MYOB Alternatives Australia 2026: 5 Real Options Compared

MYOB has been in Australian businesses since 1991. For many of them it still does the job. But it isn't the right choice for every business, and the reasons people switch are usually specific: the interface feels dated, the price has crept up, or the business has outgrown the plan it's on but doesn't need everything on AccountRight Plus.

This guide covers the realistic MYOB alternatives available in Australia in 2026, with honest assessments of who each one actually suits. If MYOB still fits your business after you read this, that's fine, we'll tell you that too.

If you are staying on MYOB but weighing the tier decision, see the AccountRight pricing detail for the Plus vs Premier breakdown and when AccountRight starts beating Business Pro on price.

Before switching, get clear on why

The reasons Australian business owners give for leaving MYOB usually come down to four things.

Price relative to what you use. MYOB Lite at $31.82 a month ex GST ($35 with GST on MYOB's page, or $315 if you pay yearly) is competitive. AccountRight Plus at $150 is not, especially if you're using it for the unlimited payroll and not much else. Many businesses on AccountRight Plus could move to a cheaper Xero plan plus the per-employee payroll fee and pay less.

The interface. MYOB AccountRight in particular looks and feels like software from a different era. People who learned bookkeeping on it are usually fine. People coming from Xero or QuickBooks find it slow and clunky.

The bookkeeper or accountant problem. Most Australian bookkeepers under 40 prefer Xero. If you're paying a bookkeeper $80 an hour and they take longer in MYOB because they're less fluent in it, the software is costing you more than the subscription suggests.

Integrations. MYOB has around 350 third-party integrations. Xero has over 1,000. If you use Shopify, ServiceM8, Tradify, Tanda, or any of the more recent SaaS tools, MYOB's integration is often a week behind on features and missing edge cases.

If your reason is one of these, switching makes sense. If your reason is "I just don't like it," that's also valid, but go in knowing data migration takes time and you'll be re-learning a system. Stick with MYOB if you genuinely use its inventory features or job costing on AccountRight, because the alternatives don't match those.

The realistic MYOB alternatives in 2026

These are the five we'd consider for an Australian business leaving MYOB. We've left out tools that don't handle Australian compliance properly (no STP Phase 2, no proper BAS) because they aren't real options.

1. Xero

Xero is the most common destination for businesses leaving MYOB, and for most of them it's the right call. The interface is cleaner, bookkeepers know it, and the integration ecosystem is the strongest in Australia.

Pricing in Australia (2026):

• Ignite: $37/month (20 invoices, 5 bills, 1 payroll)
• Grow: $78/month (unlimited invoices and bills, 5 payroll)
• Comprehensive: $107/month (5 payroll plus expenses and projects)
• Ultimate 10: $143/month (10 payroll)
• Extra payroll: move up a tier, no per-person rate published

Where Xero wins against MYOB: better interface, more integrations, easier to find a bookkeeper who knows it, faster reporting, and a stronger mobile app.

Where Xero loses against MYOB: inventory management on Xero is basic. If you're tracking serial numbers, lot numbers, multiple warehouses, or product assemblies, MYOB AccountRight does this natively and Xero needs a third-party tool. Xero has also raised prices several times in the last few years, and Comprehensive is now $107 a month, where the equivalent on MYOB Pro is $63.64.

Best for: service businesses, sole traders with employees, retailers with simple inventory, anyone who wants the broadest integration ecosystem.

Read our full Xero review or MYOB vs Xero comparison.

2. QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks is the third major option in Australia behind Xero and MYOB. It's a competent product with one structural problem: payroll is an add-on through Employment Hero at $6 per employee per month, which adds up once you have a team.

Pricing in Australia (2026):

• Simple Start: $32.72/month
• Essentials: $60/month
• Plus: $81.81/month
• Advanced: $125.45/month
• Payroll: $6 per employee per month via Employment Hero add-on

Where QuickBooks wins against MYOB: the entry plan is $32.72, which undercuts MYOB Pro by $37.28 a month. The reporting is strong on the Plus and Advanced tiers. If you have an existing QuickBooks bookkeeper or accountant in your network, the choice gets easier.

Where QuickBooks loses against MYOB: payroll economics get bad fast. With 5 employees on Essentials you're at $60 plus $30 in payroll fees, which is $90 a month. Xero can't do five people on Grow at all, because Grow covers two, so the like-for-like plan is Comprehensive at $107. On price QuickBooks actually wins that one. Local support is also weaker than MYOB's.

Best for: sole traders and micro businesses with no employees, businesses with an existing accountant who prefers QuickBooks.

Read our full QuickBooks review.

3. Reckon One

Reckon is Australian-built and often overlooked. At $24.55 a month (ex GST) for the Accounting Plus plan, it's the cheapest credible accounting option, and it handles BAS, GST and STP Phase 2 correctly.

Pricing in Australia (2026): Accounting Plus $24.55/month ex GST ($27 including GST, which is how Reckon quotes it). Payroll is a flat add-on: $16.36 for up to four employees, $31.82 for up to 10 and $59.09 for any number.

