# Pennylane vs Indy: accounting software in France

Indy is the right choice for a solo indépendant or micro-entrepreneur who wants to keep the books and file returns without an accountant, starting free. Pennylane fits a small company with staff, supplier bills and an expert-comptable who closes the year. Indy's paid plans prepare your URSSAF, VAT and year-end returns, and its core bookkeeping costs nothing. Pennylane gives you and your accountant the same live data, so cash, margins and invoices stay up to date without sending paperwork back and forth.

- **[Pennylane](https://suiteintent.com/t/pennylane?m=GB)**: French accounting you share with your accountant. · Best for: French SMEs that want live books · Pricing on request

- **[Indy](https://suiteintent.com/t/indy?m=GB)**: Free accounting app for French freelancers. · Best for: Filing in France without an accountant · Free plan

## Pennylane

You run a company with an expert-comptable, several suppliers and maybe employees, and want live cash figures and books your accountant works on directly.

## Indy

You work alone as an indépendant or micro-entrepreneur, want free bookkeeping with automatic sorting of bank transactions, and prefer to file your own declarations.

## Questions

### Is Indy free while Pennylane is not?

Indy's core app is free: bank sync, automatic categorisation and invoicing. You pay when you want Indy to prepare your URSSAF, VAT and year-end tax returns. Pennylane has no free accounting plan in our data, though it offers free e-invoicing for micro-businesses. Prices are in euros on both sites.

### Do Pennylane and Indy handle France's e-invoicing reform?

Yes. Both are registered approved platforms (plateformes agréées) for the reform. Indy includes sending and receiving e-invoices for free, and Pennylane issues Factur-X invoices, free for micro-businesses. Either lets you meet the obligation to receive electronic invoices.

### Can I file without an expert-comptable?

With Indy, that is the point: its paid plans prepare your returns so a solo freelancer can file alone. Pennylane is built to work with an accountant, who closes the books from the shared data. If your company structure needs an accountant anyway, Pennylane fits that setup better.

### Can I switch from Indy to Pennylane as I grow?

Yes, and it is a common path once you hire or create a company. Export your transactions and invoices from Indy, then set up Pennylane with your accountant, ideally at the start of a financial year. Keep your Indy archives for the legal retention period.

### Are Pennylane and Indy available outside France?

Both focus on France: they follow French accounting rules, URSSAF and TVA. If you run a business in Spain, Germany or Italy, look at accounting tools built for that country. A French business with clients abroad can use either, since invoicing in other currencies is a separate question from where you file.