FastBill

FastBill Competitive Intelligence & Landscape

fastbill.com ·

FastBill
ForesightIQ Predictions

What is FastBill likely to do next?

ForesightIQ connects FastBill's hiring, product, web, ad, and market signals to forecast strategic moves — often months before they're announced.

Hiring signal

Senior hiring patterns point to a planned enterprise product line launching within two quarters.

High confidence · Next 1–2 quarters
Product signal

Quiet changes to docs and pricing pages signal an upcoming usage-based pricing tier and new API surface.

Likely · Next quarter
Market signal

Ad spend and partnership activity indicate a push into the mid-market segment across two new regions.

Plausible · Next 2–3 quarters
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Overview

FastBill Overview

FastBill (fastbill.com) is a German cloud-based accounting and invoicing software designed primarily for freelancers and small businesses to simplify their financial management. Founded in 2011 by René Maudrich, FastBill GmbH is headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and aims to automate daily routines and bring order to invoices, receipts, and banking. The company's mission is to make accounting as straightforward as possible, recognizing that "life is too short for paperwork & accounting" [fastbill.com, fastbill.com/ueber-uns].

The core offerings of FastBill include professional and legally compliant invoice and offer creation, which can be sent via post or email, with customers able to pay and access invoices online. Beyond invoicing, FastBill provides tools for stress-free bookkeeping, automating receipt capture, digitalization, and categorization, and reconciling them with bank accounts. It also generates useful reports and offers a 100% quality control option for receipt processing. The software supports various integrations, including DATEV, a crucial standard for German entrepreneurs and their tax consultants [fastbill.com, fastbill.com/docs/presse/2017-10-19_PM_FastBill_DATEV_EN.pdf].

FastBill further enhances financial oversight by providing a unified view of bank accounts, credit cards, and PayPal, eliminating the need to log into multiple platforms or maintain separate spreadsheets. It offers a 360-degree customer file, an online customer center with custom branding and invoice history, and insights into income, expenses, and surplus. The platform's features, such as automated recurring invoices, dunning, and tax advisor access, are designed to save time and increase efficiency, supporting growth for small teams and businesses [fastbill.com, fastbill.com/homepage6, fastbill.com/preise/fastbill-pro].

Having experienced growth and profitability, FastBill continues to innovate, demonstrated by its collaborations with other fintech startups like Kontist to offer real-time synchronization between banking and accounting solutions [fastbill.com/presse/fastbill-zieht-nach-12-monaten-eigenstaendigkeit-eine-positive-bilanz, fastbill.com/docs/presse/2018-03-16_PR_FastBill_Kontist_EN.pdf]. The company emphasizes creating a "digital office" where users can manage clients, create invoices, record receipts, and monitor finances from one centralized platform, empowering entrepreneurs with optimized processes and a comprehensive financial management tool [fastbill.com/homepage6].

Competitors

FastBill Competitors

FastBill (fastbill.com) navigates a competitive landscape in the accounting and invoicing software market, particularly in Germany where it originated. One key competitor is lexoffice, a cloud-based accounting solution also targeting freelancers, startups, and growing teams. Both FastBill and lexoffice aim to simplify accounting for non-accountants, offering features for invoicing, expense management, and financial overviews. While FastBill emphasizes automation for daily workflows and managing invoices, receipts, and banking, lexoffice also provides comprehensive tools, with both often compared on aspects like AI-powered automation and pricing transparency, suggesting a direct feature-for-feature rivalry in the German SaaS market [Source: https://toolbrawl.com/en/fastbill-vs-lexoffice].

Another significant competitor to FastBill is Buhl, which operates in the broader financial services industry, offering a range of financial and tax software, including tax preparation software and business accounting solutions [Source: https://www.cbinsights.com/company/fastbill/alternatives-competitors]. Unlike FastBill's focused cloud-based invoicing and accounting, Buhl appears to have a more diversified product portfolio, potentially appealing to a wider audience with varying needs for financial and tax management beyond just day-to-day business operations.

DATEV stands out as a major European software company offering a vast array of software and consulting services for tax consultancy, auditing, and various sectors, including financial and legal [Source: https://www.cbinsights.com/company/fastbill]. With over 200 software products and services for payroll processing and professional services, DATEV represents a robust and long-standing competitor that caters to a more professional and potentially larger enterprise client base compared to FastBill's focus on freelancers and small to growing businesses.

FastBill does offer a DATEV interface, indicating an awareness of DATEV's ecosystem and the need to integrate with it for its users [Source: https://fastbill.com/].

