Xero already does quotes. You open the Sales menu, type each line item, select products, set quantities and prices, and send. FlowSpec adds a voice layer on top: speak the job in a 30-second memo and the draft quote lands in Xero, priced from your own items, ready to review and send. Same Xero quote, faster path to getting it written.
See it draft a real quote into Xero.
Side-by-Side
| Feature | FlowSpec | Xero Quotes |
|---|---|---|
| Voice input | Yes, speak the job and it drafts the quote | Type each line manually |
| Quote creation time | About 30 seconds from a voice memo | 5 to 15 minutes typing at a desk |
| Trade slang recognition | Yes, GPO, RCD, PRV, TMV, and many more | Manual item search |
| Phrase memory | Learns your own shorthand over time | Saved products and services list |
| Quote lands in Xero | Yes, native Xero draft quote | Yes, you create it directly in Xero |
| Prices from your Xero items | Yes, syncs your items as the price list | Yes, select from products and services |
| GST auto-calculated | Yes | Yes |
| Quote to invoice conversion | Done in Xero (standard flow) | Done in Xero (standard flow) |
| Mobile quoting | PWA on any phone, native apps in progress | Via browser on tablet; mobile app support varies |
| Quoting from site or van | Built for it, record a memo and move on | Possible via tablet browser, designed for desk |
| Contact matching or creation | Auto-matches or creates the client in Xero | Manual: search or create the contact first |
| Branding themes | Uses your Xero branding theme | Customise from Xero templates (up to 15) |
| Pricing | Per-seat add-on alongside Xero | Included in every Xero plan |
| Quote limit | Unlimited quotes | Ignite: 20 quotes + invoices/mo. Grow+: unlimited |
| Best for | Tradies quoting from site, 5+ quotes a week | Businesses quoting at a desk, low volume |
Xero’s quoting is solid for desk-based work. FlowSpec adds voice input and trade intelligence so the same Xero quote gets drafted from site in about 30 seconds. See the full FlowSpec comparison hub to line it up against other tools.
The Same Quote, Two Ways
Walk through the same job in each workflow. The end result is the same Xero draft quote.
Both workflows produce the same Xero draft quote with the same line items at the same prices. The difference is input: voice from the driveway vs typing at the desk. For tradies quoting five or more jobs a week, that time difference compounds across the month.
Input Method
The single biggest difference between FlowSpec and Xero’s built-in quoting is where and how the quote gets written.
You stand at the job site or sit in the van and describe the work in plain language, using whatever trade shorthand you normally use. FlowSpec recognises abbreviations like GPO, RCD, PRV, TMV, and MCB, matches them to the products and services in your Xero account, applies your own sell prices, and saves the finished draft into Xero. Over time it learns your personal phrasing, so repeated jobs get faster. The quote is ready before you drive to the next one.
Xero’s quoting is a form you fill in: select the contact, set the date and expiry, then add line items one at a time. For each line you either search your products and services list or type a description and enter the price. With a 7-line switchboard quote that means seven search-select-quantity-price cycles. It is accurate and it works, but it is desk work, and it takes time that most tradies push to after hours.
Many tradesmen spend 45+ minutes per quote after hours. At five quotes a week, that is 4+ hours every week of admin that could be handled from the job site in real time.
The Core Question
The honest read on each approach.
FlowSpec is a specialist voice layer that sits on top of Xero. It does one thing: turn a spoken description of a job into a priced Xero draft quote. It reads trade abbreviations, matches items to your Xero products and services, calculates GST, and handles the contact. The quote it creates is a standard Xero quote, editable and sendable from Xero the same way as any other. It is an extra subscription, and it earns that cost in time saved per quote, compounded across every quote you write.
Xero’s quoting is included in every plan and handles the full lifecycle: create the quote, send it, track its status (draft, sent, accepted, declined), and convert it to an invoice when the client says yes. For a business that quotes at a desk a few times a month, the built-in workflow covers the job well. The interface is designed for general business use rather than trade-specific work, so voice input, trade slang matching, and spoken-memo item pairing sit outside its scope.
The question is straightforward: does the time you spend typing quotes justify a tool that writes them from your voice? For a consultant sending two quotes a month, Xero’s built-in workflow is enough. For a sparky quoting ten jobs a week from site, the maths shifts.
Xero Integration
FlowSpec writes quotes into Xero. Xero’s own quoting writes quotes into Xero. The output is identical.
FlowSpec syncs the products and services you already manage in Xero. When you say “3 RCDs” in a voice memo, FlowSpec finds your RCD item in Xero, applies the sell price you set there, and puts it on the quote at quantity 3. If you update that price in Xero, the next quote picks up the new figure. There is one source of truth for your prices: Xero.
