Restaurant accounting has quirks that not every program understands. We look at which ones get it right.
Restaurant accounting is not like accounting for any other business. You have several VAT rates on each receipt (10% for food, 21% for alcoholic drinks), hundreds of small transactions every day, cash-ups, tips, split payments (cash + card), and a relationship with your gestoría (accountancy firm) that can be smooth or a nightmare of PDFs and spreadsheets.
On top of that, from 2026 e-invoicing is mandatory for small and medium-sized businesses in Spain (under the Ley Crea y Crece), and Verifactu, Spain’s new anti-fraud invoicing rules, requires your software to be compliant. Choosing the wrong accounting program can cost you hours of manual work, tax errors and avoidable penalties.
In this comparison we look at 6 accounting programs that work well for restaurants in Spain. An important note: these programs handle accounting and invoicing, but they do not replace the operational management of the restaurant (inventory, recipe costing, staff). For that, tools like Zindra complement your accounting software with all the back-office management your restaurant needs.
Holded is the Spanish cloud ERP that has grown fastest in recent years. It offers invoicing, accounting, CRM, projects and inventory on a single platform with a modern interface. It is very popular with SMEs and start-ups, and its accounting module is powerful enough for restaurants that want to be self-sufficient rather than relying entirely on a gestoría.
Quipu is a Spanish invoicing and accounting program designed for the self-employed and SMEs. Its strength is simplicity: it digitises receipts and invoices with OCR, reconciles expenses automatically and lets you work with your gestoría in real time. It is the most popular choice among small businesses that want to forget about paperwork.
Anfix is an online accounting and invoicing program developed by Wolters Kluwer, one of the giants of tax software. Its focus is serious accounting and regulatory compliance, with strong ties to tax advisers. It is a solid choice for restaurants that work closely with an adviser.
Sage 50 (formerly ContaPlus) is the most widely used accounting software in Spain among accountancy firms and mid-sized companies. It is a professional program with decades of history, very powerful but with a considerable learning curve. The cloud version has improved the experience, although it is still software built for accountants.
A3 Innuva (from Wolters Kluwer) is the business management suite most widely used by accountancy firms in Spain. It combines accounting, invoicing, payroll and tax on one integrated platform. It is professional-grade software that most restaurants will use through their gestoría rather than directly.
Contasimple is a free invoicing and accounting program (with paid options) aimed at the self-employed and micro-businesses. It is the cheapest option on the market for anyone who needs the basics: issuing invoices, recording expenses and keeping the books up to date for the gestoría. No frills, but it does the job.
Choosing accounting software depends on how involved you want to be in your own bookkeeping. If you prefer to be self-sufficient with a modern interface, Holded is hard to beat. For digitising expenses and receipts without fuss, Quipu is excellent and very affordable. If you work closely with a gestoría, ask them what they use: probably Sage 50 or A3, and it makes sense to fall in line. And if you are just starting out on a minimal budget, Contasimple lets you issue legally valid invoices at no cost. Remember: these programs handle accounting and invoicing, but to control your restaurant’s real costs (food cost, recipe costing, inventory, staff) you need to pair them with operational management software such as Zindra.
Dig deeper into the key concepts behind this comparison.
Answers to the most common questions about this category.
It depends on how you work with your gestoría (accountancy firm). If you send them receipts and invoices on paper or by email for them to enter, a program like Quipu or Holded saves you time and reduces errors: you digitise everything and give them direct access. If your gestoría already uses Sage or A3 and asks you not to touch anything, you may not need your own software. The best approach is to ask them which format they prefer and fall in line.
Verifactu is the Spanish Tax Agency’s (AEAT) system for verifying invoices and preventing tax fraud. From 2026, invoicing software must be certified and send information to the tax authorities in real time (or close to it). If your program is not compliant, you risk penalties. Holded, Quipu, Anfix and Sage are already compliant; Contasimple is compliant on its paid plans. Always check before signing up.
Restaurants mainly deal with 10% VAT (food and soft drinks) and 21% VAT (alcoholic drinks and certain other products). Every program in this comparison lets you set up multiple VAT rates, but what really matters is that your POS is configured to assign the right VAT rate to each product. The accounting software then groups the amounts by VAT rate for your quarterly returns.
No, they complement each other. Accounting software (Holded, Quipu, Sage) handles invoices, expenses, taxes and the books. Restaurant management software (Zindra, MarketMan) handles inventory, supplier purchasing, recipe costing, food cost and staff. Some, like Holded, include basic inventory, but they are not designed for the specific needs of hospitality (recipe costing, waste, etc.). Ideally, you should have both, integrated.
Browse more reviews to find the right tools for your restaurant.
Manage inventory, purchasing, staff and costs in one platform. Try it free and decide for yourself.