Swiss invoicing software: the 2026 comparison
Updated: May 2026.
Picking invoicing software in Switzerland means balancing native QR-bill support, the three Swiss VAT rates (8.1%, 3.8%, 2.6%), multi-currency CHF/EUR/USD, bank integrations with PostFinance / UBS / Raiffeisen / ZKB, and an accounting export that your fiduciary can actually read. French and German SaaS tools fail on at least one of those points. This guide reviews 8 invoicing tools actually used in Switzerland — real prices, honest strengths, and the limits we won't sugarcoat.
TL;DR: one-line recommendation per profile
- Solo freelancer (sole proprietorship), low volume, mobile-first: Magic Heidi if you live on iPhone, To Bill for web + mobile with receipt OCR, Smallinvoice for an established Swiss brand.
- SME, 5–20 employees: Bexio if you want invoicing and bookkeeping in one tool, To Bill if you keep invoicing in-house and outsource the books to a fiduciary.
- E-commerce (Shopify, WooCommerce): Bexio for native connectors, Smallinvoice as a fallback.
- B2B multi-currency (EU / US clients): To Bill or Bexio.
- Tight collaboration with a fiduciary: Bexio, Abacus, or To Bill (free fiduciary portal).
- Zero budget: Klara free plan or Magic Heidi free tier.
- Large industrial SME or accounting firm: Abacus or Crésus.
To Bill is an invoicing tool, not a full accounting ERP. If you want to handle payroll, balance sheets, and a 200-line chart of accounts in-house, look at Bexio, Abacus, or combine an invoicing tool with dedicated accounting software.
Why Swiss-built tools beat French or international SaaS
French SaaS (Henrri, Pennylane, Sellsy, Freebe, Indy) and international tools (QuickBooks, FreshBooks, Xero, Zoho) often look cheaper. In practice they cost you manual work:
- No native QR-bill at the Swiss Payments standard. You end up pasting a QR generated elsewhere onto a PDF — not compliant, won't scan cleanly in Swiss banking apps.
- Foreign VAT rates by default (19%, 20%, 21%). You manually create 8.1%, 3.8%, 2.6%, and the generated VAT report doesn't match the AFC form.
- No Swiss IBAN validation, no structured QRR reference, no debt collection handling.
- Accounting export not readable by Swiss fiduciaries, who expect Bexio, Abacus, Crésus, or a CSV with the Swiss SME chart of accounts.
- Hosting and support outside Switzerland: grey zone for sensitive clients on data protection.
Swiss-native software typically saves 2 to 5 hours per month in workarounds and prevents payment refusals caused by malformed QR-bills. That gap rarely gets compensated by a slightly lower monthly fee.
What actually matters in 2026
Mandatory legal compliance
- Native QR-bill following Swiss Payments (PaymentSlip v2.2+, SCOR or QRR type), with IBAN or QR-IBAN, amount, and structured reference. See our full QR-bill guide.
- Three Swiss VAT rates (8.1%, 3.8%, 2.6%) per line, effective method or flat-rate method (TDFN/SSS). See also the 2026 VAT rates guide.
- Code of Obligations art. 957: 10-year retention of records, traceability, immutability of issued invoices.
- Hosting in Switzerland / EU with a data-processing agreement.
Operational features
- Quotes converted to invoices in one click, compliant template.
- Tiered automatic reminders (friendly → firm → debt collection threshold).
- Bank reconciliation via CAMT.054 (PostFinance, UBS, ZKB, Raiffeisen, cantonal banks).
- Receipt OCR for expense management.
- Multi-currency CHF / EUR / USD at minimum.
- Recurring invoicing (subscriptions, retainers).
- Accounting export to fiduciary (CSV, Bexio format, Abacus format, or API).
Commercial criteria
- Free trial without credit card (7–30 days).
- Published, readable pricing (no "contact us").
- Support in French, German, and ideally Italian.
