Comparison · checked 29 October 2026
Nella and JAX (Just Ask Xero): what each one does
JAX — “Just Ask Xero” — is Xero’s own AI. Xero describes it as an AI financial superagent that automates bank reconciliation, data entry and getting paid, and answers quick questions about your Xero figures with charts and tables. Xero’s UK FAQ says JAX chat is currently available to Xero subscribers at no additional charge. Nella is a separate AI finance assistant: it answers plain-English questions about your own numbers from Xero, QuickBooks, Sage or FreeAgent — on WhatsApp, the web, ChatGPT or Claude — and adds a monthly management pack, anomaly flags on fixed rules, your VAT and filing dates, and a Nella Score. Many Xero users can use both.
At a glance
- Inside Xero
- JAX, Xero Analytics
- Across ledgers and chat apps
- Nella
- Use both?
- Yes — they do different jobs
- Checked
- 29 October 2026
Each product described from its own website. Prices change, so none are quoted here.
How they compare
| Tool | How it describes itself | Built mainly for | Where you use it | Accounting software |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JAX (Just Ask Xero) | An AI financial superagent that coordinates AI agents to automate bank reconciliation, data entry and getting paid, and answers questions about your Xero data with charts and tables. | Small businesses, and their accountants and bookkeepers | Inside Xero | Xero |
| Xero Analytics | Reporting and cash-flow forecasting inside Xero, built with Syft, which Xero acquired in 2024. Xero says core analytics are included in all Business Edition plans. | Xero subscribers | Inside Xero | Xero |
| Nella | An AI finance assistant: plain-English answers about your own numbers, a monthly management pack, anomaly flags, your VAT and filing dates, and a Nella Score. | Owners, directors and founders | WhatsApp, the web, ChatGPT, Claude | Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, FreeAgent |
Descriptions summarise Xero’s own pages, read on 29 October 2026. Syft’s acquisition was announced by Xero in September 2024. Check Xero for current features and pricing.
When JAX is the right tool
If you want bank reconciliation, data entry and payment chasing handled inside Xero, JAX is built into the product for that, and Xero says chat is currently included for subscribers. Xero Analytics covers reporting and forecasting inside Xero.
What Nella adds alongside it
Nella answers questions about your numbers wherever you already are — WhatsApp, the web, ChatGPT or Claude — and works the same way whether your books are in Xero, QuickBooks, Sage or FreeAgent. Every month it builds a management pack whose figures are calculated in code, checks your figures against fixed anomaly rules, keeps your VAT, PAYE and Companies House dates in view, and gives you a Nella Score. When a question needs professional judgement, Nella points you to a qualified accountant at AccTek Ltd.
Xero inside Claude
In May 2026 Xero announced its own integration with Anthropic’s Claude: users with an active Xero subscription can bring Xero data into Claude to ask about cash, invoices and profit trends (Xero’s May 2026 release). The release does not list which regions or plans are covered, so check with Xero. Nella is a separate Claude connector: it works the same way across Xero, QuickBooks, Sage and FreeAgent, and adds the monthly pack, anomaly flags, tax dates and Nella Score described above.
Can you use both?
Yes. Both connect to the same Xero organisation and do different jobs. Nothing in your books changes unless you give permission in Nella.
What Nella costs
Free for 60 days with no card. After that, Nella Lite stays free, and Nella Paid is £7.99 a month. See plans and pricing.
Nella provides financial information and education, not accounting or tax advice. Product names belong to their owners; Nella is not affiliated with any provider named here.
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