Export from Accountable
Create a full data export in Accountable as a ZIP file, with the Excel export and the original documents.
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The Accountable alternative for freelancers, UG and GmbH
Norman books receipts and bank transactions automatically and files EÜR and VAT returns with the tax office from €9 a month, where Accountable starts at €29.90. For a UG or GmbH, Norman also builds the annual accounts with E-Bilanz.
Norman or Accountable: which is right for you?
Accountable is a mobile-first tax app for solo self-employed people: it guides you through EÜR, VAT returns, and income tax from your phone and has a free entry tier. The right choice if you want to handle your taxes step by step and on your own from an app.
Norman is the better choice if you want more than just a tax app. Invoicing and full bookkeeping are free: AI receipt capture, automatic bank matching, and EÜR with no receipt cap, on desktop and mobile. You file EÜR and VAT returns with the tax office from €9/month, where Accountable starts at €29.90. For a UG or GmbH, Norman also builds the annual accounts and E-Bilanz, which Accountable does not offer.
Features at a glance
Price, features, and automation in direct comparison. Accountable prices net, billed yearly, as of October 2026.
| | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | Free (complete bookkeeping); tax returns from €9/mo | Free tier (5 expenses/mo); EÜR from €19.90/mo for Kleinunternehmer, otherwise €29.90 |
| Annual accounts with E-Bilanz (UG, GmbH) | ||
| E-invoicing | Free, unlimited | Free, unlimited |
| Bank connection | With AI categorization | 1 account on Free, more from the Bookkeeping plan |
| AI categorization | Automatic, trained on German tax law | Guided entry + AI tax assistant |
| Receipt capture | AI matching, scanner + archive | Receipt scan, 5/month on Free |
| Tax optimization tips | Personalized saving tips | AI tax assistant + tax coach (higher tiers) |
| VAT return | From the Klein plan (€9) | From the Tax plan (€29.90) |
| Corporate tax return | ||
| Payroll | ||
| EÜR | From the Klein plan (€9) | Kleinunternehmer from €19.90, otherwise from €29.90 |
| Income tax | Included in Klein | Kleinunternehmer from €19.90, otherwise from €29.90 |
| Tax guarantee | From the Tax plan (up to €500) | |
| DATEV integration | Full integration incl. booking data | DATEV export from Rechnungen Plus |
| REST API | Available incl. integrations | |
| Web and desktop app | Fully usable on desktop | Mobile-first, web as a supplement |
| Mobile app | iOS + Android | iOS + Android |
| Languages | 7 languages available | German and English |
What are you actually paying?
Both have a free entry tier: the difference is what's included and when bookkeeping starts costing money. Accountable prices net, billed yearly, as of October 2026.
| What you need | | |
|---|---|---|
Just invoicing Invoices, quotes, e-invoicing | €0 Free: full bookkeeping included | €0 Free tier, but only 5 expenses/month, no EÜR |
Just accounting Bank, receipts, EÜR without a limit | €0 Free: AI receipt capture + bank matching | €19.90/mo Buchhaltung tier: unlimited receipts; EÜR here only for Kleinunternehmer |
Full tax filing VAT + EÜR + income tax | €9/mo Klein plan: EÜR, VAT returns, income and trade tax | €29.90/mo Steuern tier: VAT returns only from this tier |
UG or GmbH Annual accounts, E-Bilanz, KSt, GewSt | €39/mo Max plan: year-end and all taxes in the app | Tax firm No balance sheet in Accountable |
What are the differences?
Price for EÜR and VAT returns
This is where the comparison is decided for the self-employed who charge VAT.
You file EÜR, VAT returns, income and trade tax with the tax office straight from the app from the Klein plan at €9/month, €108 a year. Invoicing and bookkeeping with AI receipt capture and bank matching are free and have no receipt cap.
With Accountable, VAT returns only come with the Steuern plan at €29.90/month, €358.80 a year. The Buchhaltung plan at €19.90 includes EÜR only for Kleinunternehmer, and the free tier only 5 expenses a month. Prices net, billed yearly, as of October 2026.
Annual accounts for UG and GmbH
If you incorporate or already run a corporation, you need the balance sheet.
Norman keeps the double-entry books and builds the annual accounts with E-Bilanz, corporate tax, trade tax and the annual VAT return from them. You file everything with the tax office straight from the app, on the Max plan for €39/month.
Accountable is built for EÜR for the self-employed and creates no balance sheet. With a UG or GmbH, you need another tool or a tax firm for the annual accounts, E-Bilanz and corporate tax.
Bookkeeping and feature scope
Both cover invoicing and taxes for the self-employed, but how deep the bookkeeping goes differs.
