kalkül alternatives

The 5 best kalkül alternatives in 2026

The short answer: kalkül is a genuinely good free tool — its core features are permanently free. People who look for an alternative usually want one of three things: automation (kalkül has no AI features and reminders are sent manually), design freedom (colors and layout are reserved for paying supporters) or Germany coverage (kalkül states an explicit focus on Austria). For automation, Billy (from €9/month) is our pick — it is our own product, and below we are transparent about where it wins and where it does not.

This roundup covers all five serious options — with verified pricing (as of July 2026), honest weaknesses and a clear "best for" per tool.

All alternatives at a glance

The 5 best kalkül alternatives in 2026
BillyProSaldo.netFreeFinancesevDeskRunple
Best forInvoices from AI prompts & automatic dunningBookkeeping with UVA & FinanzOnline, Austria onlyFull bookkeeping incl. e-invoicing (ebInterface)Accounting & e-invoicing in the DACH region, native appsTrading with inventory; free tier with real dunning
Document limitfrom 50/month; unlimited on ProUnlimited invoices (all plans)No invoice limit; OCR via credits (1,000/yr)Free: 3 invoices/month; paid unlimitedFree: 5/month; Basic: unlimited
Pricefrom €9 / monthfrom €9 / month (annual) or €10 monthlyinvoicing from Plus: €25 / month (12-month term) or €22 (36 months)from €12.90 / month; free tier: 3 invoices/monthFree (5 invoices/month); Basic €19.90, Standard €29.90
Invoice from AI promptYescore featureNoNoNoNo
All features via AI assistantYesassistant reaches every featureNobooking suggestions & OCR onlyNoreceipt recognition (OCR) onlyNosuggestions only (receipts, bookings)NoAI for incoming documents only
Professional templatesYesdesigned templatesPartiallyBASIC: fixed layout; designer from PLUSPartially~43 fonts; free layouts need desktop softwareYes11 layouts, 6 of them PremiumPartiallybranding even on the free plan
Live previewYesNoPDF preview in a new windowNoPDF preview only in edit mode
Recurring invoicesYesset up in one sentencePartiallyfrom PLUS; creates draftsPartiallya batch you create yourselfYesPartiallyStandard (€29.90) and up
Automatic email sendingYesinvoices & reminders, from the entry planNoreminders manual per open itemNobulk dunning — every run started manuallyPartiallyseries invoices optionally automatic; dunning manualPartiallydunning yes (3 stages); series dispatch not documented
BookkeepingNodeliberately notYescash-basis from GO, UVA filing from PLUSYesUVA & ZM straight to FinanzOnlineYesin the accounting planYescash-basis free, UVA from Standard
E-invoicingNoPDF invoicesPartiallyebInterface to the federal gov., all plansYesebInterface & XRechnung from PlusYeseven in the free tierNonot offered

All pricing and feature claims per the vendors, verified on August 2, 2026. Prices net; subject to change.

#1

Billy

The AI invoicing app

Billy is the alternative for everyone hitting exactly kalkül’s limits: the AI assistant creates invoices, quotes and reminders from one sentence, sends them after your confirmation, and chases late payers automatically — from the entry plan. You also get designed templates with live preview without a supporter subscription, and Austria AND Germany run in the same account.

Full transparency, since Billy is our product: it is deliberately NOT accounting software — cash-basis accounting (E/A-Rechnung), UVA and FinanzOnline are absent. Billy also creates no e-invoices (including no ebInterface). And unlike kalkül, Billy has no permanently free plan.

Strengths

  • Invoices from an AI prompt — none of the other tools here can (as of July 2026, per their own sites)
  • Automatic dunning from the entry plan — runs on a schedule by itself
  • Austria AND Germany in one account (§11 öUStG / §14 UStG)
  • Professionally designed templates with live preview — at no extra cost
  • Set up in minutes, cancel monthly

Weaknesses

  • No bookkeeping: cash-basis accounting, UVA and FinanzOnline are deliberately absent
  • No e-invoicing — no ebInterface either, PDF only
  • No permanent free plan (7-day trial, no credit card)
  • Web app rather than a native mobile app
Price: from €9 / month
#2

ProSaldo.net

The Austrian accounting classic (Visma)

ProSaldo.net (a Visma product) is the obvious step if you want to grow from kalkül toward bookkeeping: cash-basis accounting from the GO plan, UVA filing straight to FinanzOnline from PLUS — deeply rooted in the Austrian tax system. Invoicing is already in the BASIC plan from €9 net billed annually (€10 monthly).

Do not expect automation, though: reminders are sent manually per open item, the invoice layout on BASIC is fixed and not editable, recurring invoices need PLUS and receipt capture (OCR) needs GO.

Strengths

  • Deeply Austrian: cash-basis accounting from GO, UVA straight to FinanzOnline from PLUS
  • Invoicing already in the BASIC plan from €9 net (annual billing)
  • Established vendor (Visma)
  • 30-day trial

Weaknesses

  • Reminders only manually per open item
  • BASIC layout is fixed and not editable; layout designer only from PLUS
  • Recurring invoices only from PLUS, OCR only from GO
  • Austria only — Germany is not served
Price: from €9 / month (annual) or €10 monthlyBilly vs. ProSaldo.net in detail
#3

FreeFinance

Austrian cloud accounting

FreeFinance is the second big Austrian accounting option: compliant bookkeeping with UVA filing straight to FinanzOnline, plus — as the only tool in this comparison — creation of real e-invoices (ebInterface and XRechnung, from Plus) and around 43 fonts for branding. A 30-day trial is included.

