TL;DR: bexio is Switzerland's best-known business software and a solid choice for SMEs with employees. But if you work alone, you're paying from CHF 35 per month for modules you'll never open. The best alternative depends on your situation: Magic Heidi for freelancers and sole proprietorships (Einzelfirmen), KLARA for local businesses with a POS and shop, CashCtrl for accounting pros on a small budget. Here's the honest comparison of all six options.

Searching for bexio alternatives? Then you're probably at one of two points: either you're already using bexio and wondering whether there's something simpler or cheaper. Or you're picking your first business software and want to know what else is out there besides the market leader.

Both are good reasons. We've compared the six most relevant Swiss alternatives — with real prices, strengths and weaknesses. And yes: Magic Heidi is one of them, and we'll also tell you honestly who our software is not the right choice for.

Why look for a bexio alternative at all?

bexio gets a lot right. Over 100'000 Swiss companies use it, the fiduciary (Treuhänder) integration is strong, and the direct e-banking connection to Swiss banks is genuinely useful. If you run an SME with employees, need payroll and work with a fiduciary, there's little to complain about.

Still, the most common reasons for switching are real:

• The price doesn't match your company size. bexio starts at CHF 35 per month on the annual plan (Basic, as of March 2026) — Advanced CHF 42, Optima CHF 69. For a sole proprietorship with no employees, that quickly adds up to CHF 420 to 828 per year.
• Too many features you'll never need. Payroll runs, inventory management, multi-user permissions: as a solo self-employed person, you're navigating around modules built for teams.
• No permanent free version. After the 30-day trial, it's time to pay — testing with real invoices over a longer period isn't possible.
• Getting started takes time. bexio is a full-blown accounting system. That's a strength, but it makes setup more involved than tools that focus on invoices and expenses.

In short: the question isn't whether bexio is good. The question is whether you're the right target audience.

What to look for in a bexio alternative

Before we get to the tools — these five criteria decide whether a Swiss business software is right for you:

1. The Swiss basics have to be rock solid. Swiss QR-bills following the SIX standard, all current Swiss VAT (MWST) rates (8.1%, 2.6%, 3.8%), and ideally both reporting methods (effective method and the net tax rate method, Saldosteuersatz). Without these, don't even bother switching.
2. Honest total cost. What counts isn't the entry price but what you actually pay per year once modules and add-ons are included.
3. Does the complexity match your business? Double-entry bookkeeping is mandatory for some and dead weight for others. As a sole proprietorship under CHF 500'000 in revenue, simplified accounting under Art. 957 OR is enough — what the Swiss call the "Milchbüechli" method, a simple money-in, money-out ledger. You don't need a tool that trains you to become an accountant; accounting software for the self-employed without double-entry bookkeeping will do.
4. Working on the go. Can you send the invoice from your phone right after a client meeting and snap a photo of the receipt? Or are you chained to your desktop?
5. Data location and data export. Swiss hosting is a must for many. Just as important: can you get all of your data out at any time, in case you want to switch again later?

How we compared

Full transparency: Magic Heidi is our own product, and it sits at number 1 on this list. To keep the comparison fair anyway, we stick to three rules. First: all prices come from the providers' official pricing pages and carry a verification date. Second: every tool gets its strengths in black and white — including where it beats us. bexio's direct e-banking connection, for example, or AbaNinja's 500 free invoices. Third: for every tool, we tell you who it's the better choice for. If you have employees, you won't land on Magic Heidi by the end of this page — and that's by design.

You'll find the complete comparison table of all six alternatives further down. First, let's look at each tool in detail.

1. Magic Heidi — for freelancers and sole proprietorships

Let's start with ourselves, so you know where we're coming from: Magic Heidi is the only software in this comparison built exclusively for Swiss freelancers and sole proprietorships. No payroll, no inventory, no multi-user management — but everything you actually need as a solo self-employed person: invoices with QR payment slips, quotes, expenses, Swiss VAT and bank reconciliation.

The biggest difference from every other tool here: the AI receipt scanner. Photograph a receipt or upload a PDF, and the date, amount, vendor, currency and VAT are extracted automatically. None of the five other alternatives in this comparison offers that — bexio only scans receipts within plan limits.

Want to see for yourself? Create your next invoice for free with Magic Heidi — no credit card, no time limit. Start for free now

Strengths:

• Set up in minutes, no accounting knowledge needed
• AI receipt scanning instead of manual expense entry
• Native apps for iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows plus web — always in sync
• Both Swiss VAT methods (effective and net tax rate/Saldosteuersatz) built in
• Bank statement import (CSV) with automatic payment matching
• Data hosted in Zurich, full export as ZIP at any time
• Free version with every feature (up to 3 invoices and 3 expenses), no credit card and no time limit

Weaknesses — honestly:

• No payroll: as soon as you have employees, we're the wrong choice
• No double-entry bookkeeping with a balance sheet — we deliberately focus on simplified accounting for sole proprietorships
• Bank connection via CSV import, not a direct e-banking interface like bexio's — but after the import, payment matching runs automatically
• The free version is limited to 3 invoices (AbaNinja allows 500 — but with a stripped-down feature set)

Price: CHF 25/month on the annual plan (CHF 299/year) or CHF 39/month billed monthly, all details on the pricing page. Compared to bexio Advanced (CHF 504/year), you save around CHF 200 per year on the annual plan. 30-day money-back guarantee.

