Can QuickBooks handle Australian GST and BAS?

Yes, QuickBooks Online supports Australian GST coding, BAS preparation and Single Touch Payroll, though accurate BAS output still depends on the coding being right in the first place.

How hard is it to switch accounting software?

Switching itself is well trodden, especially into Xero. The real work is cleaning up the old file before you move and checking opening balances after. That's also where professional help earns its keep.

Do all three platforms support Single Touch Payroll?

Yes, Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks Online all offer STP compliant payroll, though exactly what's included varies by plan.

Xero vs MYOB vs QuickBooks: which one actually fits

Jamee White, CPA26 July 20267 min read

Pick any of Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks Online and the fundamentals get covered: invoicing, bank feeds, GST, BAS and payroll with Single Touch Payroll reporting. We'll say upfront that we work mostly in Xero and think it's the right default for most businesses, but this comparison stays honest about where the others hold their own. Plans and features shift constantly across all three, so treat this as a starting point, not gospel.

Cutting to it

Xero is where most Australian bookkeepers and accountants already work day to day, and its app ecosystem runs deeper than the other two, which starts to matter the moment you want receipt capture, job costing or an industry specific tool bolted on. MYOB has decades of Australian roots and still wins on payroll depth for businesses that need it. QuickBooks Online is a genuinely capable product with global backing and sharp pricing. None of the three is the wrong answer on paper.

Side by side

Factor	Xero	MYOB	QuickBooks Online
Ease of use	Clean interface, short learning curve for owners who haven't done books before	Better than it used to be, though a few older concepts still linger	Familiar layout if you've used any Intuit product before
Bank feeds and reconciliation	Deep direct feed coverage; reconciliation is genuinely its strongest suit	Solid coverage across the major Australian banks	Good coverage, capable reconciliation workflow
Payroll and STP	Built in payroll with STP, comfortable for small to mid sized teams	A traditional strength, especially for more complex payroll needs	STP payroll available; check what's included on your plan
App ecosystem	The largest connected app marketplace of the three	Growing steadily, though still behind Xero on integrations	Large globally, patchier once you need Australian specific apps
Adviser support in Australia	The widest adoption among local bookkeepers and accountants	A long established local adviser base	Smaller here, but building
Reporting	Flexible reports, tracking categories cover divisional views	Strong standard reports with job and category tracking	Solid standard reporting with class and location tracking

What the decision actually comes down to

The feature lists overlap so much that ticking boxes rarely settles anything. Four questions do most of the deciding in practice:

Who's going to work in the file day to day? If your bookkeeper or accountant already lives in one platform, their fluency is worth more than any single feature on your list
What needs to plug in? Inventory, point of sale, job management and receipt capture tools all favour different platforms, so check your specific stack before deciding on gut feel
How complicated is your payroll? Awards, allowances and multiple pay calendars deserve a proper look at each product's payroll module before you sign anything
How much history sits in your current system? Migration is doable, but staying put still has real value when your file is clean and your team already knows it

Why we default to Xero, said plainly

We work mostly in Xero, and it's worth explaining why rather than pretending we're neutral. The reconciliation experience beats the other two for day to day work, the app marketplace lets us build a stack for almost any industry, and there are simply more Xero skilled advisers in Australia, so a business is never trapped with one firm. That doesn't make MYOB or QuickBooks a bad choice. It makes Xero the option the alternatives need a specific reason to beat.

If you're moving

Whichever way you go, cut over on a clean date such as a quarter start or the new financial year, bring comparative balances across properly, and run your first BAS on the new platform with extra care. Rush the migration and you buy months of reconciliation debt. Plan it and it's usually far smoother than owners expect.

Talk to us before you decide

NextEra Bookkeeping is a Xero focused, CPA led practice, but the right platform is whichever one fits your business, not our preference. Our Strategic Finance Review looks at your current software, your workflows and your reporting needs and gives you a straight recommendation, including the times the honest answer is to stay exactly where you are.

Quick answers

Not universally, no. Xero tends to win on ease of use and integrations, MYOB holds its ground on payroll depth, and the right call depends on your own payroll complexity and who works in your file.

This article is general information for Australian businesses, current at the published date. It is not financial, tax or legal advice. Speak to a registered agent or adviser about your circumstances before acting.

Jamee White, CPA

Founder of NextEra Bookkeeping. Jamee leads a team supporting established Australian businesses with strategic bookkeeping, reporting, payroll and Xero, and is a multiple national awards finalist across bookkeeping and finance.