- iOS + Android mobile app for field invoicing.
Comparison table: 8 Swiss tools across 12 criteria
| Criterion | Bexio | To Bill | Smallinvoice | Magic Heidi | Klara | Crésus Facturation | Abacus | Sage Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price (month) | CHF 35 | CHF 25 | CHF 19 | Free then CHF 9 | Free | CHF 290/year (~24/mo) | Custom quote | CHF 25 |
| Native QR-bill | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 3 Swiss VAT rates | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-currency (>10) | Yes | Yes (30+) | Yes | Limited (CHF/EUR) | Limited | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | iOS / Android | iOS / Android | iOS / Android | iOS (focus) | iOS / Android | No | No | Limited |
| Receipt OCR | Basic | Yes (AI) | Yes | Yes | Limited | No | Yes | Basic |
| Fiduciary export / portal | Yes (built-in) | Yes (free portal) | CSV export | CSV export | CSV export | Crésus / CSV | Yes (native) | Yes |
| UI languages | FR / DE / IT / EN | FR / EN / DE | FR / DE / IT / EN | FR / DE / EN | FR / DE / IT | FR / DE | FR / DE / IT / EN | FR / DE / IT |
| Hosting | Switzerland | Switzerland | Switzerland | Switzerland | Switzerland | Local / cloud | Switzerland / on-prem | Switzerland |
| Swiss bank integrations | Very broad | Broad | Broad | Medium | Very broad | Local | Very broad | Medium |
| Full bookkeeping included | Yes | No (invoicing focus) | Partial | No | Partial | No (Crésus Compta separate) | Yes | Yes |
| Target audience | SME 1–50 | Solo + SME 1–30 | Solo + SME 1–20 | iPhone-first solo | Micro + SME | Industrial SMEs | SME 20+ and groups | Solo + SME 1–10 |
Prices observed in May 2026, excluding promotions. Vendors may change their pricing without notice — always check the official site before subscribing.
Detailed review of the 8 tools
Bexio
Who they are: the historical market leader in Switzerland for SMEs, owned by Mobiliar. All-in-one platform: invoicing + accounting + CRM + project management.
Who it's for: SMEs of 1 to 50 employees that want a single tool for invoicing, bookkeeping, VAT filing, and fiduciary export. Strong footprint in German-speaking Switzerland.
Pricing: Starter CHF 35/month, Pro CHF 65/month (mid-2026). Paid add-ons (project management, premium e-banking).
Strengths
- Huge ecosystem: Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento connectors, direct e-banking with PostFinance / UBS / Raiffeisen / Credit Suisse / ZKB.
- Full bookkeeping compliant with the Code of Obligations and the Swiss SME chart of accounts.
- Deeply integrated with Swiss fiduciaries: most of them work with Bexio in shared access.
- Solid mobile app with workable receipt capture.
Honest limits
- Dense, somewhat austere UI; a few hours of learning curve.
- Overkill (and pricey) for a solo freelancer who just needs to send invoices.
- Expense management is OK, but OCR doesn't match what a dedicated tool delivers.
- Lower-tier plans hit contact and quote caps quickly.
Bexio remains the safe pick for a Swiss SME wanting a stable single platform. It's also the benchmark every competitor positions against.
To Bill
Who they are: a Swiss software focused 100% on invoicing and getting paid. French-speaking roots, trilingual FR / DE / EN. Not an ERP, not full accounting.
Who it's for: self-employed (RI/sole prop), freelancers, and SMEs up to 20–30 employees that outsource the books to a fiduciary and want a clean, fast, mobile-friendly invoicing tool.
Pricing: CHF 25/month for SMEs and freelancers (CHF 250/year, two months free). Fiduciary portal free of charge. 7-day trial without a credit card. Details on the pricing page.
Strengths
- Quick invoice creation, native QR-bill, 2026 compliant template.
