Why people start looking for an Accountable alternative
Accountable built its product around a clear promise: a self employed individual handles invoicing, VAT and the personal income tax return from their phone, with experts reachable when things get stuck. For a consultant, a designer or a physiotherapist that promise holds up.
The trouble starts when the business changes in nature. You open a counter and you need a certified cash register with a payment terminal. You sell products and have to track stock. You want to stop chasing clients by hand in a notebook. That is where an app designed for the solo provider shows its edges, and it is not a flaw: it is simply a different trade.
We are not claiming to replace Accountable on everything. There are two things they do and we do not, and we would rather tell you now than have you find out in use.
The common ground between the two tools
On the basics of a Belgian freelance business, neither tool takes the lead. Invoicing cleanly, preparing VAT, photographing a parking ticket, tracking expenses, working from a phone: that is settled on both sides.
Electronic invoicing too. Peppol is a European standard, software complies with it or it does not, and both comply. Our nuance sits in the technical chain rather than in the result, we run our own access point to the network.
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Peppol compliant invoicing, sending and receiving
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VAT return preparation
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Quotes, order forms and conversion into an invoice
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Scanning and automatic booking of purchase invoices
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Tracking business expenses and how deductible they are
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Mobile app to invoice and scan on the road
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Support in French, Dutch and English
The same foundation, feature by feature
| Everyday feature |
Novadesko |
Accountable |
| Peppol compliant invoicing |
Yes |
Yes |
| VAT return preparation |
Yes |
Yes |
| Quotes and order forms |
Yes |
Yes |
| OCR scanning of purchase invoices |
Yes |
Yes |
| Tracking deductible expenses |
Yes |
Yes |
| Mobile app |
Yes |
Yes |
| Support in French, Dutch and English |
Yes |
Yes |
If your business fits inside that list, both tools do the job. Compare on price, on how comfortable the interface feels and on the kind of support you get, not on features that match each other.
The differences, and they run both ways
Let us start with what Accountable does better, because a comparison page that concedes nothing is not worth reading. They build the personal income tax return straight into the app, and they offer tax coaching delivered by their own experts. We do neither: on our side that part goes through your accountant, with whom we work hand in hand.
Our ground lies elsewhere. Novadesko starts from the idea that an invoice is only one moment in the life of a business, between a client to follow up, an item in stock, a payment taken at the counter and a cash position to watch. All of that lives inside the same subscription, companies and non profits included, with several users on the same file.
Blunt summary: Accountable is stronger on the personal tax side, Novadesko is stronger on running the business. The right choice depends on which of those two costs you the most time today.
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Certified cash register and point of sale, with payment terminals
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Stock management linked to sales and purchases
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Built in CRM: contacts, opportunities, commercial follow up
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Automatic payment reminders on overdue invoices
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Cash flow dashboard with the payments you expect
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Companies and non profits as well as individuals
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Several users on the same file, each with their own rights
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Directly certified Peppol access point and an open API
Where the scopes separate
| What tips the balance |
Novadesko |
Accountable |
| Personal income tax return inside the app |
No, through your accountant |
Yes |
| Tax coaching by the vendor's own experts |
No |
Yes |
| Certified cash register and point of sale |
Yes |
No |
| Integrated payment terminals |
Yes |
No |
| Stock management |
Yes |
No |
| CRM and commercial follow up |
Yes |
No |
| Automatic payment reminders |
Yes |
No |
| Several users on one file |
Yes |
No |
| Directly certified Peppol access point |
Yes |
Through an intermediary |
| Open API |
Yes |
No |
What you pay on either side
Both vendors work on a monthly subscription, so the comparison is tempting. It is also misleading until you look at what each amount covers.
Novadesko starts at 19 € excl. VAT per month, with no minimum term, the Peppol access point included and no document counter. Modules switch on according to your activity: you are not billed for the till if you never sell over the counter. Accountable offers several tiers, from the lightest up to a plan that bundles tax guidance, and those amounts move with their campaigns.
The only sum that matters fits on one line. Take your current subscription, add what you pay on the side for your till, your stock tracking, your client reminder tool, then compare that total against ours. Plenty of freelancers discover at that moment that they were paying three subscriptions for one trade.
