# MacBusinessSuite and Papierkram compared

> Papierkram and MacBusinessSuite side by side: projects, time tracking, invoicing, bookkeeping, languages, currencies and data storage, from official sources.

Papierkram is an online service for freelancers and small businesses in Germany that combines projects, tasks, time tracking, invoicing and bookkeeping up to the VAT return, with hosting in Germany. MacBusinessSuite covers the same ground from projects to invoices as a native Mac app with local data, adds a CRM with pipeline and mailbox, and works in several currencies and 15 languages. Papierkram invoices in euro only.

As of October 2026. https://macbusinesssuite.app/compare/papierkram/

## The short answer

- **Choose Papierkram** if you are a freelancer in Germany and want projects, time tracking, invoices and bookkeeping up to the EÜR and VAT return in one online service.
- **Choose MacBusinessSuite** if you want projects, time tracking, quotes and invoices as a native Mac app with local data, plus a CRM with pipeline and mailbox and invoices in other currencies and languages. It does not do complete bookkeeping or file tax returns.
- Both cover projects, time tracking and invoicing in one product, which sets them apart from tools that only do one of these.

## MacBusinessSuite and Papierkram side by side

As of October 2026. Papierkram from its vendor's official pages (see sources), MacBusinessSuite from its documentation. Not documented means the vendor's pages do not say, not that the feature is missing.

|  | MacBusinessSuite | Papierkram |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Type of product | Native macOS app, one app for projects, CRM, time tracking and invoicing | Online bookkeeping service for freelancers and small businesses |
| Where the data lives | On your Mac, in the app's container. No account, no sync between devices | Hosted in Germany; account required |
| Projects and tasks | Projects with status, budget, profitability and a project log; Kanban boards with tickets, subtasks and recurring tickets | Any number of projects with budget control and tasks per project |
| CRM | Customers and contact persons, sales pipeline, customer and project log, IMAP mailbox, mail to ticket | Contacts with several contact persons |
| Time tracking | Built-in menu bar timer, manual entries, suggestions from the calendar, open hours to invoice | Time tracking for projects |
| Quotes and invoices | Quotes with optional items, order confirmations, delivery notes, partial, final and recurring invoices, credit notes, dunning | Quotes, invoices, recurring invoices as drafts, dunning in three levels |
| E-invoices | ZUGFeRD, Factur-X, XRechnung and EN 16931 as UBL or CII, Peppol BIS as a file. No sending through the Peppol network | ZUGFeRD and EN 16931 |
| Payments and bank | CAMT, OFX, QFX and CSV import with matching you confirm; read only sync with Wise Business (Wise accounts in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia) and Mercury (checking and savings accounts in US dollars); SEPA direct debit files | Bank synchronization, receipts with automatic suggestions |
| Taxes and bookkeeping | OSS, reverse charge, US sales tax per state (one combined rate you maintain, only where you confirmed nexus), data for the German UStVA and ZM, DATEV batches, GoBD export. No direct filing | EÜR, UStVA as ELSTER file, evaluations, cash flow, DATEV export |
| Languages and currencies | Interface and documents in 15 languages, document language per customer, several currencies with ECB rates | English quotes and invoices in paid plans; offers and invoices in euro only |
| Pricing model | Annual subscription in the Mac App Store, handled by Apple. Data stays readable and exportable after it ends | Subscription in four plans, including a permanent basic plan that needs no paid subscription; monthly or yearly |

## Where Papierkram is ahead

- **Bookkeeping up to the EÜR** and the VAT return as an ELSTER file.
- **Access from the browser** on any computer.
- **DATEV data services** for working with a tax adviser.

## Where MacBusinessSuite is ahead

- **A CRM with sales pipeline,** activity log and your own IMAP mailbox with tickets.
- **Kanban boards** for each project.
- **Invoices in several currencies** with ECB rates; Papierkram supports euro only.
- **Documents in 15 languages** chosen per customer.
- **A native Mac app with local data,** no account.

## For companies working in several countries

Papierkram is focused on Germany: hosting in Germany, German tax features such as EÜR, UStVA and DATEV, and, according to its FAQ, offers and invoices in euro only. English documents are available in paid plans.

MacBusinessSuite is built for companies with customers or entities abroad: documents in the customer's language and currency, OSS, reverse charge and US sales tax, and several companies in different countries in one app. Read more on the [international features](https://macbusinesssuite.app/#international).

## Questions and answers

### Is MacBusinessSuite a Papierkram alternative?

For projects, time tracking, quotes and invoices, yes, and it adds a CRM, boards and foreign currencies. For bookkeeping up to the EÜR and the VAT return as an ELSTER file, Papierkram goes further.

### Can Papierkram invoice in US dollars or Swiss francs?

According to Papierkram's FAQ, offers and invoices in currencies other than euro are currently not supported. MacBusinessSuite writes documents in several currencies.

### Is there a Papierkram app for Mac?

Papierkram is an online service used in the browser. A native Mac app is not documented on its official pages.

## Sources

- [Papierkram, product page (papierkram.de)](https://www.papierkram.de/)
- [Papierkram, features in detail](https://www.papierkram.de/funktionen/funktionen-im-detail/)
- [Papierkram, plans](https://www.papierkram.de/preise/)
- [Papierkram FAQ, currencies other than euro](https://www.papierkram.de/hilfe/faq/kann-ich-mit-verschiedenen-waehrungen-arbeiten/)
- [Papierkram help, invoices](https://www.papierkram.de/hilfe/rechnungen/)

Papierkram is a trademark of its owner and is offered by Papierkram. The name is used here only to identify the product. MacBusinessSuite and DigitalFreedom Global LLC are not affiliated with Papierkram, and Papierkram has not reviewed or endorsed this page.