Accounting software that costs nothing
Bilanzi has a plan that costs nothing and does not expire. It is called Free, and it holds the accounting for one company, without the VAT return. Here is what it includes, where its limits are and when a paid plan is worth it.
What the Free plan includes
Free accounting software should still be free after three months. That is why the Free plan is not a trial, and no clock is running. You get the same software as on the paid plans, with the same ledger and the same screens.
There is no cap on entries or invoices. You post as much as your business needs. This is what the free accounting software includes:
- Chart of accounts based on the Swiss SME chart, journal, reversals and period locks
- Receipts photographed with your phone and linked to the entry
- Invoices with a QR payment part, in francs or euros, with dunning
- Supplier invoices with approval and a payment file for e-banking
- Bank statement import and reconciliation
- Balance sheet, income statement and year-end close with a checklist
- Fixed assets, expenses, cost centres and retention periods
The limits of the Free plan
The Free plan takes one company and two people, with room for many years of receipts. The VAT return is not part of it. It comes with Starter, but you can still post entries with VAT rates on Free.
When you reach a limit, only the next step is blocked. You cannot add a second company or invite a third person. What is already there stays, and you keep posting as before. If you set up your business before 25 September 2026, it keeps the VAT return on Free.
Your accountant does not count towards these limits. They work in your books through a mandate, and it costs you nothing. So two people can mean you and someone from your business.
No credit card, no end date
For the Free plan, Bilanzi never asks for a credit card or any other payment details. You sign up with Google, with Apple or with your email address. You can post as soon as your address is confirmed.
The Free plan never turns into a paid plan on its own. You only have a paid plan if you take one out yourself. If you cancel it later, you are back on Free, and everything you posted stays in place. The terms of use say so.
When a paid plan is worth it
The paid plans have the same accounting core as Free. On top come the VAT return, payroll, the API and the AI. The AI reads a set number of receipts each month, depending on the plan. Business and Fiduciary take more people and more companies. So a switch makes sense when one of these holds you back or you want to use the AI. The prices are on the pricing page.
You take out a plan under Settings › Subscription and pay by card, TWINT, Apple Pay or Google Pay. If you cancel, you are back on Free at the end of the paid period.
These are the cases that call for a paid plan:
- Your business is registered for VAT.
- More than two people need to work in the books.
- You pay wages and want to run payroll in Bilanzi.
- You keep the books for more than one company.
- You run a fiduciary office and keep your clients’ books.
- You want the AI to read your receipts and suggest entries.
Your books belong to you
Under «Take the books out» you download your books as files at any time, with journal, accounts, contacts, invoices and assets. Every file carries a checksum. The receipts themselves are not included, you open them one by one. This does not depend on any plan or any deadline.
Keeping records is still your duty, even with software that costs nothing. The Code of Obligations requires you to keep your books and accounting vouchers for ten years, counted from the end of the financial year. Bilanzi is not a certified archive. So take your books out regularly and file them with your other business records.
What does not work yet
The Free plan has no AI and no VAT return. There you file your receipts and post them yourself, at no cost.
Bilanzi does not file the VAT return with the ESTV. You enter the figures in the ePortal yourself. There is no direct bank connection. Statements come in as a file, and payment orders go out as a file.
You send your invoices yourself. Bilanzi creates the PDF but does not email it. Bilanzi does not import entries from another program. Payroll is not Swissdec certified.
Frequently asked questions
Is Bilanzi really free?
The Free plan is, for good. It has no end date and asks for no payment details. The Starter, Business and Fiduciary plans are paid. Their prices are on the pricing page.
How many entries can I post on the Free plan?
As many as you need. Bilanzi does not count entries or invoices. The only volume limit is storage for receipts, which lasts for many years.
What happens when the storage is full?
You cannot store any more receipts. Everything already there stays, and you keep posting. That takes a long time, though, because Bilanzi makes photos smaller before storing them. PDFs stay as they are.
Can I run payroll on the Free plan?
No. Payroll belongs to the paid plans. You need at least the Starter plan.
What happens to my data if I change plans?
Nothing is lost, and you never start from scratch. If you cancel a paid plan, your business falls back to Free. Everything you posted stays, and you can download it at any time.
What it costs
This is part of the Free plan, so it costs nothing, and of every other plan too.
Related topics
Accounting for businesses that keep their own books
Most small Swiss businesses keep their own numbers and hand them to their fiduciary once a year. Bilanzi is Swiss accounting software built for exactly that, and the Free plan costs nothing.
Accounting for a sole proprietorship
A sole proprietorship does not have to keep the same books as a GmbH. How much the law asks depends on revenue. Here is what applies, when VAT comes in and what Bilanzi does for your business.
Get started today. For free.
The best way to test Bilanzi is with your own numbers. Create an account and post one month on the Free plan. It costs nothing, and you need no credit card.
Free forever. No credit card.