Choosing the right financial software is one of the first real decisions you make as a sole proprietor in Switzerland. Get it wrong, and you're either paying for features you don't use — or spending hours trying to understand software built for accountants, not business owners.
Two tools are worth comparing directly: Swiss21 and SoloDesk. Both are Swiss, both have a free plan.
Swiss21 is not a single product — it's a catalogue: AbaNinja, AbaSalary, AbaClik, CRM, Shop, POS. Different prices, different interfaces, different login screens.
SoloDesk is something different — built for business, not bookkeeping: one app, one login, no accounting knowledge required.
All prices excl. VAT (MWST 8.1%) · Data verified against swiss21.org, Swiss21 Helpcenter, Trustpilot, Capterra
01 Setup
With SoloDesk — you scan or upload an invoice. The system reads the document and shows you a card: "Swisscom, CHF 95, Telecom." You tap confirm. The bookkeeping entry is created automatically — correct account, correct VAT rate, correct bank matching. You never see Debit/Credit. You never pick an account number.
The more you use it, the less you do. After a few invoices from the same vendor, SoloDesk already knows: Swisscom = Telecom, VAT 8.1%. Autopilot. After three months, most routine documents are processed without any input from you.
With Swiss21 — open the app. The first screen asks "effective method or flat-rate method?" — whichever you pick, you cannot change it later. The next screen shows 126 fixed accounts — you cannot add one for your construction materials, cannot rename "Telecom" to "Mobile," cannot merge two. Every setup decision is permanent.
Start for free — until September 2026
No credit card. No commitment.
02 Free Plan
With SoloDesk Free — CHF 0. Full accounting for a business processing up to 10 documents per month. Here is what Free includes:
For a sole proprietor processing up to 10 documents per month, Free is the only plan you'll ever need.
With Swiss21 Starter — also CHF 0. Here is what the Starter plan actually includes:
Same price. On day one, SoloDesk gives you everything. Swiss21 gives you a starting point — and a ceiling.
03 Ecosystem
SoloDesk is one app. One name. One login. You open it, you work, you close it. Everything that needs your attention today is in one place — the Resolution Feed. One list, one flow.
Monday morning: you open SoloDesk. Four items waiting — two receipts processed over the weekend (Swisscom and a client lunch), one incoming payment from CustomerX, one client two weeks late on an invoice. Four taps. Three minutes. Done for the day.
Swiss21 is this:
| # | Brand | What it is | Where it lives |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21.AbaNinja | Accounting & invoicing | Web (app.abaninja.ch) |
| 2 | 21.AbaSalary | Payroll | Separate web interface |
| 3 | 21.CRM | Customer management | Within Swiss21 account |
| 4 | 21.Shop | Online shop | Separate storefront + admin (PepperShop) |
| 5 | AbaClik 3 | Mobile: receipts, time tracking | Mobile app (iOS/Android) |
| 6 | AbaClik AI | Mobile: AI, voice, chatbot | Different mobile app — Abacus ERP only |
And that's just Swiss21. Alongside it sits DeepCloud (separate platform, separate login): DeepBox, DeepSign, DeepNinja, DeepMail, DeepFlow, and more. And the Abacus ERP layer: AbaWeb, AbaNet, AbaSky.
Multiple brand names across three platforms. Three login systems.
Swiss21's own support team wrote a dedicated FAQ explaining the difference between two mobile apps in their ecosystem. When you need an FAQ to explain the difference between two mobile apps in your own ecosystem — that's not a bug. That's the architecture.
Can't assemble it yourself? Swiss21 offers Digital Coaches — certified accountants for a fee.
A free tool that recommends paid consultants for year-end — that's not a free product.
04 Data Ownership
With SoloDesk — on Mid or Full, your accountant gets edit access from September 2026. Send them an invitation link — they sign up once for free and work directly in your books. Reports, entries, documents — everything live, nothing to export. You are the business owner, they are the advisor, SoloDesk is your invisible assistant. Partnership, not dependency.
Yes, Swiss21 Starter lets you connect AbaWeb for free — but that's exactly where the trap is set.
With Swiss21 — connecting your accountant requires them to have their own AbaWeb subscription and to configure the link from their end. No "share with accountant" button in your account.
