Facturwise vs Zervant: Free ZUGFeRD Invoicing (2026)

Feature comparison

Two paths to EU e-invoicing compliance

Both Facturwise and Zervant can produce invoices that satisfy the German and French e-invoicing mandates. They take different architectural paths, and the right choice depends on how your clients actually receive invoices.

Zervant emphasises XRechnung (a pure UBL XML format) and is connected to the Peppol Access Point network since 2018, which lets users submit invoices automatically via the Peppol network. This is the cleanest fit for clients who are on Peppol or accept UBL XML through a portal.

Facturwise emphasises the hybrid PDF/A-3 + CII XML formats, ZUGFeRD 2.4 and Factur-X 1.0.8, which are the dominant request from German Mittelstand and French SME B2B clients who do not use Peppol and prefer to receive invoices by email. The same Facturwise account also generates Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 XML and XRechnung when needed, but the headline format is the hybrid PDF.

Why both paths exist: the EU mandate accepts both UBL syntax (XRechnung, Peppol BIS) and CII syntax (ZUGFeRD, Factur-X). German and French clients vary in what they accept. A 2010-built tool that retrofitted UBL output is fundamentally different from a 2026 tool that was designed around the hybrid PDF/A-3 format from day one. Neither path is universally better. Pick the one that matches your clients.

Where Zervant has an advantage

Zervant has been in the market since 2010 and reached 700,000 registered users before its acquisition by Ageras Group in 2021. That track record means a larger user community, more reviews, and a more established presence on comparison platforms.

The Starter plan at €9.99 per month is lower than Facturwise Advanced at €13.90 per month, which makes it a cheaper first step off the free plan if format choice and DATEV are not your primary requirements.

The native Peppol Access Point connection since 2018 is a real architectural advantage. Users who invoice clients on the Peppol network do not need to handle XML submission separately; Zervant routes the file. Facturwise generates Peppol BIS XML but leaves submission to the user, which adds a step.

Paid plans include a mobile app for iOS and Android, which Facturwise does not yet offer. For freelancers who invoice on the go from a phone this is a real practical advantage.

Zervant is also available in Finnish and Swedish, making it a natural choice for Nordic users whose primary language is one of those five supported interface languages. And Zervant explicitly offers XRechnung output for free, which is useful for users invoicing the German public sector.

Where Facturwise has an advantage

The core advantage is ZUGFeRD and Factur-X on every plan, including the free tier, with the version and EN 16931 profile level explicitly documented. Zervant's free plan covers PDF and XRechnung XML (free per their help centre), but their hybrid PDF + XML structured e-invoicing (ZUGFeRD on paid, Peppol delivery on paid) is gated behind the paid tiers. Their ZUGFeRD version and profile level are not publicly specified. Factur-X is not mentioned anywhere on Zervant's site, which means there is no published coverage of the French e-invoicing mandate or French clients. For a freelancer or SME whose German or French B2B clients expect a ZUGFeRD or Factur-X PDF by email, Facturwise covers that on the free plan with a precise, verifiable compliance claim.

The DATEV CSV export addresses one of the most common workflow requests from German freelancers. Whenever your Steuerberater asks for your data, you can export your invoices as a DATEV-compatible CSV that they can import directly. Zervant has confirmed it does not offer accounting integrations like DATEV, because Zervant is positioned as invoicing-only.

Facturwise was founded in 2026, built specifically around the EU 2026/2027 mandates. The interface is single-purpose, focused on e-invoice generation, with setup in under 30 seconds and no required onboarding call. Zervant was founded in 2010, before EN 16931 even existed (the standard was published in 2017), and its compliance features were added on top of the original architecture. Both approaches work, but the modern focused interface is a real practical difference if you value fewer menus and faster onboarding.

22 invoice languages lets a single Facturwise account serve clients across the EU and beyond. Zervant translates its interface into 5 languages but does not match the breadth of invoice-output languages.

Facturwise is built specifically for the English-speaking audience working with European e-invoicing requirements: expats in Germany, UK contractors with EU clients post-Brexit, Dutch and Belgian freelancers with German clients. A segment that Zervant's interface supports but does not centre on.

Finally, the free standalone validator lets you check any ZUGFeRD or Factur-X file (whether or not it was generated by Facturwise) against EN 16931 field by field, no account required. We cover this in detail in our piece on the outgoing e-invoicing gap.

Which tool fits your situation

The 2027 deadline context

The choice between Facturwise and Zervant matters more than it did two years ago because of approaching legal deadlines. German businesses with turnover above 800,000 euros must send structured EN 16931-compliant e-invoices from January 2027. All remaining German businesses must do so from January 2028. French businesses face an equivalent obligation from September 2027.

For any freelancer or small business that invoices German or French clients, the invoicing tool they use in 2026 is the one they will need to be compliant with when those deadlines arrive. Switching tools in December 2026 under deadline pressure is a worse outcome than choosing a fitting tool now.

Both tools can satisfy the mandate via their respective paths. The honest question is which path matches your clients. If they receive via email and expect a PDF that opens normally, the hybrid PDF/A-3 + CII XML route (ZUGFeRD/Factur-X) is the right answer. If they are on Peppol or accept pure XML, the UBL/Peppol route is the right answer. You can verify any existing invoice with our free ZUGFeRD validator before relying on it for client billing.

Frequently asked questions