KLARA vs. bexio Comparison

Comparison: KLARA vs. bexio

KLARA and bexio are among the best-known business software solutions for Swiss SMEs — but their approaches differ fundamentally. KLARA combines accounting, order management, payroll, point-of-sale, and an online store with directly integrated payment solutions, a website, and online appointment booking in a single Swiss SME platform. KLARA is backed by ePost Service AG, a subsidiary of Swiss Post — and over 50,000 SMEs are already using KLARA.

bexio focuses on back-office functions — accounting, order management, expense management, payroll, and banking — and covers additional use cases such as point-of-sale or online stores via third-party apps.

The key difference lies not in individual features, but in the model: With KLARA, you get a modular, all-in-one SME software solution with directly integrated features. Bexio itself has limited functionality and connects to various features via third-party interfaces.

In short: bexio is a solid back-office tool. KLARA covers all day-to-day business operations — at a predictable fixed price.

With KLARA, you get all accounting features starting with the first package, AI-powered receipt posting with no specified scan limits, payroll starting at CHF 3.90 per pay period, unlimited admin users at a fixed price starting with the Business Plus plan — and, unlike the other solution, it’s the only one that offers point-of-sale, Payments, an online store, and appointment booking — all on the same platform. With bexio, you pay extra per user and module for many of these features—or they aren’t available in the package at all.

Another important factor is setup and onboarding, which is included free of charge with KLARA. Bexio charges an additional fee for onboarding and setup starting at 220 CHF per service.

Crucial for Swiss SMEs

KLARA

bexio

Pricing logic

Fixed price per package; Business Basic starting at CHF 48.00/month (2-year subscription) or CHF 55.00 (1-year subscription)

Package price starting at CHF 35.00/month (Basic, annual subscription, 1 user) plus additional charges per user and module

User

Basic: 3 admin users; Plus & Premium: unlimited admin users at no extra charge

Basic: 1 / Advanced: 2 / Optima: 5 users included; thereafter CHF 13.80–26.00 per user per month

Accounting functions

All accounting features included in every business package

Features vary by package

AI Document Posting

Included; no scan limits

50 scans/month (Advanced), 100 (Optima), unlimited with fair use ~1,000 (Ultimate)

Bank integration

Automatic real-time bank reconciliation with a comprehensive list of Swiss banks

Online banking with extensive connections to Swiss banks

Payroll accounting

KLARA Payroll, Swissdec-certified (ELM5), CHF 3.90/month per payroll run with the Business Package

Swissdec-certified (ELM); not available in the Basic plan; otherwise, a surcharge of CHF 7.00/month; included in the Ultimate plan

Checkout & Payments

In-house POS system & payment terminals, TWINT, cards, Apple/Google Pay at a flat rate of 1.7%; lower fees for wholesalers, automatic daily closing into accounting

No in-house POS system; integration via Marketplace apps

Online features

Online store, website, appointment scheduling, and Google presence are all native; sales are automatically recorded

About Marketplace Apps and the Developer API

Onboarding & Migration

Free onboarding and setup with all plans; free migration of an existing accounting system with the Premium plan (otherwise CHF 350.00)

Furnishing services starting at CHF 220.00 per service

Support

24/7 chat & email; phone & one-on-one meetings starting with the Plus plan; Key Account Manager included in the Premium plan; languages: DE/FR/IT/EN

Free 24/7 support included in all plans

Origin & Hosting

ePost Service AG – a Swiss Post company; Swiss hosting; ISO 27001

A Mobiliar company; data stored in Swiss data centers

One price per package — instead of per-user costs

With bexio, each additional user costs extra: CHF 21.00 per month in the Advanced package, CHF 13.80 in the Optima package. With KLARA, unlimited admin users are included starting with the Business Plus plan. Example with 10 users: bexio Optima costs CHF 138.00 per month with an annual subscription (CHF 69.00 + 5 × CHF 13.80), while KLARA Business Plus costs a flat rate of CHF 79.00 per month. Your team is growing — but your software costs remain predictable.

All accounting features included starting with the first package

With KLARA, all accounting features are already included in the Business Basic plan: automatic bank integration, dunning, recurring invoices, accruals, asset management, expense management, reports, and VAT reporting (actual or balance tax rate). You don’t have to upgrade to a higher package just to ensure your accounting is complete. With bexio, the range of features is tiered by package; payroll accounting isn’t even available in the Basic package.

Post Receipts with AI — No Scan Limits

With the myKLARA app, you can scan receipts and invoices in seconds; KLARA’s AI recognizes the vendor, date, and amount and posts them almost automatically — including foreign-currency receipts, which KLARA converts to Swiss francs using the official exchange rate from the Swiss Federal Customs Administration. All of this without any specified scan limits. With bexio, AI posting is subject to quotas: 50 scans per month in the Advanced plan, 100 in the Optima plan; unlimited only in the Ultimate plan, with a fair-use limit of around 1,000 scans. Those with a large number of receipts will reach these limits more quickly.

KLARA_Posting_Receipts_Business_Software

Payroll starting at CHF 3.90 per payroll run

KLARA Payroll is Swissdec ELM5-certified and, with the Business package, costs CHF 3.90 per month and per payroll run — you only pay for what you actually process, and the payroll run is automatically posted, including insurance premiums. With bexio, payroll accounting is an add-on module: not available in the Basic package, but starting at CHF 7.00 per month (1 employee) or CHF 25.00 per month (5 employees) in the Advanced and Optima packages.

Point-of-sale, payments, and online features all on one platform

Unlike bexio, KLARA offers its own point-of-sale system and payment terminals with a directly integrated payment solution: TWINT, cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay at a flat rate of 1.7%, lower fees for wholesalers, and automatic daily closing that feeds directly into your accounting system. The online store, website, Google presence, and online appointment booking are also native KLARA products — sales and invoices from these channels are automatically imported into your accounting system. With bexio, you handle point-of-sale, online store, and appointment booking through third-party Marketplace apps — which involves additional contracts, costs, and integration efforts.

