If you’ve recently been thinking about freelancing in Sweden, you’re not alone. Many creatives and solopreneurs are exploring new paths, looking for freedom and flexibility after years in traditional jobs. If this is you, check out our blog on getting set up as a freelancer in Sweden.
Stepping into freelancing can feel overwhelming, especially when it comes to invoicing clients, handling taxes, and staying compliant. The good news is that you don’t have to figure everything out by yourself. Two popular solutions, Frilans Finans and Xolo Go, are designed to help you invoice without starting your own company.
This comparison will break down both options to guide you through ease of use, onboarding, taxes and compliance, pricing, platform flexibility and customer experience. Our goal is to give you grounded and honest insights so you can feel empowered and clear about your next steps as a new freelancer.
Before we dive in, if you’re completely new to freelancing, you might also want to check out our guide on how to get started as a freelancer in Sweden for more background on business basics.
Ease of use
Oftentimes, being a freelancer and an expat on top of that is complicated enough. When it comes to sending invoices, there needn’t be unnecessary hassle.
Let’s break down the ease-of-use between Frilans Finans and Xolo Go, to see how they compare.
Frilans Finans
Frilans Finans has been around since 1999 helping over 150,000 freelancers invoice without needing a registered company, and its experience shows in a user-friendly platform.
The interface (available in Swedish and English) is straightforward: you log in, create an invoice by filling out a simple form, and Frilans Finans takes care of sending it to your client. They even have mobile apps, so you can invoice on the go from your phone or tablet.
For a first-time user, the process feels very familiar, almost like sending a request for payment via your bank. You don’t need to worry about any complicated accounting terms; everything is in plain language. Once you’ve sent an invoice, you can essentially relax. Frilans Finans handles all the “boring but important” paperwork behind the scenes so you can focus on your creative work. In short, it’s designed to be as easy as having an in-house finance assistant.
Xolo Go
Xolo Go is equally focused on simplicity.
As a modern, international platform, Xolo provides an intuitive online dashboard where you can create and send invoices in just a few minutes . The system will handle all needed calculations (like adding VAT) automatically, so you won’t be scratching your head over numbers. Xolo supports multiple currencies and payment methods, which is a big plus if you have clients outside Sweden—you can invoice in EUR or USD and clients can pay via bank transfer or even credit card (Visa, Mastercard, Amex).
This flexibility is built in, so you don’t need to set up anything special to use it. After clicking "send" on an invoice, Xolo’s platform will update you in real time when the payment comes, and even send gentle reminders to your client if an invoice is overdue. That means less stress for you, since you’ll never have to chase payments yourself.
Overall, Xolo Go’s ease of use falls in its streamlined, globally-friendly design. Even if you’re new to freelancing, you’ll find it straightforward to navigate. If you can shop online, you can use Xolo Go’s dashboard with ease.
Registration process
Signing up for a good service should be a great experience. If there’s a blocked between you and the product you need, it’s not a pleasant journey for anyone.
We’ve broken down the registration process for both Frilans Finans and Xolo Go, and surprise, surprise… They’re both reasonable.
Frilans Finans
Getting started with Frilans Finans is quick and painless. You begin by creating a free account on their website—it takes just a few minutes and comes with no strings attached.
If you’re Swedish, you can sign up with BankID or provide basic details; either way, there’s no complex paperwork to mail in or company to register. Once your account is set up (which is usually instantaneous), you’re ready to create your first invoice. There’s no obligation to use the service a certain number of times; you can invoice whenever and however much you want. For someone new to freelancing, this low-commitment onboarding is a huge relief.
Frilans Finans essentially lets you test the waters risk-free. The platform might ask for your personal ID details (to ensure you’re a legit individual for tax purposes) and your bank account to deposit your pay, but beyond that, there’s little red tape. In short, if you woke up this morning with an idea for a project, you could be sending out your first invoice by this afternoon using Frilans Finans.
Xolo Go
Signing up with Xolo Go is also free and straightforward, but there are a couple of extra steps since Xolo operates internationally.
During onboarding, Xolo will ask you to enter into a simple partnership agreement with them. Don’t let the formal term scare you—it’s not a long-term contract, just a one-time online agreement that legally allows Xolo’s company to invoice on your behalf. It’s essentially saying “Yes, Xolo, you can handle my invoicing through your framework.”
After that, you’ll need to verify your identity (usually by uploading a photo ID and maybe a selfie, which is standard procedure). Xolo uses secure identity verification partners to make keep things compliant. This step is a bit like verifying yourself for a new bank account and can be done with your phone or laptop camera in just a few minutes. Once that’s done, you provide the bank details where you want to receive your money (Xolo supports euro SEPA accounts and services like Payoneer).
