Bexio vs. Abacus: Complete ERP Comparison for Swiss SMEs

I'm frequently asked: "What's better for us – Bexio or Abacus?"

The short answer: It depends entirely on how your business operates and how complex your processes are. Over the past ten years in Eastern Switzerland, I've implemented both systems in companies ranging from sole proprietorships to 200-employee operations – and yes, I've also removed them when they didn't fit.

Bexio

Founded: 2013, Rapperswil SG

Ideal for: small SMEs, startups, 1–10 people

Type: pure cloud solution

Price: from approx. CHF 30/month

Strengths from my perspective:

• Everything Swiss accountants love: VAT handling according to FTA guidelines is built-in.
• Bank connections run stably (UBS, ZKB, Raiffeisen, etc.).
• Clear overview – even if you don't have accounting training.
• Setup possible in 2–4 weeks if you don't want to import too much legacy data.

When it reaches its limits:

As soon as complex payroll, bill of materials, or multi-level approvals come into play, it quickly becomes restrictive or only solvable with additional tools.

Abacus

Founded: 1985, St. Gallen

Ideal for: medium SMEs (10–50+ employees)

Type: On-premise or cloud (AbaWeb)

Price: usually project pricing, from approx. CHF 100/month

Strengths from practice:

• Extremely powerful, everything from finance to HR and time tracking included.
• You can build reporting exactly how the boss wants it (and changes it every year).
• Strong automation (workflows, approvals, interfaces).
• Easily integrates with Shopware, Bexio, Magento & Co. – when set up correctly.

When it hurts:

Project costs and implementation effort are significantly higher. And if you don't have an internal "key user" who understands Abacus, many things get lost.

Quick recommendation from experience

Companies with 1–10 people: Usually Bexio, because it's fast, cheap, simple.

Companies with 10–50 people: Rather Abacus, because it scales long-term and handles complex processes.

Both meet Swiss requirements

• VAT compliant (including new net tax rate accounting)
• Banking and data protection laws
• Complete audit trail

Practical examples

I've implemented Bexio in a Frauenfeld carpentry shop that previously typed everything in Excel – it was running after two weeks.

At a machine manufacturer in Wil, the Abacus implementation took almost 9 months because each department had its own processes.

Both are okay – as long as you know and plan for it beforehand.

Conclusion

Want me to calculate an honest, straightforward cost/benefit plan for your company?

Then let's first do a quick process check – that saves you months of headaches in the end.

If you'd like, I can supplement this comparison with a compact table with practical notes so you can see the differences at a glance. Want me to create that right away?