Xero is where a small US business keeps its books, sends invoices and, since August 12, 2026, can run payroll: Xero announced Xero Payroll, powered by Gusto, built into Xero for eligible US customers. Its announced features cover pay runs, tax filings, direct deposit, pay rates, PTO and employee self-service; the announcement does not mention timesheets, so check Xero's current help before assuming hours can be entered there. For billable work, the integration that matters is how tracked time becomes a Xero invoice and whether the payment status finds its way back. The integration pages and prices below were read on October 28, 2026, except Everhour's price, read the day before. Nothing here comes from a hands-on trial.
For whom: a consultancy, agency or service firm on Xero that bills clients from tracked hours. Not for: a business that only needs hourly employees' hours for payroll; see time tracking for Gusto payroll for that handoff.
What each integration does
| Clockify | Harvest | Everhour | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invoices to Xero | Sent one by one or in bulk; the Xero invoice must be in draft status | Copied to Xero when you send them to the client | Copied to Xero as drafts |
| Payments | Payments recorded in Xero flow back; invoice shows paid or partially paid | Optionally copied from Harvest to Xero when the client pays a Harvest invoice | Invoice status, number, date and amount kept updated in Everhour |
| Clients | Creates a Xero contact when none matches the client name | Not described on its integration page | Existing Xero clients synced into Everhour |
| Plan required | Standard or higher, plus a Xero add-on at $4.99 a month | Teams or Enterprise | Team (the free plan has no integrations), 5 seats minimum |
| Five people, billed annually | 5 x $5.49 + $4.99 = $32.44 a month | 5 x $9 = $45 a month in seats, plus Harvest's usage charges for additional invoices, projects, clients and tasks | 5 x $8.50 = $42.50 a month |
Our pick
Clockify Standard with the Xero add-on. It is the cheapest of the three for a team of five, and its help article documents the most complete loop: invoices sent to Xero as drafts, a Xero contact created when none matches, and payments recorded in Xero flowing back so the invoice shows as paid or partially paid. Everhour also keeps invoice status updated from Xero; Harvest's page describes data moving from Harvest to Xero. Two caveats from Clockify's own help: the Xero invoice must be a draft before you send from Clockify, and tax is rounded per line in Xero but on the total in Clockify, so a taxed invoice can differ by cents unless you add a rounding line.
- Pick Harvest if invoicing from time is the core of your business and clients already pay Harvest invoices online: Harvest copies the invoice to Xero when it is sent and, if you choose, the payment when it arrives, which keeps Xero as the ledger and Harvest as the billing desk.
- Pick Everhour if your team of five or more lives in a task tool and wants time inside it; invoices arrive in Xero as drafts for your bookkeeper to approve.
Payroll is a separate connection
Xero Payroll is powered by Gusto, but its announcement does not say whether time trackers that connect to Gusto also connect to the payroll built into Xero. Ask Xero which time sources its payroll accepts, and keep hours approved before the pay run, rather than assuming the invoice integration also feeds wages. Our payroll versus project time guide explains why the two flows should stay separate.