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Get started for free — with Swiss support

Onboarding is free with all KLARA business plans; with the Premium plan, KLARA will even migrate your existing accounting data for free (normally CHF 350.00). At bexio, setup services start at CHF 220.00 per service. In addition, KLARA offers Swiss support in German, French, Italian, and English — and, backed by Swiss Post, a provider that Swiss SMEs have trusted for generations.

Your scenario

bexio (annual subscription)

KLARA (annual subscription)

Sole proprietorship, 1 user

Basic: CHF 35.00/month (1 user; payroll accounting not available)

Business Basic: CHF 55.00/month – with all accounting features, 3 admin users, and free onboarding

Small business, 3 users

Advanced: CHF 63.00/month (CHF 42.00 + 1 additional user)

Business Basic: CHF 55.00/month

Team, 10 users

Optima: CHF 138.00/month (CHF 69.00 + 5 additional users)

Business Plus: CHF 79.00/month flat rate

Team, 10 users + 5 pay stubs

CHF 163.00/month (Optima + Payroll Module)

CHF 98.50/month (Business Plus + 5 × CHF 3.90 of salary)

When bexio might be the right choice

There are two scenarios where bexio is the right choice: If you’re a sole proprietor with a single user, don’t need payroll or point-of-sale functionality, and want the lowest possible starting price — then bexio Basic, at CHF 35.00 per month with an annual subscription, is the more affordable option. Or your accountant works exclusively with bexio and switching is out of the question for them.

In all other cases — a growing team, employees on payroll, lots of receipts, a point-of-sale system with TWINT, online sales, or simply the desire for comprehensive accounting without a package manager—KLARA is the better choice. And even when it comes to your accountant, you’re not on your own with KLARA: Through the KLARA Accountant Directory, you can find accountants who know KLARA inside and out and can work directly in your accounting system using a free accountant login.

Growing teams (3 or more users)

KLARA - Unlimited admin users at a fixed price starting with the Business Plus plan; no additional user fees.

Businesses with a large volume of documents

KLARA - AI-powered document posting with no specified scan limits; for bexio, 50–100 scans per month in the Advanced/Optima plans.

Businesses with employees and wage expenses

KLARA - Swissdec ELM5 Payroll starting at CHF 3.90 per payroll run, automatically posted.

Retail, Restaurants, Hair Salons/Beauty Salons with a cash register and TWINT

KLARA - In-house point-of-sale system & payment terminals with a directly integrated payment solution at a flat rate of 1.7% (lower fees for wholesalers) and automatic daily closing into the accounting system.

Startups and new businesses

KLARA - Free onboarding with all plans, 30-day free trial, fixed prices—plus a website, appointment scheduling, and an (online) store, all from the same platform to help you launch your business.

Sole proprietorship, 1 employee, very small budget, no payroll or cash register

bexio (Starter) - Lowest starting price (Basic CHF 35.00/month with an annual subscription) – without payroll accounting (not available) and with 1 user. If you want to grow, you’re better off starting right away with KLARA Business Basic (3 admin users, all accounting features).

The pricing model and platform scope. KLARA charges fixed prices per package — starting with the Business Plus plan, which includes unlimited admin users — and natively integrates accounting with point-of-sale, payments, payroll, e-commerce, and appointment scheduling. With bexio, surcharges per user and for modules such as payroll accounting are added to the package price; point-of-sale and the online store run via Marketplace apps.

As soon as multiple people start using the software or additional payroll entries are added: yes, significantly. With 10 users, bexio Optima costs CHF 138.00/month with an annual subscription, while KLARA Business Plus costs a flat rate of CHF 79.00/month; with 5 payroll runs, the cost is CHF 163.00 compared to CHF 98.50. Only at the entry level with a single user is bexio Basic (CHF 35.00/month) cheaper — but payroll accounting isn’t available with that plan.

There are no scan limits listed for AI-powered document posting. In bexio, AI-based document posting is subject to a quota based on the package: 50 scans/month (Advanced), 100 (Optima), and unlimited with a fair use policy of approximately 1,000 scans/month only in the Ultimate package.

KLARA Payroll is Swissdec ELM5-certified, costs CHF 3.90 per month and per payroll run with the Business package, and automatically posts the payroll run — including insurance premiums — to the accounting system. With bexio, payroll accounting (Swissdec/ELM) is not included in the Basic package and costs an additional CHF 7.00 per month or more in the Advanced and Optima packages.

Yes. Your accountant gets free access to KLARA and can work directly within your accounting system — without having to export or send files. You can also find accountants with KLARA experience through the KLARA accountant directory. bexio also offers access for accounting professionals and a partner network — so collaborating with your accounting professional is easy with both providers, meaning it’s not an obstacle to switching from bexio to KLARA.

bexio does not offer its own point-of-sale system; POS and online store integrations are handled through third-party Marketplace apps. KLARA has its own Swiss point-of-sale system with its own payment terminals and a directly integrated payment solution supporting TWINT, cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay at a flat rate of 1.7% (lower fees for wholesalers) — including automatic daily closing and integration with accounting software.

KLARA helps you to make the switch: Onboarding is free with all Business plans, and the professional migration of your existing accounting records (opening balance sheet in accordance with Swiss standards) is included free of charge in the Premium plan; otherwise, it costs CHF 350.00. You can also try KLARA for free for 30 days.

Yes. KLARA relies on Swiss hosting and Swiss support — and the platform is backed by ePost Service AG, a subsidiary of Swiss Post. According to its own statements, bexio also stores data in Swiss data centers.