Swiss21 Starter users do get advanced accounting features unlocked at no extra cost when connecting via AbaWeb. But once the connection is made, something unexpected happens: your Balance Sheet, P&L, VAT report, and business indicators disappear from your account. Your financial data moves to your accountant's system. You no longer see your own numbers.
Swiss21's own Helpcenter confirms this — your reports move to your accountant's system. To see your own numbers again, you need a separate AbaWeb subscription. That subscription starts at CHF 70/month — and goes up to CHF 396/month depending on your business size. Partner fees on top.
You started with free software. You connected your accountant. Now your free tool has become a document scanner for your accountant's system.
05 Value
Not a feature list. Five concrete results for SoloDesk Mid — and what Swiss21 Basic (CHF 21) gives you for the same job.
SoloDesk collects the week's open items in the Resolution Feed, grouped by supplier. 12 items. 4 minutes. Done.
One confirmation updates four things at once — the document, the bookkeeping entry, the bank match, and the invoice status — all closed together, not separately.
The actual Monday morning screen: "12 items need attention · ≈ 4 minutes estimated."
The VAT balance for the current period sits on your dashboard. Every day. In real time. Not a report you generate on 30 March — a number you see on 3 March.
The effective method from setup. Mixed rates per invoice (8.1% / 3.8% / 2.6%) handled per line. ESTV Form 405 is generated with one click.
Import one month of bank statements — CSV, PDF, or CAMT format. SoloDesk auto-detects bank fees, matches QR-bill invoices with 100% certainty, and groups the rest by supplier. A typical 60-transaction month reduces to 15–20 decisions. By month six, 80%+ of transactions are processed automatically.
The effective method from setup. Mixed rates per invoice (8.1% / 3.8% / 2.6%) handled per line. ESTV Form 405 is generated with one click.
SoloDesk Mid includes one account for your accountant (read-only). They see what you see — reports, journal entries, source documents.
No separate system. No second login. No reports hidden from you to make them visible to someone else.
At year-end, they receive structured Swiss-compliant exports — P&L, Balance Sheet, journal, VAT report — in the formats they already work with.
Cash position across all accounts. Dashboard number, one tap to source transactions.
Receivables — who owes you what, how many days overdue. 3-step payment reminders in your client's language (DE / FR / IT / EN), one click.
Expenses by vendor — click any number to see the original receipts behind it — three clicks, not three hours.
What's coming — VAT periods, payment due dates, upcoming obligations — on the Financial Timeline, in chronological order.
Your numbers aren't in a quarterly PDF from your accountant. They are on your screen, now.
And if Mid isn't the right fit — downgrade anytime.
Try Mid for a month. Decide Free is enough. Downgrade in one click. Data stays. History stays.
Swiss21: downgrade from any paid tier back to Starter is explicitly prohibited.
06 Lock-in
With SoloDesk — upgrade to Mid, try it for a month, decide Free is enough. Downgrade in one click. Data stays. History stays.
With Swiss21 — downgrade is not possible on any plan. Once you upgrade, there is no going back to free. You pay once. The door locks behind you.
Two steps — one direction
| Step | Product | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Swiss21 Starter (CHF 0) | You register. Free invoicing, limited accounting. |
| 02 | Swiss21 Basic (CHF 21–49) | You upgrade for real features. No going back to free. |
Every step — deeper into the Abacus ecosystem. Every step — further from the exit.
With SoloDesk, the door stays open.
07 Trust
We built SoloDesk because every other Swiss option was built for accountants, not for the people who actually use it. Here's what that means for your data:
With SoloDesk — your data lives in Switzerland (Google Cloud, Zurich region), regulated under Swiss nDSG. Export everything, anytime, at no cost — CSV, PDF, XLSX. If you leave, your data leaves with you. No fees. No deletion deadlines. No lock-in.
With Swiss21 — data also lives in Switzerland, also regulated under nDSG. Parity on residency. What differs is the exit: downgrade to free is prohibited, and an accountant connection moves your reports to their AbaWeb system. Swiss storage isn't the same as your control.
One gives you accounting software and expects you to be an accountant. The other does your accounting and lets you run your business.
