check

Who Xero Is Actually Built For

Xero is proper accounting software. It is built for the accounting layer of a business. Small businesses with a bookkeeper or accountant embedded in their workflow. Businesses that reconcile every week, track expenses against categories, run payroll, and need a clean audit trail for tax time.

If your business is a sole trader, a small consultancy, or a trades company that invoices clients and chases payments, Xero is built for a different customer. You are using the invoicing module and the bank feed. The rest of the platform exists for the accountant, not for you.

The Cost of the Platform You Do Not Use

Xero Starter runs around A$35 a month, but the invoice limit on Starter pushes most businesses to the Growing plan at A$65 a month. A business on Xero for three years, averaging A$55 a month across plans, pays A$1,980 before a single invoice is sent this year.

Picture a sole trader with 20 monthly invoices. They use the invoicing, the bank feed, and nothing else. They have never opened the payroll module. The fixed assets register has never been touched. The expense claims tool is empty. They paid close to two thousand dollars to access two features of a platform built for an accounting firm.

Xero Growing over 3 years
A$1,980
~A$55/mo average. Recurring. Forever.
Merebase Merebase invoice tracker
A$499
Once. No subscription fee after that.

What a Merebase invoice tracker Includes

A Merebase invoice tracker is built for the job your business actually has. You describe the fields you need, the way you track client payment status, the tax setup your invoices require, and the outstanding balance view that fits how you work. The app is built to do exactly that.

What a Merebase invoice tracker includes:

Invoices with line items and your tax setup built in. A client list. Payment status tracking. An outstanding balance view. Search and filter by client or date. Full data export at any time. Unlimited users. This replaces the invoicing and payment tracking part of Xero. It does not replace bank reconciliation, payroll, or tax reporting. If you need those, you still need accounting software for that layer. A$499 once. You bring your own hosting. A basic plan runs A$5 to A$20 a month.

There is no payroll module you will never open. No multi-currency dashboard. No fixed assets register. The app does the job. Nothing else takes up space on the screen.

Your Data Is Already in Xero

This is the reason most businesses stay. Their client list and invoice history are in Xero and the thought of moving feels like a project.

Xero lets you export your contacts and invoices as CSV files. The data is yours and always has been. A custom Merebase app can import those files and continue from where Xero left off. Your client list and invoice history come with you.

Once it is in your own app, the data stays there. No platform can reprice it, restrict access to it, or hold it if you decide to leave.

Common questions
Is there a cheaper alternative to Xero just for invoicing?
Yes. A Merebase invoice tracker built by Merebase covers what most small businesses actually use Xero for: sending invoices, tracking payments, and seeing what is outstanding. A$499 once. No subscription fee. You bring your own hosting.
Does a Merebase invoice tracker handle GST?
Yes. Your tax setup is built into the invoice template during the build. GST line items, totals, and tax amounts are included on every invoice. This replaces the invoicing and payment tracking part of Xero. It does not replace bank reconciliation, payroll, or tax reporting. If you need those, you still need accounting software for that layer.
What does a Merebase invoice tracker include?
A Merebase invoice tracker from Merebase includes invoices with line items and your tax setup, a client list, payment status tracking, an outstanding balance view, search and filter, and full data export. Your data lives on your own hosting. A$499 once, agreed in writing before payment.
Can I migrate my client list from Xero?
Yes. Xero lets you export your contacts and invoices as CSV files. A custom Merebase app can import those files and continue from where Xero left off. Your client list and invoice history come with you. The scope for how your data migrates is agreed in writing before any payment.