5 / 5
I tried bexio first. It felt like I needed a certification to use it. Magic Heidi just works.
Anna K.
Translator, Lugano
Swiss-Made Software
The bexio Alternative Built for Freelancers
Stop paying for features you don't need. Magic Heidi is a top bexio alternative built exclusively for Swiss freelancers. Simpler. Cheaper. AI-powered.
42%
Cheaper vs bexio
30 sec
to First Invoice
4.9★
App Store Rating
5,000+
Swiss Freelancers
bexio is for Teams.
You're a Freelancer.
bexio is a solid product for a 15-person SME that needs payroll, warehouse management, and a fiduciary portal. If you're a solo freelancer, you're paying for modules you'll never open. Payroll for a team of one. Inventory tracking when you sell time, not products. Magic Heidi gives you what you actually use, and nothing else.
💸
Up to 42% Cheaper
CHF 30/mo vs CHF 52/mo for a comparable bexio plan.🚀
Zero Learning Curve
Invoice in 30 seconds. No setup wizard or onboarding course required.🤖
Unlimited AI Scans
bexio caps at 50–100/mo depending on plan. Magic Heidi has no monthly limit.30-Second Setup
From Sign-Up to Invoice in 30 Seconds
Most invoicing software makes you fill in a profile, configure settings, pick a template, and sit through an onboarding video. Magic Heidi is different. Sign up, enter your client's name and the service you provided, and your first Swiss QR invoice is ready. No setup wizard. No configuration screens. No onboarding course required.
How to Choose
Which Accounting Option Fits You?
Use these three filters to avoid feature overload and pick the right tool.
Under CHF 50K revenue
Budget or simple tools work best. You don't need advanced workflows yet.
CHF 50K–200K revenue
Balanced feature sets. Invoicing, expenses, and VAT covered cleanly.
Over CHF 200K revenue
Deeper workflows and automation start to pay off at this level.
Solo freelancer
Simplicity first. Magic Heidi is built exactly for you.
2–5 people
Collaboration starts to matter. Consider whether you need shared access.
5+ employees
Team workflows become critical. bexio or similar SME tools may fit better.
Quick Overview
Top Alternatives at a Glance
A quick comparison of common Swiss options before you commit.
| Software | Magic Heidi | bexio | Banana | CashCtrl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best For | Solo freelancers | SMEs and teams | Desktop bookkeeping | Budget web bookkeeping |
| Monthly Price | CHF 30/mo | From CHF 45/mo | Low annual fee | Free to low monthly |
| Mobile Experience | ✓ Full feature parity | ⚠ Companion app only | ✗ Desktop only | ✗ Desktop only |
| AI Expense Scans | ✓ Unlimited | ⚠ 0–100/mo by plan | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Swiss QR + VAT | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
bexio Basic Plan
Sounds Affordable. Here's What's Missing.
bexio's Basic plan (from March 2026) costs CHF 35/month on annual billing. That looks reasonable, until you check what's been removed. No expense management. No e-banking. No AI scanning. No bank reconciliation. To get those back, you need Advanced at CHF 42–52/month.
No E-Banking
No bank interfaces. No automatic reconciliation. No ISO 20022 support.
No Expenses
No supplier invoices. No expense posting. No creditor management.
No AI Scanning
Zero AI extractions. No QR invoice scanning via bexio Go.
No Products
No product management. Can't import from Excel or link to contacts.
Magic Heidi includes all of this, for CHF 30/month.
No credit card required. 30-day money-back guarantee.
Feature Comparison
What You Actually Get at Each Price
Three options compared so you can see exactly where your money goes.
| Feature | Magic Heidi CHF 30/mo | bexio Basic CHF 45/mo | bexio Advanced CHF 52/mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-Banking Interfaces | ✓ Bank statement import | ✗ Not included | ✓ 40+ banks |
| Bank Reconciliation | ✓ Included | ✗ Not included | ✓ Included |
| Expense Management | ✓ Included | ✗ Not included | ✓ Included |
| AI Receipt Scanning | ✓ Unlimited | ✗ Not included | ⚠ 50/month |
| QR Invoice Scanning | ✓ Included | ✗ Not included | ✓ Included |
| Product Management | ✓ Included | ✗ Not included | ✓ Included |
| Swiss QR Invoices | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| VAT Support | ✓ All rates | ✓ All rates | ✓ All rates |
| Accounting + Balance Sheet | ✓ Included | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
Built for You
Built for One Person. Yours.
bexio can do a lot. But every feature it has for teams that you don't need is one more menu to navigate, one more reason your simple invoice takes three minutes instead of thirty seconds. Magic Heidi was designed by a Swiss freelancer who got tired of software built for companies.
30-Second Invoices
First invoice in 3 clicks. Swiss QR code generated automatically.