Who it's for: Freelancers, self-employed people and sole proprietorships without employees who want invoices, expenses and Swiss VAT in one place — without an accounting course. Over 5'000 Swiss freelancers use it (4.9★ App Store, 5.0★ Google, 4.7★ Capterra). For the direct head-to-head, see Magic Heidi vs bexio — and real quotes from switchers further down this page.

2. KLARA — for local businesses with a POS and shop

KLARA is less an accounting software than a "business operating system": invoicing, accounting, point of sale (POS), online shop, website and appointment booking from a single provider. If your business has a physical point of sale — hair salon, restaurant, shop — that breadth is a genuine argument.

Strengths: Very broad feature set (POS, shop, website, appointments, payroll), industry solutions for hospitality, retail, beauty and trades, four languages and a well-known Swiss brand.

Weaknesses: That very breadth. As a solo service provider without a till or shop, you're paying for and navigating a system built for other business models. No AI receipt scanning, and it's less focused on pure freelancer workflows (quote → invoice → expense → VAT).

Price: from CHF 35/month, modular depending on which building blocks you activate.

Who it's for: Local businesses with a physical point of sale or shop ambitions, employees welcome. For solo service providers, it's usually overkill — much like bexio.

3. CashCtrl — for accounting pros on a small budget

CashCtrl is the insider tip among Swiss fiduciaries and accounting-savvy users: full double-entry bookkeeping in the cloud, with a surprisingly generous free version and a PRO plan for CHF 24.60/month.

Strengths: Real double-entry bookkeeping at a budget price, generous free version, strong API and clean technical documentation, multi-client capable — popular with fiduciaries.

Weaknesses: Made for people who know accounting — you should be comfortable with charts of accounts, debits/credits and year-end closings. No native mobile apps, no receipt scanning by photo, and both design and usability are noticeably more technical than freelancer tools.

Price: free version; PRO CHF 24.60/month.

Who it's for: Self-employed people with accounting knowledge who want maximum control over their books and are watching their budget. If the words "chart of accounts" make you flinch, keep looking.

4. AbaNinja — for occasional invoicers

AbaNinja belongs to Abacus, the heavyweight of Swiss accounting software, and is part of the Swiss21 package. The promise: up to 500 invoices per year for free. That's by far the most generous free invoicing limit in Switzerland.

Strengths: Free up to 500 invoices/year — unbeatable for pure invoicing. Abacus behind it as a solid Swiss foundation, expandable via Swiss21 bundles (from around CHF 15/month).

Weaknesses: Free here means: lots of invoices, but a slim feature set. No AI receipt scanning, expense and VAT workflows are rudimentary, and the interface feels noticeably older than newer tools.

Price: free up to 500 invoices; Swiss21 bundles from around CHF 15/month.

Who it's for: Clubs, side hustlers and anyone who mainly wants to send lots of simple invoices for free. The philosophy is the mirror image of Magic Heidi: AbaNinja gives you many free invoices with basic features, Magic Heidi gives you a few free invoices (3) with every feature including AI scanning. Depending on what you want to test, one or the other makes more sense.

5. Banana Accounting — for accounting-savvy desktop users

Banana has been around for decades, it's used to teach accounting in Swiss schools, and it costs just CHF 89 per year. At its core, it's double-entry bookkeeping with spreadsheet logic — if you like Excel and understand accounting, you'll feel right at home.

Strengths: Very cheap (CHF 89/year, free up to 70 transactions), full double-entry bookkeeping with a large template library, decades of credibility, eight languages.

Weaknesses: Assumes accounting knowledge — without an understanding of debits and credits, you won't be happy. Desktop-centric with no mobile workflow, no receipt photos on the go, and invoicing is a side feature, not the core of the product.

Price: CHF 89/year; free up to 70 transactions.

Who it's for: Self-employed people with accounting knowledge who deliberately work at a desktop and want the cheapest serious option. Also handy if your fiduciary explicitly works with Banana files.

6. Smallinvoice — for hourly billing and projects

Smallinvoice is a Swiss web solution that combines invoicing with project management and time tracking. Its modular entry price from CHF 7/month is among the lowest in Switzerland.

Strengths: Low entry price, modular expansion, time tracking and project management built in — handy for hourly billing — and solid Swiss QR-bill support.

Weaknesses: The focus is on the invoice: expenses, accounting and VAT preparation are thinner. No AI receipt scanning, web only — no native apps for phone or desktop.

Price: from CHF 7/month, up to CHF 30+/month depending on modules.

Who it's for: Service providers who bill by the hour and want to manage their projects in the same tool — and are happy with a web interface.

Also on the market: Milchbüechli (deliberately minimalist accounting, German-speaking Switzerland) and Swiss21 (free package built around AbaNinja). Both are worth a look if your needs are very small — for the complete freelancer workflow of invoicing, expenses and VAT, the six bexio alternatives above cover more.

Which bexio alternative is right for you?

All six bexio alternatives have their place — what matters is your business model. You'll find the quick recommendation by use case in the overview below. One thing up front, because honesty demands it: if you have employees, need payroll and want fiduciary access, bexio remains one of the best options. Not everyone googling "bexio alternatives" should switch.

Switching from bexio: how to do it

The switch is less dramatic than it feels — you'll find the four steps in detail below. The key points: contacts move over via CSV export in minutes, you export closed financial years as PDFs (retention requirement: 10 years), and you simply let open bexio invoices run out in parallel.

With Magic Heidi, setup including contact import typically takes under an hour — and with the free version, you can test the complete workflow with real invoices before you cancel bexio.

Last updated: July 2, 2026. All prices subject to change — the providers' current pricing pages are authoritative.