Supported import formats
QuickBooks Online accepts CSV, and the OFX-family formats QFX and QBO. QBO is the Web Connect format tied to a bank's Intuit connection, and it usually carries an INTU.BID identifier. If your bank offers a Web Connect download, that file imports cleanly with dates, amounts, and descriptions already mapped.
Xero accepts CSV, OFX, and QIF for manual statement imports. It does not use the QBO format. For CSV in Xero you map columns during import and can save that mapping for reuse, which helps if you import the same bank's layout every month.
If you only have a PDF statement, neither platform imports PDF directly. You first convert it to CSV or one of the OFX-family formats. Getting clean data at this stage matters more than which accounting app you use, because a messy CSV creates work in both.
The manual import workflow
In QuickBooks Online, you go to Transactions or Banking, choose the account, and use the upload option to bring in a CSV, QFX, or QBO file. For CSV you map columns for date, description, and amount, then confirm before the transactions land in the For Review list.
In Xero, you open the bank account and use the option to import a statement, then upload your CSV, OFX, or QIF file. For CSV you set the date format and map columns, then import. Transactions appear in the account ready to reconcile.
In both apps, imported transactions are not posted to your books automatically. They sit in a review or reconcile queue where you categorize them and match them to bills, invoices, or existing entries. That review step is where your chart of accounts and rules do the real work.
Duplicates, date ranges, and cleanup
Duplicates are the most common headache when you mix a live bank feed with manual imports. Both platforms try to detect overlaps, but detection is not perfect, so keep your import date ranges tight and avoid re-importing periods you already have.
QuickBooks Online lets you exclude or delete transactions from the For Review list before they post, which is useful if an import brought in rows you did not want. Xero flags likely duplicates during import and lets you skip them, and you can delete an imported statement line before reconciling.
Watch date formats on CSV imports. A file using day-first dates imported as month-first will silently shift or reject rows. Xero asks you to set the date format explicitly; in QuickBooks, confirm the mapping preview looks right before you finish.
Which to choose for imports
If your bank offers a Web Connect QBO download and you use QuickBooks Online, that is often the smoothest path because the format is purpose-built and needs little mapping. QFX works similarly for personal-style downloads.
If you use Xero, OFX is the closest equivalent to a ready-mapped file, and its saveable CSV mapping is handy for recurring imports from the same bank. Neither is clearly better across the board; the right choice usually follows the accounting software your business already runs on.
Whichever you use, the quality of the source file decides how much cleanup you face. Convert your PDF statements into a clean CSV or OFX-family file with correct dates, single amount or split debit/credit columns, and consistent descriptions, and the import step becomes routine in either platform.