01Why this comparison?
As a sole proprietor or freelancer, your needs are different from those of an SME with 20 employees. Yet many comparison sites recommend the same tools — regardless of whether you are a freelancer or leading a team of 50. This means you end up paying for features you never use.
In this comparison, we focus exclusively on the needs of sole proprietors and freelancers in Switzerland. We compare five providers: bexio, Banana, Magic Heidi, Milkee and einzly.
02What does a sole proprietorship really need?
Before you decide on a tool, ask yourself: What do you really need? Most sole proprietors do not need inventory management, payroll or project management. What they do need:
- Create Swiss QR invoices — legally compliant, with correct payment slip
- Quotes and orders — professional, with your own letterhead
- Record expenses — simple and clear
- VAT statement — automatically calculated if VAT-registered
- Annual closing — for the tax return
- Dunning — automatic payment reminders
- Multilingual — invoices in DE, FR, IT or EN
03The 5 providers at a glance
bexio — The market leader for SMEs
bexio is the best-known accounting software in Switzerland — and positioned accordingly. The tool is primarily aimed at SMEs with teams and offers everything from payroll to inventory management and project management.
- Prices: From CHF 35/month (Basic) to CHF 65/month (Pro)
- Strengths: Huge feature set, many integrations, bank connection
- Weaknesses for sole proprietors: Too complex, too expensive, many unused modules
- Verdict: Great for SMEs with employees. Overkill for sole proprietors.
Banana — The desktop classic
Banana has been around for over 20 years. The software runs locally on your computer and is particularly popular with fiduciaries. Those with accounting knowledge will find their way around easily.
- Prices: Free (limited) to CHF 149 one-time purchase
- Strengths: One-time purchase, powerful booking functions, works offline
- Weaknesses for sole proprietors: Steep learning curve, no Swiss QR invoices out of the box, no cloud access, no email sending
- Verdict: For accounting professionals and fiduciaries. Difficult for freelancers without prior knowledge.
Magic Heidi — The freelancer focus
Magic Heidi was built specifically for Swiss freelancers and offers native apps for iOS, Android, Mac and Windows. The tool scores with AI receipt scanning and beautiful design.
- Prices: CHF 30/month or CHF 299/year
- Strengths: Native apps on all platforms, AI receipt scanning, modern design
- Weaknesses: No automatic annual closing, no automatic reminders, no link tracking, no letterhead customisation
- Verdict: Solid tool for freelancers who mainly want to work on their phone.
Milkee — The Swiss all-rounder
Milkee positions itself as simple accounting software for Swiss freelancers and offers time tracking, client management and AI receipt scanning.
- Prices: From CHF 24.90/month (Basic) to CHF 49.90/month (Scale). Bank connection CHF 15/month extra.
- Strengths: Time tracking, double-entry bookkeeping possible, AI scans
- Weaknesses: Basic without quotes and VAT, revenue limit CHF 500k, only 14-day trial, no automatic reminders
- Verdict: Good all-rounder, but the important features quickly cost CHF 35+/month.
einzly — Built for sole proprietors
einzly was built from the ground up for Swiss sole proprietors and freelancers. The focus is on simplicity: invoices, quotes, expenses, VAT and annual closing — everything you need, without what you don't.
- Prices: CHF 9/month (Basic) or CHF 15/month (Pro). Annually from CHF 6.67/month.
- Strengths: Lowest price, all features included, automatic reminders, link tracking, custom letterhead, automatic annual closing, 30-day free trial
- Weaknesses: No native app (web app with home screen integration), no AI receipt scanning, no bank connection
- Verdict: The cheapest and simplest solution for sole proprietors who have no accounting knowledge.
