Accounting software that costs nothing
Bilanzi has a plan that costs nothing and does not expire. It is called Free, and it holds everything you do yourself, VAT returns and payroll included. Here is what it includes and when Autopilot 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 or sent by email, then linked to the entry
- Contacts, quotes, jobs and signed work reports
- Invoices with a QR payment part, in francs or euros, with dunning and your logo
- Supplier invoices with approval and a payment file for e-banking
- Bank statement import and reconciliation
- VAT return, effective method or net tax rate, with a file for the ePortal
- Payroll with payslips, salary certificates and withholding tax
- 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, with room for many years of receipts. It doesn’t count people: you invite everyone who should work in your books. The VAT return and payroll are part of it.
When you reach a limit, only the next step is blocked. You cannot add a second company, and once the storage is full you cannot store another receipt. What is already there stays, and you keep posting as before.
Everyone you invite gets a role, and the role decides what they see and can do. Only the owner, the administrators and people with the payroll role see wages. With the “Audit” role, a person can read but change nothing.
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 and conditions say so.
When Autopilot is worth it
Autopilot has the same accounting core as Free and takes the work off your hands. The AI reads every receipt on its own, from a photo, an email or WhatsApp, and prepares the entry. For every new bank line it suggests an account on its own, and before the year-end it checks your books. There is no price per receipt and no balance, and only what you confirm is booked. The prices are on the pricing page.
You take out Autopilot under Settings › Subscription and costs 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 Autopilot:
- You don’t want to type up your receipts yourself.
- Receipts, questions and approvals should go by WhatsApp.
- Your bank should send its transactions on its own every morning.
- Invoices and reminders should go out on their own.
- You keep the books for more than one company.
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. You open each receipt on its own. 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. Take your books out regularly and file them with your other business records, ideally after each year-end close.
Anything else on your mind?
Is Bilanzi really free?
The Free plan is, for good. It has no end date and asks for no payment details. Autopilot is paid. Its price is 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?
Yes. Payroll runs, payslips, salary certificates and withholding tax are part of the Free plan. You approve the contribution rates once yourself.
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
Many small Swiss businesses keep their own numbers. 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.
Your business needs you. Start with Bilanzi.
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.