The best accounting software in 2027

Accounting software keeps your books, prepares VAT returns and the year-end balance sheet, then hands your accounting firm or the tax authorities files in the format they expect. This ranking compares ten tools, from the free app for freelancers to the suite built for corporate finance departments. For each one, you will find what it covers (bookkeeping entries, tax returns, year-end close), the role it leaves to your chartered accountant, its limitations and the price it publishes.

The 10 best accounting software in 2027

1. Pennylane: freelancers, very small businesses and SMEs that want invoices, a business account and accounting in a single tool.
2. Indy: freelancers and small companies that file their own returns, with a free plan.
3. Sage: very small businesses, SMEs and accounting firms choosing between a cloud solution and software installed on a PC.
4. EBP: very small businesses and SMEs with an in-house accountant, nonprofits and trades such as construction.
5. Cegid: finance departments of mid-sized companies and groups that need consolidation and fixed asset management.
6. MyUnisoft: accounting firms that share one tool with their small business and SME clients.
7. macompta.fr: businesses and nonprofits that assemble the modules they need.
8. ZEFYR: non-accountant business owners who want to keep their own books, with a price tied to revenue.
9. Bleez: nonprofits, entrepreneurs and accounting firms that work together on the same file.
10. Xero: small businesses comfortable with an English interface and invoices in several currencies.

Why does your choice of accounting software commit your business in 2027?

Your software applies bookkeeping rules set by law on your behalf. The Service Public Entreprendre page on the accounting obligations of a commercial company (the French government's official portal for businesses), checked on September 7, 2026, allows the books to be kept electronically with software, provided they are dated and recorded as soon as they are drawn up so that their content is guaranteed. Each record must state the origin, content and account of every piece of data, along with the reference of the supporting document. The same page requires accounting documents and supporting documents to be kept for at least 10 years from the close of the financial year, or the company faces a €10,000 fine.

A tax audit then relies on one specific file, the FEC (fichier des écritures comptables, France's standard audit file of accounting entries): a digital copy of your entries, in a format set by article A. 47 A-1 of the French tax procedure code. According to the BOFiP, the official database of French tax doctrine, this copy is handed over at the auditor's first on-site visit. Failing to present it in this format triggers a €5,000 fine or, in the event of a reassessment and if the amount is higher, a 10% surcharge on the taxes charged to the company. Auto-entrepreneurs (France's micro-business status) are exempted as a matter of administrative leniency. So ask the vendor how its software produces the FEC before you sign.

That leaves the split of roles with your accounting firm. Service Public Entreprendre points out that a company can keep its own accounts, and that if it entrusts them to a professional, it must use a chartered accountant registered with the Ordre des experts-comptables (the French professional body). If you work with a firm, check whether the tool gives it access to your file, and if not, how files are exchanged at year-end. On the invoicing side, the DGFiP (France's public finance directorate) sets September 1, 2027 as the date from which SMEs and micro-businesses must issue invoices in electronic format.

How did we rank these tools?

In October 2026, we read what each vendor writes on its website about bookkeeping, tax returns and working with the accounting firm, with no paid test and no partnership. Four criteria counted:

1. Obligations covered: bookkeeping entries, VAT, year-end close, balance sheet, corporate tax return package, and FEC production when the vendor mentions it.
2. The chartered accountant's role: access to the file, offers for accounting firms, review tools.
3. Automated bookkeeping: bank sync, receipt reading, payment matching.
4. Price clarity: a published price grid in euros, excl. VAT, with what makes it vary (legal status, revenue, modules, users).

The 10 best accounting software: the reviews

1. Pennylane

Pennylane brings together e-invoicing, purchase management, cash management, a Compte Pro business account and accounting, with built-in AI. The vendor describes itself as a registered Plateforme Agréée (an approved e-invoicing platform under the French reform), included in every plan at no extra cost, and advertises more than 300 integrations.

