🔧 Invoicing built for the trades, not the office

PriceWork vs Xero
for UK Tradespeople

Xero is great accounting software — for accountants. For a sole trader plumber who needs quotes on site and invoices paid fast, it's £15–55/month of features you'll never use.

Try PriceWork Free → 5 quotes/month free · No card required
Real-World Cost

What you actually pay

Xero's plans are built around features most tradespeople don't need. PriceWork charges for what you actually use.

Xero Starter Plan
Xero (20 invoices/mo) £15/mo
PriceWork Free £0/mo
PriceWork saves £180/year
Xero Standard Plan ⭐
Xero (unlimited invoices) £30/mo
PriceWork Pro £15/mo
PriceWork saves £180/year
Xero Premium Plan
Xero (multi-currency) £42/mo
PriceWork Pro £15/mo
PriceWork saves £324/year
Why Tradespeople Switch

Xero is great. Just not for this.

There's nothing wrong with Xero — it's a well-built accounting platform. But most sole traders and small trade teams don't need a full accounting suite.

📚

Built for accountants, not tradespeople

Bank reconciliation, aged payables, fixed asset registers. Useful for a bookkeeper. Irrelevant for a plumber on a job site.

💰

Expensive for basic quoting

Xero Starter limits you to 20 invoices/month at £15. For unlimited invoices you're at £30. PriceWork Pro is £15/month with no invoice cap.

🕑

Setup takes hours, not minutes

Xero wants your chart of accounts, bank feeds, and tax settings before you can invoice. PriceWork takes 2 minutes to create your first quote.

📱

Not mobile-first

Xero has a mobile app, but it's not built for quoting on a customer's driveway. PriceWork's whole workflow is designed for one hand on a phone.

⚖

CIS buried in payroll settings

To use CIS in Xero, you need the payroll module and a higher plan. PriceWork has CIS built directly into quotes and invoices — one toggle in Settings.

📋

Quote-to-invoice flow is clunky

Xero wasn't designed around the trades quoting flow. PriceWork was built for exactly this: quote on site, customer accepts, convert in one tap, get paid by card.

Side-by-Side

PriceWork vs Xero

Feature-by-feature for UK sole traders and small trade teams.

Feature Xero PriceWork Best Value
Starting Price £15per month (20 invoice cap) £0free tier / £15 Pro
Free Tier × ✓
Mobile Quoting on Site × ✓
Quote-to-Invoice (1 tap) × ✓
Invoicing ✓ ✓
VAT Calculations ✓ ✓
CIS Deductions Built In ×payroll add-on needed ✓
Stripe Card Payments ✓ ✓
PDF Quotes & Invoices ✓ ✓
No Learning Curve × ✓
Full Bookkeeping & Accounts ✓ ×
Payroll ✓ ×
Right Tool, Right Job

Who each product is actually for

Both tools are good. They're built for different people.

Xero is for…

  • 🔹 Growing businesses with dedicated accountants or bookkeepers
  • 🔹 Companies that need payroll, multi-currency, or complex tax filing
  • 🔹 Businesses wanting to share live data directly with their accountant
  • 🔹 Teams that need full double-entry accounting and reporting
  • 🔹 Businesses with employees and PAYE obligations

PriceWork is for… (that's you)

  • ✓ Sole traders and small teams who quote and invoice for a living
  • ✓ Plumbers, electricians, builders, and other UK tradespeople
  • ✓ Anyone who needs a quote in 30 seconds on a customer's doorstep
  • ✓ CIS subcontractors who want deductions handled automatically
  • ✓ Trades who want card payments without a complex accounting setup
Common Questions

Frequently asked

Xero is excellent accounting software — for businesses that need double-entry bookkeeping, payroll, multi-currency, and accountant collaboration. Most UK tradespeople only need quoting, invoicing, VAT, and CIS. Xero does all of this, but wraps it in an accounting suite most sole traders find overwhelming and expensive. PriceWork focuses on exactly what tradespeople need, without the accounting complexity.
Xero costs £15/month (Starter — limited to 20 invoices) up to £55/month (Ultimate) in the UK. PriceWork is free for up to 5 quotes/month with no card required. The Pro plan is £15/month with unlimited quotes and invoices. For a sole trader who just needs quoting and invoicing, PriceWork delivers the same day-to-day value at a fraction of the cost — or free.
Xero supports CIS through its payroll and contractor modules, but it requires configuration and a higher-tier plan. PriceWork has CIS built directly into the quote and invoice flow — toggle it on in Settings, enter your UTR, and CIS is automatically calculated on labour items at 0%, 20%, or 30%. No payroll module, no setup wizard.
For UK tradespeople who need mobile quoting, instant invoicing, Stripe card payments, and CIS deductions — PriceWork is the most focused alternative to Xero. It's free to start, takes 30 seconds to create a quote on site, and converts quotes to invoices in one tap. No accounting background required.
Yes. PriceWork has a free tier (5 quotes/month) so you can run both in parallel before committing. Most tradespeople are up and running in under 10 minutes. If you still need bookkeeping for your accountant, use PriceWork for quoting and invoicing and export your invoice data to your accountant separately — many tradespeople do exactly this.
PriceWork replaces Xero for quoting, invoicing, VAT, CIS, and card payments — the core daily workflow for most tradespeople. It doesn't do double-entry bookkeeping, payroll, or tax filing. If you're a sole trader who doesn't need a full accounting suite, PriceWork covers everything you actually use Xero for day-to-day.
Xero is designed for growing businesses with accountants and bookkeepers. Its dashboard surfaces bank reconciliations, balance sheets, aged receivables, and payroll — most of which a sole trader plumber or electrician never needs. PriceWork strips that away and gives you one workflow: create a quote, send it, get paid. That's what tradespeople actually want.

Try PriceWork free today

5 quotes a month, no card required. If you're on Xero for quoting and invoicing, you'll be up and running in under 10 minutes and saving money from day one.

Get Started Free →

5 quotes/month free · See full pricing · No card required

Also comparing: PriceWork vs QuickBooks →  ·  PriceWork vs Tradify →  ·  PriceWork vs Sage →

CIS subcontractor? CIS Tax Deductions Explained →  ·  Free CIS Calculator →  ·  How to Invoice as a Sole Trader →  ·  PriceWork Pricing →