QuickBooks / FreshBooks

Datev's home page describes it as one of the biggest software houses in Europe, with over 200 software products and IT services, about 15 million payroll runs a month and around 40,000 members, and it speaks to tax advisors, auditors and their clients. Exact offers business software for small and medium businesses and their accountants, with finance software at the core and ERP software on top, and it says more than 675,000 companies rely on it.

Pennylane describes one platform for finances, accounting and a business account, with e-invoicing, purchase management and cash flow tracking. Its home page lists ISO/IEC 27001, over 300 integrations and registration as an approved e-invoicing platform. Visma says it owns and backs at least 150 companies and has 2.7M customers, and that its companies stay close to their customers. Visma says its software companies operate close to their customers, in their language and under their laws.

To pick one, start with your country and your accountant. Check that the product handles your local VAT rules, bank formats and e-invoicing requirements, that your accountant can work in it, and that you can export your invoices, ledgers and contacts in open formats. Compare what each charges for users and modules, and where the data is hosted. Run last year's data through a trial before you switch.