Holded Alternatives 2026: 6 Options Compared Honestly

An honest analysis of the best alternatives to Holded in 2026, with official prices verified on holded.com and on each competitor's website in June 2026. Holded is a complete cloud ERP (invoicing, accounting, CRM, inventory, projects and HR), owned by Visma and it remains one of the best options for SMEs with 5 to 30 employees. But for many profiles it is overkill. Here are six real alternatives, each built for a different case, with their true cost incl. VAT and their actual limits.

Holded has a solid reputation (Capterra 4.6/5 with 348 reviews, Trustpilot around 4.0/5 with more than 2,000 reviews). The problem is not quality, it is fit. Its entry plan caps your invoices, the inventory, manufacturing and payroll modules are billed separately as "Gems" and the learning curve is steeper than a simple invoicing tool. If you are a solo freelancer or a small business, you pay for an ERP you barely use. Here are the options by profile.

Why look for alternatives to Holded

Holded is one of the best-rated Spanish cloud ERPs. For SMEs with an admin team, physical inventory and multi-department processes, it is still an excellent option. But there are four reasons many businesses look elsewhere.

1. The Plus plan caps your invoices. The entry plan (€15/mo excl. VAT) includes 1 user, 250 invoices per year and 1 bank. For a growing freelancer or an SME with seasonal volume, the limit is reached fast and forces a jump to the Básico plan (€29/mo) halfway through the year.

2. It is overkill for solo freelancers. Holded includes CRM, double-entry accounting, projects and HR. For a service freelancer, those are modules you pay for but do not use. And inventory, manufacturing, point of sale or payroll are not included: they are "Gems" billed separately (from €25/mo per module, €5/employee for payroll).

3. The learning curve is notable. Reviews mention repeatedly that the advanced features require training. If you have no admin team, that curve does not pay off against a simple invoicing tool.

4. It has no proactive AI. Holded automates expense capture by scanning, but it is reactive: it records what already happened. It does not anticipate a VAT spike weeks ahead or suggest deductions on its own. In 2026, in the freelancer and SME 0-10 segment, only Facturaz offers that.

How much does Holded cost in 2026

Holded has five plans, all billable monthly or annually. Annual billing applies a discount close to 50% on the per-month price. These are the official prices excl. VAT, verified on holded.com in June 2026:

Prices excl. VAT, verified on holded.com in June 2026. Annual billing applies roughly a 50% discount versus monthly. 14-day free trial, no card required. There is no permanent free plan.

And here is the detail almost no comparison mentions. Several key features come in no plan: they are paid add-on modules ("Gems"). Inventory €25/mo, Manufacturing €25/mo, POS €25/mo per store, Payroll €5/employee/mo, Team Pro €1.50/employee/mo, SII from €30/mo and Premium Support €50/mo. If your business depends on stock or payroll, the real cost climbs well above the plan fee.

The real annualized cost with VAT

The website prices exclude VAT. To know what you really pay, you have to add the 21% and project it over a full year. This is the real annual cost of the three most common plans, on annual billing:

21% VAT included. Calculated on the annual billing price. Does not include paid add-on modules (Inventory, Manufacturing, POS, Payroll, SII). Monthly billing works out at roughly double per month.

For a comparison with an alternative in the freelancer segment: Facturaz costs €24/mo (€240/yr excl. VAT with 2 months free on annual billing, €290.40 incl. VAT) and includes everything, with no extra modules or invoice limit. Holded Plus is cheaper on the fee, but its cap of 250 invoices and its lack of automatic tax forms leave it short for anyone who wants to do without an accountant.

The 6 alternatives in one table

Before the individual analysis, an overview. To keep it fair, for each tool we use the plan recommended for its ideal profile.

Prices excl. VAT, verified in June 2026 on each official website. All options comply with Verifactu (those operating in common territory). Each one is built for a different business profile.

Odoo, for SMEs with a technical team

Odoo, One App Free €0 or from €14.90 per user/mo (€11.90 on annual billing). It is a modular open-source ERP with more than 30 integrable apps. The One App Free plan gives you a single free app with unlimited users. The Standard plan costs €14.90 per user/mo with all apps and Custom €22.40 (€17.90 annual) adds Odoo Studio and multi-company. Watch out: the price is PER USER, so it scales fast with the team.