Beyond these, companies like Zoho Invoice, Wave Financial, and FreshBooks are also identified as top competitors to FastBill [Source: https://www.saashub.com/fastbill-alternatives]. These are generally cloud-based invoicing and accounting solutions that compete on a global scale, offering features similar to FastBill such as professional invoice creation, expense tracking, and financial reporting. While FastBill has a strong presence in the German market, these global players offer alternatives that may appeal to users based on pricing, specific feature sets, or broader ecosystem integrations, although their market share relative to FastBill in Germany might vary.

Finally, Upflow, Denario, and CloudBooks are also listed among FastBill's 11 active competitors [Source: https://tracxn.com/d/companies/fastbill/__gzpq_3H-r_2_1dM9FRdI97Y--RTPy2Zuqx3oHEfBXHs]. While specific differentiators and market positioning for each would require deeper analysis, their inclusion highlights the fragmented and competitive nature of the cloud-based invoicing, accounting, and financial management software sector.

FastBill positions itself by automating daily routines and bringing order to invoices, receipts, and banking, aiming to make accounting stress-free for its target audience [Source: https://fastbill.com/].

Alternatives

FastBill Alternatives

Product & Pricing

FastBill Product and Pricing Intelligence

FastBill (fastbill.com) offers a comprehensive cloud-based invoicing and accounting software designed primarily for freelancers, small business owners, and small to medium-sized enterprises in Germany [Source: https://www.fastbill.com/fastbill-fakten]. The platform aims to simplify and automate daily financial operations, including invoice creation, expense tracking, and banking integration, allowing users to manage their finances efficiently and prepare for tax obligations [Source: https://www.fastbill.com/fastbill-fakten]. A key advantage of FastBill is its ability to centralize various financial tools, from customer and service management to GoBD-compliant archiving, saving users significant time [Source: https://www.fastbill.com/rechnungsprogramm].

FastBill provides a 14-day free trial across all its plans, with no subscription commitment required [Source: https://www.fastbill.com/preise]. The platform features three main pricing tiers: FastBill Solo, FastBill Premium, and FastBill Pro. The Solo plan, starting at 9 EUR per month when billed annually (or 10 EUR monthly), focuses on digital invoicing and basic bookkeeping for solopreneurs, offering features like online invoicing, post and email sending, and E-Rechnung capabilities [Source: https://www.fastbill.com/preise/fastbill-solo]. It streamlines document management by consolidating invoices, receipts, and offers in one place, simplifying bank reconciliation and tax preparation [Source: https://www.fastbill.com/preise/fastbill-solo].

For growing businesses and teams, FastBill Premium and FastBill Pro offer more advanced features. The Premium tariff, for example, includes automatic processing and control of up to 30 receipts for a basic fee of 59 EUR per month, with additional receipts incurring a charge of 0.80 EUR each for more than nine extra documents monthly [Source: https://support.fastbill.com/hc/de/articles/360020552100-Abrechnung-der-zus%C3%A4tzlichen-Belege-bei-FastBill-Premium]. The Pro plan, ideal for teams, includes three users, unlimited bank accounts, and advanced automation features like recurring invoices, internal messaging, and tax advisor access, designed to support complex business processes and enhance collaboration [Source: https://www.fastbill.com/preise/fastbill-pro]. Across all plans, FastBill supports connection with over 4000 banks, credit cards, and PayPal, offering an automated payment matching system that identifies transactions related to receipts and invoices [Source: https://www.fastbill.com/banking].

FastBill significantly automates various processes, from creating professional and legally compliant invoices in minutes to handling receipt capture and categorization via app, email, or automatic collection [Source: https://www.fastbill.com/funktionen]. The software also includes robust dunning management, allowing users to track invoice statuses and trigger up to three dunning levels, with fully automatic options available in the Premium tariff or as an add-on [Source: https://www.fastbill.com/funktionen, https://www.fastbill.com/mahnwesen-software]. Additionally, FastBill provides monthly financial reports and insights into revenues, bank balances, and open invoices, helping businesses maintain a clear overview of their financial health [Source: https://www.fastbill.com/buchhaltung-automatisieren].

Hiring & Layoffs

FastBill Hiring and Layoffs

FastBill (fastbill.com) is actively seeking to expand its team, reflecting a strategic focus on product development and customer support for its accounting software. The company maintains a dedicated "Karriere und Jobs" (Careers and Jobs) page, indicating ongoing recruitment efforts within the German startup scene [https://www.fastbill.com/jobs]. They emphasize a collaborative environment where employees can contribute significantly to a product that addresses real-world problems.