- AI-powered OCR on receipts, automatic categorization, anticipation of VAT filings.
- 30+ currencies with daily rates — useful for IT freelancers and B2B consultants.
- Free fiduciary portal with multi-client view for Swiss fiduciaries.
- Tiered automatic reminders and real-time payment tracking.
Honest limits
- Not a full accounting tool. For balance sheets, detailed ledgers, or payroll, you need a complement (fiduciary or accounting software).
- Smaller native connector ecosystem than Bexio (no native Shopify connector at the time of writing — Zapier or CSV import instead).
- Less known among German-speaking fiduciaries than Bexio; coverage is good on the French-speaking side.
To Bill fits a solo operator or small team that wants "invoice in, payment out" without running an ERP, and already works with a fiduciary. Less relevant if you want to manage a 200-line chart of accounts yourself.
Smallinvoice
Who they are: a Zürich-based Swiss vendor, on the market since 2010. Positioned as a lighter alternative to Bexio.
Who it's for: freelancers and SMEs of 1 to 20 people wanting an established Swiss brand without ERP complexity.
Pricing: XS from CHF 19/month, S CHF 29, M CHF 49, L on request. 30-day trial.
Strengths
- QR-bill, quotes, reminders, multi-currency, multilingual UI.
- Good e-banking integration (UBS, ZKB, Raiffeisen, PostFinance).
- Decent mobile app.
- Solid Swiss brand, excellent German-language support.
Honest limits
- UI feels somewhat dated; recent refreshes only partly modernized it.
- Expense management and OCR lag behind Bexio and To Bill.
- Going beyond the Starter plan scales quickly (M at CHF 49 is reasonable, but on par with Bexio Pro at CHF 65 with fewer features).
Smallinvoice is a reasonable choice for a stable Swiss tool, just without the wow factor. Good value on the XS plan for a solo.
Magic Heidi
Who they are: a Swiss invoicing app, iPhone-first, born in Zürich. Minimalist approach, Swiss design DNA.
Who it's for: solo freelancers invoicing from their phone, low volume (< 50 invoices/month), with speed as the priority.
Pricing: free plan with invoice cap, paid plan from around CHF 9/month. Prices published in CHF, no traps.
Strengths
- Invoice in 30 seconds from your iPhone.
- Compliant QR-bill, e-signature, receipt scan.
- Beautifully designed UI, genuinely pleasant to use.
- Honest free plan to get started.
Honest limits
- Strongly iOS-oriented; Android and web exist but lag behind in features.
- No dedicated fiduciary portal, limited export.
- Basic multi-currency (essentially CHF / EUR).
- Not built for a team or complex reminder flows.
Magic Heidi is perfect for a creative freelancer, photographer, or coach who bills a few mandates per month and wants zero friction. See also our mobile invoicing app guide.
Klara
Who they are: a Swiss platform (Axon Active group) offering a free suite for SMEs: invoicing, accounting, payroll. Funded by partnerships with Raiffeisen, AXA, and others.
Who it's for: micro-businesses and solos that want a workable free tool and accept the trade-offs of bare-bones features.
Pricing: free for basic invoicing. Paid modules (payroll, advanced accounting, automated receipt capture).
Strengths
- QR-bill, client management, quotes — all free.
- Strong bank integrations (especially Raiffeisen).
- UI has been modernized over the past two years.
Honest limits
- "Free" ends up costing once you turn on serious modules (payroll, accounting, signature).
- Business model pushes you toward partner banking and insurance offers.
- No multi-client fiduciary portal; fiduciary collaboration works but isn't the smoothest.
- Slower support than paid alternatives.
Klara makes sense to start at zero and test without commitment. Many SMEs eventually migrate to Bexio, Smallinvoice, or To Bill once activity grows.
Crésus Facturation
Who they are: a Fribourg-based vendor active since the 1990s. Historical desktop solution (Mac + Windows + Linux), with a more recent Crésus Cloud module.
