Sumly vs Balabook
Balabook is Cyprus-built software with proper double-entry books, priced per company. Sumly also forms the company and arranges the auditor, and its bank feeds work today. Base costs less than Balabook's cheapest tier with AI document reading.
- 30-day free trial
- Free migration
- Fixed monthly prices
Sumly and Balabook, side by side.
| Feature |  Sumly | Balabook |
|---|---|---|
| Built for Cyprus tax | Yes | Yes |
| VAT return on the official boxes | Yes | Yes |
| VIES from the same books | Yes | Yes |
| Who submits the return | You on Base, Sumly on Plus, or your Sumly certified bookkeeper on Premium | You, in Tax For All |
| AI reads and books documents | Yes | Expenses and bills, 100 scans a month |
| Feeds from Cyprus banks | Yes | Early Access |
| Mobile app | Yes | iOS and Android companion |
| Payroll | Add-on, €15 per employee a month | On Growing, €2 + VAT per employee |
| IP Box | Add-on, €50 a month | Not on their pages |
| Company formation | Yes | No |
| Books before the company is registered | Yes | No |
| Yellow Slip and tax residency | Yes | No |
| Year-end auditor arranged | Yes | No |
| Free trial | 30 days | 30 days, and a capped free plan |
Balabook details read on 27 August 2026 from balabook.com, its pricing page, feature pages and help centre, and both app-store listings. Its pricing page shows more than one version of the same table, so check it before you rely on a figure.
Where they part ways.
Both keep double-entry books, fill in the VAT return on the official boxes and prepare VIES, the monthly report of your sales to EU businesses. The difference is how much of the company each one takes on.
It forms the company.
We register your Cyprus company for €950 plus government fees, approved or every euro back. Accounting software isn't in that business.
Books before day one.
Your books open the day you order the company, and Cyprus lets you deduct costs from up to six months before it exists.
A bookkeeper when you want one.
On Premium, a Sumly certified bookkeeper works in your own books. You order the audit in Sumly too, and the Yellow Slip if you're an EU citizen moving here.
What it costs.
At the cheapest tier with AI document reading, Base is €11 a month less than Balabook Growing.
Do it yourself
- Sumly Base
€39/ month
The full platform. Sumly prepares VAT, VIES and tax returns from your books, and you file them.
- Balabook Growing
€50+ VAT / month
The cheapest tier with AI document reading, 100 scans a month. €550 + VAT billed yearly. The €30 entry tier has none.
Done for you
- Sumly Premium
€190/ month
Your own Sumly certified bookkeeper keeps the books and files every return. The audit is extra, from €950.
- Balabook, done for you
Not offered
No plan where someone keeps your books. Its Accountant Plan for practices has no published price. Extra users are €10 + VAT a month each, extra banks €3 + VAT.
Sumly prices exclude VAT. Balabook quotes its prices plus VAT, per company, so the two compare directly. Read on 27 August 2026 from balabook.com/pricing. Its help centre calls the same paid tiers Starter and Growth.
Pick the one that fits.
Both lists are true. If the second sounds more like you, we'd rather you knew now than three months in.
Pick Sumly if
- You need the company registered as well as its books kept
- You want the books running before the Registrar of Companies approves anything
- You want bank feeds you can use today
- You want a Sumly certified bookkeeper and the auditor in the same place
Pick Balabook if
- Your company already exists, so formation and day-zero books don't matter to you
- You sell across the EU and want One Stop Shop VAT codes with an OSS report
- Your company is dormant or tiny, and fits a free plan of 5 invoices, 5 bills and 10 expenses a month
Switch any month. We move you for free.
Book a call and we'll show you Sumly, then move your books across from Balabook. Your opening balances come with you, so mid-year is fine.
- How Sumly would run your own books
- What moving from Balabook involves
- Which plan fits, and what it costs
30 minutes, by video, free
Your questions, answered.
Spotted something out of date? WhatsApp us and we'll correct it.
Other comparisons
- Sumly vs an accounting firm in CyprusA firm bills a retainer plus a fee per return. Sumly has fixed monthly prices.
- Sumly vs CybooksCyprus-built software that keeps the books much like Sumly. The difference is everything around them.
- Sumly vs TidyBooksCyprus-built software that also forms companies. Close on price, far apart on the trial.
- Sumly vs XeroGlobal software with a big app store. The Cyprus VAT return comes from a second app.
- Sumly vs QuickBooksNo Cyprus edition. You set up the VAT rates and assemble the return yourself.
- Sumly vs SageSold country by country, with no Cyprus edition. The return comes out Irish or British.