Recent job postings, such as for a Software Engineer (w/m/d), highlight a demand for skilled professionals to work on their core product [https://www.fastbill.com/jobs/software-engineer-wmd]. This role specifically mentions a full-time, 40-hour remote position, underscoring FastBill's commitment to a Remote-First approach, which they adopted by 2022 [https://www.fastbill.com/ueber-uns]. This flexible work model allows them to attract talent from various locations and supports a distributed team structure.

The emphasis on software engineering and product development signals FastBill's strategy to continuously enhance its accounting software. With over 70,000 freelancers, small businesses, and other entities trusting their platform, the company likely aims to scale its features and improve user experience to maintain its competitive edge [https://www.fastbill.com/]. While no information about layoffs is publicly available, their active recruitment for key technical roles suggests a period of growth and investment in their technological infrastructure.

Leadership

FastBill Management and Leadership Team

FastBill, a leading provider of accounting software, is an owner-managed company led by its founder, René Maudrich. He serves as CEO and has been instrumental in the company's journey since its inception. Maudrich co-founded FastBill in 2007, with the FastBill GmbH being established in 2011 alongside Christian Häfner.

In recent years, Benjamin Kirschner joined the leadership team as Co-Geschäftsführer (Co-Managing Director) and co-shareholder alongside René Maudrich. This partnership, formed after Maudrich and Kirschner regained entrepreneurial responsibility for FastBill, has led to positive results, with the company reporting profitability and growth. Kim Griffith serves as an Executive Assistant, contributing to the operational efficiency of the team.

The leadership structure at FastBill emphasizes a focused and hands-on approach. René Maudrich is the sole representative listed for FastBill GmbH on the impressum. The company's commitment to data privacy is also highlighted by its designated Data Protection Officer, Julius Schoor, who can be reached directly via phone or email for privacy-related inquiries.

Financials

FastBill Financial Performance, Fundraising, M&A

FastBill, a German SaaS solution for financial management, has demonstrated a positive financial trajectory, particularly after its founders, René Maudrich and Benjamin Kirschner, reacquired entrepreneurial responsibility for the company. As of May 2025, a year into its renewed independence, FastBill reported being profitable and experiencing growth, alongside increasing customer satisfaction [https://www.fastbill.com/presse/fastbill-zieht-nach-12-monaten-eigenstaendigkeit-eine-positive-bilanz]. This indicates a strong operational performance and effective management post-reacquisition. Its cloud-based software, founded in 2007, focuses on simplifying invoicing and accounting for freelancers and small businesses in Germany [https://www.fastbill.com/fastbill-fakten].

In terms of fundraising, FastBill secured a seven-figure (million euro) investment round in May 2017 from FinLab and coparion [https://www.fastbill.com/presse/fintech-saas-pionier-fastbill-geht-auf-wachstumskurs-mit-millionen-investment]. This significant capital injection was earmarked to fuel further robust growth and expand its financial platform, reinforcing its position as a pioneer in the Fintech-SaaS space [https://www.fastbill.com/docs/presse/2017-05-02_PR_FastBill_Investment_EN.pdf]. At the time of this investment, FastBill was already serving approximately 40,000 small businesses and freelancers [https://www.fastbill.com/presse/fintech-saas-pionier-fastbill-geht-auf-wachstumskurs-mit-millionen-investment], a number that has since grown to over 70,000 customers, especially with the "Pro" tariff catering to teams and businesses needing comprehensive automation [https://www.fastbill.com/preise/fastbill-pro].

While specific revenue figures for FastBill are not publicly detailed, the company's declaration of profitability and growth post-reacquisition highlights its financial health. The consistent expansion of its customer base to over 70,000 users [https://www.fastbill.com/preise/fastbill-pro], coupled with its focus on automated, cloud-based accounting solutions, suggests a stable revenue stream from its subscription-based service model [https://www.fastbill.com/preise]. There is no information available regarding any mergers or acquisitions involving FastBill, indicating the company has primarily focused on organic growth and product development within its core offerings for small businesses and self-employed individuals.

Partnerships

FastBill Partnerships, Clients and Vendors

FastBill (fastbill.com) is a prominent German SaaS provider specializing in financial management for small businesses, freelancers, and growing companies. The company boasts over 70,000 satisfied customers who have rated their services an average of 4.5 out of 5 stars. Their comprehensive platform automates daily accounting processes, streamlines invoicing, and provides financial overviews, aiming to reduce the burden of paperwork and enhance business efficiency. FastBill's offerings span from professional invoice creation and automated recurring invoices to stress-free bookkeeping with automatic document capture and categorization, along with real-time financial insights across various bank accounts and payment methods.

