Handl + Xero:
Why Agencies Use Both
If you're comparing Handl and Xero, here's the short answer: don't choose. They do different things. Xero is your accounting backbone — bank feeds, reconciliation, tax, your accountant's best friend. Handl is the layer between you and your clients — quotes, milestone invoices, change orders, automated payment reminders, and a client portal that makes you look like you've got your act together. Handl syncs invoices and payments directly into Xero. So your books stay clean without you doing anything extra. Most agencies running Xero find they still end up chasing payments manually. That's the gap Handl fills.
How they stack up
An honest look at where each tool wins.
See the difference for yourself
Try Handl free for 14 days — no credit card, no commitment.
Simple pricing vs. per-seat costs
One flat price for your whole team, or pay more for every person who touches an invoice.
- Starter: 20 invoices/month
- Standard: unlimited invoices
- Premium: multi-currency
- Bank reconciliation
- Payroll (AU/UK/NZ)
- 1000+ app integrations
What are our strengths?
Both tools do some things really well. Here's where each one shines.
- Milestone billing built for how agencies actually work — bill by phase, not just by time
- Automated AI-driven payment reminders that chase clients so you don't have to
- Client portal for approvals, invoice views, and payment — reduces back-and-forth email
- Change order workflow with digital signatures — scope creep managed properly
- Project health scoring flags at-risk projects before they go sideways
- PM tool integrations (Jira, Asana, Monday.com) connect billing to delivery
- $29/month flat — no surprises as the team grows
- 14-day free trial, no credit card required
- Syncs directly into Xero so your accountant stays happy
- Full double-entry accounting — the real deal, not a workaround
- Bank feeds and reconciliation that actually work
- Payroll capability
- Your accountant almost certainly knows Xero already
- 800+ integrations across the full business stack
- Globally trusted — strong compliance in AU, NZ, UK, US
- Unlimited users on every plan
- Established presence with deep ecosystem
When to choose each tool
Choose the right tool based on how your agency bills and what problems you're solving.
When to choose
Handl
You're already running Xero — or planning to — and you're hitting a wall on the client billing side. Chasing invoices manually. Losing track of what phase a project is supposed to be billed at. Getting blindsided by scope creep with no clean process for raising a change order. Sending "just checking in" emails because Xero's payment reminders don't quite cut it.
Handl sits in front of Xero and handles all of that. Quotes go out, clients sign off digitally, milestones trigger invoices automatically, reminders go out on your behalf, and when a client pays, it syncs back into Xero without you touching it.
If your team is growing past 3-4 people and financial ops are getting messy, Handl adds structure without adding overhead. The $29/month flat rate means it doesn't scale up in cost as you bring people on.
When to choose
Xero
You need accounting software. That is Xero's job and it does it well. If you are looking to replace your accounting platform or set up your books properly for the first time, Xero is a strong choice — especially if your accountant is already in their ecosystem or you are based in Australia, NZ, or the UK where Xero's compliance features are particularly strong.
If you need payroll, bank reconciliation, expense categorisation, or BAS/GST reporting, Xero handles all of that natively. These are things Handl deliberately does not do — because Handl is a billing layer, not an accounting platform.
It is also worth noting that Xero has unlimited users on every plan, which matters if you have a bookkeeper, accountant, and business partner who all need access. And the 800+ integrations mean Xero connects to almost everything in your stack.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use Handl and Xero together?
Yes — they are designed to work together. Handl syncs invoices and payments directly into Xero so your books stay accurate without manual data entry.
Does Handl replace Xero?
No. Handl handles client-facing billing — quotes, milestone invoicing, payment reminders, client portal. Xero handles accounting — bank reconciliation, payroll, tax reporting. Use both for the full picture.
Is Handl more expensive than Xero?
Handl is $29/month flat. Xero starts at $25/month but the plan most agencies need (Growing) is $55/month. Many agencies use both — $29 + $55 = $84/month for complete billing and accounting.
Does Xero have milestone billing?
No. Xero has basic invoicing tied to line items, not project phases. If you need to bill when a deliverable is complete rather than on a date, you need a tool like Handl in front of Xero.
What if my accountant only uses Xero?
That is fine — Handl pushes data into Xero. Your accountant sees clean, accurate financial data in the tool they already know. They do not need a Handl login.
Ready to Stop Chasing Payments?
.webp)