Integrations
7 min read
October 12, 2026

Best Xero apps for getting paid in 2026

Adfin team
Adfin team

Xero apps for getting paid fall into two groups: apps that collect the money by card, pay by bank or direct debit, and apps that chase it, which still need your customer to go and pay. Adfin does both in one app with a two-way Xero sync. GoCardless, Stripe and Access Pay Suite collect, Chaser and Paidnice chase, and Garfield takes unpaid debts through legal letters and the small claims court.

In this article

The short version

  • Xero doesn't collect payments itself, so card and direct debit payments go through an app you connect.
  • Collecting apps take the money; chasing apps remind your customer, who still has to go and pay.
  • Adfin collects by card, pay by bank and direct debit and chases over email, SMS and WhatsApp, with a two-way Xero sync.
  • GoCardless doesn't take cards or chase, and Stripe's Xero integration covers cards and wallets with fees deducted from payouts.
  • Choose one system to chase and switch the other off, or customers may get two reminders for the same invoice.

Apps that collect and apps that chase

Xero raises your invoices and reconciles your bank feed, but it doesn't collect money itself. Card and direct debit payments on your Xero invoices go through a payment app you connect. The Payments section of Xero's app store is crowded, but most of it is about paying your suppliers and staff, so the apps that help you get paid are a much shorter list.

Those apps do one of two jobs. A collecting app holds a direct debit mandate or takes a card payment, so the money arrives on the due date or the moment your customer clicks the link. A chasing app writes to your customer, sometimes very persistently, but at the end of it your customer still has to log into their bank and pay. If most of your customers pay by bank transfer when they get round to it, a chasing app alone still relies on them making that transfer.

Apps that collect the payment

Adfin collects and chases from one app. It's an approved Xero payment partner with a two-way sync, so invoices come across from Xero and payments go back matched to the right invoice, including part payments and payments with a missing reference. Customers can pay by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, pay by bank or bank transfer from a link sent by email, SMS or WhatsApp, or you can collect by direct debit without your own Service User Number. Anything unpaid is chased on your schedule from your own email domain, and Adfin's Customer Agents can add statutory late fees, offer instalment plans and retry failed payments within rules you approve. You're paid every weekday in full, with Adfin's fee invoiced separately, so each payment in Xero matches its invoice without fee lines to split out. It costs 1% + 20p per successful payment, with the percentage capped at £4 on direct debit and bank payments, and nothing for a failed payment.

GoCardless collects direct debits and bank payments against Xero invoices. It doesn't take cards and doesn't chase, so customers who haven't set up a mandate, or who pay another way, are still yours to follow up. It charges its fee on every payment you submit, including ones that fail, and pays you one lump sum with its fees already deducted. Its Xero integration posts collections and fees separately as a result, and leaves you a clearing account to reconcile. Showing your own business name on customers' bank statements costs £50 a month.

Stripe adds card, Apple Pay and Google Pay payments to your Xero online invoices. Standard UK cards cost 1.5% + 20p and business and premium cards 2.8% + 20p, against Adfin's 1% + 20p and 2% + 20p. Payouts arrive in daily batches with fees deducted, and Stripe doesn't chase your Xero invoices. Xero also lists Stripe as a way to collect direct debit on its invoices.

Access Pay Suite, listed in Xero's store under EazyCollect, adds a Pay by Direct Debit button to the invoices you email from Xero and marks successful payments as paid. It's for UK businesses, publishes no price on its listing and doesn't chase.

Apps that chase and recover

Chaser works from your Xero invoices and chases by email, SMS and automated phone calls, with optional plans in which Chaser's own team handles your credit control. Your customers can pay through its payment portal, but that runs on connected payment providers, so you'd still need one for collection. Plans are priced monthly according to your annual revenue, and Chaser doesn't publish its prices in sterling, so ask for a quote in pounds.

Paidnice adds automatic rules to your Xero ledger: email and SMS reminders, late fees and interest, early payment discounts and payment plans. It doesn't take the money, so your customers still pay however they pay you now. Essentials is £49 a month for up to 150 invoices, with higher plans priced by invoice volume.

Garfield is for the invoices chasing hasn't fixed. It's an app run by a law firm regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and it reads your overdue invoices from Xero, sends chasers and letters before action, and can issue a small claim for debts up to £10,000 in England and Wales. A chaser costs from £2 and a letter before action £7.50, both excluding VAT, and Garfield says these are recoverable from the debtor if your claim succeeds.

How to avoid double-chasing in Xero

Xero sends its own invoice reminders, and apps generally can't see or change that schedule. If you add a chasing app and leave Xero's reminders on, your customers may get two emails about the same invoice on the same day, in two different tones. Decide which system owns chasing and switch the other off in Xero's invoice reminder settings.

Check how each app's payouts land in Xero as well. A payout that arrives net of fees doesn't match any single invoice, so someone has to book the fees and clear the difference. A gross payout, with fees billed separately, matches invoice for invoice.

Common questions

Do I need an app to take card or direct debit payments on Xero invoices? Yes. Xero raises invoices, sends email reminders and reconciles, but card and direct debit payments on Xero invoices run through a payment app you connect.

Which Xero apps collect by direct debit? Adfin, GoCardless, Stripe and Access Pay Suite collect UK direct debits against Xero invoices.

Which Xero app takes both cards and direct debit? Adfin takes cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, pay by bank, bank transfer and direct debit in one app. GoCardless doesn't take cards, and Stripe takes cards and direct debit but doesn't chase.

Will a chasing app clash with Xero's own invoice reminders? It can, because apps generally can't see Xero's reminder schedule. Choose one system to chase and switch the other off.

Do Xero payment apps reconcile automatically? Most sync payments back to Xero, but apps that pay out net of fees leave a fee line and a clearing balance to sort out. Adfin pays out in full and matches each payment to its invoice, including part payments.

How much do Xero apps for getting paid cost? Collecting apps usually charge per payment, such as Adfin's 1% + 20p capped at £4 on direct debit and bank payments, while chasing apps charge a monthly plan. Garfield charges per legal step.

Sources

  • Xero App Store - Adfin (accurate as of October 2026) https://apps.xero.com/uk/app/adfin
  • Adfin - Pricing (accurate as of October 2026) https://www.adfin.com/pricing
  • GoCardless - Pricing (accurate as of October 2026) https://gocardless.com/pricing/
  • Stripe - Pricing & fees (UK) (accurate as of October 2026) https://stripe.com/gb/pricing
  • Paidnice - Pricing (accurate as of October 2026) https://paidnice.com/pricing
  • Xero App Store - Garfield (accurate as of October 2026) https://apps.xero.com/uk/app/garfield
Adfin team
Adfin team