04The big feature comparison
The following table shows the most important features for sole proprietors in a direct comparison. We focus on what really matters for solo freelancers.
| Feature | bexio | Banana | Magic Heidi | Milkee | einzly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price/month | From CHF 35 | One-time purchase | CHF 30 | From CHF 24.90 | From CHF 9 |
| Price/year | From CHF 420 | CHF 69–149 | CHF 299 | From CHF 299 | From CHF 80 |
| Swiss QR invoices | ✓ | Limited | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Quotes | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | Business+ only | ✓ |
| VAT statement | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Business+ only | ✓ Automatic |
| Annual closing | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ Automatic |
| Automatic reminders | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Link tracking | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Partial invoices | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Custom letterhead | ✓ | ✗ | Limited | Business+ only | ✓ |
| Email sending | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mobile use | App | ✗ Desktop | ✓ Native apps | ✓ App | Home screen app |
| AI receipt scanning | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Bank connection | ✓ (Advanced+) | ✗ | ✓ | +CHF 15/mo. | ✗ |
| Time tracking | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Multilingual | DE/FR/EN | Yes | DE/FR/IT/EN | DE/FR | DE/FR/IT/EN |
| Free trial | 30 days | Free version | 3 invoices | 14 days | 30 days |
| Accounting knowledge | Recommended | Required | Not needed | Not needed | Not needed |
05What does it really cost? The price comparison
The price on the website is not always the price you end up paying. With some providers, important features are missing from the basic package — you need to upgrade or book add-ons.
| Provider | Base price/mo. | For all features/mo. | Annually (all features) |
|---|---|---|---|
| bexio | CHF 35 (Basic) | CHF 52+ (Advanced) | CHF 624+ |
| Banana | One-time CHF 69–149 | One-time purchase | One-time purchase |
| Magic Heidi | CHF 30 | CHF 30 | CHF 299 |
| Milkee | CHF 24.90 (no VAT/quotes) | CHF 34.90+ (Business) | CHF 419+ |
| einzly | CHF 9 (Basic) | CHF 15 (Pro) | CHF 80 (Basic) / CHF 144 (Pro) |
06Which tool suits whom?
→ bexio is the right choice. No other tool in this comparison offers payroll.
→ Banana gives you full control over every journal entry. If you know what you are doing, it is a powerful tool.
→ Magic Heidi has the best native apps (iOS, Android, Mac, Windows) and AI receipt scanning.
→ Milkee offers time tracking and project management in one tool.
→ einzly gives you invoices, quotes, VAT, annual closing, automatic reminders and link tracking — from CHF 6.67/month.
07Missing a feature? Tell us!
No tool is perfect — and we are no exception. That is why we built the feature request function into einzly: directly in the dashboard you can tell us which function you are missing. Every request is read, prioritised and — if it fits our vision — built just for you.
Yes, you read that right: we build your feature request — exclusively for you, for a small monthly surcharge. And the best part: einzly will never cost more than CHF 25/month. No matter how many features you add. That is our promise.
Many features in einzly were born directly from user feedback. Partial invoices, foreign currency invoices and the terms and conditions upload — all feature requests that went live within weeks.
08Switch from any provider — in 3 steps
Switching to einzly is deliberately simple. You do not need to retype everything — you can import your client data via CSV upload.
Export your clients from your current tool as a CSV file. This takes just a few clicks in bexio, Milkee, Magic Heidi and Banana.
Create your account in 30 seconds. No credit card required — you have 30 days to test everything for free.
Import your client data via CSV upload directly into einzly. Your first Swiss QR invoice is created in seconds.
09Conclusion: The best tool for your sole proprietorship
There is no single best accounting software — there is the best one for you. If you run an SME with employees, bexio is the right choice. If you are an accounting professional, Banana provides the depth you need.
But if you are a sole proprietor or freelancer looking for a tool that simply works, covers all the essentials and remains affordable — then einzly is the strongest option on the market. From CHF 6.67/month you get Swiss QR invoices, quotes, automatic reminders, link tracking, VAT statements and annual closing. No prior knowledge, no bloat.
Try einzly free for 30 days — no credit card required. And if something is missing: submit a feature request and we will take care of it.