Swiss QR-Bills
SIX-compliant standard built in from day one. Every rate, every format.
Full Mobile App
100% feature parity on iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows.
Unlimited AI Scans
Snap a receipt. AI extracts date, amount, vendor, VAT, and category. No monthly caps.
Core FeaturesEverything You'll Use
Everything You'll Use
Every Single Day.
Three things that make freelance admin frictionless.
Invoice in 30 Seconds
No complex setup. No learning curve. Enter your client's details, add the service, and send.
- Auto-generated Swiss QR code
- Multiple VAT rates built in
- Professional templates included
- Send directly by email
Unlimited AI Expense Scanning
Snap a photo of any receipt — restaurant, train, equipment, co-working space. Magic Heidi's AI extracts the amount, date, vendor, and category automatically.
- Unlimited scans on every paid plan
- Foreign currency conversion included
- Automatic categorisation
- bexio Advanced caps at 50 scans/month
Full Mobile Experience
Every feature available on desktop works identically on iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows. bexio Go's functionality varies by plan tier.
- Invoice from your phone after a meeting
- Scan expenses anywhere, anytime
- Real-time sync across all devices
- One account, five platforms
AI-Powered
Expense Tracking That Does Itself
Paper receipts are the enemy of freelancers. Lost. Faded. Forgotten until it's tax season. Snap a photo and Magic Heidi's AI extracts the date, amount, VAT, category, and vendor automatically. No manual entry. No shoebox of receipts to reconstruct in April.
Your Dashboard
Your Finances, at a Glance
Revenue, expenses, tax obligations — all in one clean dashboard. Know exactly where you stand without needing to build a spreadsheet or call your Treuhänder. Magic Heidi gives you a real-time overview of your freelance business: which invoices are paid, which aren't, how much VAT you owe, and how your year is tracking.
All Features
Everything a Swiss Freelancer Actually Needs
No payroll modules. No warehouse management. Just the tools you use every day.
Invoicing
Swiss QR invoices in 30 seconds. Professional templates included.
AI Expenses
Snap receipts. AI does the rest. Unlimited.
Accounting
Balance sheet, income statement, and tax-ready reports.
VAT Management
All Swiss VAT rates. Both filing methods. Settlement-ready exports.
Bank Import
Import statements from any Swiss bank. Match payments automatically.
Quotes
Professional offers. Convert to invoice in one click.
Customers
Contact management. Import from CSV.
Security
Data hosted in Zürich. Swiss privacy standards.
Swiss.
Not Swiss-Adapted.
A lot of invoicing software was built for the US or Germany and retrofitted for Switzerland. The VAT rates are an afterthought. The QR-bill format was added later. Magic Heidi was built from the first line of code for Swiss freelancers.
🇨🇭 Swiss-Owned Company
🔒 Data Hosted in Zürich
💬 Swiss Support (DE/FR/IT/EN)
⭐ 4.9★ App Store Rating
📋
Swiss QR-Bills
SIX-compliant invoices. Not a format we added later.
💰
Swiss VAT Rates
8.1%, 2.6%, and 3.8% — because those are the rates you use.
🏦
Swiss Banks
UBS, PostFinance, Raiffeisen, ZKB. That's where your money is.
🌐
4 Languages
DE, FR, IT, EN. Your clients or Treuhänder may speak any of them.
Migration
Switch from bexio in 15 Minutes
You don't need to start from zero. Three steps and you're running.
1. Export from bexio
Download your customer list as CSV. Export your invoice history for your records.
2. Sign Up Free
Create your Magic Heidi account in 30 seconds. No credit card required.
3. Import and Go
Upload your customer CSV with one click. Start invoicing immediately.
Need help? Email hello@magicheidi.ch or call the founder directly.
Testimonials
Trusted by Swiss Freelancers
Join 5,000+ self-employed professionals across every canton.
5 / 5
Clean, beautiful design — unusual for invoicing apps. I actually enjoy opening it.
Sarah M.
Graphic Designer, Zürich
5 / 5
Finally, accounting software that doesn't make me feel stupid. Switched from bexio and never looked back.
Thomas R.
IT Freelancer, Lausanne
5 / 5
As a freelance videographer in Switzerland, it's perfect. Incredibly easy to understand and use.
David S.
Freelance Videographer, Bern
5 / 5
Top-notch support. I had a question about bank imports on a Sunday evening and got a helpful reply within hours.
Lisa W.
Marketing Freelancer, Basel
5 / 5
Simple, clear, and fast support. The invoices look great. Way better than bexio for solo work.
Marc D.
