Invoicing software with a free tier

Invoicing has more free offerings than accounting; the limit usually sits on the number of invoices or customers. More important than price, though, is the QR-bill: it has been the mandatory standard since the payment slip was withdrawn, and a free tier that cannot produce one is useless to a Swiss business. Check both directions — issuing QR-bills and reading incoming QR documents. The second is missing more often than the first.

See all solutions in Invoicing

Swiss specifics

What is different in Switzerland

Invoicing

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:

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.
ISO 20022 / camtThe bank supplies incoming payments as a camt file and the software reconciles them against open invoices. This saves more time than any other automation. Clarify whether your bank is connected directly or only through a file import.
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.
DunningMulti-stage dunning runs with deadlines, fees and default interest, in the customer’s language. Without it, reminders are written by hand — the point where small firms leave the most money on the table.
Data locationSwiss data centres are not a legal requirement, but often a procurement criterion – especially for personal data and public-sector contracts.
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	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 45	free–CHF 49	free–CHF 39	no prices in francs	in calculator only
Pricing model	Subscription or licence	Subscription	Subscription	Subscription	Subscription	Subscription
Getting started	self-service	self-service	self-service	self-service	partner/project needed	self-service
Deployment	Desktop/Server + Cloud	Cloud	Cloud	Cloud	Cloud + Desktop/Server	Cloud
Payroll, VAT & law
Swiss VAT filing	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Multiple currencies	✓	✓	–	–	✓	✓
Payments
QR-bill	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Bank reconciliation (camt)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Scope & extensions
Open API	–	✓	✓	–	✓	✓
Mobile app	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	–
Collaboration & vendor
Languages	DE · FR · IT · EN	DE · FR · IT · EN	DE · FR · IT	DE · FR · EN	DE · FR · IT · EN	DE · FR · IT · EN
Vendor	Banana.ch SA	smallinvoice AG	Swiss21.org AG (Abacus, Glarotech, SmartWe)	Magic Heidi	Odoo SA (with Swiss partners)	CashCtrl GmbH
Headquarters	Lugano TI	Zug	St. Gallen	Switzerland	Belgium	Switzerland
Fit by profile
Sole proprietor / freelance
Small business 2–9
SME 10–49
Working with an accountant
Vendor website	open ↗	open ↗	open ↗	open ↗	open ↗	open ↗