Xero is powerful accounting software — built for bookkeepers and accountants. If you're a sole trader on the tools who just wants quotes, invoices and receipts handled without learning a desktop app, there's a simpler way. And when your accountant needs the numbers in Xero, TradesOffice sends them over.
Start your 14-day free trialThere's nothing wrong with Xero. It's excellent at what it's for: full double-entry accounting, bank reconciliation, the lot — in the hands of someone who does books for a living. The trouble is that a sole-trader electrician or plumber isn't that person, and was never going to log into an accounting app between jobs.
TradesOffice is built for the person on the tools. You message Amy on WhatsApp — "invoice Dave £2,400 for the bathroom", or a photo of a Screwfix receipt — and she creates the document, files the expense under the right tax category, and keeps a running tax pot. No dashboard, no reconciliation, no learning curve.
| TradesOffice | Xero | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | The sole trader on the tools | Bookkeepers and accountants |
| How you use it | A WhatsApp message | Log into accounting software |
| Learning curve | None | Real — most people need help to set it up |
| Quotes & invoices | Sent from a text in ~60 seconds | Built in the app |
| Receipts | Snap a photo, auto-categorised | Upload / reconcile |
| Works with your accountant | Tax pack + CSV now; Xero sync on the roadmap | Is the accounting software |
| Price | £19.99/month, all in | Tiered — MTD-ready plans cost more |
If you can send a WhatsApp, you can run your admin. There is no app to set up and no accounting concepts to understand.
Behind the simple front end, every entry is MTD-quality and correctly categorised — your accountant gets clean books, not a mess.
CIS deductions and VAT schemes are built in, so subcontractor invoices and returns are right without you thinking about it.
A weekday briefing and automatic chasing mean nothing slips — you don’t have to remember to log in, because there’s nothing to log into.
To be clear: TradesOffice doesn't replace your accountant's Xero — it feeds it. You run your day-to-day admin in WhatsApp instead of wrestling the software, and when your accountant needs the numbers in Xero, we send them over automatically. (Direct sync is on the roadmap; today it's a clean quarterly pack and CSV export.)
For a sole trader who only needs quotes, invoices, expenses and clean tax records — yes, it replaces the day-to-day. But it's designed to work alongside an accountant: it feeds Xero rather than fighting it, so your accountant still gets the numbers in the format they want.
Because it runs in WhatsApp. There is no dashboard to learn, no bank reconciliation, no accounting jargon — you send a message and the record is made correctly behind the scenes.
Yes. TradesOffice creates MTD-quality digital records as a byproduct of how you already work, so quarterly updates from April 2026 are covered.
Yes — CIS invoices with the correct 0%, 20% or 30% deduction, gross/deduction/net recorded, ready for your accountant.
£19.99 a month, everything included, with a 14-day free trial and no card to start.
Run it from WhatsApp, keep your accountant happy. Start free for 14 days — no card.
Start your free trial