Fathom vs XLReporting
operational reporting head-to-head for ERP teams: evidenced capabilities, published pricing, and which ERPs each actually integrates with.
| Starting price | Monthly subscription tiered by company count and features | Subscription (Standard and Enterprise tiers priced monthly/annually; Partner plan is quote-based) |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |
| Company size | SMB, Mid-market | SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Stated ERP integrations | QuickBooks, Xero | NetSuite, Oracle Fusion Cloud, SAP, Microsoft Dynamics 365, QuickBooks, Xero |
| Vendor | Fathom | XLReporting |
Our take
Where Fathom leads
- Stronger evidenced coverage on 10 of the 29 capabilities where they differ (led by scenario / what-if modeling and ai-generated narrative commentary).
Where XLReporting leads
- Stronger evidenced coverage on 19 of the 29 capabilities where they differ (led by interactive dashboards and multiple budget versions).
- Stated NetSuite, Oracle Fusion Cloud, SAP, Microsoft Dynamics 365 integration the alternative doesn't list.
Where they differ
The 29 capabilities (of 49 in the operational reporting taxonomy) where the evidence separates them, biggest gaps first. “Not evidenced” means our research found no public documentation of this capability — the vendor may still offer it. Confirm on a demo.
| Capability | ||
|---|---|---|
| Interactive dashboardsDashboards & Visualization | Not evidenced | Core strength Interactive dashboards embedding reports and KPIs |
| Scenario / what-if modelingBudgeting, Planning & Forecasting | Core strength Goalseek what-if modelling, scenario planning and microforecasts for discrete events | Not evidenced |
| Multiple budget versionsBudgeting, Planning & Forecasting | Not evidenced | Core strength Multiple budget versions and custom budget models |
| AI-generated narrative commentaryAI & Automated Insights | Core strength AI Commentary Writer with traceability back to source numbers | Not evidenced |
| Single sign-on (SSO)Platform Security & Administration | Not evidenced | Core strength SSO via Azure AD, Auth0, Google Identity, Okta, WorkOS, SecureLogin, Surf Conext |
| User action audit loggingPlatform Security & Administration | Not evidenced | Core strength Full audit logging of user actions, including views |
| Compliance certificationsPlatform Security & Administration | Not evidenced | Core strength ISO 27001:2022 certified and GDPR/AVG compliant |
| Drill-down to transaction detailReport Building & Design | Not evidenced | Supported Drilldown and click-through from summary to transaction level |
| No-code ad hoc query buildingSelf-Service Analytics & Data Quality | Not evidenced | Supported Point-and-click report design without IT involvement |
| Cross-process / cross-module reportingSelf-Service Analytics & Data Quality | Not evidenced | Supported Multi-level analysis by department, project or cost center |
| Presentation / boardroom modeDashboards & Visualization | Supported Presentation mode for sharing reports on screen in meetings | Not evidenced |
| Rolling forecastsBudgeting, Planning & Forecasting | Supported Rolling forecasts that update as actuals come in | Not evidenced |
| Budget workflow & approvalsBudgeting, Planning & Forecasting | Not evidenced | Supported Budget holder data entry with controlled submission workflow |
| Governed consolidation audit trailMulti-Entity Consolidation | Partial Manual adjustments supported; no explicit governed audit-trail claim | Core strength Automated elimination/consolidation journals with audit trail and validation rules |
| Automated anomaly & variance detectionAI & Automated Insights | Not evidenced | Supported Automated actuals-vs-budget variance analysis |
| Scheduled report distributionDistribution & Collaboration | Supported Scheduled report generation and email delivery | Not evidenced |
| Open API for custom integrationData Connectivity & Integration | Not evidenced | Supported REST API and custom connectors built on request |
| iPaaS connectivityData Connectivity & Integration | Not evidenced | Supported iPaaS connectivity via Zapier, n8n, Dataddo and Hevo |
| Role-based access controlPlatform Security & Administration | Not evidenced | Supported Role-based access controls and user permission management |
| Data encryption in transit & at restPlatform Security & Administration | Not evidenced | Supported Data encrypted in transit (SSL) and at rest |
| Drag-and-drop report builderReport Building & Design | Core strength Drag-and-drop report editor with a content library of charts, tables and statement blocks | Supported Point-and-click report design without IT involvement |
| Excel-native report buildingReport Building & Design | Not evidenced | Partial Spreadsheet-style web UI with Excel-compatible formulas; not an Excel add-in |
| KPI tracking and alertsDashboards & Visualization | Core strength 50+ pre-built KPIs, custom formulas and threshold alerts | Supported Interactive dashboards embed KPIs; explicit threshold alerting not confirmed |
| Driver-based budgetingBudgeting, Planning & Forecasting | Supported Driver-based budget building | Partial Purpose-built planner templates (Revenue/SaaS); explicit driver-based modeling not confirmed |
| Intercompany eliminationsMulti-Entity Consolidation | Supported | Core strength Automated elimination and consolidation journals with intercompany relationship definitions |
| Cross-system consolidationMulti-Entity Consolidation | Core strength Combines entities on different accounting systems (Xero, QuickBooks, MYOB, Excel) into one group | Supported Connects Xero, QuickBooks, SAP Business One, Oracle, NetSuite, Dynamics 365 and more |
| White-labelled / branded outputDistribution & Collaboration | Supported White-labelled/branded report output | Partial White-label available on the Advanced/Enterprise tier |
| Multi-ERP connectivityData Connectivity & Integration | Supported QuickBooks, Xero, MYOB, Sage Business Cloud Accounting, FreeAgent | Core strength 40+ connectors spanning accounting, ERP and file sources |
| File / spreadsheet importData Connectivity & Integration | Supported Import financials from any accounting system via Excel template | Core strength Excel, CSV, TXT, JSON, XML imports plus Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Box, AWS, URL sources |
Both grade identically on the other 20 capabilities — see each product's full profile: Fathom, XLReporting.
Fathom vs XLReporting — FAQs
Is Fathom or XLReporting better for ERP integration?
Both state integrations with QuickBooks, Xero. XLReporting additionally lists NetSuite, Oracle Fusion Cloud, SAP, Microsoft Dynamics 365. Always verify the connector against your ERP version with a reference customer.
Which is cheaper, Fathom or XLReporting?
Neither publishes a list price — both quote. Ask each for the all-in first-year cost at your seat count, as one number, and compare those.
Get pricing for both
Tell us your ERP, seat count and must-haves and we'll come back with an independent view of what Fathom and XLReporting should each cost you — and whether a third option belongs on your shortlist.