Best accounting app for sole trader tradies: Xero vs MYOB vs QuickBooks on price and BAS

When you’re a one person trade business, accounting software has a simple job: get your invoices out, match payments from the bank, keep receipts, and produce a BAS that’s right. You don’t need multi-currency, inventory across warehouses or 50 person payroll. You need something cheap, reliable, and that your accountant can work with.

This guide compares the three big accounting apps sold in Australia, Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks, on what matters to a sole trader tradie: yearly cost, BAS lodgement, limits, and how well each connects to trade job apps. Xero and MYOB prices are from their Australian pricing pages, checked in October 2026. QuickBooks’ Australian page loads its prices by script, which we couldn’t read directly, so its prices are from an independent site that recorded them in September 2026. Check them on QuickBooks’ site before buying.

For a deep dive on the two most common choices, see our Xero review and MYOB review.

The entry plans side by side

Swipe the table sideways to see every column

Xero states its prices include GST. The independent source says QuickBooks’ listed prices include GST. MYOB’s page didn’t make it clear for us. All three were running heavy introductory discounts when we checked, so the first few months will cost less. The table uses regular prices.

MYOB Lite: cheapest that lodges BAS

At $315 a year, Lite costs less than a year of Xero Ignite or QuickBooks Simple Start. It lodges BAS, tracks jobs, allows unlimited user profiles so your accountant can log in free, and adds payroll for up to two employees at $3 each a month. The trade-off is narrower third party app support than Xero. The main job apps (ServiceM8, Tradify and Fergus) do list MYOB integrations.

See MYOB Lite and the current offer → Affiliate link. Opens the merchant site in a new tab.

Xero Ignite: best connected

Ignite at $37 a month is the dearest of the three entry plans, but Xero is what most trade job apps and bookkeepers are built around. Every plan includes payroll for at least one person and BAS lodgement. The catch is Ignite’s limits on invoices and bills, and invoices pushed in from a job app can count towards them. Many busy sole traders end up on Grow at $78 a month.

See Xero Ignite and the current offer → Affiliate link. Opens the merchant site in a new tab.

QuickBooks Simple Start: middle ground

QuickBooks’ Simple Start plan covers one user plus your accountant, with GST tracking, BAS e-lodgement, bank feeds, receipt capture, kilometre tracking, and unlimited quotes and invoices listed in QuickBooks’ plan comparison. Payroll is a paid add-on powered by Employment Hero. QuickBooks lists free onboarding and phone and chat support. It’s less common among Australian trade bookkeepers than Xero or MYOB, so ask your accountant whether they work with it. Our full QuickBooks review covers every plan.

See QuickBooks plans → Affiliate link. Opens the merchant site in a new tab.

MYOB Solo: only if you’re not lodging BAS

Solo at $99 a year is a phone app for one person. It sends unlimited quotes and invoices, tracks income and expenses, and offers tap to pay. But it tracks GST only, it doesn’t lodge BAS, and MYOB says you can’t move from Solo to another plan later. For a tradie just starting out and under the GST threshold, it can work. If you expect to register for GST within a year, Lite avoids starting again later.

First year cost compared

Using the October 2026 prices:

• MYOB Lite: $315 for the year (GST treatment not stated on MYOB’s page)
• Xero Ignite: about $355 in the first year with the 80% off three month intro offer, then $444 a year, including GST
• QuickBooks Simple Start: $33 a month, or $396 a year before any intro offer, including GST, according to an independent price listing. QuickBooks was running a 70% off intro offer, but check how long it lasts on QuickBooks’ own site.

The difference between them is less than a day’s work a year. Pick the one your accountant and job app work best with, then compare price.

Bank feeds, receipts and your accountant

All three connect to Australian bank accounts through bank feeds, so transactions come in automatically. All three let you photograph receipts on your phone. The real time saver is reconciling every week rather than every quarter.

Ask your accountant or BAS agent which software they prefer. Many accountants work across several, but giving them access to the one they know best often makes year end cheaper. Each of these apps lets you invite an accountant to your file.

Free trials

Use a trial or intro period properly. Connect your real bank account, enter a week of real invoices and receipts, and try reconciling. Then ask yourself which one you’d actually open every week. That habit matters more than any feature list.

How to choose

Use these questions rather than chasing the lowest number:

1. What does your accountant use? If they work in Xero all day, you’ll likely pay less in accounting fees on Xero, which can outweigh a cheaper subscription.
2. Do you use or plan to use a job app? Check its integration with your choice. Xero has the widest support; MYOB and QuickBooks are supported by many but not all apps.
3. Are you registered for GST? If yes, skip MYOB Solo. Our BAS and GST guide explains when you must register.
4. How many invoices and bills a month? If it’s a lot, Xero Ignite’s limits may push you to Grow.
5. Hiring soon? Xero includes payroll for one person; MYOB charges $3 per employee; QuickBooks payroll is an add-on.

What you don’t need as a sole trader

Plan pages are full of features built for bigger businesses. As a one person trade business, you can usually ignore:

• multi-currency
• inventory across locations
• project tracking, if your job app handles job costing
• advanced dashboards and forecasting
• multiple payroll seats

Paying for these doesn’t make your BAS any more accurate.

Spreadsheets instead?

You can keep records in a spreadsheet. The ATO requires records that explain all transactions, kept for five years, and doesn’t require software. But spreadsheets don’t pull in bank transactions or lodge BAS, and errors are easy to miss. Once you’re registered for GST, software usually saves more time than it costs.

Setting up for success

Whichever you pick:

• connect your business bank account on day one
• set up GST correctly (cash or accrual, if you’re eligible, as agreed with your agent)
• connect your job app so invoices sync
• photograph receipts as you go
• reconcile weekly, not quarterly

Our sole trader setup guide covers where accounting software fits in your first month, and our tradie tax deductions guide covers which expenses to record.