Software comparison
WorkGuru vs Xero Projects
Compare Xero Projects with WorkGuru when simple project costing is no longer enough to run quoting, scheduling, purchasing, stock and workshop execution.
At a glance
The short version
| Evaluation | WorkGuru | Xero Projects |
|---|---|---|
| Platform type | An industrial operations platform covering CRM, quoting, scheduling, purchasing, stock, timesheets and job costing, with the general ledger left to your accounting system. | A project tracking and job-costing capability inside Xero, covering project time, costs, quotes, invoices and profitability. |
| Best fit | Fabrication, engineering, manufacturing and project or workshop businesses where labour, materials, purchasing and operational control have a major impact on job margin. | Small businesses already using Xero that need straightforward project time, cost, invoicing and profitability tracking. |
| Pricing model | A platform fee including the first 10 team members, with additional per-user pricing and optional modules that can be added as needed. | In Australia, Projects is included with Xero Ultimate plans, with included project users and published charges for additional project users. |
| Implementation | DIY, WorkGuru-assisted or partner-led implementation, depending on the complexity of the rollout. | Very low implementation burden for businesses already using Xero. |
| Strongest when | The business needs one operational workflow across enquiries, quoting, projects, workshop planning, purchasing, stock, labour, job costing, compliance and automation. | The business wants project time, costs, invoicing and profitability tracked directly inside its existing Xero accounting workflow without adding a separate operational platform. |
Platform purpose and scope
What each platform is for
WorkGuru
WorkGuru runs the operational work between winning a job and knowing what it made. Quote it, schedule it, buy for it, allocate stock, capture labour and materials, manage changes, and track job costs as the work happens. It is deliberately not an accounting or payroll system — those connect to it.
Xero Projects
Xero Projects is a project tracking and job-costing capability inside Xero, designed to track project time, costs, budgets, quotes, invoices and profitability. It is well suited to straightforward project tracking without becoming a dedicated workshop or manufacturing operations platform.
Best-fit use cases
- Small businesses already in Xero with relatively simple projects
- Professional/service businesses needing time and cost tracking
- Teams wanting project profitability close to accounting rather than operational workflow depth
Industries and typical customers
Horizontal small-business use. It is not positioned as a workshop, manufacturing or field-service operating platform.
Feature comparison
Every capability, side by side
Grouped the way the work actually runs. The framework is ours, so read the rows where WorkGuru is partial or not competing first — they will tell you more than the ones where we both say yes.
About this comparison. WorkGuru prepared it. Every verdict below is numbered to the source it came from, and we record only what a vendor publishes — “not found” means we could not find it in their public material on the date shown, not that the product cannot do it.
Software changes constantly. If we have got something wrong about Xero Projects, tell us and we will correct it.
- Yes published or native
- Partial a materially different workflow or scope
- Integration available through an integration
- Beta not shipped yet
- No documented as not supported
- Not found not in the vendor’s published product information at the date checked
| Capability | WorkGuru | WorkflowMAX |
|---|---|---|
| Sales & CRM | ||
| Client Management | Yes1 | Yes33 |
| Contact Management | Yes1 | Yes33 |
| Webforms (website lead capture) | Yes1 | Not found33 |
| Lead Management | Yes1 | Yes33 |
| Sales Pipeline | Yes1 | Yes33 |
| Quoting & Estimating | Yes1 | Yes33 |
| Quote Templates | Yes1 | Yes33 |
| Quote Management | Yes1 | Yes33 |
| Client Follow-Up | Yes1 | Partial33 |
| AI Client, Lead & Quote Follow-Up | Yes1 | Not found33 |
| AI Takeoffs | Beta1 | Not found33 |
| Projects & Jobs | ||
| Project Management | Yes2 | Yes34 |
| Project Templates | Yes3 | Yes34 |
| Project Kanban Boards | Yes2 | Yes41 |
| Task Management | Yes2 | Yes34 |
| Task Kanban Boards | Yes2 | Not found34 |
| Gantt Chart | Yes2 | Yes34 |
| Project Chat | Yes2 | Partial34 |
| Project Documents | Yes2 | Yes34 |
| Variations | Yes2 | Yes34 |
| Timesheets | Yes2 | Yes34 |
| Recurring / repeat scheduled jobs | Yes3 | Yes34 |
| Scheduling & Work Planning | ||
| Work Areas (bays, machines, departments etc.) | Yes4 | Not found35 |
| Resource Scheduling | Yes5 | Yes35 |
