Best accounting & invoicing software for French freelancers (2026)
The best accounting software for French freelancers — Indy, Tiime, Shine and Abby compared. Built for the micro-entrepreneur regime, with URSSAF declarations, TVA franchise handling and an honest look at English support and the 2026 e-invoicing reform.
Solopreneur (20 years) · marketer & investor · 12 June 2026 · updated 12 June 2026 · 12 min read
If you are freelancing in France — most likely as a micro-entrepreneur (the regime everyone still calls auto-entrepreneur) — the accounting tool you pick is not a cosmetic choice. It decides whether your monthly or quarterly URSSAF declaration is a two-minute copy of one number or a guessing game, whether your invoices carry the legal mentions the administration fiscale demands, and whether you are ready for the facturation électronique reform landing from 2026. French admin is precise and unforgiving; the right software absorbs most of that for the price of a couple of coffees a month — and in one case here, for free.
How I evaluated these. I judged each tool on the things that actually matter to a solo self-employed person in France, not a US-centric feature checklist:
- URSSAF declarations — does it track your chiffre d’affaires and hand you the exact figure (or pre-fill it) for your monthly/quarterly URSSAF declaration, including the right activity split (BIC vs BNC) for your cotisations?
- Micro-entrepreneur regime — is it built for the micro world (simple cash accounting, no double-entry obligation) rather than forcing a full company-grade ledger on a one-person shop?
- TVA franchise (franchise en base de TVA) — does it correctly issue VAT-free invoices with the “TVA non applicable, art. 293 B du CGI” mention while you are under the threshold, and switch cleanly to charging TVA when you cross it?
- 2026 e-invoicing reform (facturation électronique) — France’s reform phases in from 2026, making structured B2B e-invoices (Factur-X, routed through a registered platform) mandatory. Does the tool create and receive these, and is it moving toward registered-platform status?
- English support — can a non-French-speaking expat freelancer actually run the thing, or is the interface and help French-only?
Tax figures and thresholds below are approximate 2026 public numbers — always verify current rates and the e-invoicing timeline with the vendor or an expert-comptable before you rely on them.
At a glance
| Tool | Built for | URSSAF figures | TVA franchise | E-invoicing (2026) | English | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indy | Micro + liberal pros | ✅ tracks CA | ✅ art. 293 B | ⚠️ working toward | ⚠️ limited | Free · paid tiers |
| Tiime | Polished accounting + invoicing | ✅ | ✅ | ⚠️ working toward | ⚠️ limited | ~€0–25/mo |
| Shine | Banking + admin in one | ✅ | ✅ | ⚠️ working toward | ⚠️ partial | ~€0–15/mo |
| Abby | Micro-entrepreneur all-in-one | ✅ | ✅ | ⚠️ working toward | ❌ French | Free · ~€0–15/mo |
1. Indy — free, all-in-one for micro-entrepreneurs
Indy
Indy is the tool I reach for first when a French freelancer wants one app that handles invoicing, expenses and the numbers they actually declare — without paying for it. Its core invoicing and bookkeeping is genuinely free, and it is built for the independent self-employed (micro-entrepreneurs and professions libérales), so it does not bury a one-person business under company-grade accounting it will never use.
It speaks URSSAF. Indy tracks your chiffre d’affaires as you invoice, splits it by activity type, and hands you the exact turnover figure to enter in your monthly or quarterly URSSAF declaration — turning the deadline into a copy-paste rather than a spreadsheet panic. It also connects to your bank to reconcile income and expenses automatically.
TVA franchise-aware. While you are under the franchise en base de TVA threshold, Indy issues invoices VAT-free with the correct “TVA non applicable, art. 293 B du CGI” mention. When you grow past the threshold and have to start charging TVA, it adapts rather than forcing a rebuild.
Worked example. A Lyon freelance consultant (BNC) sends ~8 invoices a month and links their pro bank account. Indy books everything, tracks the CA, and produces the URSSAF figure each quarter — all on the free core. Cost: €0 for the essentials, with paid tiers only if they later want advanced accounting or liberal-profession features. Verify current free-tier limits.
Pros: free core that genuinely covers a micro-entrepreneur; clean URSSAF turnover tracking; bank reconciliation; built specifically for the independent self-employed; strong value. Cons: the interface and support are largely French — a real barrier for non-French speakers; advanced/liberal-profession features sit behind paid tiers, and e-invoicing-reform coverage is still maturing, so verify it issues compliant e-invoices before the 2026 obligations bite.
