Xero and QuickBooks Online can both send automatic invoice reminders, and Xero Ireland lets customers pay invoices through Stripe or GoCardless. Apps can add SEPA direct debit and chasing in one place, automatic late payment interest, or reminders by SMS and WhatsApp. Choose by the gap you want to close, and check that the app works with the accounting software you use.
In this article
The short version
- Xero Ireland takes invoice payments through Stripe for cards and GoCardless for direct debit.
- QuickBooks Online sends up to three automatic reminders per invoice.
- GoCardless collects direct debits but doesn't take cards or send reminders.
- Paidnice adds automatic late fees and interest for Xero and QuickBooks Online.
- Adfin is a certified Xero and QuickBooks app with two-way sync.
What Xero and QuickBooks do without an app
It makes sense to start with what you already have, because an app only earns its place if it does something your accounting software doesn't do the way you need.
Xero Ireland lets your customers pay invoices online through two payment services you connect: Stripe for cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay, and GoCardless for direct debit and bank payments. Xero says you only pay a transaction fee when a customer pays online. It can also send automatic payment reminders before or after the due date, at a frequency you set.
QuickBooks Online in Ireland sends up to three automatic reminders for each unpaid invoice, timed anywhere up to 90 days before or after the due date, using templates you can edit. The reminders only go to unpaid invoices you've already emailed from QuickBooks, so an invoice you sent another way won't be chased automatically.
For many small businesses that's a reasonable starting point. You'd look at an app when you want something specific on top: customers paying by SEPA direct debit and card through one provider, reminders by text or WhatsApp, a debtors list where each account has an owner, or statutory late payment interest added without you working it out.
Payment apps
Payment apps let your customers pay an invoice from a link, or by direct debit on the due date. Three are compared here.
GoCardless collects SEPA direct debits and lists Xero, QuickBooks and Sage among the 350 or more software tools it works with. On its Advanced plan it retries failed payments with a feature called Success+. It doesn't take card payments and doesn't send invoice reminders, its fees are taken out of your payouts, and your own business name on customers' bank statements is a €50 a month add-on.
Stripe is the card option inside Xero Ireland. In Ireland, Stripe charges 1.5% + €0.25 on a standard European Economic Area card, 2.5% + €0.25 on a UK card and 3.15% + €0.25 on an international one. Stripe also offers SEPA direct debit, where it lists €3.50 for a failed payment and €15 for a dispute.
Taking both cards and direct debit through Xero means connecting both services, each with its own account and its own fees.
Adfin is a certified Xero app and a certified QuickBooks app with two-way sync, and it takes SEPA direct debit, card, Apple Pay, Google Pay and bank transfer through one provider. Payment links go out by email, SMS or WhatsApp, and payments taken through it are marked paid in Xero or QuickBooks automatically. Pricing is 20c + 1% for each payment that succeeds. On SEPA direct debit and bank transfer the 1% part is capped at €2, which keeps any of those payments up to €2,000 at €2.20 or less; card payments aren't capped. You don't pay a monthly or setup fee, and there's no contract.
Credit control apps
Credit control apps read your unpaid invoices from Xero or QuickBooks and chase them for you, beyond the reminders your software sends.
Paidnice works with Xero, QuickBooks Online and Stripe, and it's listed on Xero's Irish app store. It applies late fees and interest automatically. It's priced by invoice volume in euro: €59 a month for Essentials, which covers up to 150 invoices, and from €85 for Pro, with SMS at €0.08 each.
Adfin's credit control comes in two levels. Essential is free under fair use and gives you unlimited reminders by email, SMS and WhatsApp, Xero or QuickBooks sync, statements and an aged debtors view showing what each customer owes and how old it is, where you can give each debtor an owner and next steps. Enhanced costs 0.3% per paid invoice, only when it's used. It adds collection agents that work out when, where and how firmly to send each reminder, inside rules you approve, statutory late payment interest on overdue business invoices, and emails sent from your own address.
Statutory interest only applies to invoices between businesses, or to public bodies. If some of your customers are consumers, check that any app adding interest lets you leave those customers out.
