Looking for a SnelStart alternative?
SnelStart is solid Dutch bookkeeping software: invoicing, bank feeds, VAT and an accountant who knows it well. Most companies looking for an alternative are not unhappy with the bookkeeping - they have outgrown the category. Inventory in Excel, work orders on paper, a webshop that does not connect: that is not a bookkeeping problem. Here are the best alternatives honestly side by side.
Odoo Gold Partner · Amsterdam · experienced with migrations from Dutch accounting packages
What is the best alternative to SnelStart?
It depends on why you want to leave. If you only want more modern invoicing and bookkeeping, Moneybird is a fine light step and moving to an ERP is overkill. But if you are hitting the limits of what an accounting package by definition does not do - inventory management, work orders, production, project administration, a B2B ordering portal - you are not looking for better bookkeeping software but for a business platform. Then Odoo is usually the strongest alternative: accounting, inventory, sales, projects and portal on one open system.
The best SnelStart alternatives, honestly scored
We are an Odoo partner, so we are not neutral. And honestly: SnelStart is not bad software. It is bookkeeping, and it does that fine. The question is whether you need a better accounting package, or whether your business now has more processes than your administration can carry. Those two questions have different answers.
| Alternative | Broader than bookkeeping | Accounting & accountant | Inventory & logistics | Entry price | B2B portal & eCommerce | Short verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OdooTop pick | Yes - full ERP: inventory, work orders, production, projects | Native, Dutch localisation; your accountant gets a login | Strong: multi-warehouse, barcode, serial numbers | ~€20/user/month | Native webshop and customer portal | Best if you want more processes than just the books on one system |
| Exact Online (Trade) | Partly: trade around an accounting core | Strong, the accountant standard in NL | Decent in the Trade edition | Mid, grows per module | Limited | The logical step up within the Dutch accounting world; you pay per added module |
| AFAS SB | Broad: administration, HR, payroll | Strong | Limited | Fixed bundle price | Limited | Strong if administration and staff are your centre of gravity; thin in logistics and work orders |
| Moneybird | No: invoicing + bookkeeping | Strong for freelancers and small SMBs | No | Low | No | Best choice if you only want nicer invoicing - staying small is cheaper then |
| King Software | Partly: trade and logistics | Decent | Strong for wholesale | Mid | Limited | Strong in trade, but King shuts down on 31 October 2026 - no longer a sustainable move |
Which alternative fits which situation?
Briefly per option, so you can shorten the shortlist faster:
Odoo
Strongest when your business has more processes than its administration: inventory, work orders, production, projects and a B2B portal on one open platform, with accounting native inside. You move from a bookkeeping package to a business system - that takes a real implementation, but it buys off the loose Excel files and tools.
Exact Online (Trade)
The familiar step up within the Dutch accounting world: strong bookkeeping, accountants know it, and the Trade edition adds orders and inventory. You pay per added module and stay within an accounting DNA; work orders, production and portal remain thin.
AFAS SB
The Small Business bundle from AFAS: administration, HR and payroll at one fixed price. Logical if staff and administration are your centre of gravity; it is not built for inventory, work orders and production.
Moneybird
Not an ERP and it does not pretend to be: modern invoicing and bookkeeping for freelancers and small SMBs. If your only complaint about SnelStart is the user experience, this is the cheapest route - and honestly a better choice than buying a system that is too big.
King Software
For years a solid Dutch choice for trade and logistics, but King shuts down on 31 October 2026. Switching to it now means deliberately boarding a discontinued track - better to compare the alternatives King users themselves are moving to.