2. Tiime — polished accounting + invoicing
Tiime
Tiime is the premium-feeling option here. Where Indy wins on price, Tiime wins on polish — slick, fast invoicing paired with proper accounting and a connected business account, aimed at freelancers who want their admin to feel as professional as their work and who may eventually loop in an expert-comptable.
Invoicing that looks the part. Tiime’s invoice and quote builder is genuinely pleasant: clean templates, the required French legal mentions handled, and a quick path from quote to paid invoice. Receipt capture is solid — photograph a justificatif and it files it against the right entry.
Accountant-friendly. Tiime grew up close to the expert-comptable world, so if you outsource your year-end (or run an activity that needs real accounting rather than just micro turnover tracking), the handover is smooth. It still covers the micro essentials — CA tracking for URSSAF and the TVA franchise mentions — but it scales up better than a pure micro tool.
Worked example. A Paris freelance designer who wants premium invoicing and an integrated pro account uses Tiime to quote, invoice, capture receipts and keep the books tidy for their accountant. Cost: roughly €10–25/month depending on tier (with a free entry level tied to the account) — verify current pricing.
Pros: polished, fast invoicing; proper accounting depth; connected business account; accountant-friendly handover; covers URSSAF turnover and TVA franchise. Cons: the better features are paid, so it is pricier than Indy for a simple micro-entrepreneur; interface and support are mainly French; like the others, its e-invoicing-reform coverage is still rolling out — confirm what it supports for 2026.
3. Shine — banking + admin assistance in one
Shine
Shine starts from a different place: it is a pro bank account for freelancers and small businesses that bolts invoicing and admin help on top. If you want one login for your money and your paperwork — rather than a separate bank and a separate accounting tool — Shine is the one-account answer.
Account first, admin second. You get a French business account (IBAN, card) with invoicing, expense categorisation and turnover tracking built in, plus guided help for the administrative chores a French freelancer faces — registration steps, URSSAF figures, and reminders so deadlines do not ambush you.
Good for the admin-averse. Shine’s pitch is hand-holding: it nudges you through the micro obligations and surfaces the CA figure you need for URSSAF, while the TVA franchise mentions are handled on your invoices. It is less of a deep accounting engine than Tiime and less of a free powerhouse than Indy — its value is the bank + admin bundle.
Worked example. A Bordeaux freelance photographer who is opening their activity uses Shine as both their pro account and their invoicing/admin assistant: one app for the IBAN, the invoices, the turnover tracking and the URSSAF reminders. Cost: roughly €0–15/month depending on the plan — verify current pricing and what each tier includes.
Pros: real pro bank account plus invoicing and admin in one place; helpful guided admin and reminders; good for freelancers who hate paperwork; turnover tracking for URSSAF; TVA franchise mentions handled. Cons: the accounting depth is lighter than Tiime or Indy — if you need real bookkeeping it may not be enough; some features are tied to paid account plans; English support is partial at best, and e-invoicing-reform coverage needs verifying.
4. Abby — micro-entrepreneur all-in-one app
Abby
Abby is the most micro-entrepreneur-native tool here — an all-in-one app built from the ground up for the auto-entrepreneur, covering invoicing, expense tracking, turnover monitoring and the URSSAF declaration flow in a single, mobile-friendly package. If you want one app that assumes you are a micro and nothing else, Abby fits.
Micro-first, end to end. Abby tracks your chiffre d’affaires against the micro thresholds, warns you as you approach the limits, produces the figures for your URSSAF declaration, and issues compliant invoices with the TVA franchise mention while you are under the VAT threshold. It is designed so a first-time micro-entrepreneur can run their whole admin without an accountant.
Simple by design. Where Tiime scales toward real accounting and Shine toward banking, Abby stays deliberately in the micro lane — which is exactly right if your situation is simple, and limiting if you outgrow the regime.
Worked example. A Nantes micro-entrepreneur (BIC, services) sends ~5 invoices a month and wants one app for everything. Abby issues the invoices, tracks CA toward the threshold, and walks them through the URSSAF declaration. Cost: a free tier for light use scaling to roughly €0–15/month on paid plans — verify current limits.
Pros: purpose-built for micro-entrepreneurs; clear CA-vs-threshold tracking and URSSAF flow; compliant TVA franchise invoicing; free tier; simple and approachable for first-timers. Cons: French-only interface and support — the hardest of the four for a non-French speaker; deliberately micro-focused, so it does not scale once you leave the regime; e-invoicing-reform coverage is still maturing — verify before relying on it for 2026.
