TradeTally vs Xero
Xero is a New Zealand-founded cloud accounting platform used by UK accountants and small businesses. It includes double-entry bookkeeping, bank feeds, invoicing, and a large app marketplace. That scope can be more than a sole trader needs for invoicing and expense tracking.
Xero
£15–£55/month
Founded 2006 · Small businesses, accountants, bookkeepers
TradeTally
£12/mo
Built for UK sole trader tradespeople
Feature comparison
| Feature | Xero | TradeTally |
|---|---|---|
| Invoicing | Included | ✓ |
| Quoting | Included | ✓ |
| Expense tracking | Included | ✓ |
| Receipt scanning | Included | ✓ |
| SA103F export | Not included | ✓ |
| Mobile app | Included | ✓ |
| MTD compatible | Included | In progress |
| Bank reconciliation | Included | ✓ |
| Payroll | Included | ✓ |
| Multi-currency | Included | ✓ |
| Inventory management | Included | ✓ |
| Time tracking | Not included | ✓ |
Where Xero wins
- Huge ecosystem of 1,000+ third-party integrations
- Excellent bank reconciliation and automatic bank feeds
- Strong multi-currency support for international businesses
- Well-established with UK accountants and bookkeepers
Where TradeTally wins
- No one-click SA103F export: requires accountant or manual extraction
- Not designed for on-site mobile use by tradespeople
- No trade-specific expense categories or job-focused workflows
- Receipt scanning requires the separate Hubdoc add-on
- No purpose-built UI for non-accountants working from a van
FAQs
Is TradeTally cheaper than Xero for sole traders?
Yes. TradeTally Professional is £12/month compared to Xero Growing at £37/month. That saves you over £300 a year for the features sole trader tradespeople actually need: invoicing, expenses, and SA103F export.
Can TradeTally replace Xero for a self-employed tradesperson?
For most sole trader tradespeople, yes. TradeTally covers invoicing, quoting, expense tracking, receipt scanning, and SA103F-ready tax exports. You only need Xero if you require features like payroll, multi-currency, or double-entry bookkeeping.
Does TradeTally have bank feeds like Xero?
TradeTally focuses on manual expense entry and receipt scanning: the workflow most tradespeople prefer when logging costs from merchants and suppliers on the go. If automatic bank reconciliation is essential, Xero may suit you better.