Banana

What Banana does

Banana.ch SA is a privately held Swiss software company founded in 1989 by Domenico Zucchetti, who continues to serve as CEO. It develops and markets Banana Accounting, a cross-platform double-entry, income-and-expense, and multi-currency accounting application sold under a tiered subscription (Free, Professional at CHF 89/year, Advanced at CHF 179/year) with optional paid specialized support. The product runs natively on Windows (including ARM64), macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and Chrome OS, and additionally ships as a WebAssembly browser edition that preserves the same file format across all platforms; cloud sharing is enabled through OneDrive, Google Drive, iCloud, and Dropbox. The technology stack is a single C++ accounting engine developed continuously for 35 years, wrapped by a JavaScript extensions framework ("Power Tools") that supports command-line, web-server, Excel-tools, AI/GPT assistant slots, and country-specific compliance extensions (Swiss QR-bill, Swiss VAT XML upload, UAE VAT, INPAS for NGOs).

The company serves small businesses, freelancers, NGOs/associations, fiduciaries and accountants, schools and students, and private individuals across 15+ localized country editions including Switzerland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, China, the UAE, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central America, and additional markets served via resellers. Go-to-market is product-led via free download (no registration required) with no friction to trial, complemented by content marketing, SEO across 8+ languages, an active Template Store and Extensions marketplace, a Community, a referral program, and a partner network of consultancies, course providers, and resellers (e.g., Hao zai lai Business Consulting in Cambodia). Banana is bootstrapped and self-funded, sells more than 400,000 licenses cumulatively, and operates from a single headquarters in Viganello (Lugano), Switzerland with 1–10 employees. Recent strategic emphasis has been on expanding outside Switzerland (notably the Netherlands in 2025), positioning for the global NGO segment via INPAS sponsorship (Oct 2025), and modernizing infrastructure through a Kubernetes deployment managed by Tinext Cloud.

Name

Banana

Legal name

Banana.ch SA

Website

https://banana.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Viganello

HQ country

Switzerland

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. Banana Accounting Plus subscription (Professional plan): Annual subscription at CHF 89/year + VAT in Switzerland (targeted at freelancers, start-ups, small businesses and associations with turnover up to CHF 100,000); single license covers unlimited files and unlimited companies. International Professional plan referenced at ~EUR 60/year.
2. Banana Accounting Plus subscription (Advanced plan): Premium annual subscription at CHF 179/year (targeted at experts, fiduciaries and high-turnover businesses above CHF 100,000); includes advanced features such as Rules-based auto-completion, Temporary Filter & Sort, and the new 2024 Swiss VAT Report with XML upload to the FTA. Free technical support (3 cases/year) is bundled.
3. Free plan (freemium): Free download with up to 70 transactions per file, used as a funnel into paid plans; Cash Book and Time Sheet applications are unlimited even on the free plan. No registration, email or personal data required to start.
4. Multi-user subscriptions (Switzerland / Liechtenstein): Volume subscription SKUs sold in the Swiss shop from April 2022, allowing Swiss/Liechtenstein customers to purchase multiple Banana Accounting Plus subscriptions in a single order for organizations.
5. Paid specialized support services: Beyond the free support bundled with the Advanced plan, Banana.ch sells specialized technical support at EUR 61 ex-VAT per 30-minute unit for complex tasks (chart of accounts, CSS/JS for QR invoices, custom reports, extension development).
6. Reseller / channel sales (international): Indirect sales through appointed global partners and resellers in markets such as Cambodia (Hao zai lai Business Consulting Co., Ltd); partner directory published on the Partners page.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Banana develops and sells Banana Accounting Plus, a cross-platform double-entry, income-and-expense, and multi-currency accounting application for small companies, freelancers, NGOs, fiduciaries and private individuals. The software is delivered as a subscription (Free, Professional CHF 89/year, Advanced CHF 179/year) on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Chrome OS and in the browser via WebAssembly, with country-specific compliance extensions for Swiss QR invoicing, Swiss VAT and UAE VAT.

Product overview

Banana Accounting Plus is offered as a single unified accounting platform with a tiered subscription model (Free, Professional, and Advanced) on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, and the WebAssembly-based WebApp. The core platform is the journal-centered double-entry (and Income & Expense / multi-currency) accounting engine that produces balance sheets, profit & loss statements, VAT reports, and year-end closures. Around it sit the productivity modules Time Sheet (free), Cash Manager (free), Inventory, Estimates and Invoices, Fixed Assets Register, Address Book, Library and Collections, and the Accounting Report file. Optional content is delivered through two online stores: the Banana Template Store (ready-made chart-of-accounts templates per country and segment) and the Banana Extensions marketplace (VAT-report extensions, QR-invoice layouts, payment-order generators, CAMT-XML validators, etc.). Developers can extend the platform via Banana Power Tools (Extensions with a JavaScript API, AI/GPT Assistants, command-line, web server, Excel Tools, and the Accounting Engine). Pre-release features ship through the Banana Dev-Channel / Insider Program, and the WebApp and Mobile clients mirror the desktop feature set with platform-specific limitations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Banana WebApp: Browser-based version of Banana Accounting Plus running on WebAssembly technology, accessible at startbanana without installation.
• Banana Accounting Mobile
• Banana Cash Manager

