Pennylane vs Dougs vs Indy: which online accountant in 2026?

Direct answer. Pennylane, Dougs and Indy do not sell the same thing. Pennylane is financial management and accounting software: the bookkeeping inside it is kept by a partner firm, such as Hayot Expertise. Dougs is an online chartered accountancy firm, from €79 excl. VAT per month for a company. Indy is self-service software, with an accountant option from €63 excl. VAT per month. Decide first who will keep and sign off your accounts, then pick the tool.

The "Pennylane vs Dougs vs Indy" comparison comes up endlessly, yet it mixes three different business models. Confusing them leads to poor decisions: self-service software for a company that needs a professional accountable for its accounts, or conversely a full subscription for a micro-business that could run everything itself. Here is a chartered accountant's reading, with the public prices shown on the vendors' websites in September 2026, and without disguised sales bias: we are ourselves a Pennylane partner firm, and we say so.

The difference comes down to one simple question: who produces your accounts, and who is answerable for them? The three names sit at three distinct points on that scale.

Pennylane: software, with a partner firm for the accounting#

Pennylane is not a firm. It is a financial management and accounting production platform. The vendor sells software subscriptions directly to the self-employed (from €0 to €24 excl. VAT per month depending on the plan shown in September 2026, the free plan being reserved for micro-businesses), but it does not keep the books itself. Entries, VAT, annual accounts and the tax return are produced by a partner chartered accountancy firm, which carries the professional liability. Pennylane's value therefore depends directly on the quality of the firm that runs it. That is our model: Hayot Expertise is a certified Pennylane partner firm.

Dougs: a fully online chartered accountancy firm#

Dougs is a firm registered with the Ordre des experts-comptables that industrialised an online offer with its own software and remote support. Its public price list separates companies (packs from €79 to €159 excl. VAT per month), sole traders (from €49 excl. VAT per month) and property structures (SCI, LMNP, from €39 excl. VAT per month). It is a standardised "all-inclusive" model built for volume, in which the firm produces the accounts with its own tool.

Indy: self-service software for the self-employed#

Indy (formerly Georges) is a software, not a firm. It automates expense categorisation, VAT and filings, with a free plan to invoice and keep your books, and a Premium plan (from €15 to €49 excl. VAT per month depending on the structure) that adds the mandatory filings and their electronic submission. Indy itself is not registered with the Ordre: on the Premium plan, you remain responsible for your accounting and filings. Indy recently added an accountant option (from €63 excl. VAT per month) handled by chartered accountants registered with the Ordre who work inside your Indy workspace.

If that is your situation, the real comparison is between tools of the same kind: our article on choosing between Tiime, Indy and Shine as a self-employed professional details what each one actually covers, from banking to the VAT return.

The prices above are the public rates displayed by the vendors when we checked in September 2026, excluding options and one-off fees. They change often: check the current price list before signing. Above all, they do not cover the same scope, which makes a line-by-line comparison misleading.

Take a consulting SASU with no employees, around a hundred sales invoices and a few dozen expenses a year, subject to corporation tax and VAT. On the basis of the public price lists found in September 2026, the annual budget excluding VAT reads as follows:

The price gap is real and has to be owned: for a very simple SASU with a rigorous director and no remuneration trade-off to make, a standardised offer can be enough. The gap is justified when the file moves beyond the standard: salary versus dividends, VAT on international transactions, fixed assets, fundraising, a holding company, first hires. Those are precisely the situations where one mistake costs more than a year of fees. Our price list is public, and the engagement is described on our Pennylane accountant page.

• A micro-entrepreneur or freelancer comfortable running their own accounting: a tool like Indy is mature, economical and sufficient while the structure stays simple. Compare it with the other tools in the same segment too.
• A self-employed person or company wanting to delegate without extensive advice: an online firm like Dougs, or Indy's accountant option, handles production within a standardised framework.
• A small business, SME or startup wanting a modern tool AND a contact who knows the file: Pennylane run by a partner firm combines the platform with human support. That is where we operate, from deployment to production.

However good, software does not carry responsibility for your accounts. When you use Indy in self-service, you file your returns and you answer for them in a tax audit. As soon as a chartered accountant registered with the Ordre is involved, whether Dougs, Indy's option or a Pennylane partner firm, they carry professional liability for the work they perform, within the scope set by the engagement letter.

That document is the one to read before comparing prices. It states what is included (bookkeeping, review, VAT, tax return, approval of the accounts, filing with the registry), what is billed on top, production deadlines and the name of your contact. Two offers at the same price can cover very different scopes.

1. Your legal and tax structure: micro-business, sole trader on actual profits, company subject to corporation tax, SCI, holding company. The more complex it is, the less suited self-service becomes.
2. The level of advice you expect: plain compliance, or regular trade-offs (remuneration, investment, VAT, financing).
3. The production rhythm: annual accounts only, or books kept up to date every month to steer cash.
4. Your contact: chat support, a dedicated bookkeeper, or a chartered accountant who knows your file and your plans.
5. Reversibility: export of the accounting entries file (FEC), recovery of documents, termination terms. A change of firm needs preparing; our page on changing accountant sets out the method.
6. E-invoicing: since 1 September 2026, every business must be able to receive electronic invoices. Check that the chosen tool is connected to an approved platform, or is one itself.

The entry price is rarely the price paid. Options (payroll, annual legal work, interim accounts, multiple sites), fees for taking over historical data and the cost of your own time spent categorising, chasing or correcting all materially change the real budget. Conversely, an offer that looks more expensive may include annual legal work or the file takeover. Compare annual budgets on an identical scope, not headline prices.

Pennylane and Dougs answer the same intent, delegating your accounting to a professional, with two philosophies: Dougs standardises a single journey for the greatest number, while a Pennylane partner firm tailors the setup and the advice around open software. Indy plays a different tune, self-employed autonomy, and its accountant option now brings it closer to the delegated model for simple structures.

Our conviction: for a micro-business or an uncomplicated SASU, the cheapest tool that makes you autonomous is often the right choice, and we are happy to say so. As soon as the company has employees, investors, a holding company or remuneration trade-offs, value shifts from the tool to the person who reads your figures. That is when the question "which software?" becomes secondary. To go further, read our detailed Pennylane review, our method to switch to Pennylane and our advice on choosing an accounting firm in 2026.

Updated 25 September 2026. Public prices found on the Pennylane, Dougs and Indy websites in September 2026, excluding options, subject to change. Informative content written by a chartered accountant registered with the Ordre; it does not replace an analysis of your situation or an engagement letter.