Full accounting comes with the Premium plan and its accounting module: rule-based automated entries, tax returns filed via EDI (electronic data interchange with the tax authorities, for VAT or the corporate tax return package), monthly and annual closes with a review module (fixed assets, prepaid expenses, bank reconciliations), and editing and customization of the annual accounts. The lower plans already give your accountant access.

Best for: freelancers and owners of very small businesses who want to manage invoices, expenses, a business account and accounting from one interface.

Strengths: e-invoicing included in every plan; accountant access from the Starter plan; review module and EDI tax filings in the Premium plan.

Limitations: the Starter plan requires activating the Pennylane Compte Pro. For a freelancer, each plan is limited to one user and 1,200 invoices per year. The accounting module is reserved for the most expensive plan.

Pricing: for a freelancer (EI, SASU, EURL, SCI), Starter at €7 excl. VAT per month, Basique at €14, Essentiel at €24 and Premium at €79 excl. VAT per month. For a very small business, with 2 management users, Basique at €29 excl. VAT per month, Essentiel at €49 and Premium at €149 excl. VAT per month; the page also offers a 5-user option, and a tailored Custom offer for multi-entity companies. 15-day free trial; for an SME, the vendor advertises a customized offer. Price checked on October 10, 2026.

2. Indy

At Indy, accounting starts from the bank account: transactions are synced and categorized automatically, invoices and expense reports are attached to the right transactions, and VAT is detected with no manual entry. The vendor targets freelancers, whether they operate as a sole proprietorship, a company or an SCI (a French property-holding company).

Mandatory returns (balance sheet, VAT, URSSAF, the French social security collection agency, and CFE, the business property tax) are prepared in the app, with a notification before each deadline. Indy is a Plateforme Agréée registered by the DGFiP, and offers a business account with IBAN and card, invoicing and company formation. With the Sérénité plan, a partner chartered accountant handles your tax returns and the balance sheet is attested or certified by a chartered accountant.

Best for: micro-entrepreneurs, sole proprietors and owners of small companies who want to file their own returns, with the option of handing over to a chartered accountant.

Strengths: free Essentiel plan with automated accounting, e-invoicing and a business account; tax guarantee in the Autonomie plans; tax returns handled by a partner chartered accountant in the Sérénité plan.

Limitations: electronic filing of returns starts with the Autonomie plan, and the free plan is limited to customer service by email.

Pricing: Essentiel at €0 and Plus from €9 excl. VAT per month billed annually (€108 excl. VAT for one year, or €12 excl. VAT month to month), whatever the legal status. The higher plans depend on legal status, billed annually: Autonomie from €15 excl. VAT per month for an auto-entreprise (€19 excl. VAT month to month), €22 for a sole proprietorship (€28 month to month), €49 for a sole proprietorship subject to corporate tax (€59 month to month), €24 for an SCI or LMNP, France's furnished rental status (€32 month to month) and €49 for an SAS, SASU, SARL or EURL company (€59 month to month); Sérénité, with a partner chartered accountant, from €71 excl. VAT for a sole proprietorship, €63 for an SCI or LMNP and €99 for a company; Exclusivité, with a dedicated chartered accountant, from €149 excl. VAT per month for a company (€179 month to month). Price checked on October 10, 2026.

3. Sage

Sage spreads its accounting offer across several products. Sage Active, in the cloud, handles quotes, invoices, accounting and payroll for tradespeople and very small businesses; its Essentials version runs on PC, Mac and tablet and includes the Sage Copilot assistant. Sage 50 Comptabilité, installed on a PC, targets businesses that need advanced accounting: fixed assets, budgets, cost accounting, electronic filing of VAT and of the corporate tax return package. The range also includes Sage 100, Sage X3 and Sage Intacct, which adds multi-entity management.

