Make the accountant part of the buying team
Accounting is one of the clearest examples of local software fit. VAT rules, filing formats, chart-of-accounts conventions, banking connections, and accountant workflows vary across Europe.
Bring your finance owner or external accountant into the evaluation early. Ask which exports they need, which bank feeds work reliably, and how corrections, approvals, and audit evidence are handled.
Compare the work, not just the modules
Create a small monthly-close scenario: ingest transactions, capture receipts, issue an invoice, reconcile an account, prepare a VAT view, and export a package for the accountant. Test it using the entities and currencies that matter to your company.
Then assess:
- Local tax and filing support in the markets you operate in
- Bank connectivity and reconciliation quality
- Invoicing and payment workflows
- Roles, approvals, and audit trails
- Data export and accountant access
- Pricing as volume, entities, and seats increase
Keep pricing claims honest
Many finance products offer starter discounts or partner rates. These can be useful, but compare like-for-like plans and label any projected saving as an estimate until it is independently verified for your actual usage.
The right accounting platform is one that gives founders useful visibility while making the accountant's work easier. For European startups, local regulatory fit and collaboration often matter more than a long feature list.