Merit Tarkvara
Merit Tarkvara AS is an Estonian SaaS provider of cloud-based accounting (Merit Aktiva) and payroll (Merit Palk) software, serving more than 83,000 companies across Estonia, Poland, and Finland as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Visma Group.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1991
- HeadquartersTartu, Estonia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Merit Tarkvara does
Merit Tarkvara AS is an Estonian SaaS company founded in November 1991 that develops cloud-based accounting (Merit Aktiva) and payroll (Merit Palk) software, primarily for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and accounting professionals in Estonia. The platform is built as a multi-tenant cloud system accessible via web and mobile devices, featuring automatic tax-rate updates aligned with Estonian legislation, direct bank connections (SEB, Swedbank, Coop Pank, LHV), e-invoicing, multi-language support (Estonian, English, Russian), and a public API (api.merit.ee) that enables third-party integrations with partners such as CostPocket, Telema, Montonio, and Microsoft 365. According to company materials, Merit Aktiva is used monthly by more than 83,000 companies and Merit Palk processes payroll for over 133,000 employees across 25,000+ companies, making it the #1 accounting and payroll software in Estonia.
The company operates a freemium, subscription-based revenue model: Merit Aktiva offers a 6-month free trial plus paid Standard/Pro/Premium tiers with extra-company add-ons at €3.50/month, while Merit Palk is free for companies with 1-2 employees and tier-priced by employee count up to 100,000+. A self-serve PLG motion (online signup, free trials, €1/month summer promotions) is layered with an accountant/bookkeeper partner network, an API partner ecosystem, and ad-hoc professional services billed at €90/hour. Distribution extends beyond Estonia through a Polish subsidiary (Merit Aktiva Sp. z o.o. in Łódź) that localizes the product as 360 Księgowość and 360 Kadry i płace, with further (limited) presence in Finland. Merit Tarkvara is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Visma Group, a Scandinavian software conglomerate comprising more than 200 companies across 16 countries.
Merit Tarkvara firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Merit Tarkvara
- Legal name
- Merit Tarkvara AS
- Website
- https://merit.ee
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1991
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Merit Tarkvara AS is an Estonian SaaS provider of cloud-based accounting (Merit Aktiva) and payroll (Merit Palk) software, serving more than 83,000 companies across Estonia, Poland, and Finland as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Visma Group.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Merit Tarkvara is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tartu
- HQ country
- Estonia
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Merit Tarkvara business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Subscription Licensing - Merit Aktiva: Monthly subscription-based pricing for accounting software. Offers Standard, Pro, and Premium tiers with different feature sets. Free trial available for 6 months with limited document entry (100 sales invoices, 100 purchase invoices, 100 ledger entries).
- Subscription Licensing - Merit Palk: Monthly subscription-based pricing for payroll software with tiered pricing based on number of employees. Companies with 1-2 employees receive the software free of charge. Additional companies cost 3.50€/month each.
- Professional Services: Training and consulting services offered at 90€/hour. Software consultation, individual training at client office, and accounting assistance via remote desktop connection.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Merit Aktiva Free Trial - 6 months |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Merit Palk - Up to 2 employees |
| Subscription | Monthly | Merit Aktiva - Extra Companies |
| Subscription | Monthly | Merit Palk - Extra Companies |
| Subscription | Monthly | Merit Palk Employee-based Pricing |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Professional Services - Training & Support |
| Subscription | Monthly | Summer Campaign - 1€/month |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels11 records
Merit Tarkvara product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Merit Tarkvara develops and sells cloud-based accounting software (Merit Aktiva) and payroll software (Merit Palk) primarily for Estonian small and medium businesses, accountants, and bookkeepers, with localized versions for the Polish market. Both products operate as integrated SaaS platforms with automatic tax compliance updates, direct bank connections, e-invoicing, and a public API for third-party integrations. Revenue is generated primarily through monthly subscriptions with a freemium entry tier and additional fee-based training and consulting services.
Product overview
Merit Tarkvara offers a portfolio of cloud-based business software for small and medium enterprises, primarily serving the Estonian market and expanding into Finland and Poland. The core products are Merit Aktiva (accounting software) and Merit Palk (payroll software), which work together as integrated solutions sharing the same user account and database. Merit Aktiva handles bookkeeping, invoicing, tax calculations, bank connections, and e-invoicing, while Merit Palk manages payroll calculations with automatic tax compliance. In Poland, the accounting product is branded as 360 Księgowość (with 360 Kadry i płace for HR/payroll). All products are accessible via Merit API for third-party integrations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Merit Aktiva: Online accounting software for entrepreneurs and accountants - the most popular and user-friendly accounting program in Estonia.
- Merit Palk
Products and services
- Merit Aktiva Cloud-based accounting software for Estonian entrepreneurs and accountants, the most popular accounting program in Estonia. Supports bookkeeping, invoicing, e-invoicing, automatic tax calculations, direct bank connections, financial reporting, and API integrations. Used by more than 83,000 companies monthly in Estonia and Poland.
- Merit Palk
Quantifiable outcome
- Merit Aktiva saves users up to a week of work per month through automation and API integrations
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Merit Tarkvara
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Merit Tarkvara technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
Feature8 records
Merit Tarkvara partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered integration_partner, channel_partners, integration_partners, subsidiary and local_brand.
- CostPocketintegration_partnerCostPocket integrates with Merit Aktiva to enable digitization of receipts and invoices. Scanned documents are sent directly to the accounting program. Users can submit expense receipts through the CostPocket app for automatic import into Merit.