Products and services

• Banana Accounting Plus Cross-platform double-entry, income & expense, and multi-currency accounting application sold by subscription in Free, Professional (CHF 89/year) and Advanced (CHF 179/year) tiers, with unlimited files per license, table-based data entry, professional reports, Swiss VAT reporting, invoicing, planning, inventory, time sheet, and an extensions/templates ecosystem.
• Banana Accounting WebApp Browser-based edition of Banana Accounting Plus compiled to WebAssembly, allowing users to open templates, enter transactions and save files locally without installing software or sending data to a server. Files are interoperable with the desktop edition.
• Banana Accounting Mobile Tablet- and Chromebook-optimized mobile version of Banana Accounting, distributed via the Apple App Store and Google Play, containing nearly all desktop functionality (multi-file support, light/dark theme, file system integration) with limitations on export/import and PDF.
• Banana Power Tools

Quantifiable outcome

• 400,000+ licenses sold worldwide over 30+ years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability2 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tinext CloudcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 February 2026Tinext Cloud manages Banana.ch's Kubernetes infrastructure underpinning the website, shop, subscription system and SaaS-like web services. The relationship was highlighted by Corriere del Ticino in February 2026 as a recognition of Banana.ch's technological development path.
• IFR4NPO (INPAS standard)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 October 2025Banana Accounting sponsored the international launch event "INPAS Arrives: a new era in non profit accounting" held in Geneva on 21 October 2025, which introduced the new International Non-Profit Accounting Standard (INPAS) for non-profit organizations worldwide. The partnership positions Banana as a technology reference for INPAS-compliant non-profit accounting.
• Ministry of Primary, Secondary and Technical Education of the Democratic Republic of CongocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 May 2021Banana.ch SA became the technology partner of a project launched in 2016/2017 to modernize accounting teaching in Congolese technical schools. The project plans to train 700,000 students, 13,000 computer science and accounting teachers, and around 100 experts by 2025. Press release published 26 May 2021.
• Hao zai lai Business Consulting Co., LtdcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 30 March 2021Hao zai lai Business Consulting Co., Ltd was announced on 30 March 2021 as Banana's global partner and Reseller in Cambodia, listed in the Partners directory. The reseller extends Banana's commercial reach into a market where Banana has no direct presence.
• Susanna Keller GmbHminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTraining partner offering practical courses on Banana Accounting Plus via Zoom in English; published in the Partners area of the site and promoted in Banana's blog.
• Banana Accounting Schools program (partner schools)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNetwork of schools and educational institutions that use Banana for teaching accounting; free school license offered and dedicated Schools section on the site.
• Microsoft OneDrive / Google Drive / Apple iCloud / DropboxcoreTechnology or IntegrationBanana recommends and supports storing and sharing Banana Accounting files via major consumer and prosumer cloud services (OneDrive, Google Drive, Apple iCloud, Dropbox), enabling cloud-shared accounting workflows for fiduciaries and SMBs.
• DirectVermogenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDutch comparison platform DirectVermogen that publishes rankings of accounting software for zzp'ers and small businesses; included Banana Boekhouding Plus in its 2026 top-5 list, providing third-party endorsement in the Dutch market.
• Corriere del TicinominorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional newspaper (Ticino, Switzerland) that published a feature article on Banana.ch's technological development path in February 2026.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Lexware (Haufe Group): Leading German SMB accounting and invoicing suite (Lexware buchhaltung, Lexware faktura). Competes with Banana for German SMBs and freelancers via localized compliance (German VAT, DATEV export).
• sevDesk: German SMB cloud-accounting platform focused on freelancers and small businesses with DATEV connectivity and GoBD compliance. Comparable to Banana in DACH but as a German cloud-native competitor rather than a Swiss desktop product.
• Yuki (Visma): Dutch cloud-accounting platform for SMBs and accountants with automated document recognition and bank feeds. Directly relevant as a Netherlands-headquartered competitor Banana is now expanding against.

Direct peers

• AccountEdge: Desktop accounting software for small businesses, with Mac/Windows editions and double-entry bookkeeping. Targets the same SMB/freelancer segment as Banana and competes on a similar file-based, locally installed model.
• GnuCash: Open-source, cross-platform double-entry accounting software for individuals and SMBs. Like Banana, GnuCash is a desktop-first, file-based application targeting non-accountants and small businesses that want full double-entry without cloud lock-in.
• Manager.io: Cross-platform desktop and cloud accounting software for SMBs and accountants, offered in free and paid tiers with multi-currency support. Closely comparable to Banana Accounting Plus in features, pricing model, and target segments (small businesses, freelancers, accountants).

Emerging players

• Wave Accounting: Free, cloud-based accounting software for freelancers and micro-businesses with paid invoicing/payroll add-ons. Competes with Banana's free plan in the freelancer and micro-business segment.

Broad incumbents

• Xero: Cloud-based accounting platform for SMBs and accountants with strong UK/NL/ANZ presence, real-time multi-user collaboration and a deep app marketplace. Competes with Banana in the Netherlands, UK and other international markets.
• Sage: Global SMB accounting suite (Sage 50, Sage Business Cloud Accounting) used by small businesses and accountants. Overlaps with Banana in Switzerland, Germany, UK and Africa via Sage Pastel.
• QuickBooks (Intuit): Dominant cloud-native SMB accounting platform with invoicing, VAT/tax, payroll, banking integrations, and AI-assisted bookkeeping. Operates as the broad incumbent Banana competes against in nearly every geography it serves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bananasoftware
• GitHubgithub.com/BananaAccounting
• Facebookfacebook.com/bananaaccounting

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Banana