The accounting page lists VAT calculation and filing, financial dashboards, tracking of customer and supplier invoices, bank reconciliation, cash management and expense reports. For e-invoicing, Sage states that its software integrates its approved platform, and offers Sage Accès PA to receive and send invoices without switching tools right away. Finally, the range includes Sage Génération Experts, and the site devotes a tab to chartered accountants.

Best for: very small businesses and SMEs torn between a cloud solution and installed software, and chartered accountants, to whom Sage devotes part of its range.

Strengths: a range that covers everyone from the tradesperson to the multi-entity company; Sage Accès PA to become compliant without an immediate migration; product support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, online or by phone.

Limitations: choosing requires some comparison first, since the accounting page points to four separate offers (Sage Active Essentials, Sage 50 Comptabilité, Sage 100 Comptabilité, Sage Intacct). Sage 50 Comptabilité runs on PC.

Pricing: the accounting page shows undiscounted public prices starting at €49 per month for Sage Active Essentials and starting at €21 per month for Sage 50 Comptabilité, VAT treatment not stated; Sage 100 Comptabilité and Sage Intacct have no price there. Price checked on October 10, 2026.

4. EBP

The accounting range from EBP has three tiers for very small businesses and SMEs. EBP Comptabilité ACTIV covers data entry and automatic posting of entries from invoices, receipt of e-invoices through the vendor's Plateforme Agréée, bank connection with reconciliation and account matching, accounting statements (balance sheet, income statement, general ledger, trial balance), monthly and annual closes and the VAT return. The PRO version adds cost accounting on three axes, multi-currency, fixed assets, budgeting and cash forecasting. The ELITE version brings adjusting and closing entries, prepaid expenses and deferred income, and a pre-close review.

EBP lists the FEC among the documents its software produces, along with VAT, the balance sheet, the income statement and the notes to the accounts. The vendor also offers industry-specific software: construction, retail, automotive, nonprofits, accounting firms and education.

Best for: very small businesses and SMEs with an in-house accountant (the vendor steers this profile toward the PRO and ELITE versions) and nonprofits.

Strengths: FEC production explicitly mentioned; three tiers that go as far as reviewing the accounts; a nonprofit version that handles donations and tax receipts.

Limitations: the three business versions are sold on quote, and the Révision module of the ELITE version is an add-on.

Pricing: EBP Comptabilité ACTIV, PRO and ELITE on quote; EBP Comptabilité Associations from €313.20 excl. VAT, with no duration stated on the page. Price checked on October 10, 2026.

5. Cegid

Founded in France in 1983, Cegid publishes management software for finance, human resources and retail, aimed at very small businesses, SMEs, mid-sized companies and large accounts. Its accounting lineup goes beyond bookkeeping: Cegid Comptabilité automates accounting with AI and takes compliance monitoring off your hands, Cegid Consolidation handles statutory and management consolidation under CRC and IFRS standards (French and international) and Cegid Immobilisations automates entries related to fixed assets.

Cegid Contasimple creates invoices, manages accounting and calculates taxes. The site also announces Cegid's tie-up with Silae, and a banner states that "Cegid pour les Experts-Comptables devient Shine" (Cegid for chartered accountants becomes Shine).

Best for: finance departments of mid-sized companies and groups that want accounting, consolidation, fixed assets and cash management from a single vendor.

Strengths: consolidation under CRC and IFRS standards; cash management and bank communication tools (Cegid Allmybanks for groups and mid-sized companies, Cegid Exabanque for SMEs); support at Standard and Premium levels, with training and assistance.

Limitations: the site publishes no prices. The offer for accounting firms is changing its name, so check with the vendor which product you will be offered.

Pricing: prices not published; the offers page describes the Standard and Premium support levels, with no amount.

6. MyUnisoft

Software for accounting firms and for very small businesses and SMEs, MyUnisoft connects chartered accountants and the small businesses they support on one platform, which it describes as 100% sovereign. On the firm side, the tool runs from accounting and tax production to client advisory, including the firm's internal management. On the business side, it automates quotes, invoices and reminders, tracks incoming payments and offers a business account with no opening fee, where every transaction is synced with the management software. The former myunisoft.fr site redirects to myu.fr.