Who it's for: industrial SMEs, fiduciary firms in Romandie, organizations that prefer a local install and the stability of a desktop tool.
Pricing: license from CHF 290/year for Crésus Facturation. Crésus Comptabilité and Salaires sold separately.
Strengths
- Very robust, low bug count, a 25-year-old user community.
- Excellent integration between Crésus Facturation, Comptabilité, and Salaires when you buy the suite.
- Swiss compliance is rock solid: ISO 20022, QR-bill, payroll.
- Strong installed base among French-speaking fiduciaries.
Honest limits
- UX feels dated, far from a modern SaaS.
- Desktop logic: installs, manual updates, local backups (unless you buy Crésus Cloud).
- No serious mobile app.
- Multi-currency and automation less smooth than Bexio or To Bill.
Crésus remains relevant for organizations already using it, or those wanting to keep their data on-premise. For a solo starting in 2026, it's not the first pick.
Abacus
Who they are: historical Swiss ERP from St. Gallen, built for mid-sized to large organizations. Reference platform among top-tier fiduciaries.
Who it's for: SMEs with 20+ employees, groups, fiduciaries handling complex files (payroll, fixed assets, multi-site, multi-mandate).
Pricing: on quote, typically starting around CHF 100/month and well above depending on modules and user count.
Strengths
- Bookkeeping, payroll, fixed assets, sales management, all integrated.
- Maximum Swiss compliance; validated by every serious fiduciary.
- Industry-specific modules (construction, medical, fiduciary).
- Hosted in Switzerland, on-premise option available.
Honest limits
- Cost and complexity are disproportionate for a solo or freelancer.
- Significant learning curve (training is usually required).
- Very dated UI, even though recent releases (AbaWeb, AbaClik) modernize the experience.
- Not the right fit if you simply need to issue 10 invoices a month.
Abacus isn't a direct competitor to To Bill or Smallinvoice. It's the option to consider once you go beyond 15 employees and your fiduciary already runs on it.
Sage Start
Who they are: Swiss edition of Sage's accounting range (UK group), localized for the Swiss market.
Who it's for: freelancers and small SMEs wanting a well-known international brand with decent Swiss localization.
Pricing: Sage Start from CHF 25/month, Sage Active from CHF 39/month.
Strengths
- QR-bill, Swiss VAT rates, SME chart of accounts.
- Global brand, established accounting ecosystem.
- Solid support for simple invoicing.
Honest limits
- Less name recognition in Switzerland than Bexio, Smallinvoice, or Crésus.
- Multi-currency and advanced features behind Bexio.
- Experience is fine but rarely memorable.
Sage Start is an acceptable default but rarely the best on any single criterion compared with Bexio (more complete) or To Bill / Smallinvoice (more modern).
Which tool fits your profile
Solo freelancer (sole proprietorship, low volume)
You want something fast, mobile, and cheap. Three serious candidates:
- Magic Heidi: if you live on iPhone and invoice < 30 mandates/month.
- To Bill: if you want balanced web + mobile, receipt OCR, multi-currency, and predictable pricing.
- Smallinvoice XS: if you want an established Swiss brand at CHF 19/month.
Skip Bexio (overkill for you), Abacus (massively overkill), and Crésus (heavy for a cloud-first solo).
SME with 5 to 20 employees
Two scenarios:
- You want a single tool (invoicing + in-house accounting) → Bexio is the best compromise, with a fiduciary supervising.
- You want invoicing in-house but accounting at the fiduciary → To Bill for invoicing, fiduciary downstream with automated export. Often cheaper and more pleasant day-to-day.
E-commerce (Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix)
Bexio has the best native e-commerce connectors on the Swiss market — first pick. Smallinvoice is a reasonable second. To Bill works if you accept going through Zapier or a regular CSV import.
See the e-commerce and dropshipping invoicing guide.