The entire process is pretty quick, and you’ll be ready to send your first invoice in 10 minutes. For a new solopreneur, those extra identity steps actually add a layer of reassurance: you know the platform takes compliance seriously, and your future clients can trust the invoices coming from Xolo. After you’re set up, there are no ongoing obligations. You can stay dormant for weeks or months without any fees.
This no-pressure onboarding means you get the benefits of a business setup without the bureaucratic headache of registering a company yourself.
Taxes and compliance
Handling taxes is often the scariest part of going freelance, but this is where Frilans Finans and Xolo Go differ quite a bit, so pay close attention.
Frilans Finans
One reason Frilans Finans is hugely popular in Sweden is that it essentially acts as an employer for you in the eyes of the law. That means when you invoice through Frilans Finans, they will withhold income taxes, pay social fees (employer contributions), and even set aside pension contributions on your behalf.
You’re not officially an employee with a monthly salary, but for each invoice, they take care of all the tax calculations and filings as if they were your employer. The result? You receive your earnings as a salary payment, already taxed (“lön skattad och klar” as they say in Swedish). This is incredibly reassuring for new freelancers. You don’t have to figure out VAT or income tax percentages—Frilans Finans sends the right amounts to Skatteverket (the Swedish Tax Agency) automatically.
At the end of the year, you won’t face a big unexpected tax bill, because it’s been handled along the way. Compliance-wise, Frilans Finans is rock solid: it’s an authorized umbrella company audited by a committee, so your money and taxes are handled correctly and safely. They even include some protections that a normal employer would – like basic work insurance and occupational pension savings for those in the eligible age range.
In short, using Frilans Finans means you can do the right thing (pay taxes and social fees) without doing it all yourself. You don’t need your own F-skatt (tax registration) or company, as Frilans Finans takes full responsibility for compliance. This can feel like a warm safety blanket for someone who’s never freelanced before.
Xolo Go
Xolo Go takes a different approach to compliance. Xolo serves as an intermediary that enables you to invoice clients without a company acting as an independent contractor.
Practically, Xolo will handle the VAT on your invoices, automatically calculate the correct VAT based on your client’s location and add it to each invoice. You’ll even be provided with a valid VAT number (from Xolo’s Estonian entity) so your invoices are legally compliant for business clients.
However, Xolo does not withhold income tax or pay Swedish social contributions for you. When your client pays an invoice, Xolo takes out a small fee (more on that soon) and then pays the rest out to you, gross. It becomes your responsibility to declare that income to Skatteverket and pay any income tax or social fees required in Sweden. If this sounds daunting, this is how we try to make it easier: we let you download detailed earnings reports from your dashboard, which you or your accountant can use to sort out your taxes.
The compliance burden is lighter than doing everything entirely on your own (because invoices and VAT are handled), but heavier than with Frilans Finans. If you’re willing to learn the basics of freelance taxes in Sweden (which is manageable, with a simple setup and possibly some help from an accountant), Xolo Go offers more independence. Just remember: Xolo handles VAT and invoice compliance, but you handle your personal tax. Many new freelancers in Sweden start with Frilans Finans for the all-inclusive simplicity, but others prefer Xolo Go’s independent approach once they understand how to budget for taxes themselves. It’s a personal choice: do you want plug-and-play simplicity, or a bit more autonomy in exchange for handling tax time on your own?
There’s no wrong answer! Only what fits your comfort level.
(A quick note on B2B and B2C: Frilans Finans can invoice private individuals (B2C) and companies (B2B) alike, which is great if some of your clients might be people without companies. Xolo Go, on the other hand, is currently meant for B2B services—you can invoice clients in 186 countries, but they need to be businesses or organizations. If your freelance work involves private customers (say, a portrait photography session for a family), Frilans Finans would be the viable choice between these two).
Pricing
Let’s talk about cost, because at the end of the day, you want to keep as much of your hard-earned money as possible (especially when starting out). Both Frilans Finans and Xolo Go operate on a commission model, meaning they take a percentage of each invoice as their fee. There are no upfront or monthly fees for either service. You only pay when you’re actually earning, which is great for a fluctuating freelancer’s income.
Frilans Finans pricing
Frilans Finans charges 6% of the invoice amount as its fee. There are no hidden costs and no subscription charges beyond that. 6% is what you pay for all the admin and support they provide.
It’s a simple, transparent cut. Frilans Finans prides itself on no unnecessary or hidden fees—even the faster payout (getting your pay within 24 hours using their express option) is just an option and not something you’re forced to pay for unless you need it.
