MYOB & Xero lowest tier vs Our Abacus
The cheapest MYOB and Xero plans still charge you every month — forever. Our Abacus is a one-time $200 lifetime license. Here’s the honest breakdown.
Sources (Aug 2026): MYOB NZ pricing, Xero NZ pricing (Ignite), Xero price rise 1 Oct 2026.
50% off first year $157.50, then $315/year. 2 bank feeds, unlimited invoices, payroll +$3/employee/mo
20 invoices + 5 bills / month limit. Payroll optional $4/person. From 1 Oct 2026 → $37/mo
Local-first, portable EXE + pgsql. AI auto-coding + Ontology. No monthly fees. Free demo.
Total cost of ownership
NZD excl. GST · Lowest tier only · Payroll add-ons excluded
Incl. GST: MYOB 3yr $1,087 · Xero 3yr $1,449 · Abacus $200. Incl. GST 15% added.
Feature-by-feature — lowest tier
What you actually get for the cheapest price.
| Feature | MYOB Lite | Xero Ignite | Our Abacus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price model | Subscription $315/yr | Subscription $420/yr | Lifetime $200 once |
| Invoices / month | Unlimited | 20 | Unlimited |
| Bills / month | Unlimited | 5 | Unlimited |
| Bank feeds | 2 accounts | Unlimited (all NZ banks) | Unlimited (ASB/ANZ/BNZ/Westpac/CBA) |
| GST filing (NZ) | Yes | Yes | Yes + IR10/IR4 |
| Payroll included | No (+$3/employee/mo) | Optional (+$4/person) | Not in Lite — external |
| AI auto-coding | MYOB AI (limited) | Xero AI + JAX | Gemini + Ontology · Propose* only |
| Data ownership | Cloud (MYOB servers) | Cloud (Xero servers) | Local — 100% on your PC |
| Privacy / Offline | Online only | Online only | Works offline, zero cloud |
| Ontology / Risk gates | — | — | 10 objects · 13 actions · 4-tier gates |
| Vendor lock-in | Monthly forever | Monthly forever | Buy once, own forever |
* Prices verified 26 Aug 2026 from MYOB NZ & Xero NZ official pricing pages. Excl. GST unless noted. Xero Ignite rises to $37/mo from 1 Oct 2026. MYOB Lite first-year 50% off $157.50 then $315/yr. Payroll add-ons excluded for fairness. Our Abacus Personal Node $200 NZD one-time. Firm Grid $35/year/client.
Verdict — Why Our Abacus wins on price
- Pay once $200 vs $945 (MYOB) / $1,260 (Xero) over 3 years — save $745–$1,060 excl. GST before payroll add-ons.
- No invoice/bill caps like Xero Ignite (20/5). No per-employee tax like MYOB.
- Local-first means your ledger never leaves your PC — accountants keep sovereignty, not SaaS rent.