Comparison

Accountable Self vs ElsterSecure

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Accountable Self

Manage invoices, expenses, VAT, and taxes in one place. Scan receipts, create e-invoices, and connect bank accounts for real-time financial insights. Collaborate with accountants or handle taxes independently.

Highlights
  • Tax preparation and submission
  • Unlimited e-invoice creation
  • Receipt scanning for expense management
  • Bank account connection for real-time finances
  • Accountant collaboration tools
  • Tax tips and advice
Features
Read full description

Accountable - Taxes and invoicing for the self-employed Accountable takes the stress out of being your own boss. Handle your invoices, expenses, VAT, and taxes in one place. By yourself, or with an accountant. Trusted by 100,000+ freelancers and sole traders across Belgium and Germany. The Accountable app helps you with: - Taxes: prepare and submit all your tax obligations, stress-free. No prior tax knowledge required. From VAT return to income tax: we've got you covered. - Invoicing: create, personalise, and send unlimited e-invoices for your clients on your phone or on your computer. We notify you as soon as you get paid. - Expense management: never lose a deductible expense again. Just scan your receipt and we make sure it gets deducted from your taxes. You also get tailored tax tips and can match the expense with the relevant bank transaction. - Finances: connect your bank account and see what you should set aside for taxes and what you can safely spend in real time, or open a free Accountable Banking business account. - Accountant collaboration: prepare your taxes yourself or share your administration with your accountant. All your documents are ready for them in your account. - Support: our Tax Coaches can help you with all your questions. Just send us a message: support@accountable.eu __________________________________________________ Start for free, upgrade when you're ready. Every user gets access to our free invoicing plan, including: - Free PEPPOL registration - Unlimited e-invoices via the app (including self-billing) - Scan or upload up to 5 receipts per month - One connected professional bank account Ready for more? Upgrade for automatic VAT and tax return filing, live chat with our AI Accountant and Tax Coaches, and tax guarantee coverage of up to €10,000. Choose from: INVOICING PLUS, ACCOUNTING, TAXES or MAX. Free business account is included (Accountable Banking) for all users. Pay with Apple Pay or Google Pay, or order a physical card featuring our mascot, Aldo. __________________________________________________ Subscription info - Payment will be charged to your Apple account at confirmation of purchase. - Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. - Manage or cancel your subscription at any time in your Apple account settings. - After cancelling, your subscription remains active until the end of the current billing period, after which you move to our free plan. Terms and conditions: https://www.accountable.eu/en-be/terms Privacy policy: https://www.accountable.eu/privacy Address: Accountable SA, Square Victoria Régina 1, 1210 Sint-Josse-ten-Noode, Belgium Accountable SA Deutschland, Wattstraße 11, 13355 Berlin, Germany Accountable SA is authorised by the National Bank of Belgium. With its PSD2 licence, Accountable SA in Germany is subject to the supervision of the National Bank of Belgium as well as the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) in Bonn (Directive (EU) 2015/2366). In addition, the Deutsche Bundesbank in Frankfurt was informed of Accountable SA's offer by the Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BaFin) in a letter dated 26 March 2020.

About

ElsterSecure

This app simplifies logging into your tax account by using your smartphone for authentication. Once set up, you won't need certificate files or usernames for access. It's designed for secure and convenient tax-related logins.

Highlights
  • Smartphone-based authentication
  • Eliminates need for certificate files
  • Simplifies tax account logins
  • QR code scanning for setup
  • Secure user account management
Features
Read full description

ElsterSecure ist die neue Authentisierungs-App von ELSTER. Einmal eingerichtet, benötigen Sie für Ihren Login nur noch Ihr Smartphone. Eine Zertifikatsdatei oder einen Nutzernamen benötigen Sie nach erstmaliger Einrichtung nicht mehr. So richten Sie ElsterSecure ein: 1. Loggen Sie sich wie bisher gewohnt in MeinElster ein. 2. Gehen Sie zu "Mein Benutzerkonto" > "ElsterSecure": https://www.elster.de/eportal/meinKonto/elstersecure 3. Unter "Login-Option ElsterSecure hinzufügen" können Sie die App mit Ihrem MeinElster-Konto verknüpfen Wenn Sie noch kein MeinElster Konto besitzen, können Sie sich unter www.elster.de registrieren und ElsterSecure als Login-Option wählen. Derzeit ist eine Authentisierung mittels ElsterSecure nur für den Login in MeinElster möglich. Eine Übermittlung durch Drittanbieter von Steuersoftware wird noch nicht unterstützt, hierfür benötigen Sie weiterhin ein Zertifikat. ElsterSecure benötigt folgende Berechtigungen: - Zugriff auf die Kamera(s) des Geräts: Diese Berechtigung wird für das Scannen des QR-Codes benötigt. Datenschutzhinweis: https://www.elster.de/eportal/infoseite/elstersecure

Screenshots

Accountable Self4 screens
ElsterSecure4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ElsterSecure at none against Accountable Self's 10. ElsterSecure also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (84% vs 66%). Accountable Self's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs every 4 months). On price, ratings volume, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Accountable Self sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $16.49 per month. ElsterSecure asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ElsterSecure holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 44 and 131 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of Accountable Self's written reviews are positive against 84% of ElsterSecure's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Accountable Self ships an update every 6 days, ElsterSecure every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Accountable Self versus ElsterSecure: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAccountable SelfElsterSecure
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (44 ratings)4.7 (131 ratings) — better
Positive reviews65.8% of reviews84.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings44131 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 4 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.415.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size221 MB49 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAccountableBayerisches Landesamt fuer Steuern

Customer experience

Accountable Self

All ratings44 ratings
Positive86.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative13.6%
Written reviews111 reviews
Positive65.8%
Neutral12.6%
Negative21.6%

ElsterSecure

All ratings89 ratings
Positive92.1%
Neutral2.2%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews25 reviews
Positive84.0%
Neutral8.0%
Negative8.0%

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Accountable Self

Subscriptions10
  • BASIC (unavailable)$16.491 Month
  • Accountable GROW$19.991 Month
  • Accountable BOOKKEEPING$25.001 Month
Show 7 more
  • PRO (unavailable)$31.991 Month
  • Accountable PRO$39.901 Month
  • Accountable TAXES$39.991 Month
  • Accountable BOOKKEEPING$249.001 Year
  • PRO (unavailable)$269.991 Year
  • Accountable PRO$299.001 Year
  • Accountable TAXES$399.991 Year
None

ElsterSecure

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Accountable Self free?
Accountable Self is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ElsterSecure free?
ElsterSecure is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Accountable Self or ElsterSecure?
ElsterSecure is rated higher. Accountable Self averages 4.4 out of 5 from 44 ratings, while ElsterSecure averages 4.7 from 131 ratings.
Do Accountable Self or ElsterSecure have ads?
Accountable Self shows ads; ElsterSecure does not.
Which is updated more often, Accountable Self or ElsterSecure?
Accountable Self ships an update every 6 days, and ElsterSecure every 4 months. Most recently, Accountable Self was updated on November 6, 2026 and ElsterSecure on November 7, 2026.

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