BillingEngine
BillingEngine is a bootstrapped Hamburg-based SaaS that provides GoBD- and e-invoice-compliant invoicing and bookkeeping software for German freelancers and small businesses, distributed via a freemium self-serve web app.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersHamburg, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What BillingEngine does
BillingEngine, operated by the Hamburg-based company DesignBits, is a cloud-based SaaS invoicing and lightweight bookkeeping platform targeted at German freelancers and small businesses. The product is built around legally compliant electronic invoicing (XRechnung, ZUGFeRD, EN 16931), GoBD-compliant archiving effective 1 January 2026, DIN-5008-standard PDFs, recurring invoices, dunning, bank reconciliation, expense tracking, fixed-asset depreciation, VAT overview, and DATEV export for tax-advisor collaboration; a public REST API was added in January 2026. The application runs as a multi-tenant web service hosted on DigitalOcean in Frankfurt, supports English and German with EUR/USD/GBP/CHF billing, and integrates Stripe for payments and OpenAI for an AI receipt-extraction feature.
The business model is freemium subscription SaaS with three tiers: Free (up to 3 invoices/month, €0), Basic (up to 30 invoices/month, €6/mo annual or €7.50/mo monthly), and Premium (unlimited invoices, €12/mo annual or €15/mo monthly), with multi-user access (2-5 seats) and tax-advisor seats available on paid plans. Distribution is fully self-serve PLG via billingengine.com, with 1-click signup, and acquisition is driven primarily by an SEO-oriented content marketing engine (243+ articles and a glossary of German accounting terms), supplemented by an Adcell affiliate programme and Facebook advertising; no sales team or marketplace listings are reported. Customer evidence comes from individual freelancers across fitness, travel, and media, with reported metrics of 2,500+ active users and a 4.9/5.0 average rating across 243 reviews.
Ownership and operating structure are founder-led: Timo Kleemann (Managing Director), Marko Kleemann (Head of Engineering), and Julia Kleemann (Head of Marketing) form the core team, the company is bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional funding, and it is parented by the web-design agency DesignBits. Strategic direction in 2024-2026 has prioritized regulatory compliance (GoBD, XRechnung/ZUGFeRD), tax-advisor workflow integration (DATEV, tax-advisor seats), and bookkeeping feature expansion rather than geographic or segment expansion, leaving the business concentrated in the DACH micro-business niche.
BillingEngine firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BillingEngine
- Legal name
- DesignBits
- Website
- https://billingengine.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- BillingEngine is a bootstrapped Hamburg-based SaaS that provides GoBD- and e-invoice-compliant invoicing and bookkeeping software for German freelancers and small businesses, distributed via a freemium self-serve web app.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BillingEngine industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cloud Invoicing and Accounting Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Bill Pay, Invoicing & Payables Platforms (BPAMAFAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Biller Direct EBPP Platforms (FSAMAJAA), Direct Debit / ACH Collections & Recurring Billing (FSAMAGAE)
Keywords
Where BillingEngine is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hamburg
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
BillingEngine business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription Revenue: Tiered subscription model with Free (3 invoices/month), Basic (30 invoices/month), and Premium (unlimited invoices) plans. Annual billing offers 20% discount.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free - For freelancers and side businesses with up to 3 invoices per month |
| Subscription | Annual | Basic - For small businesses with up to 30 invoices per month |
| Subscription | Annual | Premium - For growing companies with unlimited invoices |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
BillingEngine product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BillingEngine is a cloud-based SaaS invoicing and accounting software for freelancers and small businesses in Germany that creates legally compliant electronic invoices (XRechnung, ZUGFeRD, EN 16931), manages invoice workflows and recurring billing, supports multi-currency and multi-language invoicing, and provides GoBD-compliant archiving with DATEV export for tax advisor collaboration. The product is offered via a freemium subscription model (Free, Basic, Premium) sold directly through its website.
Product overview
BillingEngine is a single, unified cloud-based invoicing and accounting software product designed for freelancers and small businesses in Germany. The platform offers three pricing tiers: a Free plan (up to 3 invoices/month), a Basic plan (up to 30 invoices/month), and a Premium plan (unlimited invoices). All plans include e-invoice generation (XRechnung, ZUGFeRD, EN 16931 compliant), GoBD-compliant archiving, DATEV export, PDF generation (DIN 5008 standard), recurring invoices, dunning, bank reconciliation, and tax advisor access. Paid plans additionally offer multi-user access (2-5 users), watermark-free PDFs, priority email support, and API access. The software is hosted on German servers (DigitalOcean Frankfurt) and is GDPR and GoBD compliant.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- BillingEngine BillingEngine is a cloud-based SaaS invoicing and accounting software designed for German freelancers and small businesses. It creates legally compliant e-invoices in XRechnung, ZUGFeRD, and EN 16931 formats, supports GoBD-compliant archiving, manages invoice lifecycles (Draft, Sent, Downloaded, Paid, Cancelled), generates DIN-5008-compliant PDFs, offers recurring invoices, dunning, bank reconciliation, multi-currency and 6-language invoicing, expense tracking, fixed assets/depreciation, VAT overview preparation, DATEV export for tax advisors, AI-powered receipt extraction, and a REST API. It is sold via a freemium subscription model (Free, Basic, Premium) directly through billingengine.com.