What it does well versus Holded: open and modifiable code, more than 30 modules (manufacturing, complex multi-warehouse e-commerce), far deeper customization than any closed ERP, an active community with thousands of third-party modules.

Real limitations: the learning curve is very high. A typical implementation runs 3 to 6 months, with partner costs that can range from €2,000 to €30,000. It is not a valid option for solo freelancers or SMEs without a technical team. The free Community version lacks key features.

When to choose Odoo: your SME has its own IT team or a certified partner, you need highly customized processes (manufacturing, multi-warehouse) and you have the budget for a professional implementation.

Sage 50, for established SMEs with an accountant

Sage 50, from €45/mo (indicative price). It is established accounting software for SMEs with deep accounting knowledge. The usual plans are Essential (€45/mo, around €499/yr), Standard (€109/mo), Premium (€162/mo) and Custom, all excl. VAT and with an extra cost per user. Important: these prices are indicative and contracted through a partner. Always confirm the exact rate on sage.com before deciding.

What it does well versus Holded: industrial accounting depth (multi-warehouse, production costs, manufacturing), assisted migration from ContaPlus, FacturaPlus and Eurowin and a network of local partners for in-person support.

Real limitations: it is considerably more expensive than Holded for equivalent functionality, the prices are opaque and vary by partner, it requires deep accounting knowledge to get value from it and the interface is more traditional. There is no free plan.

When to choose Sage 50: you are an SME with an in-house accounting department or a full-time accountant, you are coming from ContaPlus or FacturaPlus and your operation is industrial with multi-warehouse and production costs.

Anfix, for freelancers with an accounting firm

Anfix, from €3.99/mo (annual billing). It has five plans: Básico €3.99, Avanzado €9.99 (the most popular among freelancers), Profesional €19.99, Empresarial €46.66 and Premium €66.66/mo, all on annual billing and excl. VAT. On monthly billing each plan rises by around 20%. Its big differentiator: it is one of the few cloud tools certified for TicketBAI in the three Basque foral territories (Álava, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa), on top of being Verifactu-compliant in common territory.

What it does well versus Holded: much cheaper on software alone, foral certification unique among cloud tools and native real-time collaboration with your accounting firm. If your advisor already uses Anfix, that collaboration is the heart of its proposition.

Real limitations: no CRM, no project management, no complex inventory and no native e-commerce integrations. Its model assumes you will have an external accountant (€600 to €1,800/yr extra). And it has no proactive AI.

When to choose Anfix: your accountant already works with Anfix, you operate in the Basque Country with TicketBAI, or you are a service freelancer with no need for CRM or inventory.

Facturaz, for freelancers and SMEs 0-10 without an accountant

Facturaz, free until your first invoice and €24/mo after that (€44/mo for limited companies). It is the newest product on the Spanish market (launched in 2025), built for freelancers and businesses with up to 10 employees that want to reduce or eliminate their dependence on an accountant. Verifactu integrated from day one.

Here is the underlying difference with Holded. Holded is an ERP built for SMEs with a team, inventory and complex processes. If you have 25 employees, a physical warehouse and a purchasing department, Holded is made for you. If you are a freelancer or a business with up to 10 employees, Holded is too big and Facturaz goes further where it really matters.

Holded shows you the numbers when you open the dashboard. Facturaz warns you when the numbers deserve your attention. For example: "You have invoiced 40% more this quarter than the same one last year. Your next form 303 is going to be considerably higher. Should I check whether there are expenses still to record?". Holded would show it to you if you clicked into the analytics module. Facturaz tells you without being asked, with the cause detected and the fix suggested.

There is a second contrast that matters, especially against an ERP. Holded reviews mention repeatedly a steeper learning curve than a pure invoicing tool, because Holded is an ERP built for users who understand business processes. Facturaz starts from the opposite premise: zero accounting knowledge required. You do not need to know what a form 303 is or which box input VAT goes in. You invoice, Facturaz keeps the books, prepares the forms (303, 130, 111, 115, 349, 347, 100) and files them with the tax office after your confirmation. If you have a question, the AI chat answers 24/7 in plain language.

Honest about limitations: Facturaz has no CRM, no advanced project management, no inventory and no full HR. That is the premise, not a flaw. It is a new product, without Holded's customer base (more than 80,000) and it only covers common territory (national AEAT), without TicketBAI. If you operate in the Basque Country or need a full ERP with a warehouse, Holded or Anfix fit better.