FastBill has established several key partnerships and integrations to enhance its service ecosystem. A significant collaboration is with DATEV, a market leader in tax advisor software, which began in 2017 to digitize tax processes for German founders and their tax advisors. This partnership facilitates a fully digitalized collaboration through the DATEVconnect online interface, allowing for seamless transmission of invoices and documents to tax consultants ["https://www.fastbill.com/presse/gemeinsam-das-leben-deutscher-gruender-vereinfachen-wegweisende-kooperation-von-datev-und"]["https://www.fastbill.com/blog/datevconnect"]. Another important integration is with ADDISON, a complete solution for tax advisors, enabling the transfer of all accounting documents to ADDISON ["https://www.fastbill.com/partner"]. Furthermore, FastBill partners with YouLend to offer financing solutions, supporting business growth ["https://www.fastbill.com/blog/wachse-mit-fastbill-und-youlend"].

The company also focuses on robust technology integrations to support diverse client needs. For online retailers, FastBill offers seamless integrations with e-commerce platforms like Shopify, automating invoice creation and dispatch for various order types, including B2B invoices with VAT IDs and OSS handling ["https://www.fastbill.com/shopify-schnittstelle"]. They also support integrations for WooCommerce, Jimdo Rechnung, and Amazon Rechnung. In the realm of financial technology, FastBill partnered with Kontist to create a smart financial assistant, providing the world's first real-time synchronization between an accounting and banking solution specifically for self-employed individuals. This integration includes a scan app and automatic reserve formation for tax amounts due ["https://www.fastbill.com/presse/zwei-deutsche-fintechs-starten-smarten-finanzassistenten-fastbill-und-kontist-ermoeglichen"]["https://www.fastbill.com/kontist"]. Additionally, FastBill integrates with CentralStationCRM, a German CRM tool tailored for small businesses, offering a comprehensive business solution by linking accounting with customer relationship management, available from the Pro-tariff ["https://www.fastbill.com/presse/buchhaltung-trifft-crm-eine-starke-partnerschaft-made-germany"]["https://support.fastbill.com/hc/de/articles/227369268-CentralStationCRM-mit-FastBill-verkn%C3%BCpfen"].

Events

FastBill Event Participations

While FastBill is primarily known for its comprehensive accounting and invoicing software, the company actively engages with its user base and the broader business community through educational webinars and content initiatives. A notable example is their "E-Rechnung Webinar: Mit FastBill sicher ins Jahr 2025" event, where FastBill founder and CEO René Maudrich provides crucial insights into the upcoming e-invoice mandate in Germany. These webinars serve to educate users on critical industry changes and how FastBill's solutions, such as its fully integrated e-invoicing feature supporting ZUGFeRD and XRechnung formats, can facilitate a smooth transition for businesses [https://www.fastbill.com/blog/e-rechnung-webinar-mit-fastbill-sicher-ins-jahr-2025].

Beyond direct instructional webinars, FastBill fosters engagement through its robust blog, which features a variety of articles and guides for self-employed individuals and entrepreneurs. This blog acts as a knowledge hub, covering topics from double-entry bookkeeping to legal aspects like invoice prescription periods, and even announces new features like the "Neue FastBill Scan App" [https://www.fastbill.com/blog]. The company also extends invitations for guest webinars and guest articles on its blog, demonstrating a collaborative approach to content creation and knowledge sharing within the business ecosystem [https://www.fastbill.com/partner].

FastBill further interacts with its audience through interactive tools such as the "FastBill Buchhaltungsquiz" [https://www.fastbill.com/lp/buchhaltungsquiz]. This quiz helps potential and existing users identify the most suitable accounting package for their specific needs, enhancing user engagement and guiding them towards efficient bookkeeping solutions. These diverse event participations and content strategies underscore FastBill's commitment to supporting its more than 70,000 self-employed individuals and companies [https://www.fastbill.com/fastbill-fakten].

Frequently Asked Questions

What does FastBill's recent hiring pattern for a Software Engineer (w/m/d) indicate about its strategic priorities?

FastBill's active recruitment for a Software Engineer (w/m/d) signifies a strong strategic focus on product development and continuous enhancement of its core accounting software. This hiring, especially for a remote-first position, indicates the company's commitment to scaling its features and improving user experience to maintain its competitive edge for its over 70,000 customers.

