Upgrade guide
Beyond Xero: adding a real operations layer
When you have outgrown spreadsheets-plus-Xero and need ERP, WMS or CRM
Keep and extend
Keep the accounting system that works. Map the stock, order and warehouse records that need to cross the boundary, and agree ownership and reconciliation.
Replace and consolidate
Evaluate replacement when the existing system cannot meet core requirements. Include data migration, finance continuity, training and integration changes in the decision.
The decision in context.
Xero changed ANZ accounting. It does the books, GST, bank reconciliation, payroll integrations, and reporting better than anything else in this market. Most ANZ operators should not replace Xero; they should keep it.
But Xero is not an ERP. It is not a WMS. It is not a CRM. Confirm current subscription, allowances and implementation costs against an itemised proposal; the commercial structure is explained below.
The pattern is recognisable: stock takes that don't reconcile, pickers running off paper, customers asked twice for the same information, orders fulfilled out of three different tools. The fix is to add a modular operations layer above Xero, not to rip Xero out.
OpsUI is that operations layer. It integrates with Xero, leaves the accounting where it is, and lets the operator buy only the modules that match their operational pain, usually WMS, inventory, shipping, and CRM.
Editorial context from the original analysis. Confirm current vendor-specific details against the applicable proposal.
Like-for-like requirements
Work through the requirements.
Role
- OpsUI approach
- Modular ERP, WMS & CRM, sits above Xero for operations
- Xero: considerations to verify
- Cloud accounting, the books, GST, payroll integration, reporting
Vendor-specific scope and limitations are not independently verified here.
Warehouse management
- OpsUI approach
- Full WMS modules — wave picking, slotting, cycle counts
- Xero: considerations to verify
- None, inventory is by SKU at unit cost, no warehouse logic
Vendor-specific scope and limitations are not independently verified here.
Inventory at scale
- OpsUI approach
- Inventory module + barcode scanning hardware
- Xero: considerations to verify
- Basic inventory tracking, suitable for low SKU count
Vendor-specific scope and limitations are not independently verified here.
CRM
- OpsUI approach
- Native CRM module
- Xero: considerations to verify
- Contacts only, no sales pipeline, no customer history
Vendor-specific scope and limitations are not independently verified here.
Shipping integrations
- OpsUI approach
- NetSuite is listed as live; Xero, MYOB, Abel and SAP are built on rollout. NZ Couriers is listed as live; other carrier connections are scoped per account.
- Xero: considerations to verify
- Via add-ons (Starshipit, etc.)
Vendor-specific scope and limitations are not independently verified here.
Xero integration
- OpsUI approach
- NetSuite is listed as live; Xero, MYOB, Abel and SAP are built on rollout. NZ Couriers is listed as live; other carrier connections are scoped per account.
- Xero: considerations to verify
- N/A. It is Xero
Vendor-specific scope and limitations are not independently verified here.
Pricing model
- OpsUI approach
- Published module subscriptions and Essential, Control, Command and Apex packages. Compare included users, additional seats and separately priced integration connectors.
- Xero: considerations to verify
- Plan-based, public on xero.com
Vendor-specific scope and limitations are not independently verified here.
ANZ data residency
- OpsUI approach
- Confirm the applicable deployment controls, locations and evidence during a security review.
- Xero: considerations to verify
- Global cloud, primarily ap-southeast-2 for ANZ
Vendor-specific scope and limitations are not independently verified here.
Commercial structure
Keep the assumptions visible.
Compare subscriptions, user allowances, integration work and implementation responsibilities. Preserve the currency and billing period of each offer.
Essential
NZ$499per month
2 users included
2 operational modules
Control
NZ$1,499per month
5 users included
5 operational modules
Command
NZ$2,999per month
15 users included
11 operational modules
Apex
NZ$11,990per month
Unlimited users
20 operational modules
Published monthly subscriptions in NZD. Existing annual pricing and package allowances apply. Additional seats are NZ$99 per month beyond the applicable allowance; integration connectors are separate add-ons.
Review the full packages and configure pricing →Where each approach may fit.
When Xero alone is still enough
You are early-stage, low SKU count, and inventory is a spreadsheet exercise that has not yet broken.
You are services-only with no physical product or warehouse to manage.
You are pre-revenue or just past it, and the operational discipline of a WMS / CRM would be overhead before it would be relief.
Your customer relationships are small enough to live in a shared inbox and a CRM would over-formalise them.
When you have outgrown Xero-plus-spreadsheets
Stock takes consistently fail to reconcile and the difference is too big to write off.
You have a warehouse and pickers are running on paper or memory rather than scanners and a system.
Customers are asked for the same information twice because order, shipping, and accounting data live in different places.
You have a real sales pipeline and reps are tracking it in spreadsheets, an inbox, or a free CRM with no link to operations.
Shipping is its own pain, multiple carriers, manual label printing, delayed tracking updates back to the customer.
You are spending real money on point tools (Unleashed for inventory, a CRM, a shipping app) and the integration glue between them is itself a job.
Implementation and local context.
OpsUI is built to attach to Xero, not replace it. Invoices, contacts, payments, and account codes sync to Xero so the accountant's workflow does not change. For AU customers, the same pattern applies for MYOB AccountRight. NZ Couriers, Australia Post, and GST handling are native, not bolt-ons.
Agree data preparation, configuration, training, cutover and recovery responsibilities. Confirm the relevant accounting and carrier connections, rather than assuming they are included in the licence.
Questions buyers ask.
Do I need to replace Xero to use OpsUI?
No. OpsUI is designed to sit above Xero. Xero stays the source of truth for accounting; OpsUI handles operations and feeds the relevant transactions back into Xero. The accountant's monthly process does not change.
At what business size does Xero stop being enough?
There is no fixed revenue threshold — it depends on operational intensity. Confirm current subscription, allowances and implementation costs against an itemised proposal; the commercial structure is explained below. The trigger is operational complexity, not revenue.
What modules of OpsUI are most relevant for a Xero customer?
Typically the Inventory, Warehouse Management (picking/packing), and Shipping modules first, then CRM if there is a real sales motion. The Xero integration handles the accounting flow without changing how the books are kept.
Is OpsUI a Xero replacement?
No, and it is not intended to be. OpsUI does not chase Xero's accounting depth. It chases the operational scope Xero is honest about not covering.
Sources and verification scope.
Checked facts apply only to the scope described next to each source. Other vendor details in the editorial analysis remain unverified for a current purchase decision. Confirm them with the vendor and record the applicable plan, version and proposal date.
Current primary-source verification of this vendor’s detailed capabilities and prices is pending. An unknown is not a missing feature.
Further reading: Xero, neutral platform guide
OpsUI integration delivery and scope · Security review information · Published OpsUI packages
Related comparisons and guides.
Your next step
Evaluate the fit against your operation.
Bring the workflows and dependencies that will decide the choice. We’ll review what OpsUI covers and what needs further confirmation.