Quote Desk is made by the Talk of the Trade team, so this comparison is our own. Every fact about another product links to that product's own page.
The short answer
If you keep your books in Xero, you probably already have quotes, because the plans on Xero's Australian pricing page include them. Xero's quotes let the customer accept or decline online, and an accepted quote becomes an invoice with one click. What Xero's quotes page does not list is any automatic reminder for a quote nobody has answered, and on Xero's own ideas forum that request has 540 votes. Quote Desk exists for exactly that gap, but it does not connect to Xero, so an accepted quote is typed into Xero by hand. Stay with Xero quotes if your customers usually answer, or you chase by phone anyway. Add Quote Desk if quotes regularly go quiet and you would rather pay A$39 a month than chase them yourself. If you want both the chasing and the Xero link, a job management app may suit you better than either.
The facts side by side
| Quote Desk | Xero quotes | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A quoting tool on its own | Quotes inside Xero's accounting software |
| What it costs | Starter, A$39 a month for 60 quotes. Crew, A$99 for unlimited. No GST, because we are not registered for it | No separate charge on plans that include "Send invoices and quotes". The cheapest plan priced on Xero's Australian pricing page in October 2026 was Comprehensive at A$107 a month, including GST |
| Free plan and its condition | Free: 5 quotes and 20 enquiries a month, no follow-ups. It is not paid for with money but with a marketing consent: we and a named partner may then email and phone you about business growth and advertising | None listed on the pricing page |
| Customer accepts or declines online | Yes, on a phone-sized page; a decline can carry a reason | Yes; customers can leave comments and give a reason for declining |
| Automatic follow-up of unanswered quotes | Starter and Crew: three emails at 2, 5 and 10 days | Not listed on Xero's quotes page |
| Accepted quote to invoice | Not done; you create the invoice yourself in your accounting software | "Create Invoice" on the accepted quote |
| Look of the quote | A plain email in your business name with the lines, total, note and a link. No logo | Xero's template with your logo and business details |
| Enquiries | A forwarding address for enquiry emails on every plan; a website form on Crew | Not part of Xero's quotes page |
| Your accountant sees it | No | Yes, it is already in your books |
| Suits | Xero users who lose quotes to silence | Xero users whose customers answer, or who chase by phone |
The gap: nothing chases the quote
Xero's quotes page covers sending, accepting, declining, commenting and turning the quote into an invoice. It says nothing about reminding a customer who has not answered. On Xero's public product ideas forum, a request titled "Quote - Ability to have quote reminder" had 540 votes when we looked in October 2026 and was marked as accepted. Xero's community team wrote in January 2026 that it intended to start discovery work on it during the year. Until Xero ships something, the reminder is you, picking up the phone or resending by hand.
In our view, an unanswered quote is more often forgotten than refused, which is why the chasing matters. Quote Desk's answer is three short emails, each with the same accept link, at 2, 5 and 10 days after you press Follow up automatically. When the customer presses Accept this quote or No thanks, the rest are cancelled. You cannot change the wording or the timing. The following up without being a pest guide covers the manual way, if you would rather keep doing it yourself.
Is A$39 a month worth it on top of Xero?
A worked example with made-up numbers. A tiler on Xero sends 30 quotes a month. Quote Desk Starter adds A$39 a month, A$468 a year. If the reminders turn one quiet quote a year into a A$2,000 bathroom with a 25% margin, that job's A$500 margin covers the year's subscription. Two such jobs and it has paid for itself twice. If, on the other hand, nearly everyone the tiler quotes answers within a day or two, the reminders rarely fire and the A$468 buys little.
The cost you will not see on a price list is the retyping. Quote Desk does not send anything to Xero. Win 15 jobs a month and that is 15 invoices you build in Xero from accepted Quote Desk quotes. With Xero quotes, the same 15 are one click each.
If you want both the chasing and the Xero link
Some tools do both:
- ServiceM8 lists automated quote follow-ups and Xero integration on every plan, Free included. See Quote Desk vs ServiceM8.
- Tradify syncs with Xero from Lite and adds quote reminders on Pro, at A$57.20 per user a month including GST. See Quote Desk vs Tradify.
- Quotient turns an accepted quote into a Xero invoice automatically, but its follow-up emails are sent when you press a button, not by themselves. See Quote Desk vs Quotient.
Where Xero quotes are the better choice
- You already pay for Xero. The quotes cost nothing more, and there is one fewer login and one fewer bill.
- You want the invoice to follow the quote. One click from accepted quote to invoice is something Quote Desk cannot match.
- You want your logo on the quote. Xero's template takes your logo and details. Quote Desk sends a plain email under your business name.
- Your customers ask questions on the quote. Xero lets them leave comments. On Quote Desk they reply to the email or ring you.
- Your bookkeeper or accountant works in Xero. Quotes, invoices and payments sit in one place they can already see.
- Your customers answer. If quotes rarely go quiet, a chasing tool adds a bill without adding work won.
Questions people ask
Can Xero send automatic quote reminders?
Not that its quotes page lists. Quote reminders are an open request on Xero's ideas forum, marked accepted with no delivery date shown when we checked in October 2026.
Does Quote Desk sync with Xero?
No. Quote Desk has no accounting integration. It records the customer's yes, with the date, and leaves the invoice to you. The quote builder page lists what a quote can and cannot hold.
Is there a cheaper Xero plan with quotes?
Xero's pricing page footnotes mention Ignite, Grow and Ultra, but in October 2026 the page priced only Comprehensive and the three Ultimate plans. Xero's quotes page lists "Send invoices and quotes" on Grow, Comprehensive and Ultimate. Check Xero's site for the current line-up.
Will Quote Desk's GST match what Xero shows?
Quote Desk does not calculate GST. If you are registered, put GST-inclusive prices on your Quote Desk price list and say so in the note, then raise the invoice in Xero as you normally would. The GST help article explains it.
How we checked
The Xero plans, quote features and the reminder request were read on Xero's own pricing, product and ideas pages in October 2026. Xero was running a discount for new customers that month; we used its usual prices.