Cadence vs Xero’s built-in cash flow tools
Cadence is not a replacement for Xero: it reads your invoices and bills from Xero and forecasts from them. The question is whether Xero’s own cash flow tools are enough for you, or whether you need more.
Side by side
Details of Xero’s built-in cash flow tools as published on its own website, checked on 7 October 2026. Products change: follow the sources for the current details.
| Feature | Cadence (with Xero connected) | Xero on its own |
|---|---|---|
| How far ahead | Week by week over 3, 6 and 12 months, on every plan | Depends on the Xero plan: 30 days (Ignite), 60 (Grow), 90 (Comprehensive), 180 (Ultimate) |
| Expected payment dates | Learned from each customer’s paid invoices | Suggested from each customer’s previous payments in the cash flow manager |
| Scenarios | Named scenarios (a hire, a new project, a lost client) you switch on and off | “What if” changes by adding or adjusting transactions |
| VAT, PAYE and corporation tax | Placed in the forecast on their due dates | Not listed in Xero’s cash flow forecast pages we checked |
| Your accounting | Not included: Cadence works alongside your accounting software | Xero is your accounting software |
Xero may suit you better if
- You only need to look a month or two ahead.
- You are on a Xero plan with the longer forecast and it answers your questions.
- You would rather not add another subscription.
Cadence may suit you better if
- You need to see the whole year week by week, including tax bills.
- You want to test decisions such as a hire as named scenarios.
- You want the chance of dropping below your buffer and which customers it comes from (Professional).
- You run more than one company and want a combined view (Enterprise).
Judge it on your own numbers.
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