Quantifiable outcome
- 95% availability guaranteed during weekdays 8am-8pm CET
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use BillingEngine
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
BillingEngine technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability2 records
Feature6 records
BillingEngine partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- DigitalOceancoreDigitalOcean provides cloud hosting infrastructure for BillingEngine's servers, located in Frankfurt, Germany. This partnership ensures GDPR compliance and data residency requirements for German customers. A Data Processing Agreement (DPA) is in place.
- StripecoreStripe handles payment processing for paid plan subscriptions, supporting credit card payments (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) and SEPA direct debit.
- DATEVcoreDATEV integration allows users to export invoice and customer data in DATEV format for seamless collaboration with tax advisors. Enables tax consultant access feature in paid plans.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
BillingEngine competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Lexoffice: Lexoffice is one of Germany's leading cloud accounting/invoicing platforms for freelancers, self-employed, and small businesses, offering GoBD-compliant bookkeeping, DATEV export, and bank reconciliation—directly overlapping BillingEngine's feature set and target SMB segment.
- SevDesk: SevDesk is a venture-backed German cloud accounting SaaS for freelancers and small businesses offering invoicing, expense management, bank reconciliation, and DATEV export, competing head-to-head with BillingEngine in the same DACH SMB segment.
- FastBill: FastBill is a German cloud invoicing and accounting platform targeting freelancers and SMBs with recurring invoices, expense tracking, DATEV export, and bank reconciliation—directly comparable to BillingEngine's offering and customer base.
- Wave Accounting: Wave is a freemium cloud accounting and invoicing platform for freelancers and small businesses offering unlimited free invoicing and integrated payments; comparable to BillingEngine in business model and target segment, though focused on North America/English-speaking markets.
- BuchhaltungsButler: BuchhaltungsButler is a Cologne-based cloud accounting SaaS focused on German freelancers and small businesses with DATEV integration, GoBD compliance, and bank reconciliation—competing in the same niche as BillingEngine.
Broad incumbents
- Zoho Invoice / Zoho Books: Zoho Invoice/Books is a global SMB invoicing and accounting suite with multi-currency, recurring billing, and automation; it overlaps with BillingEngine's invoicing features and serves a comparable SMB/freelancer segment, though without German-specific depth.
- Sage Business Cloud Accounting: Sage is a global incumbent in SMB accounting offering invoicing, bookkeeping, and tax-compliance features across multiple countries; its German product line overlaps directly with BillingEngine's freelancer/SMB invoicing functionality.
- DATEV (SmartInvoice / Mittelstand Faktura): DATEV is the dominant German tax-advisor and SMB accounting software cooperative; its own invoicing and DATEV-format tools compete directly with BillingEngine while also serving as the integration ecosystem BillingEngine plugs into.
Regional players
- FreeAgent: FreeAgent is a UK-focused cloud accounting SaaS for freelancers and small businesses offering invoicing, expense tracking, and tax preparation; comparable to BillingEngine in product scope and SMB/freelancer target, but serving the British market rather than DACH.
Emerging players
- sevDesk (Austria/Switzerland) / Candis: Candis is a Berlin-based AI-driven invoice automation and accounting platform targeting German SMBs and accountants; it overlaps with BillingEngine's invoice management and DATEV-export positioning while bringing AI-driven automation as a differentiator.
Market position
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
BillingEngine social profiles
Digital presenceBillingEngine compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
BillingEngine financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BillingEngine leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
BillingEngine funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BillingEngine 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 BillingEngine
What does BillingEngine do?
BillingEngine is a cloud-based SaaS invoicing and accounting software for freelancers and small businesses in Germany that creates legally compliant electronic invoices (XRechnung, ZUGFeRD, EN 16931), manages invoice workflows and recurring billing, supports multi-currency and multi-language invoicing, and provides GoBD-compliant archiving with DATEV export for tax advisor collaboration. The product is offered via a freemium subscription model (Free, Basic, Premium) sold directly through its website.
Is BillingEngine a public or private company?
BillingEngine is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was BillingEngine founded?
BillingEngine was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is BillingEngine based?
BillingEngine is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does BillingEngine make money?
One revenue line is on record: subscription Revenue.
Who are BillingEngine's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Lexoffice, SevDesk, FastBill, Wave Accounting and BuchhaltungsButler. Broad incumbents are Zoho Invoice / Zoho Books, Sage Business Cloud Accounting and DATEV (SmartInvoice / Mittelstand Faktura). FreeAgent is listed as a regional player. sevDesk (Austria/Switzerland) / Candis is listed as an emerging player.
Does BillingEngine have an API?
Yes. BillingEngine offers a REST API that enables management of customers, invoices, and payments. The API supports basic CRUD operations for these entities. Based on OAS 2.0 specification with base URL at www.billingengine.com. Developer documentation is at www.billingengine.com/api/docs.
What industry is BillingEngine in?
BillingEngine's product category is Cloud Invoicing and Accounting Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAFAF, Bill Pay, Invoicing & Payables Platforms, with a secondary code of FSAMAJAA, Biller Direct EBPP Platforms. Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7372.