MyUnisoft is a Plateforme Agréée: the firm's clients issue and receive their e-invoices from their software, the data flows into their accounts, and the firm manages their mandates from its production software. The vendor handles the migration of client files, with a test on five pilot files one week before go-live, and lets the firm deploy the tool as a white label in its own colors.

Best for: accounting firms that want their clients to work in the same tool as they do.

Strengths: e-invoicing connected to the firm's production software; supported and verified migration; white label, with the firm's logo, colors and domain name.

Limitations: the site publishes no prices. Human support answers Monday to Thursday from 8:30 to 17:30 and on Friday from 8:30 to 16:30

Pricing: prices not published; the site offers a demo.

7. macompta.fr

An online suite, macompta.fr is made of building blocks you pick: accounting, invoicing, fixed assets, tax returns and payroll. Accounting comes in a Simplifiée version, for auto-entrepreneurs and small nonprofits, and a Complète version, for independent professionals, tradespeople, retailers and companies, with cost accounting, VAT management, third-party account matching and intermediate management balance tables.

The site highlights bank sync, import of the FEC and of sales, purchase and payroll entries, automatic reading (OCR) of invoices and expense reports, and automatic generation of VAT and depreciation entries. The tax returns module files the corporate tax return package and VAT via EDI, and macompta.fr describes itself as an EDI partner authorized by the DGFiP. Hosting and support are in France, and three users are included in the subscription.

Best for: businesses and nonprofits that keep their accounts online and only want to pay for the modules they use.

Strengths: import of the FEC and of sales, purchase and payroll entries; pricing built module by module; three users at no extra cost.

Limitations: on e-invoicing, the site talks about receiving invoices and getting ready to issue them. Phone support is a paid add-on (Assistance premium).

Pricing: Simplifiée accounting at €7.04 excl. VAT per month billed annually, €8 excl. VAT month to month; Complète at €15.40 excl. VAT annually, €17.50 excl. VAT month to month; Déclarations fiscales module at €8.75 excl. VAT annually, €9.94 excl. VAT month to month; one-month free trial. Price checked on October 10, 2026.

8. ZEFYR

The bet behind ZEFYR: getting you to keep your own books, even with no accounting knowledge. The suite includes bank sync, automated entries, VAT, the balance sheet, the income statement and a pre-filled corporate tax return package, filed via EDI with tracking until the DGFiP accepts it. On top of that come fixed assets and loans, cost accounting on three code levels, inventory, a CRM, project management and payroll with filing of the DSN (France's monthly payroll declaration).

The site targets SARL, SAS, EURL and SASU companies, non-trading companies subject to corporate or personal income tax, farms, nonprofits, sole proprietorships and independent professionals. Accounting support is included. Your employees, partners and chartered accountant can be given access at no extra charge.

Best for: owners of small companies, farms or nonprofits who want to know their numbers without relying on a third party.

Strengths: every app included from the start of the subscription; access at no extra charge for the chartered accountant; tax return package tracked until accepted.

Limitations: the price rises with revenue. Payroll and electronic filing of the tax return package cost extra, and taking over entries from another software becomes paid more than ten months after the start of the financial year (€140 excl. VAT).

Pricing: €14 excl. VAT per month up to €12k in revenue, €25 excl. VAT from €12k to €50k, €35 excl. VAT from €50k to €100k, €45 excl. VAT from €100k to €200k; €10 excl. VAT per payslip and €55 excl. VAT per financial year for electronic filing of the tax return package; 30 days free. Above €200k in revenue, a simulator on the pricing page calculates the price based on revenue and the number of payslips, and above €4 million you need to contact support. Price checked on October 10, 2026.