Multi-currency B2B (EU, US, UK clients)
To Bill (30+ currencies, daily rates) or Bexio do the job. Magic Heidi and Klara lag behind. Crésus and Abacus handle it on a more rigid logic.
Details in the multi-currency invoicing guide.
Tight collaboration with a fiduciary
Ask your fiduciary first which tool they prefer. In practice:
- Bexio is understood by 90% of Swiss fiduciaries.
- Abacus is the choice of top-tier accounting firms.
- To Bill offers a free fiduciary portal with multi-client overview, useful when the fiduciary handles several mandates.
Zero budget
Klara free plan or Magic Heidi free tier. You'll switch tools in 12–18 months as activity grows. That's fine — migrating between Swiss tools is straightforward.
Large industrial SME or accounting firm
Abacus or Crésus (full suite), with help from a certified integrator partner.
Invoicing software vs. accounting software: the difference
Many SMEs confuse the two and end up paying for features they never use.
Invoicing software (To Bill, Smallinvoice, Magic Heidi) does:
- Quotes, invoices, reminders, QR-bill.
- Payment tracking.
- Client and item/service management.
- Light expense management (OCR, categorization).
- Export to fiduciary.
Accounting software (Bexio, Abacus, Crésus, Sage) adds:
- Detailed chart of accounts, manual entries, journals.
- Balance sheet, P&L, formatted VAT return.
- Payroll, fixed assets, provisions.
- Year-end close, audit support.
Our honest take: for most freelancers and SMEs up to 10 employees in Switzerland, the winning combo is a modern invoicing tool + a fiduciary holding the books. You pay less overall, keep a clear view on invoices and payments, and avoid learning an ERP. For deeper context, see SME accounting in Switzerland — legal obligations and our Swiss accounting software guide.
Free vs. paid: when each makes sense
Free makes sense when:
- You're starting out and don't know if the activity will take off.
- You invoice fewer than 5 mandates per month.
- You accept feature limits (no serious multi-currency, no advanced reminders, no fiduciary portal).
- You're comfortable knowing that free tools often monetize through partner banking and insurance offers.
Paid becomes obvious as soon as:
- You lose more than 30 minutes per month on manual workarounds.
- A single overdue invoice could have been avoided by an automated reminder.
- You invoice in multiple currencies or VAT rates.
- You work with a fiduciary who bills you for re-entering data.
A CHF 25/month tool (CHF 300/year) pays for itself almost mechanically once you issue 5+ invoices per month, on time savings and faster cash collection alone. See also Swiss payment deadlines and late payments.
Swiss bank integrations: who covers what
Bank reconciliation is one of the features that changes daily life the most. In Switzerland it relies mainly on CAMT.053 / CAMT.054 files and pain.001 for outbound payments.
| Bank | Bexio | To Bill | Smallinvoice | Klara | Crésus | Abacus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PostFinance | Direct e-banking | CAMT import + manual | Direct e-banking | Direct e-banking | CAMT | Direct e-banking |
| UBS | Direct e-banking | CAMT import | Direct e-banking | CAMT | CAMT | Direct e-banking |
| Raiffeisen | Direct e-banking | CAMT import | Direct e-banking | Direct e-banking (partner) | CAMT | Direct e-banking |
| ZKB | Direct e-banking | CAMT import | Direct e-banking | CAMT | CAMT | Direct e-banking |
| Credit Suisse / UBS post-merger | Direct e-banking | CAMT import | Direct e-banking | CAMT | CAMT | Direct e-banking |
| Cantonal banks | Variable | CAMT import | Variable | Variable | CAMT | Variable |
| Neobanks (Yuh, Neon, Revolut) | Limited | Manual import | Limited | Limited | Limited | Limited |
Bexio and Abacus benefit from direct e-banking connections (automatic reading of entries). The others typically rely on CAMT file imports — fast, but require a weekly or monthly manual step.
