E-invoicing software in 2026: the 7 criteria that actually matter

The problem with the word "compliant"

Over the past year every invoicing vendor has added a "2026 compliant" banner to their site. It costs nothing to write and nobody checks it.

Yet "compliant" can cover three very different things:

The software produces a file in the right structured format (Factur-X, UBL, CII).

The software is connected to an accredited platform that carries the invoice.

The software is itself an accredited platform — a status granted by the administration after a heavy application.

Those are three different jobs. An honest vendor tells you which one they do. A vague vendor lets you assume all three.

The question to ask, word for word: "Does your software generate Factur-X at the EN 16931 profile? And are you a registered platform, or connected to a third-party one?" An evasive answer is an answer.

The 7 criteria

1. The output format, and its profile

This is the knockout criterion. The software must produce Factur-X or UBL, at the EN 16931 profile. Software that only exports a plain PDF does not make you compliant, whatever its sales page claims.

If those acronyms mean nothing to you: Factur-X explained simply.

2. Validation before issuing

An invalid structured invoice is worse than a PDF: it will be rejected by the recipient's platform, without you knowing right away. Good software checks before export that every field the standard requires is present — company IDs, addresses, VAT number, exemption reason where applicable — and names what's missing.

This is the most underrated criterion, and the one that will save you the most time.

3. Handling VAT-exempt status

If you are not VAT-registered, your invoice must carry the exemption reason inside the XML, not only in the visible PDF. Many general-purpose tools designed for companies handle this case poorly — even though it applies to most freelancers.

Check this explicitly if you are a micro-business.

4. Numbering

Invoice numbering must be sequential with no gaps. That is already an obligation today, but automated checking makes it far more visible. Software that lets you type numbers by hand, out of order, exposes you.

5. Getting your data back

Ask before you pay: if I leave, what do I take with me? A full export of your invoices, as PDFs and as data, should be possible without negotiation. A tool that holds your invoices hostage is a risk, not a service.

6. Real cost over three years

The reform triggers panic buying, and that is exactly when people sign up without looking at the total bill. Do the simple maths — with Robi's French prices as an example:

| Robi plan | Sticker price | 3-year cost |

|---|---|---|

| Monthly, no commitment | €14/month | €504 |

| Yearly | €89/year | €267 |

| 2 years (one payment) | €149 | €149 for 2 years |

| Lifetime — launch offer (first 1,000) | €59 instead of €149 | €59 |

The same maths applies to any vendor: at €20/month a tool costs €720 over three years.

The monthly price is a sales figure. The three-year cost is the real one.

7. Everyday speed

Not a regulatory criterion, but it decides whether you actually use the tool. An invoice should take under a minute. If invoicing stays painful you will keep postponing it — and invoicing late costs more than any subscription.

Decision table

| Criterion | Question to ask | Acceptable answer |

|---|---|---|

| Format | Which format, which profile? | Factur-X or UBL, EN 16931 profile |

| Validation | Do you check before export? | Yes, listing missing fields |

| VAT exemption | Handled inside the XML? | Yes |

| Numbering | Sequential and locked? | Yes |

| Exit | Can I export and leave? | Yes, unconditionally |

| Price | Total cost over 3 years? | A clear figure, not a "from" |

| Transmission | Platform, or connected to one? | A clear answer, whichever it is |

Where Robi sits

Let's be precise, since that is the point of this article.

What Robi does: generation. Robi produces your invoices as Factur-X, EN 16931 profile — a PDF/A-3 with the CII XML attached — and validates the mandatory fields before every export, naming what's missing. VAT-exempt status and its exemption reason are handled natively, because freelancers are the core audience.

What Robi does not claim to be: an accredited transmission platform. Carrying the invoice is a distinct job, and we prefer saying so to leaving it vague.

On price: free for 2 invoices or quotes, then €14/month with no commitment, €89/year, €149 for 2 years, or the €59 Lifetime launch offer (instead of €149, first 1,000 users). On speed: you can dictate an invoice out loud.

Try Robi.

In short

Don't pick your software off a "2026 compliant" banner. Pick it on one technical question — which format, which profile — and one economic question — how much over three years. The other five criteria will separate the finalists.