Facture Éclair
French quote and invoice software for tradespeople and freelancers, with 85 trade catalogues and Factur-X
Quick Overview
| Company | SILEMA EURL (RCS Romans-sur-Isère 901 237 651, share capital €500) |
|---|---|
| Category | Invoicing Software |
| Headquarters | Montboucher-sur-Jabron, France |
| EU Presence | EU (France) |
| Data Location | IONOS SARL server in the EU (hosting company in France); Cloudflare, Resend (email) and Stripe (payments) named as processors |
| Open Source | No |
| Pricing | Free: €0, unlimited quotes and invoices, Factur-X invoices, accountant access, 1 user, small 'Facturé avec Facture Éclair' mention on documents. Pro: €9 per month excl. VAT (€10.80 incl. VAT), adds automatic reminders, online quote signing, deposit and progress invoices, e-reporting for sales to consumers and removes the mention. Team: €19 per month excl. VAT (€22.80 incl. VAT), adds several users and priority support. No fixed term, cancellable online. Optional one-off services: catalogue set-up by the vendor €49 excl. VAT, connecting another service (approved platform, bank, accounting software) €149 excl. VAT. |
| Free Option | Free plan without time limit, no card required |
| Replaces | QuickBooks, FreshBooks, Zoho Invoice |
Detailed Review
Facture Éclair is a French online quoting and invoicing tool from SILEMA, a small EURL based in the Drôme, built for tradespeople, freelancers and small service businesses. You choose one of 85 trades and the catalogue arrives filled with typical services, units and VAT rates, then set your own prices once. Quotes can be written at the customer's home, emailed, and signed online with the customer's name, date and time recorded.
The invoicing side follows French practice. It handles deposit invoices, progress invoices for building work and a final invoice that deducts everything already billed, plus credit notes. Invoices are numbered without gaps and cannot be altered once issued. Each one is a Factur-X PDF (EN 16931 profile), and the accountant gets read-only access and exports such as the FEC, a sales journal and a payments journal.
The free plan allows unlimited quotes and invoices for one user, with a small 'Facturé avec Facture Éclair' mention. Pro costs €9 a month excluding VAT and adds automatic reminders, online signing, deposits and the e-reporting for consumer sales; Team is €19 with several users. Prices are published and there is no fixed term.
It is also the youngest and narrowest tool on this page. The interface and support are in French only, it is aimed at businesses invoicing in France, and it is not an approved e-invoicing platform: the connection to one is described as in preparation, and linking another service costs €149 once. Tiime and Indy, also French, cover bookkeeping as well, and Billit is itself a Peppol access point.
What Facture Éclair does well
- Free plan with unlimited quotes and invoices, no card and no time limit
- Catalogues for 85 trades, so a new account is usable on the first day
- Deposit, progress and final invoices for building work, with credit notes
- Factur-X (EN 16931) PDFs and FEC export for the accountant
- Published prices, no fixed term, EU hosting with IONOS
Where Facture Éclair falls short
- Interface and support in French only, and aimed at French businesses
- Not an approved e-invoicing platform yet; the connection is in preparation and costs €149 to add
- No bookkeeping, bank feeds or payroll, unlike Tiime, Indy or sevDesk
- Very new, with no track record or customer numbers published
Standout feature. It starts a French tradesperson from a ready-filled catalogue for their trade, then carries a job from quote to deposit, progress and final invoice.
Alternatives to Facture Éclair
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Facture Éclair?
Facture Éclair is a French online quoting and invoicing tool from SILEMA, a small EURL based in the Drôme, built for tradespeople, freelancers and small service businesses. You choose one of 85 trades and the catalogue arrives filled with typical services, units and VAT rates, then set your own prices once. Quotes can be written at the customer's home, emailed, and signed online with the customer's name, date and time recorded.
Where is Facture Éclair based?
Facture Éclair operates from Montboucher-sur-Jabron, France, which places it under EU (France).
What does Facture Éclair cost?
Free: €0, unlimited quotes and invoices, Factur-X invoices, accountant access, 1 user, small 'Facturé avec Facture Éclair' mention on documents. Pro: €9 per month excl. VAT (€10.80 incl. VAT), adds automatic reminders, online quote signing, deposit and progress invoices, e-reporting for sales to consumers and removes the mention.
Team: €19 per month excl. VAT (€22.80 incl. VAT), adds several users and priority support. No fixed term, cancellable online. Optional one-off services: catalogue set-up by the vendor €49 excl. VAT, connecting another service (approved platform, bank, accounting software) €149 excl. VAT.. Free plan without time limit, no card required.
Who is Facture Éclair best for?
French tradespeople and freelancers who quote on site. It starts a French tradesperson from a ready-filled catalogue for their trade, then carries a job from quote to deposit, progress and final invoice.
What are the drawbacks of Facture Éclair?
Interface and support in French only, and aimed at French businesses. Not an approved e-invoicing platform yet; the connection is in preparation and costs €149 to add. No bookkeeping, bank feeds or payroll, unlike Tiime, Indy or sevDesk. Very new, with no track record or customer numbers published.
Is Facture Éclair a good alternative to QuickBooks?
Facture Éclair is built as a European alternative to QuickBooks: French quote and invoice software for tradespeople and freelancers, with 85 trade catalogues and Factur-X. It will not be a like-for-like feature match in every respect, so check the review above for where the two genuinely differ before switching.
How does Facture Éclair compare to other Invoicing Software?
Facture Éclair is one of several European Invoicing Software we cover. It is most often compared with QuickBooks, FreshBooks, Zoho Invoice.