What SnelStart does (and what you do next to it), and where you find it in Odoo
The administration lives in SnelStart; the rest of the business often lives next to it - in Excel, on paper or in separate tools. Here is how both map to Odoo:
| In or next to SnelStart | In Odoo |
|---|---|
| Bookkeeping & VAT returns | Native Accounting with Dutch localisation and VAT returns |
| Invoicing | Invoices straight from quotation or order, with e-invoicing (UBL) and automatic reminders |
| Bank connection | Bank feeds with automatic reconciliation rules |
| Contact management | Native CRM: leads, pipeline, activities and dashboards |
| Accountant access | A dedicated login for your accountant, with reports and exports (incl. audit file) |
| Inventory (often Excel on the side) | Inventory: multi-warehouse, barcode, min-max replenishment and stock valuation on the ledger |
| Work orders (often paper or a separate app) | Field Service: digital work orders with hours, materials, photos and signature |
| Production (often nowhere) | Manufacturing with bills of materials, work orders and post-calculation |
| Project administration (often Excel) | Project with pre/post-calculation, timesheets and invoicing back to the order |
| B2B ordering portal (often mail/phone) | Native eCommerce and customer portal with customer-specific pricelists |
Why SMBs look for a SnelStart alternative
In our own leads over the past period we see a consistent pattern: of the roughly fifteen companies that came to us from SnelStart, almost none were looking for a better accounting package. They were looking for inventory management, work orders for field staff, production with bills of materials, project administration with post-calculation or a B2B ordering portal for regular customers. Those are not shortcomings of SnelStart - they are things an accounting package by category does not do. The books are fine, but around them grows a shell of Excel files, paper work orders and separate tools that do not talk to each other.
Outgrown the accounting package, or just need something different?
This is the honest fork in the road. If your only complaint is that invoicing feels clunky or the interface dated, a light package like Moneybird is a fine answer and an ERP project is overkill - staying small is cheaper and wiser then. But if you recognise the pattern of loose lists next to the administration, another accounting package will not fix it: you would just move the problem. The question is not which bookkeeping package is better, but whether your processes and your administration should live on one system.
What changes when you move from bookkeeping software to an ERP
Be honest about the jump. You set up an accounting package in an afternoon; an ERP implementation is a project of weeks to a few months, with choices about processes, data and who does what. In return, every order, work order and stock move lands in your books automatically instead of someone retyping it. Our approach: start small with the modules you need now (for example sales, inventory and accounting), go live, and only then expand. Odoo is modular, so you do not buy the breadth all at once.
How to choose
Three rules of thumb. One: if your pain sits only in invoicing and ease of use, pick a light package like Moneybird or stay where you are. Two: if you want a step up within the familiar Dutch accounting world with trade added, look at Exact Online - your accountant knows it. Three: if your business now has real processes next to the administration - inventory, work orders, production, projects, portal - Odoo is usually the strongest choice, because it connects those processes natively to the accounting. Start from where your biggest pain is, not from the feature list.
Curious about realistic hours, cost and timelines? See the Odoo implementation benchmark →
Frequently asked questions about SnelStart alternatives
Can I take my SnelStart administration to Odoo?
Yes. The usual route: transfer the opening balance, import contacts (customers and suppliers) and migrate open receivables and payables, so you continue cleanly from a closed period. Moving full history is possible, but it is usually more practical to keep it as an archive in SnelStart or as an export. We plan the migration around a logical moment, such as a quarter or year end.
What does switching from SnelStart to Odoo cost?
Odoo costs around €20 per user per month for all modules. The real investment is the implementation: setup, data migration and training. A well-scoped SMB project takes weeks to a few months, depending on scope. We start with a fit-gap so you know upfront what you get and what it costs.
Can my accountant work in Odoo?
Yes. Your accountant gets a dedicated login with access to the books, reports and exports, including the audit file. The Dutch localisation covers VAT returns and the Dutch chart of accounts. Many accountants already have clients on Odoo; if yours does not, the introduction is usually quick.
Is Odoo not too big for an SMB?
No, as long as you set it up modularly. Odoo scales from a handful of users to hundreds; you activate only the apps you need and expand later. Buying too big is a real risk with any ERP - which is why we advise starting small. If you only want better invoicing, Odoo is honestly too much and Moneybird fits better.
Is SnelStart bad software?
No. SnelStart is solid Dutch bookkeeping software with a strong position among accountants. The reason to switch is almost never the quality of the bookkeeping, but that your business has grown processes that fall outside the accounting-package category: inventory, work orders, production, projects or an ordering portal.
More processes than your accounting package can carry?
We are happy to think along about which alternative fits your business - even if that is Moneybird or simply staying on SnelStart rather than Odoo. Honest about when an ERP is worth the jump and when it is not.