Worked example: a Paris micro-entrepreneur at ~€45k/year
Take a Paris micro-entrepreneur billing around €45,000/year in services — under the micro ceiling but well over the TVA franchise threshold, so they have crossed into charging TVA, declare their chiffre d’affaires to URSSAF each month or quarter, and pay cotisations on turnover. What does the free Indy path cost versus the paid Tiime path, in money and time?
| Path | Rough yearly cost | What you get | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indy (free core) | ~€0–120 | Invoicing, expense tracking, CA tracking, URSSAF figures, TVA franchise/TVA mentions | You do the admin yourself; French UI; advanced features cost extra |
| Tiime (paid) | ~€120–300 | Polished invoicing, deeper accounting, connected pro account, accountant-friendly handover | Pays for polish + depth; still French UI |
| An expert-comptable | ~€600–1,500+ | Someone else does the books; advice included | Several times the cost; still want a tool to feed them |
The honest read at €45k: a micro-entrepreneur’s mechanics — compliant invoices, accurate CA, correct TVA handling, the right URSSAF figure — are fully covered by Indy for free, and most freelancers at this level run a software-only setup, only paying an expert-comptable if their situation gets complicated. Tiime’s ~€120–300/year buys polish, deeper accounting and a smoother accountant handover — worth it if you value the experience or expect to grow past the micro regime, but not strictly necessary for the compliance itself. These figures are approximate; cotisation rates, the TVA franchise threshold and expert-comptable fees vary — verify.
How to choose
| If you are… | Start with |
|---|---|
| A micro-entrepreneur who wants the most for free | Indy (free core, URSSAF-ready) |
| After polished invoicing + deeper accounting | Tiime (paid, accountant-friendly) |
| Wanting your bank account and admin in one app | Shine (pro account + admin help) |
| A first-time micro who wants one simple app | Abby (micro-first all-in-one) |
| Unsure | Run Indy free and a Tiime trial for a week — free-but-French vs polished-but-paid will decide it |
The blunt summary: Indy if cost matters and your situation is simple — it covers the micro mechanics for free; Tiime if you want polish and depth and do not mind paying; Shine if you want bank-plus-admin in one; Abby if you want the simplest micro-native app. All four offer a free tier or trial, so test before you commit a cent — and note that English support is limited across the board, which matters most if you do not read French admin comfortably.
EU / FR footnote: what French freelance accounting actually requires
Every tool here is built for the French regime — but the obligations are yours, not the software’s. Practical checklist:
- Micro vs réel — most freelancers run under the micro-entrepreneur regime (simple cash accounting, no double-entry obligation, turnover-based cotisations); you only move to the régime réel above the micro ceilings or by choice. All four tools are built for the micro world.
- TVA franchise en base — while your turnover is under the current threshold you can invoice without TVA, using the “TVA non applicable, art. 293 B du CGI” mention; above it you must charge and declare TVA. Verify the current threshold — it has changed in recent years.
- URSSAF declarations — you declare your chiffre d’affaires monthly or quarterly and pay cotisations on it (even €0 turnover must be declared). The tools surface the figure; you generally still confirm it on the URSSAF portal.
- Facturation électronique (2026 reform) — structured B2B e-invoicing (Factur-X, routed through a registered platform / PDP) phases in from 2026. Make sure your tool both creates and receives compliant e-invoices and is moving toward registered-platform support.
- Keep the justificatifs — French rules require you to retain invoices and supporting documents for years. Cloud tools help, but the legal duty to retain is yours.
None of this is legal or tax advice. Thresholds, cotisation rates, deadlines and the e-invoicing timeline change — confirm the current rules with the vendor or an expert-comptable before filing.
Stop letting bookkeeping eat your evenings
French admin doesn’t get simpler — but the right tool turns your déclarations URSSAF and invoicing into a few clicks instead of a lost evening. Most micro-entrepreneurs start free with Indy (upgrade to Tiime when you want a more polished paid app):
Cross-links: new to all of this? Start with freelancing in France: micro-entrepreneur for the registration and tax basics. For the broader tool comparison across the EU, see the pan-EU accounting & bookkeeping roundup and the invoicing & accounting roundup. And for the full picture of the admin, tax and tooling around going solo here, see the hub on running a one-person business in France.