| Task Scheduling | Yes4 | Yes35 |
| ToDo List Scheduling & Management | Yes4 | Yes35 |
| Schedule Changes | Yes4 | Yes35 |
| Mobile App | Yes4 | Partial35 |
| Kiosk App | Yes | Not found |
| Purchasing & Procurement | ||
| Purchase Orders | Yes7 | Yes36 |
| Supplier Management | Yes7 | Yes36 |
| Purchasing Against Projects | Yes7 | Yes36 |
| RFQs / Supplier Quotes | Beta7 | Not found36 |
| Supplier Quote Comparison | Beta7 | Not found36 |
| Inventory & Stock Control | ||
| Stock Control | Yes8 | Partial37 |
| Product Management | Yes8 | Partial37 |
| Stock Purchasing | Yes8 | Yes37 |
| Stock on Projects | Yes8 | Partial37 |
| Production Jobs / Internal Assembly | Yes9 | Not found37 |
| Counter Sales / Stock Sales | Yes10 | Not found37 |
| Stock Shortages & Par Levels | Yes8 | Not found37 |
| Serial Tracking | Yes8 | Not found37 |
| Batch Tracking | Yes8 | Not found37 |
| FIFO Tracking | Yes8 | Not found37 |
| Stock Locations | Yes11 | Not found37 |
| Multiple Warehouses | Yes8 | Not found37 |
| Stocktakes | Yes8 | Not found37 |
| Bills of Materials (BOM) | Yes9 | Not found37 |
| Ecommerce channel management | Integration12 | Not found37 |
| Point of Sale | Yes10 | Not found37 |
| Financial | ||
| Job Costing | Yes13 | Yes38 |
| Invoicing | Yes13 | Yes38 |
| Progress Invoicing | Yes13 | Yes38 |
| Reporting | Yes13 | Yes38 |
| Payments | Yes13 | Integration39 |
| Online / Embedded Payment Collection | Integration13 | Integration39 |
| General ledger & statutory reporting | Integration14 | Integration38 |
| Multi-currency transactions | Yes | Beta40 |
| Compliance | ||
| Forms | Yes15 | Not found32 |
| Qualifications | Yes15 | Not found32 |
| Documentation | Yes15 | Yes32 |
| Asset Register | Yes6 | Not found32 |
| Team, Security & Permissions | ||
| Team Management | Yes18 | Yes32 |
| Roles & Permissions | Yes16 | Yes32 |
| Payroll processing | Integration17 | Integration42 |
| Award interpretation | Integration17 | Not found32 |
| Employee records | Yes18 | Partial32 |
| HR onboarding & performance | Integration19 | Partial32 |
| Automations & AI | ||
| Workflows | Yes20 | Partial32 |
| Workflow Templates | Yes20 | Not found32 |
| Workflow Builder | Yes20 | Not found32 |
| User-customisable Automations in System | Yes20 | Partial32 |
| Workflow Notifications & Updates | Yes20 | Yes32 |
Every verdict above is numbered to the source it came from. Sources are listed at the <a href=”#sources”>foot of this page</a>.
Commercials
Pricing, rollout and what it really costs
WorkGuru pricing, implementation and ownership
WorkGuru publishes modular pricing. The current commercial model is a platform fee including the first 10 users, additional per-user pricing, and optional modules such as Inventory, Workflow Automations and Advanced Forms. Use the live pricing page for current figures rather than duplicating numbers that can go stale. Buyers can start DIY, use WorkGuru-assisted onboarding, or use an implementation partner. Total ownership cost should be assessed across subscription, onboarding, migration, training, integrations and ongoing administration – not subscription price alone.
Xero Projects pricing
In Australia, project tracking is included in Xero Ultimate plans with included project users and published charges for additional project users. The exact Xero plan price and user allowance varies by Ultimate tier.
Implementation and time to value
Very low implementation burden for existing Xero customers. Setup is primarily within the accounting platform.
Total cost and complexity of ownership
Low incremental complexity if Xero is already in use, but businesses often need additional systems for CRM, scheduling, purchasing, inventory, shop-floor coordination and compliance.
Switching
Moving from Xero Projects to WorkGuru
Already using Xero Projects? WorkGuru can scope a migration rather than assuming a greenfield setup. The migration plan should identify the records you need to bring across, what can be imported, what should remain as historical reference, integration cutover, training and go-live. Exact scope, timing and cost depend on the quality and structure of the source data and the implementation path selected. Do not promise that every historical record or configuration will migrate until the source data has been assessed.
The verdict
The matrix is evidence. This is the buying advice.
Where Xero Projects is stronger
- Very low-friction for existing Xero businesses
- Project financials sit directly inside Xero accounting
- Straightforward project time, cost and profitability tracking
- No additional operational platform to administer
Where WorkGuru is stronger
- Full operational workflow from lead and quote through project delivery
- Scheduling, workshop planning and Work Areas (bays, machines, departments etc.)
