RECHNUNG.de

What RECHNUNG.de does

RECHNUNG.de is a free, WhatsApp-native document creation platform operated by l1r1 technologies GmbH, a Berlin-based private German company founded in 2014. The platform targets freelancers, self-employed professionals, tradespeople, and other small businesses in Germany who lack formal accounting knowledge, and enables them to generate legally valid invoices (Rechnungen), quotes (Angebote), payment reminders (Mahnungen), and ZUGfERD-format electronic invoices through a three-step chat workflow: start a WhatsApp conversation, answer guided questions, and receive the finished document. The service is positioned as free forever, with no pricing tiers or paid upgrades disclosed, and the company explicitly states that thousands of users create documents via the platform each month.

Under the hood, Rechnung.de runs an AI-assisted, dialog-guided document generation engine that processes natural language user input over WhatsApp and outputs structured financial documents; user dialogs are retained to train and improve the assistance system under GDPR (DSGVO). The product portfolio is a single integrated service rather than a modular platform, supplemented by a German-language knowledge base (Ratgeber) covering accounting, tax, and small-business finance topics. Technical differentiators cited by the company include ease-of-use, ZUGfERD/EN 16931 compliance for structured e-invoicing, and a novel chat-based architecture that bypasses app installation.

The business model is freemium by design but effectively free at the product level, with revenue mechanics not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is product-led growth via the WhatsApp self-serve channel, supported by content marketing (blog, Ratgeber), email newsletter, and organic social (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok). The company extends its offering through integrations with DATEV, Billomat, Superchat, Taledo, and rooom, and a core partnership with Aifinyo for factoring, collection, and smart billing — pointing to a referral or partnership-economics monetization path rather than direct user fees. The company has disclosed only minimal funding (a ~€565K round in August 2016 from HypoVereinsbank and Investitionsbank Berlin, plus an earlier 2015 round of undisclosed size), operates with 11–50 employees, and shows no enterprise customer concentration.

Name

RECHNUNG.de

Legal name

l1r1 technologies GmbH

Website

https://rechnung.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

RECHNUNG.de is a free, WhatsApp-based document creation platform operated by Berlin-based l1r1 technologies GmbH, enabling freelancers and German small businesses to generate legally valid invoices, quotes, payment reminders, and ZUGfERD e-invoices through an AI-guided chat workflow without accounting knowledge.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freelance Invoicing & Document Creation Software

NAICS

Document Preparation Services (56141)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Accounts Receivable (Invoicing, Cash Application, Deductions) (BPAAAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Merchant-of-Record (MoR) & Payment Facilitation (PayFac) Infrastructure (FSAGABAE)

Keywords

• Freelance invoicing software
• Document automation tools
• WhatsApp invoice creation
• ZUGfERD invoice generator
• Freelancer accounting software

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Free Document Creation Platform: The core service is completely free for users. Revenue model appears to be based on volume/growth to attract partnership opportunities or future monetization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

RECHNUNG.de is a free, WhatsApp-based document creation service for freelancers, self-employed professionals, and small businesses in the DACH region. Users initiate creation of invoices, quotes, payment reminders, and ZUGfERD electronic invoices by messaging the platform via WhatsApp, answering guided questions, and receiving legally valid German financial documents in under three minutes without accounting knowledge. The service operates on a freemium, product-led model with revenue mediated through partnerships such as Aifinyo for factoring.

Product overview

Rechnung.de is a single, unified document creation platform operated by l1r1 technologies GmbH (Berlin), offering free generation of German financial documents—primarily invoices (Rechnungen), quotes (Angebote), payment reminders (Mahnungen), and ZUGfERD-format electronic invoices. The platform is accessed exclusively via WhatsApp chat, using an AI-assisted guided-dialog workflow (three steps: start chat, answer questions, receive document). The product portfolio is a single integrated service rather than a modular platform; all document types share the same WhatsApp-based creation engine. The Ratgeber knowledge base provides supplementary educational content on German accounting and tax topics. The service is positioned as free 'for eternity' (kostenlos, für immer) targeting freelancers, solo entrepreneurs (Solopreneurs), and small businesses without accounting expertise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rechnung.de Document Creation Platform A free, cloud-based, WhatsApp-native document creation platform operated by l1r1 technologies GmbH that enables freelancers, self-employed professionals, and small businesses in Germany to generate legally valid invoices (Rechnungen), quotes (Angebote), payment reminders (Mahnungen), and ZUGfERD-format electronic invoices in under three minutes through a guided AI-assisted chat workflow that requires no accounting knowledge.

Quantifiable outcome

• Documents created in under 3 minutes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AifinyocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAifinyo is a factoring partner of Rechnung.de, offering services around factoring, collection, and smart billing. The partnership provides users access to invoice financing and debt collection services.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Lexoffice (Haufe Group): Leading German cloud accounting software from Haufe Group for freelancers, SMBs, and small companies. Directly competes with Rechnung.de on invoice creation and offers full bookkeeping, bank reconciliation, and tax preparation — representing the main full-stack incumbent in the segment.
• FastBill: German cloud-based invoicing and accounting software for freelancers, SMBs, and small businesses. Competes head-to-head on invoice creation, recurring billing, and expense tracking for the same freelancer/Selbstständiger segment Rechnung.de serves.
• sevDesk: German cloud accounting SaaS targeting freelancers, self-employed, and small businesses with invoicing, bookkeeping, and expense management. Directly competes with Rechnung.de for the same German SMB invoice-creation use case, though sevDesk offers a broader full-stack bookkeeping product.
• Billomat: German online invoicing and accounting tool for freelancers, SMBs, and self-employed. Notably listed as an integration partner of Rechnung.de, indicating direct overlap in target customers and product capabilities in invoice creation and quotes.

Broad incumbents

• Lexware (Haufe Group): Established German on-premise and cloud accounting and invoicing suite from Haufe Group targeting SMBs, freelancers, and small enterprises. Serves the same invoice creation use case but as part of a much broader, mature product portfolio with deeper compliance and ERP-like features.
• DATEV (DATEV eG): Dominant German cooperative provider of tax consulting, accounting, and ERP software used by tax advisors and their SMB clients. Both an integration partner and the structural incumbent whose ZUGfERD-standard ecosystem Rechnung.de plugs into, with vastly broader scope.
• Debitoor (now Sage Business Cloud Accounting): Originally a Scandinavian invoicing-focused SaaS for freelancers and microbusinesses, now part of Sage Business Cloud. Comparable on invoice creation UX for very small businesses, though now positioned as part of Sage's broader international accounting suite.

Emerging players

• Candis: Berlin-based AI-driven accounting and invoice automation platform for German SMBs and accounting partners. Comparable AI-in-accounting positioning to Rechnung.de's roadmap, with overlap on automated invoice processing and bookkeeping for the same German Mittelstand segment.

Regional players

• Agicap: French treasury and cash flow management SaaS for SMBs that, like Aifinyo, sits in the AR/treasury adjacency to Rechnung.de. Comparable in targeting European SMBs with embedded finance-adjacent tools, though primarily serving the French market rather than Germany.

Others

• Aifinyo: German fintech offering factoring, smart billing, and debt collection for freelancers and SMBs. Listed as a core strategic partner of Rechnung.de providing the embedded monetization layer, and adjacent to the core invoice-creation product rather than directly competing on document generation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rechnungde
• Facebookfacebook.com/rechnung.de
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/decimo-gmbh

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about RECHNUNG.de