Zahly
For freelancers & small teams
Invoicing that's offline-first. Records that are cloud-backed.
Zahly runs as a fast desktop app on your computer — no internet required for everyday work. Your records are automatically and immutably archived to the cloud the moment you're back online.
Free plan available · no credit card required · servers in Germany
Everything you need.
Invoices in 9 languages
For clients abroad — Zahly automatically issues invoices in the right format.
Multiple company profiles
Up to 3 company profiles on the Business plan — e.g. for two business lines under one account.
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This is what Zahly looks like on your computer.
New · Companion app for your phone
Photograph receipts instead of collecting them.
Zahly Scan brings paper receipts into your bookkeeping straight from your phone. Free, with no in-app purchases — built as a companion to Zahly on your computer.
Photo in, PDF out
Your phone finds the edges and straightens them by itself. Several pages become a single PDF — black and white, high contrast and small.
Text recognition on the device
Supplier, amount, date and invoice number are read out. The receipt never leaves your phone to do it.
Works without a connection
The receipt waits on your phone and goes out as soon as you are back online. On Wi-Fi only, if you prefer.
Lands straight in Zahly
As an incoming invoice with the PDF attached and the values pre-filled. If you run several company profiles, you pick one while scanning.
Why local + cloud
Work wherever you want.
Pure cloud invoicing tools are convenient, but you're stuck in a browser tab and dependent on a constant connection to the provider's server. Zahly flips that around.
Zahly
- Runs locally — even on a plane or train without Wi-Fi
- Native app speed, ready instantly
- Records still backed up automatically & immutably to the cloud once online
Features
Everything you need.
One fast, shared editor for every document type — without accounting overkill.
Invoices, quotes, delivery notes, receipts
One shared editor for every document type — with product autocomplete, automatic totals, and multiple tax rates at once, including reverse charge.
3 professional design layouts
Standard, Modern, Compact — ready to use, no design skills needed. Switch with a click and a live preview.
GoBD-compliant archiving
Immutable archiving, cancellation instead of deletion, 8 years of automatic retention — meeting Germany's technical GoBD requirements for immutability and traceability.
Reminders & recurring invoices
Automatic payment reminders with escalation levels — plus recurring invoices for subscription and retainer business models.
In more detail
Six features, up close.
Capture incoming invoices via PDF
Capture receipts and expenses via PDF — text recognition automatically reads amounts and vendor.
Straight to your accountant
DATEV export for a smooth handover — no Excel fiddling. Business plan.
Invoices in 9 languages
For clients abroad — Zahly automatically issues invoices in the right format.
Multi-currency
With automatic exchange-rate handling — handy for clients abroad.
Multiple company profiles
Up to 3 company profiles on the Business plan — e.g. for two business lines under one account.
Ready for the UAE e-invoicing mandate
Zahly exports in PINT AE format (UBL 2.1) — the Peppol standard the United Arab Emirates require from January 2027. No extra software needed.
Also included: full data ownership (export & deletion under GDPR) and native apps for macOS and Windows.
German e-invoicing becomes mandatory
E-invoicing? Built in automatically.
Since 2025, every business in Germany must be able to receive e-invoices; the obligation to send them is being phased in by company size through 2028 at the latest. Zahly already creates the right XML-embedded PDF in the correct format today — so you're covered no matter your exact deadline.
Get future-proof now
Security & compliance
Your data. Protected.
Substance over superlatives: here's how Zahly protects your records and customer data.
Your GDPR rights, ready to use
Data export (Art. 20) and account deletion (Art. 17) available directly in the app.
GoBD-compliant archiving
Immutable, cancellation instead of deletion — 8 years of automatic retention. A German accounting-law requirement.
AES-256-GCM encrypted
Records encrypted in the cloud, credentials stored securely in the system keychain (macOS Keychain).
ISO 27001 data center in Germany
Cloud infrastructure by Hetzner in Nuremberg, ISO/IEC 27001 certified — full EU data sovereignty, backups with Object Lock, so nobody can alter them after the fact.
Note: Zahly meets Germany's technical GoBD requirements for immutability and traceability. A formal GoBD certification (IDW PS 880) is not yet in place.
Diversity
For everyone doing their own thing.
From the workshop to your own shop — Zahly is built for sole proprietors and small teams who'd rather spend their time on their craft than on bookkeeping.
Pricing
Fair. Transparent. Ready to go.
All prices in EUR, VAT included. Payments processed by Paddle as Merchant of Record, which handles currency conversion at checkout.
Free
To get started and try it out.
- Up to 3 customers
- 5 invoices & quotes / month
- 1 company profile
- "Made with Zahly" branding in the PDF footer
Premium
For freelancers & solo entrepreneurs.
Billed yearly
- Unlimited customers & documents
- All design layouts
- Email delivery, reminders, recurring invoices
- Reports & incoming invoices
- Branding removable · 1 company profile
Business
For small teams with multiple profiles.
Billed yearly
- Everything in Premium
- DATEV export
- Up to 3 company profiles
All prices include statutory VAT where applicable. Subscriptions are billed in advance for the selected period and renew automatically for the same period until cancelled — cancel any time with effect from the end of the current billing period, no minimum term. Sold and billed by Paddle (Merchant of Record), worldwide sales-tax compliance included.
Terms and Conditions · Refunds & Cancellation
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
No. Zahly runs entirely locally on your computer — writing invoices, creating quotes, generating PDFs all work fully offline. An internet connection is only needed so your records get backed up to the cloud automatically.
Your finalized invoices and incoming invoices are automatically backed up to the Zahly cloud archive and can be retrieved again after signing in on a new device. Customers, quotes, drafts, and settings, however, are stored locally only — so set up the optional backup folder during onboarding (iCloud Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox) to have that data backed up automatically too. Without that folder, it can't be recovered if you lose the device.
Zahly meets the technical GoBD requirements (a German accounting-law standard) for immutability and traceability: immutable archiving, cancellation instead of deletion, 8 years of automatic retention. A formal GoBD certification under IDW PS 880 is not yet in place.
Yes, in stages: since 2025, every business in Germany must be able to receive e-invoices; the obligation to send them is being phased in by company size through 2028 at the latest. Zahly already creates the right XML-embedded PDF in ZUGFeRD/Factur-X or XRechnung format today — useful if you invoice German companies.
Yes, native apps for both operating systems. Zahly updates itself automatically after installation, so you're always on the latest version.
Currently Zahly is desktop-only software for macOS and Windows. There is no mobile app for iOS or Android at this time.
Yes. You can export all of your data at any time (GDPR Art. 20) and have your account fully deleted (GDPR Art. 17) — directly in the app.
Ready for invoicing without compromises?
Start for free, upgrade any time. Your data stays with you — and still safe in the cloud.
Free for macOS and Windows · Version for older Intel Macs
Early stage
Zahly is currently in its pilot phase
We're working with a small group of testers. Testimonials and real-world examples will appear here once early users are up and running.