Systems
Xero integration: connecting Xero to your website, CRM and job system
Most Xero integrations should start in Xero's own app store, where many CRMs, job systems and payment tools already connect. A custom integration is worth building when the connection you need does not exist, or exists but does not move the data the way your business works. With us, a single integration starts from £650 and a connected system of two or three tools from £1,950.
The aim is simple: each piece of information is typed once, and the books agree with the rest of the business.
What do businesses usually connect to Xero?
Four things, in roughly this order of how often we are asked:
- The CRM. A won deal in HubSpot, Pipedrive or Salesforce becomes a contact and an invoice in Xero, and the payment status flows back so sales can see who has paid.
- Quoting or job software. An accepted quote or a completed job raises the invoice, with the right items and tax rates.
- The website or online shop. Orders, bookings and deposits taken online appear in Xero without being typed in, matched to the payment.
- Reporting. Xero figures pulled into a dashboard alongside sales and operations data, so the numbers in the management meeting agree with the books.
Should we use an app from the Xero app store or build our own?
Look in the Xero app store first. If a supported connection does what you need, it is usually the cheapest and most reliable option, because the vendor maintains it when either product changes. HubSpot, for example, publishes its own Xero data sync, with documented rules about what syncs and when.
Build something only when the off-the-shelf connection falls short. The common reasons are a product with no Xero connection at all, a connection that syncs contacts but not invoices, rules your business needs that the app cannot follow (such as splitting one job into stage payments), or several systems that need to agree, not just two.
What limits does Xero put on integrations?
Xero publishes them, and they shape how a custom integration has to be built. Per connected organisation, its API allows 60 calls a minute, 5,000 calls a day and 5 requests at the same time, according to Xero's developer documentation. Exceed one and, in the documentation's words, the API returns "HTTP 429 (too many requests)", with a Retry-After header saying how many seconds to wait. Xero also says it does not raise the limits for individual apps.
For most small businesses those limits are generous. They matter when a firm wants to move years of history at once, or to sync thousands of invoices a day. An integration built properly batches its requests, respects the wait time Xero sends back, and logs anything that fails so a person can see it. One that ignores the limits works in testing and fails quietly at month end.
Which system should own each piece of information?
Decide this before anything is connected, because two systems that both think they own the same field will overwrite each other. A typical split for a service business:
| Information | Usually owned by | Flows to |
|---|---|---|
| Prospects and deals | The CRM | Nowhere until won |
| Customer billing details | Xero | The CRM, read-only |
| Products, prices and tax rates | Xero | The CRM and quoting tool |
| Invoices | Xero | The CRM, with status |
| Payments | Xero, from the bank feed | The CRM, so sales can see who has paid |
Matching matters as much as ownership. HubSpot's own Xero integration guide warns: "Contact names must be unique in Xero." A firm with three contacts at one client company has to decide how they are named before anything syncs, whichever tool does the syncing. Tax is the other trap. The same guide notes: "Invoices that use HubSpot's automated sales tax won't sync from HubSpot to Xero." That is one more reason to let Xero own tax rates.
Agree it with whoever does your books. Your accountant will have views on tax rates, tracking categories and how invoices are numbered, and they are usually right.
What does a Xero integration cost?
With us, a single integration, such as won deals in the CRM creating invoices in Xero, starts from £650. A connected system joining two or three tools, such as the website, the CRM and Xero, starts from £1,950. Larger integrations with four or more systems, or data that has to be reconciled, start from £3,500. Monitoring and small changes afterwards start from £49 a month. Every price is on the price list.
Every integration we build runs on your accounts, is documented, and shows its failures rather than hiding them. If you are not sure what to connect first, a free systems audit (normally £495, free for a limited time) maps it out. Our integration service page explains how we work, and which systems can be connected covers the other platforms.
Questions about Xero integration
Can Xero be connected to a CRM?
Yes. Many CRMs connect through Xero's app store, including HubSpot's own Xero data sync. Where no connection exists, or it does not do what you need, a custom integration can create contacts and invoices in Xero from won deals and send payment status back.
What are the Xero API limits?
Xero's developer documentation lists 60 calls per minute, 5,000 calls per day and 5 concurrent requests for each connected organisation. A well-built integration batches requests and waits when Xero asks it to.
How much does a Xero integration cost?
With Werehouse Media, a single integration starts from £650 and a connected system joining two or three tools from £1,950. Larger integrations start from £3,500. Prices are published on the price list.
Should our website talk to Xero directly?
Usually through something in between, such as the CRM, the shop platform or a small integration service, so failures are logged and retried rather than lost. Payments taken online should be matched to the invoice, not just recorded.