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The freelancer’s toolkit.

Guide · 6 tools · offers read on Oct. 30, 2026

In short: six tools cover the admin side of freelancing in France. Qonto for a business account from day one, Abby for quotes and invoices, Hostinger for the website, Alan for health cover, Acasi for accounting once you incorporate, PayFit for payroll once you hire. I use all six. The offers and rules below apply to freelancers set up in France: pick your status to see the ones that fit.

Paid partnership The Abby, Alan, Acasi and PayFit links are referral links: if you sign up through one of them, the company pays me a reward and you get the offer shown, on its terms. The Qonto and Hostinger links pay me nothing; amounts read on October 30, 2026.

By Nicolas Papin, Freelance 3D artist, Rouen, France · Updated

The six tools

Qonto

Close

Open a business account

Starting price
€9 excl. VAT/month (Basic, billed yearly), 1-month trial
Offer
No offer through this link
Who it is for
Micro-entreprise, liberal profession, EURL, SASU, SAS, SARL registered in France
Stage
Day one

For a French micro-entreprise, a dedicated account becomes mandatory once revenue tops €10,000 two years running, and a separate personal account is enough. A business account with built-in invoicing pays off as soon as you bill agencies and brands. Qonto gives you a French IBAN, includes quotes and invoices in every plan, and is on the French tax authority’s official list of approved e-invoicing platforms.

Qonto is a payment institution licensed by the French regulator (ACPR), not a bank. There is no free plan: €9 excl. VAT a month at least, with 30 transfers and direct debits a month on Basic. Online banks don’t take cash deposits, and cheques go by post, with funds available in 7 to 15 business days.

No paid link In a micro-entreprise under the threshold, a separate personal account is enough: the rule is on the French government’s service-public site. Micro-entrepreneur bank account rule (French) (new tab)

Qonto referral: up to €160 in two €80 steps, on conditions (physical card, €50 then €3,000 spent within 60 days). Qonto doesn’t allow these links online: this is a plain link, with no reward.

Use
Business account, card, quotes and invoices
Read on

Qonto referral terms (French) (new tab)Qonto pricing (new tab)

Plain link, not paid

See plans on qonto.com (new tab)

Abby

Close

Send quotes and invoices

Starting price
€0 (Basique); Start at €9 excl. VAT/month, 14-day trial
Offer
1 month free on monthly billing, or 10% off a yearly plan (Start, Pro, Business), with the code entered at sign-up. Not combinable.
Who it is for
Micro-entreprise, EI, EURL, SASU, SAS, SARL, SCI
Stage
First invoice

Since September 1, 2026, every business in France must be able to receive e-invoices, micro-entreprises included. Abby’s Basique plan is free: unlimited quotes and invoices, a sales ledger built from paid invoices, an estimate of social contributions and e-invoicing. Abby presents itself as an approved platform: check its name on the official list.

On Abby’s plan grid, sending invoices by email, card payments and filing your social contributions start with Start, €9 excl. VAT a month. For a company, Abby prepares sales entries and exports for your accountant, but its SASU page doesn’t promise year-end accounts or a tax return.

No paid link To compare other tools, start from the list of approved platforms published by the French tax authority. List of approved platforms (French) (new tab)

Use
Quotes, invoices, sales ledger, e-invoicing
Read on

Abby referral terms (French) (new tab)Abby pricing (new tab)

Paid partnership · referral link

Open an Abby account (new tab)

Hostinger

Close

Put your work online

Starting price
Promotional price that changes. On Oct. 30, 2026: Premium at €2.49/month over 48 months (€119.52), renewing at €9.99/month
Offer
No offer through this link
Who it is for
Any freelancer, whatever the legal status
Stage
A website

A portfolio on your own domain is the page clients land on when they search your name. Hostinger’s Premium plan hosts 3 websites, with an SSL certificate, weekly backups, and a domain plus two mailboxes per site free for the first year. Hostinger doesn’t target any legal status: any freelancer can sign up.

The headline price assumes 48 months paid upfront, and renewal costs about four times as much per month. The money-back guarantee runs 30 days, but .fr domains are not refundable. Hostinger hosts sites: it doesn’t handle quotes or invoices.

Hostinger referral: 20% off the first term of a new plan (new account, at least 12 months). The program is for personal use only: this is a plain link, with no discount.

Use
Website hosting, domain, email
Read on

Hostinger referral rules (new tab)Hostinger web hosting pricing (new tab)

Plain link, not paid

See plans on hostinger.com (new tab)

Alan

Close

Get health cover

Starting price
Rubis from €45/month according to Alan’s guide, online quote
Offer
1 month free, on your first full month (if cover starts mid-month, the following month). Only if you’ve never been an Alan customer.
Who it is for
Micro-entrepreneur, freelancer, liberal profession, head of a SASU, EURL, SARL
Stage
Get covered

For a freelancer in France, individual health cover isn’t legally required, as Alan points out. Alan offers three plans for micro-entrepreneurs, freelancers, liberal professions and heads of SASU, EURL or SARL companies, with online sign-up and no waiting period. Its plans qualify for the Madelin deduction, which only applies to self-employed people taxed on actual profit (régime réel). The referral offer requires living in France.

In a micro-entreprise, the Madelin deduction doesn’t apply: Alan says so itself. You can cancel at any time only after one year; before that, only if your situation changes.

