E-Invoice Software: Do I Need a Program?
“Do I now need expensive e-invoice software?” — many people ask themselves this. The answer depends on how many invoices you process and how far you want to automate.
What you really need
For the e-invoice mandate you mainly need to be able to do three things:
- Receive & open: display incoming e-invoices readably. An email inbox plus a viewer is enough for that.
- Check: validate invoices against EN 16931.
- Create: generate a valid XRechnung or ZUGFeRD.
All of this is possible with a free browser tool — no installation, no account.
When is a free tool enough?
A browser tool is ideal if you:
- write few invoices per month,
- don’t need deep integration into other systems,
- value privacy (local processing, no upload).
This applies to many freelancers and small businesses.
When is dedicated software worth it?
A full-featured accounting or ERP system is worth it if you:
- create and post many invoices automatically,
- want to send and receive over the Peppol network,
- need interfaces to inventory management, DATEV or banking,
- want integrated, legally compliant archiving.
What to look for when choosing
- Does it support both formats (XRechnung and ZUGFeRD) and both syntaxes?
- Does it validate against EN 16931 and BR-DE?
- Does it keep the formats up to date (e.g. XRechnung 3.0.2)?
- Does it meet the GoBD requirements for retention?
Start for free
You don’t have to commit right away. Start with a free tool: Create, open and check e-invoices in your browser — locally, without upload and without an account.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need software for e-invoices?
Not necessarily. For receiving, checking and the occasional creation, a free browser tool is enough. Software pays off with high invoice volumes or automation.
What must e-invoice software be able to do?
At a minimum: receive e-invoices and display them readably, validate against EN 16931, generate a valid XRechnung/ZUGFeRD and archive in an audit-proof way.
Are there free tools?
Yes. There are free, privacy-friendly browser tools that create, open and check e-invoices locally — without an account and without uploading.