The apps compared
| App | Works with | What it adds | Charges to know about |
|---|---|---|---|
| GoCardless | Xero, QuickBooks, Sage and 350+ others | SEPA direct debit; Success+ retries on the Advanced plan | No card payments; fees taken out of payouts; own name on statements €50 a month |
| Stripe | Xero (cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay) | Card payments on invoices; SEPA direct debit | Standard EEA cards 1.5% + €0.25; UK cards 2.5% + €0.25; €3.50 per failed SEPA payment |
| Paidnice | Xero, QuickBooks Online, Stripe | Late fees and interest applied automatically | €59 a month for up to 150 invoices; Pro from €85; SMS €0.08 each |
| Adfin | Xero and QuickBooks (certified app, two-way sync) | SEPA direct debit, card, Apple Pay, Google Pay and bank transfer; reminders by email, SMS and WhatsApp; aged debtors view; collection agents and statutory interest on Enhanced | 20c + 1% per successful payment, 1% part capped at €2 on SEPA direct debit and bank transfer (cards not capped); Essential credit control free; Enhanced 0.3% per paid invoice |
How to choose for your setup
If you're on Xero and mainly want to accept cards on invoices, you can connect Stripe from inside Xero or use an app that takes cards alongside direct debit. Compare the per-payment price and whether you'd also need a second provider for direct debit.
If you're on Xero and collect regular payments, think about whether you want direct debit and chasing in the same place. GoCardless collects but doesn't chase, so you'd rely on Xero's reminders or add a credit control app. Adfin collects and chases, with the free Essential credit control covering reminders and statements.
If you're on QuickBooks Online, the built-in reminders run to three per invoice and cover invoices emailed from QuickBooks. If that isn't enough, both credit control apps above work with QuickBooks Online.
If statutory late payment interest is the gap, Paidnice applies it automatically on a monthly fee, and Enhanced credit control adds it for 0.3% per paid invoice, only on the invoices it's used for.
If you might change accounting software later, check whether an app works with both Xero and QuickBooks. GoCardless and both credit control apps above work with each of them.
What to check before you connect an app
Before you connect anything, ask a few practical questions. They're easy to answer during a trial and harder to fix after customers are using the app.
- Does a payment taken through the app mark the invoice paid in Xero or QuickBooks automatically, or will you match it yourself?
- Does the sync run both ways, so an invoice you edit or credit in your accounting software updates in the app?
- Which payment methods can your customers use from one link, and do card payments and direct debit come from the same provider?
- Which channels do reminders go out on, and can you change the wording and timing per customer?
- Is interest applied only to business customers, with a way to waive it for a customer you don't want to charge?
- Is the price a monthly fee, a percentage of paid invoices, a per-payment fee, or a mix, and which of those rises as you grow?
Common questions
Does Xero take payments in Ireland? Xero Ireland lets customers pay invoices online through Stripe for cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay, and through GoCardless for direct debit and bank payments. You connect those services to your Xero account.
How many reminders does QuickBooks send in Ireland? QuickBooks Online sends up to three automatic reminders per invoice, up to 90 days before or after the due date. They only go to unpaid invoices already emailed from QuickBooks.
Which apps work with both Xero and QuickBooks? Paidnice works with Xero, QuickBooks Online and Stripe, and GoCardless lists both among its integrations. Adfin is a certified app for both Xero and QuickBooks, with two-way sync.
Can I collect SEPA direct debit from Xero invoices? Xero Ireland offers direct debit through GoCardless, and other apps that sync with Xero can also collect SEPA direct debits. Customers sign a mandate once and are then debited on each due date.
Does GoCardless chase unpaid Xero invoices? GoCardless collects direct debits but doesn't send reminders for unpaid invoices or chase them. You'd use Xero's own reminders or a credit control app alongside it.
I use Sage or Big Red Cloud. Which payment options do I have? Sage Ireland names Stripe and PayPal for online invoice payments, and a GoCardless app on Sage's Irish marketplace collects direct debits. Big Red Cloud offers direct debit through GoCardless and invoice payment links through Square.
Sources
- Xero - Accept online payments, Ireland (accurate as of November 2026) https://www.xero.com/ie/accounting-software/accept-payments/
- Xero - Send invoices, Ireland (accurate as of November 2026) https://www.xero.com/ie/accounting-software/send-invoices/
- QuickBooks - Send invoice reminders, Ireland (accurate as of November 2026) https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-ie/help-article/invoicing/send-invoice-reminders-automatically-manually/L84cQjpxo_IE_en_IE
- GoCardless - Pricing, Ireland (accurate as of November 2026) https://gocardless.com/en-ie/pricing
- Stripe - Pricing, Ireland (accurate as of November 2026) https://stripe.com/ie/pricing
- Xero App Store - Paidnice, Ireland (accurate as of November 2026) https://apps.xero.com/ie/app/paidnice