Once FlowSpec saves the quote, it appears in your Xero quotes list exactly like one you typed yourself. Same line items, same account codes, same tax types, same contact. You can edit it, apply a different branding theme, add notes, or adjust quantities before sending. Everything downstream, invoice conversion, payment tracking, BAS, works the same way.
FlowSpec changes the input method, from keyboard to voice. Xero stays your system for invoicing, bank reconciliation, reporting, and everything else. Your bookkeeper sees the same quotes in the same place. Your BAS returns draw from the same data. FlowSpec is a faster way to get the quote into Xero, and Xero does the rest.
Fair’s Fair
FlowSpec is an add-on, and add-ons earn their keep only when the job justifies them. Xero’s quoting handles these setups well on its own.
You quote a few jobs per month from a desk
When quoting volume is low and you do the work at a computer, the manual workflow is manageable. Ten minutes per quote at two quotes a month is 20 minutes of admin. The time saved by voice input at that volume is small.
Your quotes have few line items
A one-line or two-line quote is fast to type. FlowSpec shows its value on quotes with five, ten, or twenty line items, where the search-select-quantity-price cycle repeats enough to add up.
You already have a quoting workflow that works
If your current process handles your volume and you are happy with the time it takes, the built-in workflow is doing its job. FlowSpec is for tradies who quote often enough that faster input makes a real difference.
You prefer to type and review as you go
Some people build the quote line by line as a way to think through the job. The typing is the thinking. FlowSpec assumes you already know the scope and want to capture it fast. If typing each line is part of your review process, the built-in workflow fits that style.
Xero’s quoting covers the basics well. FlowSpec earns its place when quoting volume is high enough that the time difference matters: when you are quoting five or more jobs a week and you want those evening hours for yourself.
Pricing
Xero’s quoting comes with your Xero subscription. FlowSpec is a per-seat add-on.
Unlimited quotes, voice input, trade slang recognition, phrase memory, Xero item sync, GST handling, and contact matching. Every feature included.
See flowspec.com.au/pricing for the current rate.
Xero Ignite starts at A$35/mo (20 quotes + invoices combined). Grow at A$75/mo removes the cap. Most tradies quoting regularly are on Grow or higher.
See xero.com/au/pricing-plans for full Xero pricing.
FlowSpec is a per-seat subscription alongside your Xero plan. For a tradesman quoting ten jobs a week, the time saved per quote often pays for the subscription in the first week of use. For lower volumes, Xero’s built-in quoting handles the work on the subscription you already have.
FAQ
Yes. Every Xero subscription includes quoting. You open the Sales menu, add a new quote, type each line item (or select from your products and services list), set the quantities and prices, add the contact and expiry date, then save and send. On the Grow plan and above, quotes are unlimited. The Ignite plan caps quotes and invoices combined at 20 per month.
Xero’s quoting is manual: you type each line, search for each item, and enter each quantity at a desk or on a tablet browser. FlowSpec adds voice input, trade slang recognition, and auto-matching to your Xero items, so the same Xero quote that would take you ten minutes to type lands as a draft in about 30 seconds from a spoken memo. The quote still lives in Xero, uses your own items at your own sell prices, and flows into invoicing the same way. FlowSpec changes the input method, from keyboard to voice, and cuts the admin time on every quote.
FlowSpec requires Xero. It is an add-on that makes one part of Xero faster: the quoting step. Your accounting, invoicing, bank reconciliation, BAS, and reporting all stay in Xero where they belong. FlowSpec syncs your Xero items as its price list, drafts the quote into Xero, and steps aside. Think of it as a faster front door to the quoting feature you already have.
You record a short voice memo describing the job. FlowSpec transcribes it, recognises trade abbreviations (GPO, RCD, PRV, TMV, and many more), matches each item to your own Xero products and services at your own sell prices, calculates GST, matches or creates the client contact in Xero, and saves the whole thing as a draft quote in your Xero account. You review, adjust if needed, and send from Xero.
Yes. FlowSpec creates a standard Xero draft quote, so it counts the same as any other Xero quote. On the Ignite plan, the combined cap of 20 invoices and quotes per month applies. On Grow and above, quotes are unlimited. Most tradies quoting regularly are already on Grow or higher for that reason.
Yes. FlowSpec saves the quote as a Xero draft. It appears in your Xero quotes list like any other quote you created manually. You can adjust line items, change quantities, edit the contact details, add notes, apply a different branding theme, and send it whenever you are ready. Full Xero editing, full Xero control.
See It Work
The demo shows FlowSpec drafting a real quote into Xero from a voice memo. Same items, same prices, about 30 seconds.
Already using Xero? Connect your account and try a quote.