Software Comparisons

Xero vs Planyard

Comparing Xero and Planyard for construction job costing? This page sets them up as alternatives so you can decide quickly. We cover scope, job costing depth, approvals, 3-way match, valuations and retentions, reporting, and pricing clarity.

Short answer for buyers searching for a Xero alternative for construction: Xero is a great accounting system; Planyard is built for project-side cost control. Many teams start by picking one — then discover they work best together.

On this page

  • What each product covers and where it stops
  • Reviews at a glance
  • Side-by-side summary (Xero vs Planyard vs together)
  • Detailed feature comparison (POs, approvals, 3-way match, valuations, retentions)
  • What posts to accounting
  • Implementation timelines
  • Who should choose what
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Logos of Planyard and Xero construction job costing integration

What they do (scope at a glance)

  • Xero — Accounting system of record: Chart of Accounts, supplier bills, VAT, CIS, bank feeds and financial reporting. Suitable for finance control; basic job tracking only.
  • Planyard — Commercial control for projects: budgets vs actuals, purchase orders and commitments, multi-step approvals, 3-way match (PO ↔ delivery/valuation ↔ invoice), subcontractor/client valuations and certificates, retentions, variations, and live CVR/forecasting. Syncs only approved bills to Xero with supplier, account code, Tracking categories, VAT/currency and the invoice PDF.

Reviews at a glance

Public ratings from Capterra UK.

Programme Rating Summary
Xero 4.4 / 5.0 ✔ Trusted accounting and VAT/CIS. Job-costing depth is limited without add-ons.
Planyard 4.6 / 5.0 ✔ Praised by QSs for ease of use and instant visibility. Reviewers note clean Xero sync and reduced spreadsheet errors.

Quotes used below are taken from public Capterra UK reviews (e.g., “integrates with Xero, avoiding entry in two places”, “live CVR without spreadsheets”).

Quick summary

  • If you need an accounting alternative: Xero covers finance and tax; Planyard covers project-side cost control and forecasting. Pick the one that fits your immediate gap.
  • For construction job costing: Planyard gives budgets, approvals, 3-way match, valuations and retentions out of the box. Xero alone won’t replace those spreadsheets.
  • Reality: Most contractors run Planyard + Xero. Only approved, fully coded costs land in Xero — no drafts, no duplicates, no re-typing.

Side-by-side comparison

Feature Xero (alone) Planyard (alone) Planyard + Xero
Multi-step approvals (routes, thresholds) ✖ Basic bill approval ✔ Advanced routes & thresholds ✔ Full approval chain; posts only when approved
3-way match (PO ↔ delivery/valuation ↔ invoice) ✖ Manual checks ✔ Automated with mismatch blocking ✔ Complete 3-way match before posting
PO control (raise against budget) ✖ Not native ✔ Budget-linked POs and commitments ✔ POs raised in Planyard; costs coded for Xero
Invoice capture (email-in/OCR) ✔ Hubdoc/Xero Files ✔ OCR + auto-link to PO/valuation ✔ Capture + project link + approvals
Approval-only sync (no drafts/duplicates) ✖ Manual posting ✔ Yes ✔ Keeps the ledger clean and audit-ready
Mapping to account codes & Tracking categories ✔ In Xero ✔ Uses synced Chart & Tracking ✔ Accurate mappings on every posted bill
Attachments (PDF and refs in accounting) ✔ Supported ✔ Sends PDF and references ✔ Always attached for audit
Live variance & EAC (CVR) ✖ Static ✔ Real-time CVR & forecasting ✔ Finance & projects see the same live picture
CIS & reverse charge VAT ✔ Applied in Xero ✔ Ensures supplier link & coding ✔ Coding enforced project-side; VAT/CIS applied in Xero
Full audit trail (who approved what, when) ✔ Finance approvals ✔ Line-item project audit ✔ End-to-end audit trail
No re-typing (site → budget → accounting) ✖ Often re-entry ✔ One continuous flow ✔ Duplicate-free, reference-rich sync

What posts to accounting

  • Posts: Approved bills/credit notes with supplier, account code, Tracking categories, VAT/currency, invoice PDF, and PO/valuation references.
  • Doesn’t post: Estimates, budgets, detailed timesheets (summaries only).
  • System of record: Accounting remains in Xero; Planyard controls project approvals and live visibility.

Features in detail

How they handle POs, approvals, 3-way match, valuations, retentions and forecasting.

Approvals and PO control

Planyard gives budget-linked POs and multi-step approvals with thresholds per role/project. Xero records the approved bill once synced; coding and attachments arrive ready for audit.

Screenshot of Planyard’s project overview displaying financial data, including project names, budgets, income, costs, and profitability forecasts.

3-way match and error prevention

Planyard matches PO ↔ delivery/valuation ↔ invoice; mismatches are blocked. This prevents over-billing and quantity errors before anything reaches Xero.

Proje bütçenizi yükleyin ve finansal ilerlemeyi gerçek zamanlı olarak takip edin

Kredi kartı gerekmez. Satış veya BT desteği gerekmez.

14 günlük deneme başlatın Demo talep edin
Screenshot showing Planyard’s user-friendly construction cost control software interface, featuring commitment templates, approval options, and detailed financial information such as current valuation, committed totals, and valuation remaining.