We do not print a figure for Accountable here: their tiers change and a stale price helps nobody. Their official pricing is the reference, ours is published in full with no hidden extras.
When to stay with Accountable, when to switch
Here is what we would say on the phone, unfavourable answers included.
Stay if your number one concern is your personal income tax return and having a tax expert on the line. That is their strength and we do not replicate it. Stay too if you invoice services to a handful of regular clients, with no counter, no stock and nobody else who needs to get into the documents.
Switch if running the business now weighs more than invoicing it. A shop opening, references to track, reminders piling up, a company being set up, a partner joining: in those situations the gap becomes obvious, and it widens again once you add up the subscriptions you will no longer pay on the side.
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Solo provider whose priority is the personal tax return: Accountable
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Need for tax coaching delivered by the vendor: Accountable
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Services with no extra needs: either works, compare the price
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Retail or hospitality taking payments directly: Novadesko, for the certified till
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Selling products with stock tracking: Novadesko, for the stock, sales and purchase link
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Reminders and a client portfolio to organise: Novadesko, for the CRM and automatic reminders
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A company, a non profit or several users: Novadesko
Moving your data without breaking anything
Fear of the move holds more people back than price does, and it is almost always overstated. Both tools export to common formats, which makes the operation unremarkable.
Your clients, items and invoices export out of Accountable and import on our side. Your invoice numbering carries on with no gap in the sequence. Your Peppol identifier does not change: it is built on your company number, and only the network registration is updated so it points at your new access point.
One practical point not to miss: if you leave Accountable in the middle of a tax year, agree with your accountant who takes on the return for the year under way. That is the only genuine watch out in this migration, and a couple of emails settles it.
Test it during the fourteen free days with your real invoices and real clients. By the end you will know whether the trade suits you, without having paid anything and without having cancelled anything.
Frequently asked questions
Is Novadesko a good alternative to Accountable?
Yes, as soon as running your business weighs as much as invoicing it. The foundation is comparable: Peppol, VAT, quotes, purchase scanning, mobile app. The difference sits in the certified cash register, stock, CRM, automatic reminders and multi user access, all inside the same subscription.
What does Accountable do better than Novadesko?
Two things, and we own them. Accountable builds the personal income tax return straight into its app and offers tax coaching by its own experts. On our side that part goes through your accountant, who gets free access to the file.
Are both tools compliant with mandatory electronic invoicing?
Yes. Since 2026, invoices between Belgian VAT registered businesses must be structured and sent electronically, a PDF by email no longer counts. Both solutions let you comply. We work through our own certified Peppol access point, with no third party operator in the chain.
Is Novadesko more expensive than Accountable?
It depends entirely on what you already pay on the side. Our plans start at 19 € excl. VAT per month, no commitment, Peppol included, with modules you switch on according to your activity. If you also fund a till, a stock tool or client follow up, the total often tips our way. If you pay for nothing else, compare tier by tier.
Can I transfer my invoices from Accountable?
Yes. Clients, items and invoices export in common formats and import on our side, with numbering that carries on so there is no gap in the sequence. Our team walks you through it during the fourteen day free trial.
Who handles my tax return if I leave Accountable?
Your accountant, as for the vast majority of Belgian self employed people. Settle that point before switching if you move mid tax year: your accountant takes over the year under way and pulls the documents and entries from us in the usual formats of their software. Portal access is free for accounting firms.
Do I need a new Peppol identifier when I change software?
No. Your identifier rests on your company number, it belongs to you and does not depend on the vendor. Only the network registration is updated so it points at your new access point, and your clients keep invoicing you without changing anything on their side.
When is staying with Accountable the better call?
If your main pain is tax rather than operations. A solo provider who wants the income tax return handled inside the app, with an expert who picks up, is very well served where they are. Switching for management features you will not use makes no sense.
Worth a look
This page was written from publicly available information about both vendors in August 2026. Plans shift with commercial campaigns, so read today's pricing on accountable.eu and on our own pricing page before you decide. Novadesko is not affiliated with Accountable, which remains a very good tool on its own ground.