The cost calculation for anyone paying today for software plus an accountant:

The accountant cost (€50 to €150/mo) is a common market estimate. Holded Plus does not file the tax forms automatically either, so the accountant is still needed on that plan. Facturaz prepares and files the forms after your confirmation.

If you want a system that anticipates tax problems instead of just recording what you already did, take a look at Facturaz. Free until your first invoice, no card to start.

Quipu, for service freelancers wanting a polished interface

Quipu (TeamSystem group), from €17/mo. It has three plans: Starter €17/mo, Solution €30/mo (€25 on annual billing, the one recommended for freelancers) and Premium €59/mo, all excl. VAT. It includes invoicing, expenses, accounting and tax forms, with a very polished interface and a reactive assistant, Genius AI. It has a network of more than 1,000 partner firms.

What it does well versus Holded: a more polished and focused interface (it is not a full ERP), a shorter learning curve and a better fit for solo service freelancers.

Real limitations: no advanced CRM, no integrated projects, no complex inventory and no native e-commerce integrations. Its Solution plan (€30/mo) is pricier than Anfix's Avanzado for similar functionality and without foral certification.

An architecture note: Quipu has Genius AI, which categorizes invoices and answers basic questions. Facturaz has an AI Coach that analyzes patterns, anticipates tax problems weeks ahead and acts on the data without being asked. Quipu shows you the past, Facturaz warns you about the future. And Quipu Solution costs €30/mo versus the €24/mo of Facturaz.

Factusol, for physical retail with stock and POS

Factusol (Software DELSOL, TeamSystem group). It has a free downloadable desktop version for 1 PC, plus cloud versions (Nube, from €19.50 to €46.50/mo) and Local (from €25 to €65/mo) depending on the support level, all excl. VAT. The prices are indicative: confirm on sdelsol.com before signing up. It combines invoicing, warehouse, POS and delivery notes in a single software, with traceability by serial number, batch and chassis.

What it does well versus Holded: end-to-end stock management plus POS in the same product, detailed traceability (key for workshops and distribution), a perpetual free version to get started and compatibility with NominaSol and ContaSol from the same group, on top of TicketBAI integration.

Real limitations: the free version is desktop (local install), the interface is more traditional and less cloud-first, there are fewer features for pure services without stock and it has no proactive AI.

When to choose Factusol: your business is physical retail with significant stock, you need an integrated POS for the store, or you work in traditional sectors (distribution, workshops, wholesale).

Comparison: Holded versus 3 alternatives for freelancers

For the freelancer or small-business profile, these are the three most relevant alternatives to Holded, with each one's recommended plan on annual billing.

Prices excl. VAT, verified in June 2026 on the official websites. Holded Plus has a cap of 250 invoices/yr and 1 user. Each tool has a different ideal profile.

What is NOT included in Holded

These are the costs and limits worth being clear about before signing up for Holded.

• Paid add-on modules ("Gems"). Inventory €25/mo, Manufacturing €25/mo, POS €25/mo per store, Payroll €5/employee/mo, Team Pro €1.50/employee/mo, SII from €30/mo and Premium Support €50/mo. They are not in the plan fee.
• Invoices capped per plan. 250 per year on Plus, 1,000 on Básico, 3,000 on Estándar, 10,000 on Avanzado. If you issue more, you have to move up a plan.
• Users limited. 1 on Plus, 2 plus advisor on Básico, 4 on Estándar, 7 on Avanzado.
• No free plan. Only a 14-day trial with no card.
• Filing of tax forms. Holded does not file your forms with the AEAT for you, that part still depends on your accountant.

Verdict: which alternative to Holded should you choose?

Holded is not a bad choice, quite the opposite. For its ideal profile (an SME with a team, physical inventory e-commerce or multi-department processes) it is a complete and well-rated ERP. The critical point is fit: if you are a solo freelancer or a very small business, you pay for an ERP you barely use, with key modules billed separately and no automatic filing of forms. In that case, a more focused tool serves you better. And if your goal is to reduce your dependence on an accountant, Facturaz goes that way with an AI Coach that replaces the accountant on most tasks, for €24/mo.