Comparison

Xero Projects vs ApprovalMax

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Xero Projects

Manage your jobs from start to finish with this comprehensive tool. Create quotes, track project time and expenses, and send invoices to get paid faster. Monitor job profitability in real-time to optimize your business.

Highlights
  • Estimate job costs
  • Breakdown projects by tasks
  • Quotes & invoice faster
  • Track time multiple ways
  • Track expenses
  • Get paid faster with online payment
  • Monitor job profitability
Features
Read full description

Quote, track, invoice and get paid for jobs all within Xero, using Xero Projects - the all-in-one tool to track profitability on every job. Great Features: - Estimate job costs - Breakdown projects by tasks - Quotes & invoice faster and more accurately - Track time multiple ways - Track expenses - Get paid faster with online payment - Use timesheet to review time entries at a glance - Monitor job profitability in real-time How your business will benefit from Xero Projects: • Fully integrated with Xero: link your bills and expenses so you know exactly where every dollar was spent. • Estimate project costs: Build accurate budgets by breaking down projects into tasks and estimating time and expenses • Track time your way: add start-end times, use stop-start timer or location-based tracking for more accurate time tracking. • Fast, accurate quoting & invoicing: with all your job information in one place, it’s easy to send accurate quotes and invoices from the field or the office and get paid faster with online payments. • Get quotes accepted in a click: prospective customers can accept the quote with the click of a button • Get paid faster: Customise and send invoices, then accept online payment to wrap up jobs and get paid faster. You have full control over what your customers see. • Turn quotes into invoices in two taps. • Real time view of profitability: up-to-the-second dashboard views let you monitor and track performance - so you can maximise profitability of current jobs and enhance it on future projects. ABOUT XERO Xero ​is a beautiful, easy-to-use global online platform for small businesses and their professional advisors. It’s cloud-based accounting software that connects people with the numbers anytime, anywhere. And it gives you powerful practice tools to efficiently manage compliance and offer a broad range of advisory services. We started Xero to change the game for small businesses. Xero is now one of the fastest growing Software as a Service companies globally. We lead the New Zealand, Australian, and United Kingdom cloud accounting markets, employing a world-class team of more than 2,500 people. Xero has 2 million subscribers in more than 180 countries and seamlessly integrates with over 800 apps. Privacy policy: http://www.xero.com/about/legal/privacy Terms of use: http://www.xero.com/about/legal/terms

About

ApprovalMax

Streamline your business approvals with this mobile app, allowing you to approve requests, create purchase orders, and communicate with stakeholders on the go. It integrates with cloud accounting platforms like Xero and QuickBooks Online to manage spend and revenue efficiently.

Highlights
  • Approve on the go
  • Create purchase orders
  • Instant notifications
  • Real-time chat
  • Due date reminders
  • Administrator approval forcing
Features
Read full description

Our ApprovalMax mobile app is a native app that provides all key decision control capabilities of the ApprovalMax web version; in particular approving on the go, raising and submitting Purchase Orders, commenting approval/rejection decisions. The ApprovalMax web version extends cloud accounting platforms such as Xero and QuickBooks Online with fully digital processes for efficient spend and revenue management. For Xero, ApprovalMax provides multi-role and multi-tiered approval workflows for Bills, Purchase Orders, Credit Notes, Sales Invoices, and enables Purchase Order creation and approval outside of Xero. It also facilitates x-way matching of Bills and Purchase Orders, and supports budgeting control. For QuickBooks Online, ApprovalMax provides Purchase Order creation and approval outside of the accounting platform. Please note: before you can start using our mobile app, the approval workflow must have been set up in the web app. Key features of the iPhone app: • Approving on the go • Instant notification about new approval requests • Real-time chat with Requesters and other Approvers • Due date reminders • PO creation on the go • Forcing approval decisions (for Administrators) Should you have any questions, feel free to contact us on: support@approvalmax.com

Screenshots

Xero Projects4 screens
ApprovalMax4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ApprovalMax at none against Xero Projects's 1. ApprovalMax also leads on review sentiment (65% vs 41%) and rating (4.9 vs 4.6). Xero Projects's advantage is ratings volume (162 vs 35) and device support (3 vs 1). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Xero Projects sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $59.99 per month. ApprovalMax asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ApprovalMax holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 162 and 35 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of Xero Projects's written reviews are positive against 65% of ApprovalMax's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Xero Projects ships an update monthly, ApprovalMax fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Xero Projects versus ApprovalMax: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterXero ProjectsApprovalMax
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (162 ratings)4.9 (35 ratings) — better
Positive reviews41.0% of reviews65.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings162 — better35
Update frequencyMonthlyFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB109 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperXero LtdApprovalmax Ltd

Customer experience

Xero Projects

All ratings162 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral1.9%
Negative4.3%
Written reviews39 reviews
Positive41.0%
Neutral12.8%
Negative46.2%

ApprovalMax

All ratings35 ratings
Positive97.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive65.2%
Neutral4.3%
Negative30.4%

Bugs and requests

Xero Projects

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Login issues
  • Daily entries get mixed up
  • Automatically changes date to today when reviewing time entry
  • Clock change hour bug
  • Impossible to get onto Xero me
Show 2 more
  • Two-step authentication process issues
  • Return key on keyboard doesn't work for new line in description

Requested features

35 requests
  • Ability to add photos to time entries
  • Add breaks to start/finish times
  • Select project when starting timer
  • Functionality to add documents to a Project
  • Desktop and browser timers
Show 30 more
  • Stopwatch linked to project recording
  • Grid view for time entries
  • Copy entries functionality
  • Enter time against the week
  • Charge per day option
  • Add photos of initial visit and work done
  • Profit and Loss by job report
  • Bulk edit/enter time for project task
  • More timer options
  • Detailed lines on invoices with descriptions and times
  • Option to share current time and publish work
  • Proper timesheet app with 7-day view
  • Ability to add breaks for mandatory meal breaks
  • Option to add photos of initial visit and work done
  • Add breaks to start/finish times for mandatory meal breaks
  • Select project when starting timer
  • Functionality to add documents to a Project
  • Desktop and browser timers
  • Stopwatch linked to project recording
  • Grid view for time entries
  • Copy entries functionality
  • Enter time against the week
  • Charge per day option
  • Add photos of initial visit and work done
  • Profit and Loss by job report
  • Bulk edit/enter time for project task
  • More timer options
  • Detailed lines on invoices with descriptions and times
  • Option to share current time and publish work
  • Proper timesheet app with 7-day view

ApprovalMax

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Xero Projects

Subscriptions1
  • Xero with Projects & Expenses$59.991 Month
None

ApprovalMax

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Xero Projects free?
Xero Projects is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ApprovalMax free?
ApprovalMax is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Xero Projects or ApprovalMax?
ApprovalMax is rated higher. Xero Projects averages 4.6 out of 5 from 162 ratings, while ApprovalMax averages 4.9 from 35 ratings.
Do Xero Projects or ApprovalMax have ads?
Neither Xero Projects nor ApprovalMax shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Xero Projects or ApprovalMax?
Xero Projects ships an update monthly, and ApprovalMax fortnightly. Most recently, Xero Projects was updated on October 15, 2026 and ApprovalMax on October 13, 2026.

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