Accounting
QuickBooks vs Xero: which keeps data in Canada?
Where each stores and processes data, and who owns each company, from the vendors' own pages. Not features or prices.
The short answer
QuickBooks Online: no.
QuickBooks Online does not offer storage in Canada. Where it is processed: United States. It is owned by a US company, so the US CLOUD Act can require it to produce data it controls, wherever that data is stored.
Xero: no.
Xero does not offer storage in Canada. Where it is processed: United States. It is owned in New Zealand, not Canada or the US.
QuickBooks Online is owned by a US company; Xero is owned in New Zealand.
Side by side
| Claim | QuickBooks Online | Xero |
|---|---|---|
| Stored in Canada? | No | No |
| Where data is stored | Canadian customers' data is hosted in multiple US regions; a backup of all Canadian customers' data is stored in Canada (Intuit) | AWS, servers in the United States |
| Where it is processed | United States | United States |
| Support and backups | Backup copy in Canada (Intuit) | Data replicated between data centres in different locations (Xero) |
| Owner | Intuit Inc. (US); Canadian customers contract with Intuit Canada ULC · Parent country: United States | Xero Limited (New Zealand; listed on the ASX) · Parent country: New Zealand |
| Servers run by | Intuit-operated and AWS data centres · US company | Amazon Web Services · US company |
| Customer-held keys | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Certifications | Not recorded (blank means not checked, not none) | Not recorded (blank means not checked, not none) |
| Worth knowing | Primary copy in the US; only the backup is in Canada. | Not US-owned, but stores data in the US on AWS. |
| Caveats | The Canadian security page is about six years old; ask Intuit for current terms. | — |
| Tier | Tier 5: Data leaves Canada | Tier 5: Data leaves Canada |
| Checked | 2026-10-13 | 2026-10-13 |
Sources
QuickBooks Online · checked 2026-10-13
- Where the data is stored: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/ca/security/
- Who owns it: https://www.intuit.com/privacy/statement/
- Supporting page: https://www.intuit.com/legal/terms/en-ca/quickbooks/online/
Xero · checked 2026-10-13
- Where the data is stored: https://www.xero.com/us/data/xero-and-gdpr/
- Who owns it: https://www.xero.com/us/media/factsheet/