Accounting software with a free tier

In Swiss accounting software, "free" almost never means "free in full". Three forms are common: a permanently free tier capped by documents, accounts or users; a free base with paid modules; or a trial that ends. This table shows which vendors offer a free tier at all — what it contains is on the product page. Check the cap above all, and whether VAT filing is included; without it the free tier is useless to a VAT-registered business.

See all solutions in Accounting

Swiss specifics

What is different in Switzerland

Accounting

The Swiss market imposes requirements that an international solution usually lacks — it is built for other legal systems. Buy from abroad and you notice at the year-end close, in the VAT filing or with the first payroll declaration. These are the points that decide in this category:

VAT 8.1 / 2.6 / 3.8 %The software has to carry all three Swiss rates — standard, reduced and the special rate for accommodation — and assign them correctly on documents and in the filing. Foreign programs often know only one rate per country.
Swiss SME chart of accountsThe Swiss SME chart of accounts is the national standard and the basis of every year-end close. Without it as a template you set it up by hand — and your fiduciary can no longer find their way around the accounts.
Flat-rate VAT methodBelow the turnover threshold you may file using a flat-rate net tax rate instead of the effective method. Not every solution handles both equally well; test it before switching.
QR-billMandatory standard since the payment slip was retired. Check both directions: issuing invoices with a QR code and reading incoming QR documents — the second is missing more often.
Data locationSwiss data centres are not a legal requirement, but often a procurement criterion – especially for personal data and public-sector contracts.
Accountant accessThe decisive soft factor: can your accounting firm work in the system directly? Ask them first which two or three systems they use every day.
Ten-year retentionThe Swiss Code of Obligations requires ten years of audit-proof retention – including readability. Clarify what happens to your data after you cancel.
Export and exitBefore signing up, check what an export looks like (entries, documents, master data). A solution without a usable export is a one-way street.

Criterion	Cheap, offline, association standardDetails	Club management with a cash bookDetails	Invoicing with some bookkeepingDetails	Free platform with Abacus coreDetails	Solo accounting on the phoneDetails	Open source, enormous scopeDetails	Lean cloud bookkeeping, open APIDetails
Your selection
Free versionmust have	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Cost & onboarding
List priceas stated by the vendorbars: 0 to CHF 49	free–CHF 15	free–CHF 41	free–CHF 45	free–CHF 49	free–CHF 39	no prices in francs	in calculator only
Pricing model	Subscription or licence	Subscription	Subscription	Subscription	Subscription	Subscription	Subscription
Getting started	self-service	self-service	self-service	self-service	self-service	partner/project needed	self-service
Deployment	Desktop/Server + Cloud	Cloud	Cloud	Cloud	Cloud	Cloud + Desktop/Server	Cloud
Payroll, VAT & law
Payroll (Swissdec)	~ limited	–	–	✓	–	~ limited	~ limited
Swiss VAT filing	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Multiple currencies	✓	✓	✓	–	–	✓	✓
Data location	Switzerland	Switzerland	Switzerland	Switzerland	Switzerland	EU	Switzerland
Payments
QR-bill	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Bank reconciliation (camt)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Scope & extensions
Orders & inventory	~ basic	–	~ basic	~ basic	–	✓	~ basic
Open API	–	–	✓	✓	–	✓	✓
Mobile app	✓	–	✓	✓	✓	✓	–
Works offline	✓	–	–	–	–	✓	–
Collaboration & vendor
Adoption among accountants	medium	low	medium	medium	low	low	medium
Languages	DE · FR · IT · EN	DE	DE · FR · IT · EN	DE · FR · IT	DE · FR · EN	DE · FR · IT · EN	DE · FR · IT · EN
Vendor	Banana.ch SA	reeweb ag	smallinvoice AG	Swiss21.org AG (Abacus, Glarotech, SmartWe)	Magic Heidi	Odoo SA (with Swiss partners)	CashCtrl GmbH
Headquarters	Lugano TI	Basel	Zug	St. Gallen	Switzerland	Belgium	Switzerland
Vendor website	open ↗	open ↗	open ↗	open ↗	open ↗	open ↗	open ↗