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Start with your accountant
The first question here is a person, and the software comes second. If your accountant already keeps your books in Xero, keep Xero. Connect Cutvey to it, and the money from your jobs arrives there without anyone re-entering it.
If you do not have an accountant yet, or they are happy to work from what you give them, the question is whether a small studio needs a separate accounting product at all. Cutvey Books may cover it. The rest of this page is for deciding.
What Xero costs in the US
| Xero plan | List price a month | What its page lists |
|---|---|---|
| Early | $27 | Quotes, 20 invoices and 5 bills, bank reconciliation |
| Growing | $59 | Invoices and bills without that cap, 3 budgets |
| Established | $97 | Multi-currency, projects, expenses and mileage claims |
US prices before tax, checked November 2026. Xero's page shows a lower price for the first three months, and we show the price after it. Payroll is Xero Payroll powered by Gusto at $36 a month plus $6 a person.
Books and the Xero connection come with every Cutvey plan: Solo $49, Pro $99 and Studio $199 a month, or $29, $59 and $119 a month billed yearly.
What travels from Cutvey to Xero
After you connect, you choose the Xero organization once and press Use this one. Then Cutvey sends:
- each invoice and the payments on it
- voids and refunds
- write-offs, as credit notes
- a renter's refundable deposit, to the liability account you pick, if you rent gear out
It reads back only your accounts and tax codes, so you can match them. Expenses and bills are not sent. It syncs every 15 minutes, and Sync now sends at once. A record whose totals or tax would not match Xero's to the cent waits with the reason. Your Xero organization must keep the same currency as your Cutvey workspace, and a person who can manage finances does the setup. The setup steps.
One detail if you are on Early. Xero says that plan's limit of 20 invoices applies to approving and sending invoices. Invoices Cutvey creates in Xero may count toward it, so ask Xero before a busy month, or start on Growing.
Where Xero is ahead
Accounting is its whole job. Established adds multi-currency, projects with time and costs, and expense and mileage claims, and every plan has a cash flow forecast, longer on the higher plans. Payroll comes through Gusto. Domestic bill payments by standard ACH are free, and Established pays international bills. An accountant can look after many clients in it at once.
Cutvey's own books are narrower. A workspace keeps one currency, bank feeds are for US business accounts only, and there is no payroll.
Where Cutvey goes further for a studio
Xero knows that an invoice was paid. Cutvey knows which job it was for and what that job cost. Each project carries a budget, actual and committed costs, crew booked at their day rates, expenses with receipts and the margin. The signed proposal raised the deposit invoice, the approved cut raised the final one, and the delivery page opened when it was paid. By the time Xero hears about the money, the work behind it is already on record in Cutvey.
For a small studio with no accountant in Xero, Books has a simple mode for card and bank lines, receipts, a mileage log and quarterly estimates for a sole proprietor's Schedule C. Its double-entry mode, off until an owner or admin switches it on, adds a chart of accounts, a journal, bills, assets, loans, reconciliation, a close and about 25 reports.
Side by side
| Job | Xero | Cutvey |
|---|---|---|
| Bank reconciliation | Yes | Yes, in double-entry |
| Invoices and quotes | Yes, capped on Early | Proposals, contracts and invoices from the job |
| Bills | Yes | Recorded in double-entry |
| Multi-currency | On Established | One currency a workspace |
| Payroll | Through Gusto, paid | No |
| Projects | On Established | Every job, with crew, budget and margin |
| Cash flow forecast | Yes | In Reports |
| Crew, call sheets, client review, delivery | No | Yes |
| Bank feeds | Yes | US business accounts, through Stripe |
Xero features read from its US pricing page, November 2026. Their site is the source of truth.
When to choose Xero
- Your accountant keeps your books in Xero. Keep it, and connect Cutvey to it.
- You bill or pay in more than one currency.
- You run payroll for employees.
- Your business is outside the US and needs bank feeds from your own bank.
Where Cutvey falls short
No payroll, no multi-currency and no international bill payments. Bank feeds are for US business accounts with books in US dollars. Cutvey's reports are unaudited worksheets and follow no accounting standard. The connection runs one way, and money taken back inside Cutvey, such as a reversed refund, is fixed in Xero by hand.
Frequently asked
Does Cutvey send invoices to Xero?
Yes. It sends invoices, payments, voids, refunds and write-offs to Xero one way. Expenses and bills are not sent.
Does the Xero connection cost extra?
No. It is on every paid Cutvey plan and every trial, for a seat that can manage finances.
Can I connect Xero and QuickBooks at the same time?
No. A workspace connects one set of books at a time. To change, disconnect and connect the other, and setup starts fresh.
More on this: Cutvey Books and QuickBooks Online, run the business.