Invoicing, quotes, and full bookkeeping (AI receipt capture, automatic bank matching, EÜR, and VAT-return prep) are free for good with no receipt cap. Norman is as at home on web and desktop as on mobile, and fits everyone from sole traders to a small UG or GmbH.
Accountable is a mobile-first tax app for solo self-employed people: it walks you step by step through EÜR, VAT returns, and income tax from your phone. The free tier allows only 5 expenses per month and one bank connection; full bookkeeping starts only at the Buchhaltung tier. Accountable isn't built for more complex cases or incorporated companies.
AI and Automation
Both use AI, but in different places.
Norman is built from the ground up around AI. The AI is trained specifically for German tax law, reads receipts, suggests the booking and tax rate, matches bank activity automatically, and gives you personalized tax-saving tips. EÜR and VAT returns stay continuously up to date from that, and an AI assistant fills out the tax form with you when you file.
Accountable combines its guided tax app with an AI tax assistant that answers tax questions, not included on the free tier and unlimited from Rechnungen Plus. The top tiers add a tax guarantee and a personal tax coach. The focus is on guided tax filing rather than end-to-end automated bookkeeping.
DATEV and tax advisors
Norman offers a full DATEV integration including booking data: structured receipts, payments, and bookings go cleanly to the firm when you want to involve one. On top of that there's a REST API and integrations like Stripe and Shopify. You handle the day-to-day yourself and hand the tax advisor only what they really need.
Accountable is designed for you to file your own taxes without a tax advisor: the app submits to the tax office directly. A classic DATEV workflow for collaborating with a tax firm is less of a focus; Accountable targets solo self-employed people who do everything on their own.
Language and platform
Available in 7 languages (including German and English) and fully on web, desktop, and mobile. The interface, support, and all tax forms are available, and you can switch languages at any time. Ideal for expats and international self-employed people in Germany who don't only work from their phone.
Accountable is also available in German and English, which makes it a good fit for expats. The emphasis is on the mobile app, though; if you prefer working on the desktop with larger volumes of data, you'll hit limits sooner than with a web-first tool like Norman.
Norman or Accountable: which fits you?
Choose Norman if you …
Want free invoicing and full bookkeeping without a subscription
Want AI receipt capture and automatic bank matching with no receipt cap
Want to file EÜR and VAT returns for €9 instead of €29.90 a month
Need a full DATEV integration incl. booking data and a REST API
Run or are founding a UG or GmbH and want the annual accounts in the app
Choose Accountable if you …
Work mainly on mobile, from your phone
Want to be guided step by step through your taxes as a solo self-employed person
Want to file EÜR, VAT returns, and income tax yourself without a tax advisor
Get by with a manageable volume of receipts
Want a tax guarantee and a personal tax coach
Built for anyone looking for an Accountable alternative with real AI bookkeeping
Invoicing, quotes, receipt capture, bank matching, and EÜR/VAT-return prep run in Norman without a pricing tier: bookkeeping and invoicing are free, and only the finished tax return is paid.
Bank feedSynced
Automated bank categorization (SKR03/04)
Norman continuously assigns bank movements to the right accounts and suggests matching SKR03/04 postings.
Receipt
Team lunch · 84.20 €
IMG_2841.jpeg
Matched
Transaction
Oberholz
Card payment
Smart receipt matching
Forward receipts via app or email. Norman extracts the data and matches them with transactions.
Real-time expense tracking
All expenses broken down by category, automatically updated, and available at any time.
InsightsActive 24/7
Profit margin is down 6%
Financial overview at a glance
Revenue, expenses, and open items in one dashboard that updates with every booking.
AI insights
Deduction foundHome-office allowance
UnusualDuplicate payment to vendor
AI-powered insights
Norman identifies savings opportunities, flags unusual bookings, and gives you actionable recommendations.
Hear from entrepreneurs
8,000+ entrepreneurs use Norman
How to switch from Accountable to Norman
Upload it to the migration portal
Upload the ZIP file in the Norman migration portal. Norman brings over customers, income, expenses, invoice data and VAT, and matches the receipts to the transactions.
Connect the bank, the AI books
Norman assigns every bank transaction to an account and matches receipts, with no receipt cap. You only review what is left open.
File your taxes
Norman builds EÜR, VAT returns, income and trade tax from your bookings, and you file them with the tax office straight from the app, from €9 a month.
As a UG or GmbH: the year-end
For a UG or GmbH, Norman keeps double-entry books and builds the annual accounts, E-Bilanz, corporate and trade tax on the Max plan. Accountable cannot do that.