- Purchasing, supplier management and project procurement
- Deep inventory and stock control
- Project documents, chat, variations, forms, qualifications and operational permissions
- Labour, purchasing, stock usage and other operational activity feed into job profitability as the work happens
Choose Xero Projects if…
Choose Xero Projects if projects are simple, the team mainly needs time/cost/profitability tracking, and the rest of the operation is already well controlled without dedicated job-management software.
Choose WorkGuru if…
Choose WorkGuru if the job itself needs to be run: enquiries, quotes, tasks, people, workshop schedule, purchases, stock, documents, changes, invoicing and profitability all need one operational workflow.
The bottom line
Xero Projects can be the better choice when its core operating model matches the business. WorkGuru is the stronger fit when the buyer needs a connected operational system around projects and workshop execution with a purpose-built industrial operations platform that can scale from SMB implementation through more structured assisted or partner-led rollouts.
FAQs
Xero Projects questions
Is WorkGuru a replacement for Xero Projects?
It can be when the business wants WorkGuru’s operating model and capability set. The right answer depends on which Xero Projects workflows are actually used today, integrations, data migration and any specialist requirements that must remain elsewhere.
Can we migrate from Xero Projects to WorkGuru?
Yes, migration can be scoped as part of implementation. What comes across, what remains as historical reference, timing and cost depend on the source data and agreed implementation plan.
Do we have to implement WorkGuru ourselves?
No. WorkGuru supports DIY implementation, WorkGuru-assisted onboarding and partner implementation. Choose the level of help that matches the complexity of the rollout.
How should we compare total cost?
Compare subscription, onboarding, migration, training, integrations and ongoing administration. Avoid comparing a single licence price where the platforms package scope differently.
Is WorkGuru cheaper than Xero Projects?
That depends on user count, modules, implementation scope and the systems each option replaces or still requires. Use current published pricing and a like-for-like implementation scenario rather than a blanket savings claim.
Method
How this comparison was prepared
This page was prepared by WorkGuru and compares WorkGuru with Xero Projects. Competitor product information should be based on publicly available sources and reviewed on the date shown above. Features, pricing and product capabilities can change. If information is disputed, review the underlying source and correct the page where required. Link this section to the permanent “How we compare software” methodology page.
Customer proof
[CUSTOMER PROOF REQUIRED] Prefer a named customer that moved from Xero Projects, evaluated Xero Projects, or replaced a comparable stack. Include the starting problem, why WorkGuru was selected, implementation path and a specific operational result. Do not invent migration or win-rate claims without approved evidence.
Sources
Checked 2 Sep 2026. WorkGuru pages are linked; Xero Projects’s own material is cited in full so you can verify it without leaving this page.
- WorkGuru WG CRM
- Xero Projects Xero Projects — https://central.xero.com/0/article/About-Xero-Projects
- WorkGuru WG Projects
- WorkGuru WG Scheduling
- WorkGuru WG Purchasing
- Xero Projects Xero features — https://www.xero.com/au/accounting-software/all-features/
- WorkGuru WG Inventory
- WorkGuru WG Financial
- WorkGuru WG Compliance
- WorkGuru WG Team/Permissions
- WorkGuru WG Automations
- WorkGuru WorkGuru Project Templates
- Xero Projects Xero Projects — https://www.xero.com/au/accounting-software/projects/
- WorkGuru WorkGuru Resource Scheduling
- WorkGuru WorkGuru Asset Management
- WorkGuru WorkGuru Production Jobs
- WorkGuru WorkGuru Shopify
- WorkGuru WorkGuru Stock Locations
- WorkGuru WorkGuru Counter Sales
- WorkGuru WorkGuru Xero
- Xero Projects Xero accounting software — https://www.xero.com/au/accounting-software/
- Xero Projects Xero multi-currency — https://www.xero.com/au/accounting-software/use-multiple-currencies/
- WorkGuru WorkGuru Tanda
- Xero Projects Xero Payroll — https://www.xero.com/au/accounting-software/payroll/
- WorkGuru WorkGuru Team Management
- WorkGuru WorkGuru Employment Hero
- Xero Projects Xero Quotation Software & Online Quotes — https://www.xero.com/au/accounting-software/send-quotes/
- Xero Projects Xero Contact Management — https://www.xero.com/au/accounting-software/organise-contacts/
- Xero Projects Xero Inventory Management Guide — https://www.xero.com/au/guides/inventory-management-system/
- Xero Projects Xero Fixed Asset Management — https://www.xero.com/au/accounting-software/manage-fixed-assets/
- Xero Projects Xero User Roles & Permissions — https://central.xero.com/0/article/User-roles-and-permissions-in-Xero-Business-edition-GL
- Xero Projects Xero Inventory Management Software — https://www.xero.com/au/accounting-software/manage-inventory/
See it on your own jobs.
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