Papierkram: Simple, Intuitive Accounting for Entrepreneurs

What this is about:

Bookkeeping is one of those tasks most entrepreneurs don’t start their business for. It’s often seen as time-consuming, complicated, and — let’s be honest — a little soul-crushing. Hours spent manually entering transactions, switching between tools, and stressing over compliance can quickly eat into the time you’d rather spend creating, building, or connecting with your clients.

That’s where Papierkram comes in.

This accounting software was built with freelancers, creatives, and small business owners in mind. It strips away unnecessary complexity and gives you an intuitive way to manage your money — whether you’re just starting out or have years of business experience behind you.

Instead of wrestling with Excel sheets or clunky programs, Papierkram puts everything you need into one place: invoices, expenses, reports, even time tracking. The result? You spend less time on bookkeeping and more time on the work you love.

Plenty of accounting tools exist, but most of them feel like they were designed by accountants for accountants. Papierkram is different. Its clean, user-friendly interface means you don’t need to be a financial expert to keep your business in order. Even if it’s your very first time handling bookkeeping, you’ll find your way around quickly.

Here’s what makes Papierkram such a strong choice:

Automated processes
Connect your bank accounts, credit cards, or even PayPal, and let Papierkram automatically import and categorize transactions. No more typing every receipt by hand.

A clear overview of your finances
At any time, you can see exactly where your money is going — income, expenses, and profits are all displayed in simple, visual dashboards.

Integrated time tracking
One of the standout features is the built-in stopwatch. Track your working hours by client or project, then transfer them directly into invoices. It eliminates the need to juggle separate timers, spreadsheets, or external tools.

Compliance built in
Papierkram is GoBD-certified, which means it meets German legal requirements for proper recordkeeping. You can rest easy knowing your bookkeeping isn’t just efficient — it’s also compliant.

Remote-friendly
Because it’s cloud-based, you can access your data from anywhere, whether you’re in the office, on the go, or working from a café.

The benefits at a glance

To sum up, here’s what Papierkram helps you achieve:

  • Easy, intuitive navigation — even for beginners
  • Automation of expenses and income management
  • A complete overview of your finances in one place
  • Automatic imports from bank accounts, PayPal, and credit cards
  • Increased accuracy and reduced human error
  • Time saved by cutting out repetitive manual tasks
  • Support with legal compliance and reporting
  • Flexible remote access for you and your team
  • Customization options to adapt the tool to your workflow

One of the biggest challenges in bookkeeping is staying on top of every transaction without letting things slip through the cracks. Papierkram helps here in two key ways:

Automated imports: Transactions from your bank, PayPal, or credit cards are imported and categorized automatically. This means you don’t have to manually enter every single item — and you still stay fully up to date.

Clear structure: Because everything is displayed in one place, you can quickly filter, sort, and analyze your finances. Need to know how profitable a project was? Or where you spent the most last month? It’s all right there, just a few clicks away.

Beyond efficiency, Papierkram also helps with compliance. It supports you in meeting legal requirements and tax obligations by keeping your records structured and accessible. Since it’s GoBD-certified, you can be confident your data meets the standards for proper bookkeeping and storage of financial records.

Setting up Papierkram is refreshingly straightforward. Here’s what the process looks like:

  1. Create an account
    Sign up through the website or download the app.
  2. Add your company details
    Enter your business information and, if needed, set up accounts for your team.
  3. Connect your bank accounts and payment providers
    Link your bank, PayPal, or credit cards so Papierkram can start importing transactions automatically.
  4. Track income and expenses
    Once connected, your financial data will flow into the platform. You can categorize, edit, and keep everything organized in real time.
  5. Generate reports
    From simple overviews to more advanced financial reports, you’ll always know where your business stands.
  6. Secure your account
    Enable two-factor authentication for extra protection.

 

And if you get stuck? Papierkram offers reliable support directly through the website and app.

Plans and pricing
One of the great things about Papierkram is that you can start for free and only upgrade once your business needs it.
  • Online bookkeeping
  • Contact management (CRM)
  • Quotes and invoice creation
  • Expense tracking
  • Document management
  • Products and services database
  • Project management
  • Time tracking (up to 3 entries per month)

additional add-ons:

  • GoBD certification (important for legal compliance)
  • Automated invoice recognition
  • Advanced cashflow reporting
  • Unlimited time tracking entries
  • Customizable document layouts
  • Extended tax reporting, including Elster XML export and EU reporting
  • DATEV export for accountants
  • Accountant access
  • Automatic bank and PayPal imports
  • Recurring invoices
  • Many more features for scaling businesses
There are also “Team” and “Business” packages, but for most freelancers and solopreneurs, the Pro+ version is the sweet spot once your business grows.

After using Papierkram in daily business operations, I can confidently say it’s one of the smartest investments you can make as an entrepreneur. It’s not just about saving time — though it does that brilliantly — it’s also about peace of mind.

You always know your numbers are accurate. You can generate invoices with confidence. And when tax season comes around, you’re not scrambling to collect data or fix errors.

It’s a tool that grows with you: start with the free plan while you’re finding your feet, then upgrade to Pro+ when you’re ready for more advanced features and compliance.

In short: Papierkram lets you stop worrying about bookkeeping and start focusing on what really matters — building and scaling your business.

Information for Austria and Switzerland
Many functions are also suitable for users from Austria and Switzerland. However, the advance sales tax return is (so far) primarily based on German regulations, for example.

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