Indy vs Freebe: Best Invoicing Software for Freelancers in 2026

2026 Comparison: Indy vs Freebe — invoicing, accounting, URSSAF, and pricing. Our verdict for micro-businesses and BNC.

Indy and Freebe are the top French tools among freelancers and micro-businesses for seamless invoicing and accounting without sacrificing weekends. While both target the same audience, their philosophies differ: Indy advocates "invoicing + automated accounting + URSSAF/VAT declarations in one tool." Freebe offers a more modular, minimalist approach.

We used both tools for two months, testing three profiles: sole trader offering services, liberal BNC freelancer, and BIC freelancer in reselling. Here's our verdict based on real use cases — not marketing promises.

Quick Verdict

• Choose Indy if: you want real and automated accounting (VAT, URSSAF, FEC) along with invoicing and are willing to pay from €22/month (BNC rate) to save 10 hours monthly.
• Choose Freebe if: you’re a sole trader offering services, seeking simple invoicing with a well-crafted French tool, and don’t need extensive accounting.
• For most starting BNC freelancers: Indy. The time saved vs. cost is unbeatable.

TL;DR — Which Tool for Your Profile

• Sole trader offering services, < 50 invoices/year → Freebe (Premium €6/month) or Indy Free (unlimited invoicing).
• Sole trader > 50 invoices/year, multi-clients → Indy (Premium from €15/month on micro) or Freebe Premium (€6/month) if you don't need accounting.
• Liberal BNC freelancer (lawyers, consultants, doctors, trainers) → Indy without hesitation. BNC accounting + declaration 2035 + URSSAF is its specialty.
• BIC freelancer (reselling, e-commerce) → Indy (BIC management supported since 2024) or Tiime.
• Freelancer who wants to delegate to an accountant → Indy's Accountant option (from €49/month) or Pennylane.
• Freelancer invoicing in multiple currencies/internationally → neither, see Stripe Invoicing.

Methodology

Seven criteria, scored on 100, focused on French freelancers:

Tests conducted March-April 2026 on Indy Premium (from €15, depending on status) and Freebe Premium (€6).

Pricing

Indy (2026, excl. tax/month):

• Free: unlimited quotes and invoices, automated accounting, ideal to start.
• Premium: the price depends on your status, from €15/month (micro), €22 (sole trader/BNC), €24 (SCI/LMNP), €49 (company), annual excl. VAT. It adds automated VAT and URSSAF declarations and priority support (invoicing itself is already unlimited and free on the Free plan).
• Accountant option: from €49/month if you'd rather delegate your accounting to an Indy partner.

Freebe (2026, excl. tax/month):

• Free: 1 client, 3 invoices/month.
• Premium: €6/month (annual commitment) or €9/month (no commitment). Unlimited invoicing, multi-client, bank connection, URSSAF tracking.

Annual: Indy Premium for a BNC comes to €264 excl. VAT, versus €72 for Freebe Premium. Freebe is clearly cheaper, but the scope isn't the same: it handles neither real accounting nor declarations. And if all you need is invoicing, Indy's free plan already covers it, unlimited.

Compliance with 2026 Electronic Invoicing Reform

Reminder: Starting September 1, 2026, all French businesses must receive electronic invoices in a structured format (Factur-X, UBL, CII). Issuing becomes mandatory depending on size, via a Partner Dematerialization Platform (PDP) or Public Invoicing Portal (PPF).

• Indy: PDP status confirmed with DGFiP. Native Factur-X invoicing, 10-year archiving included.
• Freebe: PDP gateway via partnership (announced end of 2025, deploying in 2026). Not yet a standalone PDP.

Advantage Indy for freelancers wanting peace of mind by September 2026.

Source: DGFiP page on electronic invoicing and the official list of registered PDPs.

Invoicing

Both tools are competent. Technical tie.

Indy:

• Quotes and invoices with required French mentions (SIRET, VAT, RCS, terms, penalties).
• Sequential numbering compliant (French Tax Code, Article 286).
• Native Factur-X format compliance.
• Automatic reminders via email.
• Online payment via Stripe Connect or GoCardless.
• Customizable templates (logo, colors, mentions).
• Quotes with integrated electronic signature.