Where Reckon wins against MYOB: price. Unlimited users on all plans, where MYOB caps users on Lite. Australian-hosted and Australian-built, which appeals to some buyers for support reasons.

Where Reckon loses against MYOB: small integration ecosystem, fewer bookkeepers know it (so you may pay more in bookkeeper time), reporting is basic, and inventory only arrives on the $83.64 Ultimate plan. The brand also doesn't carry the same trust signal with accountants that MYOB does.

Best for: sole traders, micro businesses on tight budgets, service businesses that just need invoicing, expenses, BAS and basic payroll without paying $50+ a month for it.

Read our full Reckon review.

4. Thriday

Thriday is a newer Australian product that bundles a business bank account with automated bookkeeping, BAS and tax. It's not a direct MYOB replacement for businesses with employees, but for sole traders it's worth knowing about.

Where Thriday wins against MYOB: the banking integration removes most of the manual data entry that bookkeeping normally involves. Built specifically for Australian sole traders, including auto-categorising transactions for tax.

Where Thriday loses against MYOB: no proper payroll for teams, no inventory, narrower in scope generally. You're committing to their banking product, which suits some people and rules out others.

Best for: sole traders and contractors who don't have employees and want one app for the whole financial side of the business.

5. Wave

Wave is free, which makes it attractive on paper. It works as a stopgap, not a long-term option for any Australian business that's actually trading.

Where Wave wins against MYOB: price. Free invoicing, free expense tracking, free bank connections.

Where Wave loses against MYOB: no Australian payroll, no STP Phase 2 reporting, limited BAS handling. Once you register for GST or hire someone, Wave stops being viable. The cheapest credible paid option for a real trading business is Reckon One at $24.55 a month.

Best for: pre-revenue sole traders not yet registered for GST and with no employees. Treat it as a starter, not a destination.

How the alternatives compare on price

Here's the cheapest credible plan on each platform, set against the equivalent MYOB tier. Prices are AUD per month, verified March 2026.

Software	Entry plan	Mid-tier	Top tier	Payroll handling
MYOB	Lite $31.82	Pro $63.64	AccountRight Plus $150, Premier $190.91	Bundled on AccountRight Plus and Premier
Xero	Ignite $37	Grow $78	Comprehensive $107, Ultimate 10 $143	Bundled to plan limit, move up a tier above it
QuickBooks	Simple Start $32.72	Essentials $60	Plus $81.81, Advanced $125.45	$6/employee/month add-on
Reckon One	Accounting Plus $24.55	Accounting Premium $45.45	Ultimate $83.64	Flat add-on $16.36 to $59.09, or included on Ultimate
Thriday	Free with Thriday account	n/a	n/a	No employee payroll
Wave	Free	n/a	n/a	None for Australia

Headline price isn't the whole story. A business paying 8 people cannot use Xero Grow at all, because Grow covers 2. It lands on Ultimate 10 at $143 a month. The same business on MYOB AccountRight Plus is at $150 with unlimited payroll. So Xero is cheaper at 8 employees, but the gap closes as headcount grows, and from 11 employees, where Xero moves to Ultimate 20 at $180, MYOB Plus becomes the cheaper option. The cost calculator handles this kind of comparison properly.

Migration considerations

Switching accounting software is more disruptive than people expect. Here's what actually happens.

What carries over cleanly: chart of accounts, contacts (customers and suppliers), and current-year transactions can be exported from MYOB as CSV files and imported into any of the alternatives. Most platforms also offer free migration assistance for new subscribers.

What doesn't carry over cleanly: reconciliation history beyond the current year, attachments on transactions, payroll history mid-year (this is the big one, you usually have to start fresh in the new system at the start of the next financial year), and any custom reports you've built.

The right time to switch: the start of the financial year, July 1. Switching mid-year means running parallel systems or leaving payroll history behind, neither of which is fun.

Get a quote first. Most bookkeepers will give you a flat fee for handling the migration. For a small business it's usually $500 to $2,000 depending on transaction volume and how clean your MYOB file is.

Our verdict by business type

If you're a sole trader: Reckon One at $24.55 a month, or Thriday if you want banking and bookkeeping in one app.

If you're a small business with 1 to 5 employees: Xero Grow at $78. The interface and ecosystem are worth the price difference over MYOB Lite or Pro.

If you're a service business with 5 to 15 employees: Xero Comprehensive at $107, or stay on MYOB AccountRight Plus at $150 if you genuinely use the unlimited payroll and the inventory features.

If you have complex inventory, multiple warehouses, manufacturing or product assemblies: stay on MYOB. The alternatives don't match it natively, and bolting on a third-party inventory tool to Xero is more expensive and more fragile than people realise. Try MYOB free for 14 days if you haven't yet.

If you have a large payroll: stay on MYOB. AccountRight Plus includes unlimited payroll at $150 a month, while Xero moves you up a plan tier as headcount grows.

If you're on a tight budget and don't have employees: Reckon One at $24.55, or Wave free as a stopgap until you register for GST.

Frequently asked questions

StackPick may earn a commission if you subscribe through our links, at no extra cost to you. This does not influence our recommendations. See our affiliate disclaimer. Pricing verified March 2026 from each vendor's Australian website.