Compare

Every client, every ledger, one Rows MCP.

Xero's MCP connector in Claude reads one Xero entity at a time. Rows MCP answers across all the entities you connect, on Xero, QuickBooks Online and Zoho Books, in any AI tool, with the same figures in Excel to check.

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Pick a question

Which clients have invoices overdue by more than 60 days?

Xero's connectorIn Claude, read-only, one entity at a time

  • Malta LtdXero, one entity at a time
  • Gozo Trading LtdOn QuickBooks Online, out of reach
  • Valletta Holdings LtdOn Zoho Books, out of reach

Rows MCPEvery Rows plan, all three platforms

  • Malta LtdXero, in the same answer
  • Gozo Trading LtdQuickBooks Online, in the same answer
  • Valletta Holdings LtdZoho Books, in the same answer
  • Malta LtdXeroXero's connector: Rows MCP:
  • Gozo Trading LtdQuickBooks OnlineXero's connector: Rows MCP:
  • Valletta Holdings LtdZoho BooksXero's connector: Rows MCP:

Rows MCP checks all three in one question. Xero's connector reads Malta Ltd, one entity at a time, and can't see the other two.

Xero's connector works in Claude. Rows MCP works with Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Cursor and any AI tool that supports MCP.

Compare gross margin across my three entities for Q3.

Xero's connectorIn Claude, read-only, one entity at a time

  • Malta LtdXero, one entity at a time
  • Gozo Trading LtdOn QuickBooks Online, out of reach
  • Valletta Holdings LtdOn Zoho Books, out of reach

Rows MCPEvery Rows plan, all three platforms

  • Malta LtdXero, in the same answer
  • Gozo Trading LtdQuickBooks Online, in the same answer
  • Valletta Holdings LtdZoho Books, in the same answer
  • Malta LtdXeroXero's connector: Rows MCP:
  • Gozo Trading LtdQuickBooks OnlineXero's connector: Rows MCP:
  • Valletta Holdings LtdZoho BooksXero's connector: Rows MCP:

The three entities are on three different ledgers, so only Rows MCP can put them side by side.

Xero's connector works in Claude. Rows MCP works with Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Cursor and any AI tool that supports MCP.

What was gross profit for Malta Ltd each month last quarter?

Xero's connectorIn Claude, read-only, one entity at a time

  • Malta LtdXero
  • Gozo Trading LtdNot in this question
  • Valletta Holdings LtdNot in this question

Rows MCPEvery Rows plan, all three platforms

  • Malta LtdXero
  • Gozo Trading LtdNot in this question
  • Valletta Holdings LtdNot in this question
  • Malta LtdXeroXero's connector: Rows MCP:
  • Gozo Trading LtdQuickBooks OnlineXero's connector: not in this questionRows MCP: not in this question
  • Valletta Holdings LtdZoho BooksXero's connector: not in this questionRows MCP: not in this question

Both can answer this one. A single Xero entity is what Xero's connector is built for.

Xero's connector works in Claude. Rows MCP works with Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Cursor and any AI tool that supports MCP.

Give me a consolidated P&L for my Malta group for October.

Xero's connectorIn Claude, read-only, one entity at a time

  • Malta LtdXero, one entity at a time
  • Gozo Trading LtdOn QuickBooks Online, out of reach
  • Valletta Holdings LtdOn Zoho Books, out of reach

Rows MCPEvery Rows plan, all three platforms

  • Malta LtdXero, in the group total
  • Gozo Trading LtdQuickBooks Online, in the group total
  • Valletta Holdings LtdZoho Books, in the group total
  • Malta LtdXeroXero's connector: Rows MCP:
  • Gozo Trading LtdQuickBooks OnlineXero's connector: Rows MCP:
  • Valletta Holdings LtdZoho BooksXero's connector: Rows MCP:

Rows MCP answers for the whole group in one consolidated answer, whichever platform each entity is on. Xero's connector reads Malta Ltd only, one entity at a time.

Xero's connector works in Claude. Rows MCP works with Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Cursor and any AI tool that supports MCP.

The short answer

Xero's own connector is free. Do you need Rows MCP?

Xero's own connector in Claude is free with a Xero subscription and read-only: it answers questions about profit, cash, invoices and customers for one Xero entity at a time, and can't create or change anything in your books. It covers Xero only, with no spreadsheet in between.

Rows MCP works with any AI tool that supports MCP, reads and posts at the access level you choose, and answers across all your clients in one question, whether they are on Xero, QuickBooks Online or Zoho Books. Put a group of your entities together, from any of the three platforms, and it gives one consolidated answer for the group. It includes Xero Practice Manager data, and the same figures sit in Excel, so you can check them before anything posts.

How Rows MCP works 

Side by side

Xero's connector and Rows MCP, row by row.

Both let an AI tool read live Xero data. The differences start when you look after more than one entity, want to post back, or want the figures somewhere you can check them.

Xero's connector and Rows MCP compared
What you getXero's connectorRows MCP
The basics
PriceFree with a Xero subscriptionEvery Rows plan, 14-day free trial, no card
Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot and CursorXero's connector is made for Claude. Rows MCP works with any AI tool that supports MCP.Claude
Setting upFrom each tool's own setup guide.Add the Xero connector in Claude and sign inAdd a connector and sign in
Your books
Read live Xero dataBoth read your Xero entity.
Create records from your AI toolXero's connector is read-only. Rows MCP makes changes only at an access level you switch on.
Ask across all your Xero entities in one questionCompare clients without switching.No, one entity at a time
One consolidated answer for a group of entitiesA group can mix entities from Xero, QuickBooks Online and Zoho Books.
Cover clients on QuickBooks Online and Zoho Books tooOne connection, whichever platform the client uses. Zoho Books: live reports, no posting back.No, Xero only
Include Xero Practice Manager dataJobs, time and clients from Practice Manager, next to the books.
In Excel
Check the figures in Excel, then post back after reviewNothing reaches Xero until you have checked it. Excel for Windows and Mac.
Ask AI Assist inside Excel, with no other tool openAI Assist is built into the Rows pane.
Capture bills and receiptsRows reads the supplier, date, amounts, VAT and line items; you check the codes and post.Capture mode

From each tool's own website and help pages. We don't list other tools' prices, because they change. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

Which one fits

When Xero's connector is enough.

