Smallinvoice Review 2026: An Honest Look

Smallinvoice has been serving the Swiss market for over a decade, winning the Swiss Fintech Award in 2017 and powering PostFinance's SmartBusiness offering. But is it the right tool for your freelance business?

This review cuts through the marketing to give you an honest assessment of Smallinvoice's strengths, weaknesses, and who should actually use it. We'll cover everything from the surprisingly generous free plan to the legitimate complexity concerns that might send simpler freelance operations elsewhere.

What Is Smallinvoice?

Smallinvoice is a Swiss-based invoicing and business management platform designed for freelancers, startups, and small businesses. Beyond basic invoicing, it includes time tracking, project management, expense tracking, and integrations with Swiss banks and accounting systems.

Key Facts:

• Founded over 10 years ago
• Data stored exclusively in Switzerland with 256-bit encryption
• Supports German, French, Italian, Spanish, and English
• Powers PostFinance's white-label SmartBusiness solution
• Free plan available up to CHF 70,000 in document totals

The platform positions itself as an all-in-one solution for Swiss business management, which can be both its greatest strength and its biggest challenge, depending on your needs.

QR-Bill Functionality

Switzerland's QR-bill standard became mandatory in 2020, and the specification continues to evolve. As of November 2025, version 2.3 requires structured addresses in QR codes.

Smallinvoice's QR-Bill Implementation:

• Generates compliant QR-bills with a few clicks
• Supports both QR-IBAN and normal IBAN formats
• Allows invoices with or without QR reference numbers
• Can send invoices via email or integrated postal mail (through Pingen)

The setup process requires configuring your bank details once, then QR codes generate automatically on invoices. While not the absolute simplest implementation on the market, it's straightforward enough for most users.

VAT Management

Switzerland's current VAT rates (as of 2024):

• Standard: 8.1%
• Reduced: 2.6%
• Accommodation: 3.8%

Smallinvoice includes these rates in its system, allowing you to assign the correct rate to each invoice line item. The platform calculates VAT automatically and generates compliant invoices.

Important consideration: If you're VAT-registered (required for annual turnover over CHF 100,000), you'll appreciate the automatic calculations and record-keeping. If you're not yet VAT-registered, you can create invoices without VAT.

Multi-Language Invoice Generation

Smallinvoice supports invoice creation in five languages: German, French, Italian, Spanish, and English. This matters if you serve clients across Switzerland's language regions or work with international clients.

You can set a default language per client, and the system uses that language for all invoices to that client automatically. This small detail saves time and prevents the awkwardness of sending a German invoice to a French-speaking client.

Pricing context: In the Swiss market, bexio (the market leader) starts at CHF 45/month per user, while Swiss21 offers a completely free option for small teams (funded by partner offers). Smallinvoice sits in the middle—more capable than free alternatives, but with a free tier that lets you test thoroughly before committing.

This is remarkably generous. A freelancer billing CHF 100/hour would need to invoice 700 hours before hitting this limit. For many starting freelancers, this represents 6-12 months of revenue, making it a true zero-cost solution for getting started.

Integrations and Automation

This is where Smallinvoice shows its Swiss market focus:

Banking integrations:

• PostFinance e-finance for automated account reconciliation
• Automatic matching of incoming payments to open invoices
• Multi-currency support

Accounting software exports:

• Banana
• INFONIQA ONE 50
• Topal

Other integrations:

• Pingen for automated postal mail delivery
• e-Salär for payroll processing
• REST API for custom integrations

The automated bank reconciliation deserves special mention. Connect your PostFinance account, and Smallinvoice automatically matches incoming payments to invoices, marking them paid and reducing your manual bookkeeping. This alone can save hours monthly.

User Experience: The Feature Density Trade-Off

Here's where opinions diverge significantly. Some long-term users (including one who has processed over CHF 1 million through the platform) rate it as "completely satisfied" with "unbeatable" pricing. Others find the interface overwhelming.

Advantages:

• One platform for all business management
• Data stays connected (clients, projects, invoices)
• No need to juggle multiple tools
• Professional appearance and capabilities

Disadvantages:

• More menus to navigate
• Steeper learning curve
• Features you may never use taking up interface space
• Takes longer to become proficient

The honest assessment: If you're a freelancer who wants to log in, create an invoice, and log out in under two minutes, Smallinvoice may feel heavy. If you're running a more complex operation with multiple projects, tracked time, expenses, and clients, the integrated approach saves time overall.

Mobile Experience

Free iOS and Android apps are available, allowing you to:

• Create and send invoices on the go
• Track time from your phone
• Check payment status
• Access client information

The mobile apps handle basic tasks well but aren't as feature-complete as the web version. For creating a quick invoice at a client site or starting a timer, they work fine.

