A Xero alternative for the day-to-day, not the tax return.
Xero is genuinely good double-entry accounting software, built for accountants and bookkeepers and the small businesses that work with them. Worklyn is a different kind of tool: the daily workspace freelancers and small studios use to run client work and money together, proposals, contracts, time and invoicing next to connected bank feeds and an AI that does the busywork. If you need formal accounting or tax filings, Xero, or an accountant, is still the right call.
Client work + money in one workspace · No accounting knowledge needed · Free plan included
Two good tools, different shapes.
Xero is accounting software, full double-entry books built for the people who prepare them. Worklyn is a workspace for the people who run the business day to day. Plenty of freelancers use something like Worklyn for the daily work and hand clean exports to an accountant running Xero.
Worklyn is for the day-to-day of running the business
Proposals, contracts with e-sign, time tracking, invoicing, connected banking and receipts sit in one workspace, with an AI that drafts, logs and categorizes for you. No chart of accounts to set up and no accounting background required to use it well.
Xero is for real accounting, especially with a bookkeeper
Xero is full double-entry accounting software with a large app marketplace, built to serve accountants, bookkeepers and the small businesses they work with. If you need formal books, statutory filings, or you already work closely with an accountant who lives in Xero, it's the established standard.
Worklyn and Xero, side by side
Xero goes deep on accounting. Worklyn goes wide across the daily work of running a freelance business or small studio. Here's the split.
| WorklynFor the day-to-day, not the books | XeroDouble-entry accounting | |
|---|---|---|
| Proposals & contracts (e-sign) | Yes, contracts + e-sign | Not the focus |
| Invoicing & payments | Yes, card & bank transfer | Yes, a core strength |
| Time tracking | Yes, global timer + AI logging | Limited, not a core focus |
| Projects & tasks | Yes, Kanban boards & tasks | Not the focus |
| Connected bank feeds | US & CA (Plaid), EU & UK (EnableBanking) | Yes, broad bank feed coverage |
| Receipts inbox (OCR + match suggestions) | Yes, OCR + suggested bank match | Bill & receipt capture via Hubdoc |
| Double-entry accounting | Categorized ledger + accountant exports | Yes, full double-entry |
| Financial reports & runway | Yes, live dashboard + shareable snapshots | Deep accounting reports (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow) |
| AI assistant | AI CFO + assistant that acts across the workspace | AI features rolling out; not the focus |
| AI CFO / cash-flow intelligence | Finds unbilled money, forecasts cash, chases overdue invoices | Not offered |
| Pricing model | Free, Pro €19.99, Business €39.99 (flat per workspace) | Tiered per-org plans, unlimited users (varies by region) |
Comparison reflects each product's public positioning as of mid-2026 — check their site for current details. These are good products serving a different shape of customer; this is about fit, not quality.
Where Worklyn fits better
Xero is deep, deliberate accounting software. Worklyn is shaped around the parts of the business Xero leaves to other tools or an accountant.
Client work and money, one workspace
Proposals, contracts, projects, time and invoicing sit next to connected banking and receipts, so you're not learning and paying for a second system just to see where the business stands.
Built around clients, not a chart of accounts
Everything is organized around clients and projects, the way freelance and studio work actually flows, instead of a general ledger you have to configure before it's useful.
An AI that does the busywork
Draft proposals, contracts and invoices, log time in plain English, read receipts and categorize transactions. Worklyn also runs the pipeline from brief to proposal to signed contract to invoice.
Flat pricing, not a tiered accounting plan
Free to start, Pro €19.99 and Business €39.99, flat per workspace, so you're not stepping up an accounting-plan tier to unlock time tracking or projects.
An AI CFO, included in every paid plan, finds unbilled hours, chases overdue invoices and forecasts your cash. Everything here is live and shipping today.
Questions about switching from Xero
Not for formal accounting. Worklyn keeps a categorized ledger with accountant-ready exports, but it isn't double-entry accounting software and doesn't file taxes. If you need statutory books or work closely with an accountant who lives in Xero, keep Xero for that; Worklyn is where you'd run the daily client work and money alongside it.
Yes. Worklyn keeps one categorized ledger for income and expenses, with VAT and multi-currency handling, and exports cleanly for an accountant, whether or not they use Xero.
No, and that's deliberate. Xero has well over a thousand marketplace integrations because it's a platform other tools plug into. Worklyn takes the opposite approach: proposals, contracts, time, invoicing, banking and an AI assistant are built into one workspace, so there's less to connect in the first place.
Worklyn is flat per workspace: Free, Pro at €19.99/mo, Business at €39.99/mo. Xero prices per organization across three tiers with unlimited users on every plan, listing at $25, $55 and $90/mo in the US as of August 2026, with new US customers currently offered a six-month discount. Its entry Early plan is capped at 20 invoices and 5 bills a month. Pricing varies by region and is subject to change. Check Xero's site for current rates where you are.
Yes. Worklyn has a global timer with plain-English AI logging and Kanban boards for projects and tasks, both native, whereas time tracking in Xero is limited and projects aren't the focus.
See how Worklyn stacks up elsewhere.
Everything you need to run the business.
Work, money and records stay in the same system.
Contacts, pipeline and client history
ProjectsBoards, phases, budgets and margin
Time trackingBillable hours that feed invoices and margin
ProposalsFrom first scope to an accepted quote
ContractsTemplates, e-sign and contract review
Invoicing & paymentsFrom completed work to money in the bank
Transactions & reconciliationCategorize money movement, match records and keep the ledger reviewed
Inbox & receipt matchingCollect receipts and financial documents, then match them to the transactions they belong to
Pre-accountingKeep financial records complete, reviewed and ready for your accountant
CFO ModeAsk questions and spot what needs attention
Run the daily business. Let accounting stay accounting.
Keep Xero, or your accountant, for the formal books. Run proposals, contracts, time, invoicing and banking from a workspace built for the day-to-day, with an AI that does the busywork. Start free, no credit card.