9. Bleez

Born in the accounting profession according to the vendor, Bleez is collaborative online accounting software: multi-user access, permission management, a shared workspace. It automates data import, entry generation and VAT calculations, and adds cash tracking, dashboards, expense reports and an invoice scanning app.

For e-invoicing, Bleez chose to be a Solution Compatible (a compatible solution that connects to an approved platform): it handles data entry and leaves transmission to its partner Serensia, a Plateforme Agréée. An optional Révision et liasse module lets you review the financial year, produce the tax return package and the annual report, then transmit the tax data via EDI.

Best for: nonprofits, small businesses and accounting firms that want to work together on the same file, with a free entry plan.

Strengths: free Starter pack; direct connection with Serensia, with no external installation.

Limitations: each pack caps the number of accounting lines and sales invoices per financial year (500 lines and 100 invoices for Solo). E-invoices beyond the monthly quota cost extra, as does the Révision et liasse module.

Pricing: Starter at €0 (100 lines and 30 sales invoices per financial year); Solo at €5 excl. VAT per month billed annually (€60 excl. VAT per year), €5.95 month to month; Team at €15 excl. VAT annually (€180 excl. VAT per year), €17.86 month to month; Network at €45 excl. VAT annually (€540 excl. VAT per year), €53.57 month to month; 16% discount for annual billing and a 14-day trial. Price checked on October 10, 2026.

10. Xero

Online accounting software for small businesses, Xero connects your bank, your accountant and your business apps. The plans cover sending quotes and invoices, entering supplier bills, bank reconciliation, document capture (Smart Document Capture), real-time reports and a cash flow forecast of 30, 60 or 180 days depending on the plan. The JAX assistant answers questions about your finances and automates repetitive tasks.

Xero advertises more than 1,000 connectable apps and a 30-day free trial with no credit card.

Best for: small businesses that work in English and invoice in several currencies.

Strengths: automatic transaction matching in the higher plans; multi-currency in Premium; a wide choice of connected apps.

Limitations: the site has no French version and its prices are in US dollars. It mentions neither the FEC nor French tax returns. The vendor announces a price increase on November 1, 2026.

Pricing: prices published in dollars on the site.

The 10 accounting software tools compared

Prices checked on October 10, 2026 on the vendors' websites. The price column shows the first plan priced in euros, before tax filing or review add-ons.

Software	Who it's for	Accounting and tax returns	Published entry price	What drives the bill up
Pennylane	Freelancers, very small businesses, SMEs	Accounting module, review, EDI tax filings (Premium plan)	€7 excl. VAT per month for a freelancer, €29 excl. VAT for a very small business	Plan chosen, legal status, number of users
Indy	Freelancers, companies, SCIs	Automated accounting, returns filed electronically from Autonomie	€0 (Essentiel)	Legal status, plan, partner chartered accountant
Sage	Very small businesses, SMEs, accounting firms	VAT, bank reconciliation, tax return package (Sage 50 Comptabilité)	From €21 per month (Sage 50 Comptabilité), VAT treatment not stated	Product chosen, add-ons
EBP	Very small businesses, SMEs, nonprofits	Closes, VAT, FEC, review (ELITE)	On quote (€313.20 excl. VAT for Associations)	ACTIV, PRO or ELITE version, Révision module
Cegid	Mid-sized companies, groups, SMEs	Accounting, consolidation, fixed assets	Not published	Products and support level
MyUnisoft	Accounting firms and their clients	The firm's accounting and tax production	Not published	Not stated on the site
macompta.fr	Businesses, nonprofits	Accounting, tax return package and VAT via EDI, FEC import	€7.04 excl. VAT per month billed annually	Added modules, users beyond three, phone support
ZEFYR	Small companies, farmers, nonprofits	Balance sheet, tax return package via EDI, cost accounting, payroll	€14 excl. VAT per month	Revenue, payslips, tax return package via EDI
Bleez	Nonprofits, entrepreneurs, accounting firms	Automated entries, VAT, optional review and tax return package	€0 (Starter)	Accounting lines, e-invoices beyond the quota, add-ons
Xero	English-speaking small businesses	Reconciliation, reports, cash flow forecast	Prices published in dollars	Plan, add-ons (expenses, projects)