Freebe:

• Quotes and invoices, French mentions.
• Sequential numbering.
• Factur-X via partner PDP gateway (upcoming).
• Automatic reminders.
• Online payment via Stripe.
• Customizable templates.
• No native electronic signature (integrate with DocuSign or Yousign).

For basic use "send a quote, convert it to an invoice, track payment": both are equivalent and precise. Freebe has a slightly more modern UX, Indy is more detailed.

Accounting

Here's where the tools diverge significantly.

Indy provides real accounting. From banking connections, the tool:

• Automatically categorizes every entry (income, expenses, deductible charges).
• Calculates your tax result in real time.
• Generates the FEC (Accounting Entry File) with one click.
• Auto-fills your declaration 2035 (BNC) or 2031 (BIC).
• Tracks VAT (monthly, quarterly, annually) and generates CA12 or CA3.
• Manages depreciation of fixed assets (professional equipment, vehicles).

Essentially, an automated full-time accountant. For a typical liberal BNC, it saves €1,500-2,500 in annual accounting fees.

Freebe doesn’t offer accounting. It tracks revenue (invoiced vs. received), URSSAF (what to pay, when), and export for your accountant. For a sole trader, this suffices (the micro regime has no real accounting). For true BNC or BIC, it's not enough.

Advantage Indy without debate on this criterion.

URSSAF and Social Declarations

Indy: Pre-fills the URSSAF declaration (monthly or quarterly), calculates contributions, submits via API. Covers CFE, CVAE when applicable, VAT declarations. For BNC regime: declaration 2035, income tax calculation, contributions calculation.

Freebe: Excellent URSSAF dashboard for sole traders — displays contribution amounts, deadlines, ACRE if applicable, in real time. Doesn’t auto-submit (you still need to validate on the URSSAF site).

Advantage Indy for BNCs. Match for sole traders (Freebe performs well within its scope).

Integrations

Indy: Bank connections with ~150 French banks (Qonto, Shine, Boursorama Pro, BNP, Crédit Agricole, etc.). Integrates with Stripe, GoCardless, PayPal. No Notion or Trello connectors, but it’s not their target.

Freebe: Same bank integrations, Stripe for payments, Zapier for workflows. Official Pennylane connector (useful if you switch to Pennylane later).

Draw — both cover essentials for a French freelancer.

Support and User Experience

Indy:

• French support, chat during business hours (9 AM-6 PM weekdays).
• Average response time 1-3 h.
• Rich help center, onboarding videos.
• Active community on Slack and LinkedIn.
• Monthly webinars on tax topics.

Freebe:

• French support, chat business hours.
• Average response time 2-4 h.
• More modern UX, very clean mobile experience.
• Smaller but active community.

Purely on UX: slight edge Freebe (smoother interface). For support and educational resources: Indy.

Who Indy Is Best For

• Liberal BNC freelancers (consultants, lawyers, doctors, physiotherapists, trainers).
• BIC freelancers (e-commerce, reselling).
• Freelancers who want zero manual accounting intervention (no accountant fees).
• Growing sole traders anticipating transitioning to EURL/SASU and want scalable tools.
• Freelancers seeking native 2026 reform compliance seamlessly.

Who Freebe Is Best For

• Sole traders offering services, < 80 invoices/year, seeking the cheapest and simplest tool.
• Freelancers already using an accountant (so accounting is covered) and only need invoicing.
• Profiles valuing modern UX and simplicity over functional depth.

Comparison Table

Our Final Verdict

For 80% of French freelancers, Indy is the best choice. The price gap with Freebe (~€190/year for a BNC) is offset by time saved on accounting and declarations, plus avoided accountant fees.

Choose Freebe in two specific cases:

1. You are a sole trader offering services, your revenue is stable and modest, and you only want to pay for essential invoicing.
2. You already have an accountant you plan to keep, and you’re searching for a modern invoicing tool.

For other profiles — BNC, BIC, growing freelancers, multi-client freelancers — Indy prevails.

If you're unsure due to expected growth: start with Indy Free to test invoicing and accounting, then switch to Premium when you want to automate your filings (VAT, URSSAF). Internal migration is instant.

View Indy Profile →

View Freebe Profile →

For further exploration, read our comparison of the 9 best invoicing software for freelancers in 2026, and our Pennylane vs Qonto comparison if you want the most comprehensive accounting + pro banking combo.