Alternatives to Breadwinner for Xero
Perhaps Breadwinner isn’t a good fit, or your company isn’t big enough yet, or you find our pricing too high. We have prepared a list of the alternatives below, offered some advice if you are considering custom development. We also explain the difference between API-only and a native integration.
API-Only Apps
Of the API apps, all will be able to create records, but most will struggle to keep those records up to date should the corresponding record in the other system change. Keep that in mind when evaluating these apps.
Zapier is a low-cost and widely used syncing tool that can easily create Xero invoices based on Salesforce opportunities or other records. Priced at $20 and up.
OneSaaS is an Australian-based company with a specific focus on syncing finance apps. $40 and up.
Carry The One is particularly useful if you also have e-commerce software like Magento or ZenCart – $32.
Workato is similar to Zapier but much more powerful in their scripts. Unlike the above three, which can create records but struggle to update records, it is possible to configure Workato to update records. If you want an API-only app and have complex integration needs, Workato is likely your best choice. Priced at $249 if you have Salesforce Professional and $599 if you have Salesforce Enterprise.
Native Apps
Commercient SYNC has very affordable pricing, as low as only $7 per user, though it requires you to setup a .NET Server hosting their sync tool. Free trials, if available, require you to contact Commercient first.
SFX provides a custom object for both the invoice record and the line item record. If you have trouble installing SFX, you may need to enable Salesforce Quotes first. You will also need to create a RSA Certificate during initial configuration. Pricing has not been published.
Invoice This has been built by social-business focused Clouding Around, and is likely the best choice if your organisation is a non-profit looking for integration with Xero. Invoice This includes a custom object for the Xero invoice record. Pricing is approximately $69.
WFMCRM by Australian marketing agency Blirt is the ideal solution if you also have WorkflowMax and want to integrate that, plus Xero, into Salesforce. A separate subscription to WorkflowMax is required for this, however, so if you don’t already have WorkflowMax, then WFMCRM might not be a good fit. Pricing has not been published.
*To allow for easy pricing comparison, all prices are listed monthly in US Dollars.
Head to our blog to learn more about the differences between API only and Native Apps.
Custom Development
In our experience, custom development always takes longer and costs more than you expect, even when you expect it to take longer and cost more than you expect. (Read Hofstadter’s law for a fun diversion while you consider integration options).
Many people like the idea of paying once and (hopefully) never again having an integration built for them.
We talk to a surprising number of people who have tried that and come back to us, asking about Breadwinner. The conversation with usually goes like this:
“We looked at Breadwinner 6 months ago, but you were too expensive so we opted for what seemed like a cheaper custom integration. Except it never worked, and now the Salesforce developer says we’re out of spec, he needs more money, and refuses to give us our money back. Can we have a special low price because we already spent our budget?”
Given this typical scenario, if you are going to hire someone for custom integration, I would strongly recommend not paying for the work until it is completed, tested, and has been inactive use for two weeks. Otherwise, if you pay ahead of time, and it never works, you will have no recourse.
The best approach is to use an escrow service. Or, at the very least, pay 50% upon proof of concept and 50% upon completion. I would suggest you define completion as “a two week period of active use during which no new bugs are found”.
And, we recommend asking if they will guarantee data accuracy even after the job is closed. Otherwise, future data issues are your problem and you will have to pay again.