Other software worth knowing

Software	What it does
Odoo	Open source management suite (ERP and CRM) whose apps include accounting, invoicing and expense reports.
Superindep	Accounting software for auto-entrepreneurs that automates URSSAF and VAT returns.
Qotid	Financial management solution from the Septeo group for companies and multi-entity groups, a registered approved e-invoicing platform.
Chaintrust	Automated bookkeeping for accounting firms, a Plateforme Agréée of the Visma group according to the vendor.
Inqom	Accounting platform from the Visma group designed for accounting firms.
ACD	Vendor of production and management software for accounting firms.
fulll	100% web platform for accounting firms: pre-accounting, accounting and payroll production, built-in Plateforme Agréée.
Dext	AI-assisted bookkeeping: captures receipts and invoices, then sends them to your accounting software.
Memsoft Oxygène	Windows software for accounting, sales management, payroll and CRM, with a free scope.
Exact WinBooks	Exact's accounting solution for SMEs and accountants, sold in Belgium and Luxembourg, with e-invoicing via Peppol.

What should you check before choosing?

1. FEC export. Ask for a demo of the export and keep a copy of the file at each year-end close.
2. Your chartered accountant's access. Check whether that access is included in the price (ZEFYR states it; macompta.fr includes three users in the subscription), and whether your firm already works with this vendor.
3. Which returns are included. VAT, tax return package, URSSAF, CFE: see which ones are only prepared and which are filed electronically, and from which plan (at Indy, electronic filing starts with Autonomie; at ZEFYR, the tax return package via EDI costs €55 excl. VAT per financial year, price checked on October 10, 2026).
4. Taking over your history. If you switch tools mid-year, ask who takes over past entries, how long it takes and at what price.
5. Data retention and export. Your books and supporting documents must be kept for at least 10 years: check how long the vendor archives them and how you get them back if you leave.

Where does this ranking stop?

No set of books was kept over a financial year to write these reviews: we posted no entry, filed no tax return package and exported no FEC. The ranking rests on what vendors published in October 2026, and our tool could not read some pages in full; a feature missing from a review may therefore exist elsewhere on the vendor's site.

Online accounting firms sell a service, so they are left out of this ranking. QuickBooks is left out too: Intuit's French page states that QuickBooks products are no longer available in France. Your legal status, your volume of entries and your firm's habits matter more than the rank. We will review this ranking when vendors change their price grids or their e-invoicing offers.

Once your books are in order, how do future clients find you?

Accounting software records your sales, prepares your returns and opens your file to the firm. It does not put your business in front of the person searching for your service on Google or asking ChatGPT for a provider nearby. For an accounting firm, that person may be looking for a precise answer: which legal status to choose, how to file VAT, what a balance sheet contains.

Sorank automates this visibility work: after a full technical audit, the platform measures how present you are in AI assistants and identifies your keywords. It then writes articles for your site designed to be picked up by AI assistants, publishes them and earns contextual backlinks. You approve the proposed topics, and you get a monthly report.

To see which topics Sorank would cover for your business or your firm, book a call.

Conclusion

Good accounting software comes down to three questions: does it cover your returns, does it produce the files an audit requires, and does it let your firm work in the same file? The ten tools in this ranking answer them in different ways, from the free plan for freelancers to group consolidation.

You are a freelancer or micro-entrepreneur and file your own returns: start with Indy, whose Essentiel plan is free. You run a very small business or an SME and want invoices, expenses, a business account and accounting in one place: Pennylane brings these functions together, with an accounting module in its Premium plan. You run an accounting firm and want your clients working in your tool: MyUnisoft is built for that sharing, e-invoicing included.