Traceable evidence
Sources for this decision
- vendorClockify official product siteClockify · checked Aug 5, 2026 · supports: Vendor-published product scope used to verify capabilities relevant to this buyer context: Teams comparing flexible project and employee time tracking across varied work types.. It does not prove the guide's fit verdict, configured performance, current pricing or compliance.Open source ↗
- vendorHarvest official product siteHarvest · checked Aug 5, 2026 · supports: Vendor-published product scope used to verify capabilities relevant to this buyer context: Agencies and professional services teams evaluating time, project budgets, billing, and invoicing handoffs.. It does not prove the guide's fit verdict, configured performance, current pricing or compliance.Open source ↗
- vendorEverhour official product siteEverhour · checked Aug 5, 2026 · supports: Vendor-published product scope used to verify capabilities relevant to this buyer context: Project teams comparing embedded time tracking inside task and delivery workflows.. It does not prove the guide's fit verdict, configured performance, current pricing or compliance.Open source ↗
- vendorClockify help, Clockify and XeroClockify · checked Oct 28, 2026 · supports: Clockify help article as read on October 28, 2026: the Xero integration is for owners and admins on Standard plans and higher and needs a separate add-on subscription at $4.99 a month; invoices are sent from Clockify one by one or in bulk and the Xero invoice must be in draft status; payments and paid or partially paid status flow back from Xero; a Xero contact is created when none matches the client name; tax is rounded per line in Xero and on the total in Clockify. It does not cover payroll or timesheets.Open source ↗
- vendorClockify pricing page, paid plan tiersClockify · checked Oct 27, 2026 · supports: Clockify's pricing page as read on October 27, 2026: per-seat prices for Basic, Standard, Pro and Enterprise billed annually and monthly, timesheet approval, locked timesheets, invoicing and time off from Standard, GPS from Pro and the audit log on Enterprise; it does not prove the total cost for a given team.Open source ↗
- vendorHarvest Xero integration pageHarvest · checked Oct 28, 2026 · supports: Harvest's Xero integration page as read on October 28, 2026 stating that Harvest invoices are copied into Xero when sent to clients and that, optionally, a payment on a Harvest invoice can be copied to Xero; it does not describe contacts, expenses or payments flowing from Xero to Harvest, and names no plan.Open source ↗
- vendorHarvest pricing page, plan featuresHarvest · checked Oct 27, 2026 · supports: Harvest's pricing page as read on October 27, 2026: Free (one seat, two projects), Teams and Enterprise per-seat prices billed annually and monthly, invoicing on all plans, and timesheet approvals and an Activity log described as an audit trail of every time entry and edit on Enterprise only; it does not describe time rounding or entry locking.Open source ↗
- vendorHarvest pricing page, integrations and estimatesHarvest · checked Oct 28, 2026 · supports: Harvest's pricing page as read on October 28, 2026: Teams at $9 per seat a month billed annually and $11 monthly, Enterprise at $14 and $17.50, invoicing and project estimates on all plans, and integrations with Stripe, QuickBooks Online, Xero and others on Teams and Enterprise, not Free; on Teams and Enterprise, additional invoices, projects, clients and tasks billed based on usage, with no amounts stated; it does not describe what each integration syncs and lists no nonprofit discount.Open source ↗
- vendorEverhour Xero integration pageEverhour · checked Oct 28, 2026 · supports: Everhour's Xero integration page as read on October 28, 2026 stating that existing Xero clients are synced into Everhour, that invoices created from billable hours are copied to Xero as drafts, and that invoice status, number, issue date and amount stay updated in Everhour; it does not name the plan required or describe payroll.Open source ↗
- vendorEverhour pricing pageEverhour · checked Oct 27, 2026 · supports: Everhour's own pricing page as read on 2026-10-27, supporting the entry list price of its Team plan ($8.50 per seat/month, billed yearly) and the page details recorded with it (Minimum 5 seats), and a free plan (Yes, up to 5 seats). It does not prove the total cost for a given buyer, later price changes, promotions, negotiated discounts or taxes.Open source ↗
- vendorEverhour pricing page, plan limitsEverhour · checked Oct 28, 2026 · supports: Everhour's pricing page as read on October 28, 2026: a free plan for up to 5 seats with limited features and, per its FAQ, no integrations; the Team plan at $8.50 per seat a month billed yearly with a 5-seat minimum and billing, budgeting and invoicing; it does not state a monthly-billed price or timesheet approvals.Open source ↗
- vendorXero media release: Xero Payroll, powered by Gusto (August 12, 2026)Xero · checked Oct 28, 2026 · supports: Xero's press release of August 12, 2026 announcing Xero Payroll, powered by Gusto, built into Xero and available to eligible US customers, with payroll data flowing to Xero's general ledger and features including unlimited pay runs, federal, state and local tax filings, direct deposit, multiple pay rates, W-2 and 1099-NEC support, PTO and employee self-service; it does not list timesheets, define eligibility or state a price.Open source ↗