Switch from Accountable to Norman
Upload your Accountable export, let the bookkeeping run on automatically, and file EÜR and VAT returns straight from the app from €9 a month.
Start the switchFAQ
What is the best alternative to Accountable?
It depends on what you need: the market includes sevDesk, lexoffice, and Norman, among others. Accountable is a mobile-first tax app for solo self-employed people; if you want more than just guided tax filing, Norman is the most obvious pick: invoicing and full bookkeeping are free for good with no receipt cap, the AI captures receipts and matches bank activity automatically, and you work on desktop just as well as on mobile. You only pay when you file tax returns. For a UG or GmbH, Norman is the alternative you grow with: it builds the annual accounts, E-Bilanz, corporate and trade tax in the app, while Accountable offers no balance sheet for corporations.
How much does Norman cost compared to Accountable?
Norman is free for invoicing and bookkeeping. You file EÜR, VAT returns, income and trade tax from the Klein plan at €9/month, and a UG or GmbH gets the annual accounts and all taxes on the Max plan at €39/month (billed yearly). Accountable only includes VAT returns on its Steuern plan at €29.90/month: €358.80 a year against €108 with Norman. Accountable's free tier is capped at 5 expenses per month and has no EÜR. Accountable prices net, billed yearly, as of October 2026.
How much does Accountable cost?
Accountable has five plans, net per month billed yearly: Rechnungen Free €0, Rechnungen Plus €9.90, Buchhaltung €19.90, Steuern €29.90, and Max €59.90 with a 12-month minimum term. Billed monthly, the paid plans cost €12.40, €24.90, €37.40, and €74.90. VAT returns only come with the Steuern plan, while Norman includes EÜR and VAT returns in the Klein plan for €9/month. As of October 2026.
Does Accountable do the annual accounts for a UG or GmbH?
No. Accountable is built for the self-employed on EÜR and creates no balance sheet, no E-Bilanz, and no corporate tax return. For a UG or GmbH, Norman keeps double-entry books and builds the annual accounts, E-Bilanz, corporate and trade tax from them on the Max plan for €39/month. You file everything with the tax office straight from the app.
Is there a permanently free alternative to Accountable?
Yes: Norman. Invoicing, quotes, and full bookkeeping (receipt capture, bank matching, and EÜR) are free for good with no pricing tier; there is no time limit and no receipt cap. Accountable also has a free tier, but it is limited to 5 expenses per month and one bank connection and includes no EÜR. The only paid part in Norman is the finished tax return, from the Klein plan (from €9/month).
Does Accountable have AI accounting?
Accountable guides you through your tax return in the app and offers an AI tax assistant that answers tax questions (not included on the free tier), with a tax guarantee and a personal tax coach added on higher tiers. The focus is on guided filing. Norman, by contrast, is built around AI from the ground up: the AI reads receipts, suggests the booking and tax rate, matches bank activity automatically, and keeps EÜR and VAT returns continuously up to date. If minimal manual bookkeeping matters to you, that's the core difference.
Does Norman support e-invoices (ZUGFeRD/XRechnung) like Accountable?
Yes. Norman creates and receives structured e-invoices in the ZUGFeRD and XRechnung formats, in every plan and at no extra cost, in line with the B2B e-invoicing mandate. Accountable can also create e-invoices in both formats, and even on its free tier. For receiving and the bookkeeping that follows, though, the free tier hits limits (5 expenses per month); in Norman, receiving, archiving, and posting are part of the free bookkeeping from the start.
Can I switch from Accountable to Norman and bring my data?
Yes. You create a full data export in Accountable as a ZIP file with the Excel export and the original documents, and upload it in the Norman migration portal. Norman brings over customers, income and expenses, invoice data, VAT and reverse charge, and matches the documents to the transactions. Then you connect your bank account and the AI keeps booking.
Norman or Accountable: which is better for me?
It depends on your setup. Accountable plays to its strengths if you work mainly on mobile as a solo self-employed person and want to be guided through EÜR, VAT returns, and income tax, including a tax guarantee and a tax coach on higher tiers. Norman is the better choice if you want free invoicing and full bookkeeping without a subscription, use AI receipt capture with no receipt cap, prefer working on the desktop, or want to stay on board as a UG or GmbH. On DATEV, Norman is ahead: it offers a full DATEV integration including booking data and a REST API, whereas Accountable offers a DATEV export from Rechnungen Plus.
Is Norman available in English?
Norman is available in German, English, and more: you can switch the interface, which is especially helpful for international founders in Germany. Accountable is also available in German and English, which makes it a good fit for expats; the emphasis is on the mobile app, though. If you want to work multilingually and prefer the desktop, Norman is more flexible.