Legitimate Concerns

Balanced assessment requires acknowledging real issues:

1. Learning Curve

The comprehensive feature set means more time investment upfront. Budget 2-4 hours for initial setup and familiarization, not 20 minutes.

2. Complexity for Simple Needs

If you have 2-3 clients, send one invoice monthly, and don't track time, Smallinvoice may be overkill. Simpler tools exist.

3. Retroactive Editing Issue

One documented concern from user reviews: changing a client's address in the master data retroactively changes ALL previous invoices, including sent and paid ones. This creates potential tax compliance issues. The workaround requires upgrading to a higher-priced plan.

This is a genuine problem that Smallinvoice should address with better data versioning.

4. Support Inconsistency

User reviews show mixed support experiences. Some praise responsive help; others report inadequate responses to technical issues. For a paid business tool, support quality should be consistently high.

vs. bexio (Market Leader)

bexio advantages:

• More comprehensive business management
• Stronger accounting features
• Larger user community
• More integrations

Smallinvoice advantages:

• Lower cost (especially free tier)
• Simpler interface
• Adequate for most freelance needs
• No per-user pricing until higher tiers

Bottom line: bexio is overkill (and over-budget) for many solo freelancers. Smallinvoice hits a sweet spot for independent professionals.

vs. Swiss21 (Free Alternative)

Swiss21 advantages:

• Completely free for small teams
• Very simple interface
• Fast setup

Smallinvoice advantages:

• More features and flexibility
• Better time tracking
• More integrations
• No third-party offers to support free model

Bottom line: Swiss21 is simpler; Smallinvoice is more capable. Choose based on your feature needs.

vs. Magic Heidi (Modern Alternative)

Magic Heidi advantages:

• AI-powered features
• Modern interface
• Designed specifically for freelancers
• Extremely simple workflows

Smallinvoice advantages:

• More established (10+ years)
• Broader feature set
• PostFinance partnership credibility
• More integrations with Swiss systems

Bottom line: Magic Heidi optimizes for speed and simplicity; Smallinvoice offers more comprehensive business management. Both serve Swiss freelancers well but appeal to different work styles.

Ideal Users

Growing freelancers and small agencies:

• 5-10 active clients
• Multiple projects running simultaneously
• Mix of hourly and project-based billing
• Need for time tracking integration
• Occasional expenses to track and reimburse
• Want professional appearance
• Value Swiss data hosting and compliance

Example profile: A freelance consultant with 6 retainer clients, 3 project-based clients, who bills hourly for some work and fixed-price for others, needs to track time across projects, and wants automated payment tracking.

Consider Alternatives If...

You're just starting out: If you're sending your first invoices and aren't sure freelancing will stick, start with the free plan and see if it fits your workflow. The CHF 70,000 limit gives you plenty of runway.

You need maximum simplicity: Solo freelancers with 1-3 clients who invoice monthly and don't need time tracking might find simpler tools less overwhelming. Swiss21 or even a well-designed spreadsheet might serve you better.

You're running a growing agency: If you have 5+ employees, complex resource allocation, and need detailed project profitability analysis, bexio or international platforms like Harvest might offer the depth you need.

You want cutting-edge automation: If AI-powered expense categorization, predictive cash flow, or advanced automation are priorities, newer platforms may offer more modern features.

Making Your Decision

Choose Smallinvoice if:

• ✅ You manage multiple projects and clients simultaneously
• ✅ You need integrated time tracking with invoicing
• ✅ You value Swiss-hosted data and established credibility
• ✅ You want room to grow without switching platforms
• ✅ You appreciate having multiple features in one tool

Look elsewhere if:

• ❌ You want the absolute simplest possible invoicing
• ❌ You have very basic needs (1-2 invoices monthly)
• ❌ You prioritize cutting-edge UI/UX over features
• ❌ You need extensive accounting features
• ❌ You want AI-powered automation

The generous free tier (CHF 70,000 limit) removes financial risk from trying it. Start there, test your workflow, and see if the feature density helps or hinders your daily work.

The platform's Swiss compliance, banking integrations, and multi-language support demonstrate genuine understanding of the local market. Combined with 10+ years of refinement and the PostFinance partnership, it's a stable, trustworthy choice.

The legitimate complexity concerns are real—this isn't the fastest way to send a simple invoice. But for freelancers managing multiple projects who need connected time tracking, client management, and invoicing, the integrated approach saves time overall.

Not sure if Smallinvoice fits your workflow? The best way to decide is to test it with your actual business. The free tier gives you months of real-world use to evaluate whether the features justify the learning curve.

If you're looking for a simpler alternative designed specifically for modern freelance workflows, try Magic Heidi free for 7 days—no credit card required. Both tools serve Swiss freelancers well; the right choice depends on your specific needs and work style.