The catch if you come from a free tool: the name misleads. The cheap Business package cannot write invoices — invoicing starts in the Plus package at €25 net per month (€22 on a 36-month term), prepaid; there is no monthly billing. And its dunning is a bulk run you start yourself every time.

Strengths

  • Compliant Austrian bookkeeping with UVA straight to FinanzOnline
  • Creates e-invoices: ebInterface and XRechnung (from Plus)
  • Around 43 fonts for custom branding
  • A dedicated German edition exists
  • 30-day trial

Weaknesses

  • Invoicing only from Plus (€25 or €22 net/month) — the Business package cannot write invoices
  • 12- or 36-month terms only, prepaid — not cancellable monthly
  • Dunning is a bulk run — you start every run yourself
  • Free-form layouts need Jaspersoft Studio on the desktop
Price: invoicing from Plus: €25 / month (12-month term) or €22 (36 months)Billy vs. FreeFinance in detail
#4

sevDesk

The DACH accounting incumbent

sevDesk is the best-known name in the DACH region, with a dedicated Austrian offering (sevdesk.at). The "Rechnung" plan starts at €12.90 net (12-month billing), the free tier allows 3 invoices per month — e-invoicing already included. Add native iOS and Android apps and 11 invoice layouts (6 of them Premium).

Its dunning stays manual, though: reminders are sent by hand per invoice, and dunning levels need the accounting plan. And per its own pages, sevDesk’s "AI" means receipt capture plus a support chatbot — not an assistant that creates invoices.

Strengths

  • Dedicated Austrian offering (sevdesk.at) plus wide DACH adoption
  • E-invoicing even in the free tier (3 invoices/month)
  • Native iOS and Android apps
  • Full accounting in the bigger plan

Weaknesses

  • Reminders manual per invoice; dunning levels need the accounting plan
  • Custom layout only as a paid service; colors from a palette only
  • AI is limited to receipt capture and a chatbot
Price: from €12.90 / month; free tier: 3 invoices/monthBilly vs. sevDesk in detail
#5

Runple

The Austrian business suite

Runple is an Austrian business suite with inventory, warehousing and finance features — and it has the most remarkable free tier in this comparison: 5 invoices per month including genuinely automatic 3-stage dunning, receipt capture and custom branding. On free-tier automatic dunning, Runple beats most tools here — including kalkül, where every reminder is manual work.

In return, Runple is a suite: if you only write invoices, you get trading modules you never open. Recurring invoices need the Standard plan (€29.90), Runple creates no e-invoices, and Germany is not served (Austria focus, no DATEV).

Strengths

  • Free tier: 5 invoices/month with automatic 3-stage dunning
  • Receipt capture and custom branding even on the free tier
  • Full inventory management for trading businesses
  • Austrian vendor

Weaknesses

  • Recurring invoices only from Standard (€29.90)
  • No e-invoicing
  • Suite breadth is dead weight for pure service businesses
  • No Germany (Austria focus, no DATEV)
Price: Free (5 invoices/month); Basic €19.90, Standard €29.90Billy vs. Runple in detail

How we evaluated

All pricing and feature claims come from the vendors’ own pricing and help pages, last verified on 31 July 2026 — including the inconvenient details like tier gating and dunning limitations. Where a vendor does not document something (such as the price of kalkül’s supporter subscription), we do not claim it. Billy is our own product: we rank it #1 for the use case it is built for, and we state its weaknesses as plainly as everyone else’s.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best kalkül alternative?
For AI-supported invoicing with automatic dunning: Billy (from €9/month, Austria and Germany). For bookkeeping with UVA and FinanzOnline: ProSaldo.net or FreeFinance. For e-invoicing and native apps: sevDesk. For a free tier with automatic dunning: Runple.
What is the cheapest kalkül alternative?
The honest answer: kalkül itself — its core features are permanently free, and nothing beats free. If you want to stay free but have automatic dunning, Runple offers 5 invoices per month at no cost; sevDesk allows 3 free invoices per month. Among paid tools, Billy (cancellable monthly) and ProSaldo.net (annual billing) each start at €9 net.
Which kalkül alternative has the best AI?
Billy — the only tool in this comparison that creates invoices from a natural-language sentence and runs dunning automatically. kalkül advertises no AI features at all; at ProSaldo.net "AI" means booking suggestions and receipt capture, at FreeFinance receipt capture, at sevDesk receipt capture plus a chatbot, and at Runple AI for incoming documents — no assistant that creates documents (as of July 2026, per their own sites).
Which kalkül alternative works in Germany too?
Billy covers Austria and Germany in the same account (§11 öUStG / §14 UStG). sevDesk is a German product with a dedicated Austrian offering (sevdesk.at), and FreeFinance has its own German edition. kalkül, ProSaldo.net and Runple are limited to Austria.
Can I take my data with me from kalkül?
Before switching, archive all issued invoices as PDFs — tax retention obligations (BAO) apply regardless of the tool switch. Client master data is set up in the new tool; with the small client lists of most one-person businesses that is done quickly, and in Billy the AI assistant helps you do it.

From free form to assistant

Try Billy free for 7 days — no credit card, cancel monthly.