What does FastBill's 'Remote-First' approach, adopted by 2022, imply for its talent acquisition and operational structure?

FastBill's Remote-First approach, adopted by 2022, suggests a strategy to attract diverse talent by offering flexible work models, expanding its recruitment pool beyond geographical limitations. This also implies a distributed team structure and a reliance on digital collaboration tools for its operational efficiency.

Is FastBill's financial trajectory a turnaround or a warning sign, especially after its reacquisition by the founders?

FastBill's financial trajectory appears to be a positive turnaround, not a warning sign. After its reacquisition by founders René Maudrich and Benjamin Kirschner, the company reported being profitable and experiencing growth as of May 2025, alongside increasing customer satisfaction. This indicates strong operational performance post-reacquisition.

What does FastBill's significant 2017 seven-figure investment from FinLab and coparion signal about its growth strategy?

The seven-figure investment secured by FastBill in May 2017 from FinLab and coparion signaled a clear intent for robust growth and expansion of its financial platform. This capital injection aimed to reinforce its position as a pioneer in the Fintech-SaaS space, supporting its user base which has since grown from 40,000 to over 70,000 customers.

What is the strategic significance of René Maudrich as an owner-managed CEO, particularly after regaining entrepreneurial responsibility?

René Maudrich's role as owner-managed CEO, particularly after regaining entrepreneurial responsibility with Benjamin Kirschner, signifies a focused and hands-on leadership approach. This re-established direct ownership has coincided with positive results, including reported profitability and growth for FastBill.

What does FastBill's continued engagement with educational webinars, like the 'E-Rechnung Webinar', suggest about its go-to-market and customer retention strategy?

FastBill's continued engagement with educational webinars, such as the 'E-Rechnung Webinar', suggests a proactive go-to-market strategy focused on thought leadership, customer education, and retention. These webinars not only inform users about crucial industry changes, like the e-invoice mandate, but also highlight how FastBill's solutions facilitate compliance, strengthening user trust and product adoption.

How does FastBill's partnership with DATEV influence its competitive positioning in the German market?

FastBill's partnership with DATEV, a major player in tax advisor software, significantly enhances its competitive positioning in the German market. This collaboration, through the DATEVconnect online interface, enables seamless digital transfer of invoices and documents to tax consultants, making FastBill more attractive to German businesses that rely on DATEV for their tax processes.

What does FastBill's collaboration with Kontist to offer real-time synchronization between accounting and banking indicate about its product roadmap?

FastBill's collaboration with Kontist to offer real-time synchronization between accounting and banking indicates a product roadmap focused on deeper integration of financial services and enhanced automation for self-employed individuals. This partnership created a smart financial assistant with features like a scan app and automatic reserve formation for taxes, simplifying financial management for users.

How does FastBill's pricing strategy, with tiers like Solo, Premium, and Pro, address different segments of its target market?

FastBill's pricing strategy, with tiers like Solo, Premium, and Pro, effectively addresses different segments of its target market by offering scalable features. The Solo plan caters to solopreneurs with basic invoicing, while Premium and Pro provide advanced automation, multiple users, and comprehensive features for growing businesses and teams, ensuring a fit for various operational needs and sizes.

What distinguishes FastBill from competitors like lexoffice and Buhl in the German accounting software market?

FastBill primarily distinguishes itself from competitors like lexoffice and Buhl through its focused approach on cloud-based invoicing and accounting for freelancers and small businesses in Germany. While lexoffice is a direct feature-for-feature rival, Buhl has a more diversified product portfolio beyond daily business operations. FastBill's mission is to automate daily routines and simplify accounting, emphasizing features like integrated banking and legally compliant e-invoicing (ZUGFeRD and XRechnung formats) from the beginning.

What does the inclusion of automated dunning management across FastBill's plans, with fully automatic options, suggest about its value proposition?

The inclusion of automated dunning management, with fully automatic options in the Premium tariff or as an add-on, suggests FastBill's value proposition strongly emphasizes efficiency and cash flow management for its users. This feature aims to reduce administrative burden and improve timely payment collection, directly addressing a critical pain point for small businesses.

What does FastBill's offering of a 14-day free trial across all its plans signal about its customer acquisition strategy?

FastBill's offering of a 14-day free trial across all its plans signals a customer acquisition strategy focused on product-led growth and user confidence. By allowing potential customers to test its Solo, Premium, and Pro features without commitment, FastBill aims to demonstrate the value and suitability of its software for diverse business needs before requiring a subscription.

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