QR-bill: who truly supports it
The QR-bill is mandatory since October 2022. All tools listed here support it, but with different depth:
- QRR vs SCOR reference: all offer SCOR (ISO 11649 creditor reference). QRR (QR reference, replacing BVR) requires a specific QR-IBAN issued by your bank.
- Standard IBAN vs QR-IBAN: Bexio, To Bill, Smallinvoice, Crésus, and Abacus handle both. Magic Heidi and Klara handle standard IBANs without issue; QR-IBAN is possible but needs manual configuration.
- Detachable payment section in the PDF: all comply with Swiss QR Bill v2.2.
- Batch generation: Bexio, To Bill, Abacus, and Crésus support it. Magic Heidi handles single-invoice flow only.
Full breakdown in our Swiss QR-bill guide.
Migration to a new tool: practical tips
Switching tools feels scary but is lighter than it sounds, especially for a solo or small SME.
- Export your data from the old tool: clients, items, issued invoices, open quotes, pending bank entries. Prefer CSV.
- Check minimum fields: name, IBAN, VAT rate, invoice numbering (continuity).
- Import into the new tool (most offer a guided import).
- Configure settings: legal name, UID number, IBAN or QR-IBAN, logo, payment terms, VAT rates, method (effective or flat-rate).
- Issue a test invoice: check the PDF render, the QR code (scan with your banking app), the mandatory mentions.
- Keep the old tool archived: Swiss law (CO art. 957a) requires 10-year retention of records.
- Brief your fiduciary: share the new export workflow.
- Run both in parallel for one month if volume is significant, to validate everything flows through.
Migrating from Excel or Word to a modern Swiss tool takes 1 to 3 hours for a solo. Moving between two Swiss SaaS tools (Bexio ↔ To Bill ↔ Smallinvoice) typically takes half a day. See also our overview of Swiss invoicing software alternatives.
FAQ: everything we get asked
What is invoicing software?
A tool that lets you create, send, and track invoices and quotes, manage clients and items, and typically automate reminders and bank reconciliation. In Switzerland it must generate compliant QR-bills and handle the three VAT rates.
Is there free invoicing software in Switzerland?
Klara offers a full free plan for basic invoicing. Magic Heidi has a free tier with a volume cap. Bexio and Smallinvoice offer 30-day trials but no permanent free plan. To Bill offers a 7-day trial without a credit card and a free portal for fiduciaries.
Do I really need software, or is Excel enough?
Excel is technically enough for 1 to 3 invoices per month if you accept pasting a QR code generated elsewhere and tracking everything manually. Beyond that, the time cost quickly exceeds CHF 25/month. Software also avoids VAT errors and malformed QR codes.
Is the QR-bill mandatory?
Since October 1, 2022, yes. The old BVR/ESR payment slips are no longer accepted. Every Swiss invoice with a payment request must include a Swiss Payments QR code. Details in the QR-bill guide.
Bexio or To Bill for a freelancer?
For a freelancer outsourcing the books: To Bill is simpler, cheaper (CHF 25 vs 35), and has better receipt OCR. Bexio is more relevant if you want to handle a detailed chart of accounts in-house or if your fiduciary mandates Bexio.
Which tool for a solo sole proprietor?
Magic Heidi (iPhone-first), To Bill (balanced web + mobile), Smallinvoice XS (established Swiss brand). Free Klara plan if budget is zero. Skip Bexio, Abacus, and Crésus for a solo.
How much does invoicing software cost in Switzerland?
Between CHF 0 (Klara, Magic Heidi free tier) and CHF 100+/month (Abacus). The mainstream segment for solos and small SMEs is CHF 19–35/month. Bexio and To Bill sit at CHF 25–35. Smallinvoice starts at CHF 19.
How do I switch tools without losing history?
Export your data (CSV), keep an archive of the old tool for the 10-year legal retention period (CO art. 957a), preserve invoice number continuity, and run both tools in parallel for one month if volume is significant.