- Coop Pankintegration_partnerCoop Pank has a direct connection with Merit Aktiva. Users can view Coop Pank account balances directly in the program.
- Accountant Partnerschannel_partnersMerit maintains a network of accountant and bookkeeper partners who are experienced in using Merit Aktiva and Merit Palk. These partners help businesses get started with the software and provide implementation support. The partner network spans Estonia with accountants listed on the website.
- API Partnersintegration_partnersVarious third-party software developers integrate with Merit through the API. Partner software can exchange data with Merit Aktiva either via API interface or by exporting and importing files. The partner ecosystem includes banking integrations, payment processors, and business management systems.
- Merit Aktiva Sp. z o.o. (Polish Subsidiary)subsidiaryPolish subsidiary company operating under the brands 360 Księgowość (accounting software) and 360 Kadry i płace (payroll software). Fully localized versions for the Polish market with local support.
- 360 Księgowośćlocal_brandPolish brand name for Merit Aktiva in Poland. Fully localized accounting software for Polish companies with local compliance and features.
- 360 Kadry i płacelocal_brandPolish brand name for Merit Palk in Poland. Fully localized payroll software for Polish companies.
- Telemaintegration_partnerE-invoice operator for sending e-invoices to non-Merit customers. Telema EDI service is available for B2B invoice exchange.
- Montoniointegration_partnerPayment link integration allowing merchants to add Montonio payment links to invoices sent via email.
- SEB Baltic Gatewayintegration_partnerDirect integration with SEB bank for automatic statement imports and payment submission through SEB Baltic Gateway.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Merit Tarkvara competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- e-conomic: Danish-founded online accounting SaaS owned by Visma, the same parent as Merit Tarkvara. Targets SMBs across Nordics and beyond, with overlapping value proposition (cloud accounting, bank integrations, e-invoicing) and identical freemium/upsell model.
- Visma.net: Visma Group's flagship cloud ERP/accounting suite used across multiple European countries. Same parent as Merit, overlapping product category, and the most likely internal complement/cross-sell vehicle for Merit's customer base.
- Directo: Estonian developer of business software including accounting, e-invoicing, and warehouse management — an established domestic competitor targeting the same Estonian entrepreneur/accountant segment as Merit.
- Fortnox: Swedish cloud accounting, payroll, and invoicing SaaS dominant among Swedish SMBs — the Swedish analog of Merit in Estonia. Comparable subscription pricing, accountant-channel GTM, and continuous regulatory compliance emphasis.
- 1Office: Estonian cloud business software covering accounting, payroll, CRM, and document management — directly competing with Merit Aktiva and Merit Palk for Estonian SMB and accountant customers.
Broad incumbents
- Xero: Global SMB accounting SaaS leader with localized versions across European markets. Competes with Merit in any market it chooses to localize fully; offers similar subscription tiers, accountant partnerships, and bank-feed integrations.
- Sage Business Cloud Accounting: Long-established European SMB accounting software suite with broad product breadth (accounting, payroll, HR) and localized variants for multiple European markets — a broad incumbent with comparable accounting value proposition.
- QuickBooks Online: Intuit's global SMB accounting and payroll product with hundreds of millions of users worldwide. The principal global broad incumbent whose expansion strategy could eventually threaten Merit's Baltic and Polish strongholds.
Regional players
- inFakt: Polish online accounting, invoicing, and payroll platform widely adopted by Polish entrepreneurs — a comparable Polish-language alternative to 360 Księgowość in the same geographic market.
- Fakturownia: Leading Polish invoicing and accounting SaaS used by Polish SMBs. Most direct local competitor to Merit's Polish subsidiary brand 360 Księgowość, sharing similar subscription pricing and self-serve onboarding.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Merit Tarkvara social profiles
Digital presenceMerit Tarkvara financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Merit Tarkvara leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Merit Tarkvara subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Merit Tarkvara funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Merit Tarkvara M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Merit Tarkvara
What does Merit Tarkvara do?
Merit Tarkvara develops and sells cloud-based accounting software (Merit Aktiva) and payroll software (Merit Palk) primarily for Estonian small and medium businesses, accountants, and bookkeepers, with localized versions for the Polish market. Both products operate as integrated SaaS platforms with automatic tax compliance updates, direct bank connections, e-invoicing, and a public API for third-party integrations. Revenue is generated primarily through monthly subscriptions with a freemium entry tier and additional fee-based training and consulting services.
Is Merit Tarkvara a public or private company?
Merit Tarkvara is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Merit Tarkvara founded?
Merit Tarkvara was founded in 1991. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Merit Tarkvara based?
Merit Tarkvara is headquartered in Tartu, Estonia, in the Europe region.
How does Merit Tarkvara make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Subscription Licensing - Merit Aktiva is the primary driver. The others are subscription Licensing - Merit Palk and professional Services.
Who are Merit Tarkvara's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are e-conomic, Visma.net, Directo, Fortnox and 1Office. Broad incumbents are Xero, Sage Business Cloud Accounting and QuickBooks Online. Regional players are inFakt and Fakturownia.
Does Merit Tarkvara have an API?
Yes. Merit API enables developers to connect applications with Merit Aktiva, 360 Księgowość (Poland), and Merit Palk. The API allows reading data and writing documents directly to the database. To get started, users create a test company (free), obtain API id and key from Program Settings >> API Settings, download example from manual, and once integration works, create credentials in the live database. Support available at [email protected]. Developer documentation is at api.merit.ee.