Plenty of people only need what Xero offers. If the left-hand list sounds like you, start there.

Choose Xero's connector if

  • You only use Xero
  • You work with one entity at a time
  • You only need to read the figures
  • You don't need Excel

Choose Rows MCP if

  • You look after many clients
  • Clients are on more than one ledger
  • You want the figures in Excel to check
  • You use Xero Practice Manager
  • You report on a group of entities as one

In practice

What Rows MCP adds to a working day.

Four things a practice runs into once it has more than a handful of clients, and a question you could ask for each.

One question, every client.

Xero's connector answers about one entity at a time, so a question about the whole practice means switching and asking again and again. Rows MCP asks across every entity you connect, in one go.

Try askingWhich clients have invoices overdue by more than 60 days?

Clients on other ledgers, in the same answer.

Most practices have a few clients who aren't on Xero. Rows MCP reads QuickBooks Online and Zoho Books entities through the same connection, so they sit in the same answer.

Try askingCompare gross margin across my three entities for Q3.

Check it in Excel before anything posts.

An answer in a chat window is hard to audit. With Rows, the same live figures are in Excel, where you can check them line by line and post back only after review.

Try askingWhat was gross profit for Malta Ltd each month last quarter?

The same figures in Excel for Mac, pulled from Xero by Rows.

Practice Manager next to the books.

If you run jobs and time in Xero Practice Manager, Rows MCP can read that too, so your AI tool sees the work alongside the client's figures.

Try askingHow much time did we log on Malta Ltd's jobs in Practice Manager last month?

Setting up

How you connect each one.

Xero's connector is added inside Claude and reads the one entity you choose. Rows MCP is added inside your AI tool once, for every entity you choose.

Xero's connector in Claude

  1. Find Xero in Claude

    Open Claude's connectors, on a free or paid plan, and add Xero.

  2. Sign in to Xero

    Sign in and choose the Xero entity you want Claude to read.

  3. Ask

    About that entity's profit, cash, invoices and customers. Claude can't create or change anything in Xero.

  4. Switch for another entity

    Each answer covers the one entity Claude is connected to, so another client means switching first.

Rows MCP

  1. Start the free trial

    Sign up, add Rows to Excel and connect your Xero, QuickBooks Online or Zoho Books entities.

  2. Add Rows to your AI tool

    In Claude, ChatGPT or any AI tool that supports MCP, add Rows as a connector and sign in with your Rows account.

  3. Choose what it can see

    When you sign in, pick the entities it can read and the access level it gets.

  4. Ask

    One entity or all of them, in your own words.

Rows MCP only sees the entities and access level you choose when you connect it.

From Xero's page on its Claude connector and the Xero listing in Claude's connectors.

Using both

You don't have to pick one.

Claude can use more than one connector at a time. So a firm could keep Xero's connector for quick questions about one Xero entity and use Rows MCP for anything that spans clients, ledgers or Excel.

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Questions

Xero MCP questions, answered.

More in the help centre →

Is Xero's MCP connector free? Why use Rows MCP?

Yes, Xero's connector in Claude is free with a Xero subscription. It is read-only and works on one Xero entity at a time. Rows MCP covers QuickBooks Online and Zoho Books too, lets any AI tool ask across several entities or a whole group, and puts the same figures in Excel to check before anything posts.

What's the difference between Xero MCP and Rows MCP?

Xero's connector lets Claude read one Xero entity at a time; it can't create or change anything. Rows MCP connects Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Cursor or any AI tool that supports MCP to the entities you choose on Xero, QuickBooks Online and Zoho Books, posts back at the access level you allow, includes Xero Practice Manager data, and keeps the same figures in Excel so you can check them before anything posts.

How do I connect Xero to Claude?

Add the Xero connector in Claude, sign in to Xero and choose the entity you want it to read. It works on a free or paid Claude plan. Xero also has an MCP server for developers, which can create records but needs a Xero developer app. Rows MCP needs neither: add Rows as a connector in your AI tool and sign in.

Does Rows MCP work with Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot and Cursor?

Yes. Any AI tool that supports MCP can connect to Rows, including Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot and Cursor. You add Rows as a connector and sign in with your Rows account.

Can my AI tool post to Xero through Rows MCP?

Only if you let it. You choose the access level Rows MCP gets when you connect it, from read-only to making changes. Reports are read-only, and anything posted from Excel still goes through an approval step first.

Does Rows MCP cost extra?

No. Rows MCP comes with every plan. Connect Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Cursor or any AI tool that supports MCP.

Can I try Rows MCP before I pay?

Yes. The free trial gives you 14 days of everything in Practice, Rows MCP included, with up to 10 entities and no card needed.

Ask about every client at once.

Start the free trial, connect your entities, then add Rows to your AI tool.

  • 14 days free
  • No card needed
  • Rows MCP on every plan

Online sign-up opens on 20 November. Until then, email support@rowsapp.com.

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