Can I use QuickBooks, FreshBooks, or Xero in Switzerland?
Technically yes, in practice no. No native QR-bill, VAT rates must be reconfigured manually, no Swiss IBAN validation, export not readable by fiduciaries. You'll pay the difference in time lost.
Which tool for a fiduciary managing 30 clients?
Bexio (shared access), Abacus (the gold standard), or To Bill with its free fiduciary portal that consolidates all mandates. Crésus for established Romandie firms.
QR-IBAN or standard IBAN: which to choose?
QR-IBAN (starts with CH or LI followed by 3030 to 3199) supports the structured QRR reference, useful for automatic reconciliation. Standard IBAN works with SCOR or no reference. For a solo starting out: standard IBAN + SCOR reference is enough. For an SME needing reliable automatic reconciliation: QR-IBAN.
Which tool for an e-commerce business?
Bexio (native Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento connectors). Smallinvoice as a backup. To Bill via Zapier or regular CSV import. Details in e-commerce and dropshipping invoicing.
Is To Bill a good fit for a coach or independent consultant?
Yes, it's a typical use case: few clients, possible recurring invoices, frequent quotes, B2B multi-currency. See coach and consultant invoicing and IT consultant freelance invoicing.
Which tool for multi-currency invoicing?
To Bill (30+ currencies), Bexio, Abacus, Crésus. The Wise + To Bill combo is common among international B2B freelancers.
Low-volume, high-ticket profession (architect, lawyer): which tool?
Magic Heidi or To Bill are more than enough. The key criterion isn't volume but compliance (mandatory mentions, QR-bill, 10-year retention). See independent lawyer invoicing and independent architect invoicing.
Do I need separate accounting software on top of invoicing software?
Not mandatory. Many freelancers and small SMEs run only invoicing software + a fiduciary holding the books. You only need accounting software if you want to manage balance sheet, detailed ledgers, or payroll yourself.
How do I export my data to the fiduciary?
Depends on the tool: Bexio offers shared direct access, To Bill exports a CSV or ZIP with supporting documents, Abacus runs through its own interface, Crésus exports native formats. Ask your fiduciary what they expect.
Which tool for an artisan (construction sites, quotes, deposits)?
Bexio or To Bill, possibly Smallinvoice. Test deposit handling and intermediate invoices in the free trial. See Swiss artisan invoicing.
How long does setup take?
For a solo: 30 minutes to 2 hours (IBAN setup, logo, first clients). For an SME: half a day to a full day if you import historical data.
Can I issue credit notes?
All tools listed support credit notes (correcting an issued invoice). It's mandatory in Switzerland once an initial invoice has been booked and needs to be cancelled or corrected.
How does To Bill compare to Bexio in 2026?
Honestly: Bexio remains more complete (accounting + invoicing + CRM in one tool), To Bill is simpler, cheaper, and better at receipt OCR and mobile experience. The choice depends on whether you want to do everything yourself (Bexio) or delegate accounting to a fiduciary (To Bill + fiduciary).
Is my data safe?
All Swiss tools listed host in Switzerland or the EU under contracts compliant with the new Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP, effective September 1, 2023). Daily backups, in-transit and at-rest encryption. Always check the contractual commitments and data localization in the T&Cs.
What if I have unpaid invoices?
Activate automated reminders (gentle reminder at 30 days, firm reminder at 45 days). If unsuccessful, file a payment order at the debt collection office. Details in Swiss debt collection and reminders and payment deadlines.
2026 verdict
- Default pick for a multi-function SME: Bexio.
- Default pick for a solo / small SME outsourcing the books: To Bill.
- Default pick for an iPhone-first solo: Magic Heidi.
- Default pick on zero budget: Klara.
- Default pick for a large SME or accounting firm: Abacus or Crésus.
- Stable, low-noise Swiss option: Smallinvoice.
To dive deeper: