SMBs to pay more for Xero

Increases in pricing for New Zealand Xero users come into effect today,.

As of today, Xero's Starter plan will increase to $27.50 from the old price of $25, while the Standard plan increases from $50 to $55. The Premium plan sees no change and remains at $70.

In a company blog post, Xero says the company has reached a point where its prices no longer reflect the strength of the platform and how much the company has transformed over the last two years.

"We know price increases are tough on small businesses," Xero says.

"In the last eight years, Xero has made massive improvements and added many features, yet we've only increased our prices by $1 per month.

"We believe the new prices still offer great value, considering how much Xero has advanced and what's to come," it says.

Xero says it has channelled over $100 million into the Xero platform in the last two years, as well as delivering a "truckload" of new features.

"We're committed to innovation and constantly improving what we offer our customers," the company says.

In the coming month, Xero says several new features will be rolled out, including invoice reminders, improvements to contacts (with Gmail integration), and search functionality.

"Plus there's much, much more in the pipeline," it adds.

Xero says it is currently focused on partnering with "the best in the business", forging partnerships with local and global companies.

"We've brought our customers the power of world-leading platforms through partnerships with Microsoft, Apple and Google," Xero says.

"With Xero Business Connect, users can receive invoices direct to their Xero account from some of New Zealand's biggest companies, like Z Energy, Meridian Energy, and The Warehouse.

"We'll soon team with Paymark to eliminate paper EFTPOS and credit card receipts in New Zealand and with Veda to build a new business directory to search and verify business credit and contact records within Xero," it explains.

The company adds that it has been working to simplify how Xero customers interact with the government, Statistics New Zealand and Inland Revenue.