Use
Individual health cover
Read on

Alan referral terms (French) (new tab)Alan’s guide for the self-employed (French) (new tab)

Paid partnership · referral link

Sign up with Alan (new tab)

Acasi

Close

Hand over your accounting

Starting price
€119 excl. VAT/month billed yearly, €139 excl. VAT/month billed monthly
Offer
Acasi publishes no benefit for the person referred. When I was referred, Acasi gave me €180 incl. VAT; the current amount is set by Acasi.
Who it is for
SASU, SAS, EURL, SARL, sole proprietorship on actual profit, no employees. Micro-entreprise excluded
Stage
Incorporate

Once you run a company, or a sole proprietorship taxed on actual profit, bookkeeping gets heavier. Acasi, also shown as Qonto Comptabilité on acasi.io, handles VAT, corporate tax and the annual tax return; a dedicated coach prepares your filings and year-end accounts, with the accounts certified by a chartered accountant. Acasi Accounting is registered with the Paris Order of Chartered Accountants. Company setup is included with the subscription.

Acasi isn’t built for micro-entreprises, for businesses with employees, or for people who want to do their own books. The free company setup commits you to the tool for 12 months.

No paid link In a micro-entreprise, an accountant isn’t mandatory: Adie, a French nonprofit, explains what you can keep yourself. Micro-entrepreneur bookkeeping (French) (new tab)

Use
Online accounting with a dedicated accountant
Read on

Acasi referral page (French) (new tab)Acasi pricing (new tab)

Paid partnership · referral link

Sign up with Acasi (new tab)

PayFit

Close

Run payroll

Starting price
Starter: €26 per employee per month (total shown excl. VAT), setup fees waived, no commitment
Offer
3 months free subscription, setup fees not included. Program valid until Dec. 31, 2026; the company must not have been a PayFit customer in the last 12 months.
Who it is for
Employers with 1 to 1,000 staff based in France
Stage
First hire

Your first hire brings payslips and payroll filings. PayFit targets very small companies with 1 to 9 staff: once payroll is closed, it sends the monthly social declaration (DSN) to Net-Entreprises and files the pre-hire declaration (DPAE). Its Starter plan is designed for founders hiring their first employees.

With no employees, PayFit has nothing to do: no payslips, no DSN. Some collective agreements aren’t supported yet (construction, agriculture, landscaping, real estate agents). It’s a payroll tool, not an invoicing tool.

Use
Payroll, DSN, DPAE
Read on

PayFit referral terms (French) (new tab)PayFit Starter plan (new tab)

Paid partnership · referral link

Get started with PayFit (new tab)

France’s e-invoicing timeline

The reform covers every business in France, including micro-entreprises exempt from VAT, at least for receiving. Sending and receiving go through an approved platform: a PDF sent by email no longer counts. Official dates:

  1. Sept. 1, 2026

    All businesses

    Receive e-invoices

  2. Sept. 1, 2026

    Large and mid-size companies

    Send e-invoices

  3. Sept. 1, 2027

    SMEs and micro-entreprises

    Send e-invoices

SourcesTimeline, entreprendre.service-public.gouv.fr (French) (new tab)VAT exemption: am I concerned?, impots.gouv.fr (French) (new tab)Fines, entreprendre.service-public.gouv.fr (French) (new tab)Approved platforms, impots.gouv.fr (French) (new tab)

What you’re reading

Every price, status and offer was read on October 30, 2026 on the company’s own page or its terms, linked under each card. The rules (dedicated account, e-invoicing) come from the French government sites service-public.gouv.fr and impots.gouv.fr. No rating, review or customer count is taken from the companies’ pages.

Four links earn me a reward or a credit if you sign up: Abby, Alan, Acasi, PayFit. Qonto and Hostinger don’t allow referral links on websites, so their links here earn me nothing. Offers change: the company’s page is the reference. If you aren’t set up in France, most of this page won’t apply: the offers, prices and rules are French.

Frequently asked questions

Is a business account mandatory for a micro-entreprise?

No. A dedicated account becomes mandatory once revenue tops €10,000 two years in a row, and a separate personal account is enough. service-public.gouv.fr (French) (new tab)

When do I have to receive and send e-invoices?

Every business has had to be able to receive them since September 1, 2026. SMEs and micro-entreprises must send them from September 1, 2027; large and mid-size companies have done so since September 1, 2026. service-public.gouv.fr (French) (new tab)

I’m exempt from VAT. Does e-invoicing apply to me?

Yes, at least for receiving invoices, according to the French tax authority. impots.gouv.fr (French) (new tab)

Is a PDF sent by email an e-invoice?

No. An e-invoice goes through an approved platform, which passes it to your client’s platform. A merely “compatible solution” doesn’t do that transmission. impots.gouv.fr (French) (new tab)

What are the fines for not complying with e-invoicing?

€50 per invoice, capped at €15,000 a year, and €500 per missing data transmission, capped at €15,000 a year. service-public.gouv.fr (French) (new tab)

Do I need an accountant for a micro-entreprise?

No, it isn’t mandatory. It becomes useful once you run a company or a sole proprietorship taxed on actual profit. Acasi, for one, doesn’t take micro-entreprises. Adie (French) (new tab)

Why don’t Qonto and Hostinger have referral links?

Their rules forbid it: Qonto doesn’t allow referral links to be shared online, and Hostinger keeps them for personal use, not on websites or blogs. So I use a plain link. Qonto terms (French) (new tab)

Do the links on this page pay you?

Four do: Abby, Alan, Acasi and PayFit. If you sign up through one of them, the company gives me a reward or a credit. The Qonto and Hostinger links are plain links that pay me nothing.

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