March 2026 · 6 min read

THEBRICKBOOK VS XERO: DO SOLO TRADIES REALLY NEED ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE?

Ask any accountant what software you should use, and they'll say Xero. It's the gold standard for small business accounting in Australia, and for good reason — it's powerful, well-supported, and integrates with everything.

But here's the question nobody asks: do you actually need it?

If you're a solo tradie — one person, one ute, no employees — you might be paying $420/year for software designed for businesses ten times your size.

WHAT IS XERO?

Xero is a full cloud accounting platform. It handles invoicing, bank reconciliation, BAS reporting, payroll, expense claims, inventory, multi-currency transactions, and more. It's built for businesses that work with accountants and bookkeepers, and it does that job brilliantly.

The standard plan most sole traders use is $35/month ($420/year). The starter plan at $16/month limits you to 20 invoices — not enough for most tradies.

WHAT IS THEBRICKBOOK?

TheBrickBook is a free iOS app for Australian tradies and solo operators. It tracks jobs, logs expenses per job, has a built-in timer, creates invoices with ABN and GST, and calculates your real hourly rate automatically. It's not accounting software — it's a profit clarity tool.

HEAD-TO-HEAD COMPARISON

WHERE XERO WINS

Xero is genuinely excellent at what it does. Here's where it's the better choice:

• Full accounting: Double-entry bookkeeping, chart of accounts, profit & loss statements, balance sheets. If you need proper financial reporting, Xero is the tool.
• BAS and tax time: Xero calculates your GST, generates BAS reports, and your accountant can log in directly. This saves real time (and money) at tax time.
• Bank feeds: Automatic bank transaction importing and reconciliation. You can see every dollar in and out without manual entry.
• Payroll: If you have employees — even one casual — Xero handles wages, super, and STP reporting.
• Ecosystem: Hundreds of integrations with receipt scanners, CRMs, inventory tools, and more.

WHERE THEBRICKBOOK WINS

• Price: Free vs $420/year. That's real money for a sole trader.
• Simplicity: TheBrickBook takes 30 seconds to learn. Xero requires hours of setup and often a bookkeeper to configure properly.
• Job-level profit tracking: Xero tells you your overall revenue. TheBrickBook tells you how much you earned on each individual job.
• Real hourly rate: TheBrickBook automatically calculates what you earned per hour on every job, factoring in all expenses and time. Xero doesn't do this without custom reports.
• Mobile-first: TheBrickBook is designed to be used on a job site. Xero's mobile app works, but it's a companion to the desktop experience.

THE $420/YEAR QUESTION

Many solo tradies sign up for Xero because their accountant told them to, then use it for one thing: sending invoices. That's a $420/year invoice app. TheBrickBook does the same invoicing for free — and adds job tracking and profit visibility on top.

WHEN YOU SHOULD USE XERO

Xero is the right choice if:

• You have employees (even one casual worker)
• You want automated bank reconciliation
• Your accountant requires Xero access for BAS/tax
• You're growing beyond a one-person operation
• You need formal financial statements for a loan or lease

In these cases, Xero earns its $35/month. It's a professional tool for professional accounting needs.

WHEN YOU SHOULD USE THEBRICKBOOK

TheBrickBook is the right choice if:

• It's just you — no employees, no team
• You want to know your profit on every job, not just your total revenue
• You send your receipts to your accountant at tax time and let them handle BAS
• You want something you can use on the job site without a tutorial
• You'd rather not pay $420/year for software you barely use

CAN YOU USE BOTH?

Yes. Some tradies use TheBrickBook for daily job tracking and profit visibility, then hand their numbers to an accountant who uses Xero at tax time. TheBrickBook handles the day-to-day; Xero (through your accountant) handles compliance. This can be the best of both worlds — you get profit clarity without paying for the software yourself.

OUR RECOMMENDATION

Xero is powerful software. But for a solo tradie who just wants to track jobs, send invoices, and know what they actually earn — it's overkill. You're paying for bank feeds, payroll, BAS automation, and multi-user access that a one-person operation doesn't need.

TheBrickBook gives solo tradies what they actually need: job tracking, invoicing, and real hourly rate — for free. Save the $420/year for something that moves your business forward.