E-invoicing software cost: pricing for your automation

What does e-invoicing software cost? Automation pricing in practice

A price for document automation only makes sense if it reflects what actually has to be processed. The following sections explain which factors determine your price, how one-time and recurring costs relate to each other and how to prepare for a quote.

What determines your price

Two companies with the same number of documents can have very different requirements. That is why the price is based on a few clearly defined factors rather than on a flat rate for everything.

• Document volume: how many documents are processed per month, counted as documents, not pages
• Layouts: how many different recurring layouts have to be set up as fingerprints
• Document types: whether only invoices are processed, or also orders, delivery notes and other documents
• Target formats: for example XRechnung, ZUGFeRD, EDIFACT or the import format of your ERP
• Channels and interfaces: email, portal, SFTP, API or a direct system connection
• Operating model and service scope: hosted service or on-premises, standard support or agreed service levels

One-time setup and recurring costs

The one-time setup covers the work needed to get your documents running: access to the portal, the creation and testing of the fingerprints for your layouts and, depending on the plan, the configuration of target formats and a pilot phase. This effort is shown separately in the quotation, so you can see what you pay once and what you pay regularly.

Recurring costs depend on the volume you actually process. When your volume grows, the monthly costs follow the volume, without a new project. Additional layouts, document types or target formats can be added later as separate setup items.

How to estimate your document volume

A realistic estimate starts with the documents you already handle today. Useful questions are:

• How many documents of each type arrive or are sent per month on average?
• How strong are seasonal or month-end peaks compared with an average month?
• Which share of these documents comes from recurring business partners with stable layouts?
• How is volume expected to develop over the next one to two years?

Which plan fits which situation

The Start plan is designed for smaller companies and low volumes, typically with one recurring layout and a standard e-invoice format. It is a straightforward way to meet e-invoicing requirements without changing the existing billing system.

The Scale plan suits companies with higher volumes, several document types or several layouts and target formats. It includes a transformation and pilot phase, so the process can be tested with real documents before it goes live.

The Partner plan is intended for platform providers, software vendors and integrators who want to offer PDF automation to their own customers, with usage-based models and white-label options.

Comparing the costs with manual processing

To assess the value of automation, it helps to look at the full cost of manual processing, not just typing time. A realistic comparison includes the time per document for entry and checking, the effort for correcting errors and answering queries, delays caused by backlogs and the cost of additional staff during peaks.

These costs are often spread across several teams and therefore underestimated. Comparing them with the setup and recurring costs of automation gives a clear picture of the payback period for your own volume. The automation calculator on this website can help with a first estimate.

What is included in onboarding

• Review of your sample documents and target workflow
• Creation and testing of the fingerprints for the agreed layouts
• Configuration of fields, validation rules and target formats
• Setup of the agreed channels, for example email intake or API
• Test runs with real documents and approval of the results before go-live

How scope affects the quotation: three typical situations

• A smaller company that must issue e-invoices from one billing system with one invoice layout usually needs a single fingerprint, one standard target format and email or portal delivery.
• A mid-sized company that receives orders from many customers needs several fingerprints, an ERP import format, master data mappings and a pilot phase with real documents.
• A software vendor that wants to offer PDF automation to its own customers needs API access, white-label options and a usage-based model that grows with its customer base.

Planning for growth

Document volumes rarely stay the same. New customers, additional sites or new e-invoicing obligations can increase the number of documents and layouts over time. It therefore makes sense to plan not only for today's volume, but also for the next steps: which document types are likely to follow, which business partners will be added and which target formats will be required. A plan that fits the next one to two years avoids frequent changes and makes costs easier to budget.

The cost of waiting

E-invoicing obligations follow fixed deadlines. Companies that start late often face a short implementation window, which increases effort and risk. Starting with a clearly bounded use case early leaves time to test with real documents, to clean up master data and to extend the scope in a controlled way before the deadline that applies to you.

Hosted service or on-premises

Most companies use PEDIF as a hosted service. It runs in ISO 27001-certified data centres, requires no installation and is maintained centrally. Companies with stricter data control requirements can choose an on-premises option, in which processing runs in their own environment. The operating model influences the setup effort and the service scope, and is therefore part of the quotation.

Support and service levels

Every plan includes support for setup and operation. For larger installations and partners, service levels such as response times and availability can be agreed individually. If your process is time-critical, for example because orders have to be confirmed on the same day, it is worth clarifying the required service level before requesting a quote.

Looking at the total cost

When comparing options, it helps to look beyond the price list. Rebuilding or upgrading an ERP system to create e-invoices, or rolling out EDI to many small partners, often involves project costs, internal effort and long timelines. Automating the existing PDF process can be a faster and more predictable alternative, especially where the source systems work well and only the output format has to change.

Questions to clarify before requesting a quote

• Which document types and directions are involved: incoming, outgoing or both?
• How many recurring layouts and business partners are in scope?
• Which target formats and delivery channels are required?
• Which system should receive the data, and in which format?
• Is the hosted service suitable, or is an on-premises option required?

How costs develop over time

In the first months, the one-time setup dominates the overall cost, because layouts, rules and target formats have to be created and tested. Once processing runs, costs mainly follow the volume of documents actually processed. Additional effort only arises when the scope changes, for example when new business partners with new layouts are added or a new target format is required. This makes the ongoing costs easy to forecast, and growth in volume does not require a new project or additional staff in document processing.

How to get a quote

The fastest way to a reliable quote is a concrete use case. Send us a few representative sample documents and describe the target system and format. Based on this, the number of layouts, the required target formats and the setup effort can be assessed, and you receive a quotation that shows one-time and recurring costs separately.

More questions about pricing

Are documents or pages counted?

Documents are counted, not pages. A multi-page invoice or order counts as one document.

What happens if a business partner changes its layout?

The changed layout is flagged instead of being processed with outdated rules. How adjustments to existing fingerprints are handled is described in the quotation for your plan.

Can we start small and add document types later?

Yes. Many companies start with one document type and a few layouts. Further document types, layouts and target formats can be added later without changing the existing setup.

Is there a test phase before the costs become recurring?

The setup includes testing with real documents. Processing goes live once the results have been reviewed and approved.

Do incoming and outgoing documents cost the same?

The price depends on the scope of each workflow, for example layouts, target formats and channels. Incoming and outgoing documents are therefore assessed per use case in the quotation.

Can we combine several plans or services?

Yes. Many companies combine services, for example e-invoices for outgoing invoices and structured data for incoming orders. The quotation shows the setup and recurring costs per service.

Who do we contact for a quote?

Use the contact form or book a meeting. With a few sample documents and a short description of your target system, a quotation can be prepared quickly.