Consultant, Geneva
Switch and Save Up to CHF 204 Per Year
Compared to bexio Advanced — the cheapest bexio plan that includes expense management and e-banking. More if you're on Optima or Ultimate.
vs bexio Basic (annual): Save CHF 120/year (CHF 420 to CHF 300). Note: Basic lacks expense management and e-banking, so the comparison isn't fully like-for-like.
vs bexio Advanced (annual): Save CHF 204/year (CHF 504 to CHF 300). This is the comparable plan for freelancers who need full features.
vs bexio Optima (annual): Save CHF 528/year (CHF 828 to CHF 300).
All savings based on annual billing. bexio prices from bexio.com 2026 package page (last checked 27.01.2026). Magic Heidi annual plan: CHF 24.99/mo billed at CHF 300/year.
Simple Pricing. Everything Included.
One plan. All features. 42% less than bexio Advanced — the cheapest bexio plan with expense management and bank integration.
Free Trial
CHF0/month
No time limit
- 3 invoices
- 3 expenses
- All features unlocked
- No credit card required
Best Value
Annual
CHF24.99/month
Billed at CHF 300/year
- Unlimited invoices
- Unlimited expenses
- Unlimited AI expense scanning
- All platforms (iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Web)
- Bank statement import
- Swiss VAT management
- Priority support
Monthly
CHF30/month
Flexible, cancel anytime
- Unlimited invoices
- Unlimited expenses
- Unlimited AI expense scanning
- All platforms included
- Bank statement import
- Swiss VAT management
🛡️30-day money-back guarantee. Try it risk-free.
FAQ
Questions About Switching from bexio
Is Magic Heidi compliant with Swiss accounting standards?
Yes. Magic Heidi fully supports Swiss QR invoices (the Swiss payment standard), all Swiss VAT rates (8.1%, 2.6%, 3.8%), and generates all the documentation you need for your annual Steuererklärung.
Can I import my customer data from bexio?
Yes. Export your customer list from bexio as a CSV file and import it directly into Magic Heidi with one click. Your contacts will be ready immediately. Most freelancers complete the full migration in under 15 minutes.
Does Magic Heidi work with my Swiss bank?
Yes. Magic Heidi generates Swiss QR invoices compatible with all Swiss banks including UBS, PostFinance, Credit Suisse, Raiffeisen, ZKB, and cantonal banks. You can import bank statements to match payments to invoices automatically.
Why do you compare against bexio Advanced and not Basic?
bexio's new Basic plan (from March 2026) doesn't include expense management, e-banking interfaces, or AI receipt scanning. For most freelancers who need to track expenses and reconcile bank payments, the cheapest suitable bexio plan is Advanced at CHF 42/month (annual) or CHF 52/month (monthly). That's the most honest comparison. If you only need invoicing and basic accounting, bexio Basic at CHF 35/month (annual) may also work, but Magic Heidi still includes those extra features at a lower price.
Doesn't bexio also have AI scanning?
Yes. bexio offers AI-powered document scanning via bexio Go, but the number of scans depends on your plan: Basic has no scanning, Advanced allows 50 scans/month, Optima allows 100/month, and Ultimate offers unlimited (fair use around 1,000/month). Magic Heidi includes unlimited AI expense scans on every paid plan.
What features does bexio have that Magic Heidi doesn't?
bexio offers features that Magic Heidi doesn't include: payroll accounting (optional on Advanced, included on Ultimate), stock and warehouse management (Optima+), project management with time tracking (Optima+), GeBüV-compliant document archiving (Optima+), legal advice by phone (Optima+), direct e-banking interfaces with 40+ Swiss banks (Advanced+), and a marketplace with 100+ third-party integrations. Magic Heidi supports bank statement import rather than direct bank interfaces. If you're a solo freelancer who doesn't need payroll, inventory, or project tracking, Magic Heidi covers everything you need at a lower price.
Does bexio have a mobile app?
Yes. bexio Go covers contact management, document access, and invoice creation on Basic. On Advanced and up, it adds QR invoice scanning, AI receipt posting, and from Optima, mobile time tracking. Magic Heidi provides full feature parity on mobile — every feature available on desktop works identically on iOS and Android.
Is Magic Heidi really easier to use than bexio?
We designed Magic Heidi for freelancers with no accounting background. You can create your first invoice in 30 seconds. bexio is a more comprehensive platform aimed at SMEs with up to 25 users, which means more menus and more configuration. The right choice depends on what you actually need.
Is my data safe?
Yes. All data is hosted in Zürich, Switzerland. We follow Swiss privacy standards and never share your data with third parties.
What if I need help switching from bexio?
Email us at hello@magicheidi.ch or call the founder directly. We'll guide you through the migration step by step. You can also visit our help centre or book a free onboarding call.
What happens if I want to cancel?
Cancel anytime with one click. No lock-in, no hidden fees, no complicated cancellation process. We keep your data securely stored for 10 years so you can always come back or export it later.
Join 5,000+ Swiss Freelancers
Try Magic Heidi free today — no credit card required.