Valuations, certificates and retentions

Planyard handles subcontractor/client valuations and retentions with clear audit trails. Approved values flow to Xero as coded bills with PDFs attached.

CIS in QuickBooks with Planyard—approved bill to correct vendor, HMRC-ready exports.

CIS & domestic reverse charge VAT

Xero applies CIS and VAT rules on the posted bill. Planyard ensures supplier linkage and coding so the right rules apply every time.

Proje bütçenizi yükleyin ve finansal ilerlemeyi gerçek zamanlı olarak takip edin

Kredi kartı gerekmez. Satış veya BT desteği gerekmez.

14 günlük deneme başlatın Demo talep edin
Screenshot of Planyard’s project overview displaying financial data, including project names, budgets, income, costs, and profitability forecasts.

Live CVR and forecasting

Planyard updates EAC and profit forecasts in real time as orders, valuations and invoices are approved. Finance in Xero sees the same picture once bills are posted.

Implementation timelines

What to expect before you go live.

Product Typical duration Typical steps
Planyard + Xero ✔ 1–5 days
  1. Connect Xero (OAuth) and import Chart, suppliers and Tracking
  2. Map projects and codes
  3. Pilot on one live job
Xero (alone) ✔ Same day
  1. Set up Chart of Accounts and suppliers
  2. Use basic tracking or spreadsheets for job costs

Actual timelines vary by scope, data quality and internal capacity.

Who should choose what

  • Choose Planyard if you want full project-side control (budgets, POs, approvals, valuations, retentions, live CVR) without spreadsheets.
  • Choose Xero if you need a straightforward accounting platform with VAT/CIS and you’re happy to manage job costs in sheets.
  • Choose both if you want a clean ledger and live project visibility — only approved, fully coded costs land in Xero.

Pricing and packages

Planyard has transparent per-user plans and a free trial. Xero pricing starts from entry-level monthly tiers for accounting. The Xero integration is included in all Planyard plans.

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Maliyet Hesaplama Paketi

$52
/ month / project manager
 

Maliyet Hesaplama

Ücretsiz deneyin

Temel Paket

$105
/ month / project manager
$43
for supporting staff
Destek rolleri veya paydaşlar için mükemmel—kullanıcıların bilgilendirilmesini ve katkıda bulunmasını sağlarken, tam platform izinleri olmadan temel proje özelliklerine ve önemli finansal verilere erişim sağlar.

Genellikle seçilenler: saha mühendisleri, müşteriler, tahminciler veya denetçiler.

Maliyet Hesaplama ve Bütçe Kontrolü

  • Maliyet Hesaplama paketindeki tüm özellikleri içerir
  • Bütçeleri ve gerçekleşen harcamaları takip edin
  • Satın alma faturalarını otomatik yönetin
  • Aktif projelerin maliyet verilerini yeniden kullanarak tahmin yapın
  • Faturaları Xero ve QuickBooks ile senkronize edin
Ücretsiz deneyin

Profesyonel Paket

$158
/ month / project manager
$43
for supporting staff
Destek rolleri veya paydaşlar için mükemmel—kullanıcıların bilgilendirilmesini ve katkıda bulunmasını sağlarken, tam platform izinleri olmadan temel proje özelliklerine ve önemli finansal verilere erişim sağlar.

Genellikle seçilenler: saha mühendisleri, müşteriler, tahminciler veya denetçiler.

Maliyet, Bütçe ve Satın Alma Yönetimi

  • Temel Paket özelliklerinin tamamını içerir
  • Satın alma siparişlerini oluşturun ve yönetin
  • Bütçelerdeki taahhüt edilmiş maliyetleri takip edin
  • Proje kârlılığını gerçek zamanlı olarak tahmin edin
  • Nakit akışı projeksiyonları oluşturun
  • Müşteri sözleşmelerini ve ilerleme raporlarını yönetin
Ücretsiz deneyin

Genişletilmiş Paket

$210
/ month / project manager
$43
for supporting staff
Destek rolleri veya paydaşlar için mükemmel—kullanıcıların bilgilendirilmesini ve katkıda bulunmasını sağlarken, tam platform izinleri olmadan temel proje özelliklerine ve önemli finansal verilere erişim sağlar.

Genellikle seçilenler: saha mühendisleri, müşteriler, tahminciler veya denetçiler.

Tüm Özelliklerle Tam Fonksiyonellik

  • Profesyonel Paket özelliklerinin tamamını içerir
  • Taşeron ve tedarikçi tekliflerini otomatikleştirin
  • Alt yüklenici sözleşmelerini ve ilerlemeleri takip edin
  • Alt yüklenici değişiklik emirlerini yönetin
  • Alt yüklenici ödeme taleplerini yönetin
Ücretsiz deneyin

In one paragraph

If you’re weighing Xero or a Xero alternative for construction, the practical setup is Planyard + Xero. Planyard runs budgets, POs, approvals, 3-way match, valuations and retentions; Xero runs accounting, VAT and CIS. The result is a simple promise: only approved, fully coded costs hit your ledger — no drafts, no duplicates, no re-typing.

Sources and last updated. Capterra UK listings for Planyard and Xero; Planyard customer reviews and success stories. Last reviewed 8 October 2025.