In fact, they highlight that they’re usually the fastest on the market to pay out your salary at no extra cost (normally within 5 business days). So, with Frilans Finans you know that for every invoice you send, 94% (minus taxes) is working for you, and 6% is the price of the convenience and security they provide.
Xolo Go pricing
Xolo Go uses a flat 5.9% fee on each invoice payout. This is slightly lower than Frilans Finans’ fee, but in the same ballpark (we’re talking a tenth of a percentage difference). Xolo’s fee is actually split into 5% for the service and ~0.9% for payment processing, but effectively you’ll see 5.9% taken from the invoice amount when you get paid.
Just like Frilans, Xolo has no monthly fee, no sign-up cost, and no hidden charges. It’s a pure pay-as-you-go model. If you don’t invoice in a given month, you pay nothing for Xolo that month. If you do, it’s always 5.9% of whatever you invoiced, and “we only get paid when you get paid”. This makes it freelance-friendly because your costs scale exactly with your income.
Both services have a very similar approach to pricing, so cost probably won’t be the deciding factor between them. It’s worth noting that neither service locks you into long contracts. If at any point you decide to switch to your own company or a different solution, you can simply stop using them (Xolo even lets you close your account online anytime with no fuss, and Frilans Finans has no ongoing commitment either).
Platform flexibility
Platform flexibility is a fairly broad phrase, but let’s discuss how each service adapts to different needs and situations you might have as a freelancer.
This includes things like the types of clients and projects which are supported, international vs local work, and extra features that make your life easier as your business grows.
Frilans Finans
Being a Swedish service, Frilans Finans is optimized for the Swedish market and way of doing business.
If most of your clients are in Sweden, you’ll appreciate touches like support for Swish payments (your customer can even pay via Swish if they prefer, which Frilans Finans can accommodate), and a built-in handling of Swedish-specific tax deductions like RUT/ROT if relevant. You can invoice both companies and private individuals, which gives you the flexibility to take on corporate gigs as well as smaller jobs for local persons.
In terms of project types, Frilans Finans doesn’t impose many restrictions, and they have people invoicing in virtually every industry from creative arts, to consulting, to manual trades. The platform can handle expense reimbursements and allowances too: for example, if you had to buy materials for a project or travel for a gig, you can include that in your invoice. Frilans Finans will make sure you’re reimbursed correctly (often paying out expenses tax-free to you, as per Swedish rules, and billing the client accordingly).
Essentially, Frilans Finans offers full-service invoicing for any scenario in Sweden. It’s also worth mentioning that because Frilans Finans formalizes each invoice into a salary, it might be easier if you, say, want to show steady income for a loan or something similar—you’ll have pay slips from Frilans Finans, which banks understand.
One limitation to note is that if you start getting a lot of international clients or income in other currencies, Frilans Finans can handle it but on their terms (they might require those clients to pay to their Swedish account, possibly in SEK or EUR, and as they mention, if a client is outside Sweden they may not advance you the salary until the payment is secured). So while you can absolutely work with foreign clients through Frilans Finans, the system is smoothest for domestic dealings. Think of Frilans Finans as a very flexible solution within the Swedish context—it can stretch to accommodate most needs a Swedish freelancer has, but it’s not designed as a cross-border specialist.
Xolo Go
Xolo Go shines when it comes to international and digital flexibility.
The Xolo platform was built with the idea that you can be “location independent” and be working from anywhere with clients everywhere. With Xolo, you can invoice clients in nearly any country (over 180 countries supported) without worrying about local VAT rules, because Xolo handles the compliance for each locale. This is a huge advantage if you see yourself collaborating with clients across Europe or even globally.
You can bill in major currencies like euros, dollars, pounds, etc., which means your client sees an invoice in the currency that makes the most sense for them, and you aren’t locked to just SEK. Xolo then converts and sends the money to you in EUR (providing you with a European IBAN account) or via services like Payoneer. The ability to accept credit card payments is also a nice flexibility—sometimes international clients prefer to pay that way, and Xolo makes it as easy as paying an online bill.
Another aspect of flexibility is how the Xolo platform accommodates ebbs and flows of freelance work. Xolo is very much a “come-and-go as you need” service: there’s no penalty for inactivity.
Xolo also supports teaming up with other Xolo users if you ever collaborate on a project, making it easier to split payments or bills together, which can be handy for creatives who team up on gigs. In terms of project types, Xolo is tailored to professional services delivered remotely or on a contract basis. Basically, if you’re offering a service that doesn’t involve selling physical goods or requiring special licenses, Xolo is likely to support it.
Many Swedish solopreneurs in fields like graphic design, programming, content creation, or coaching could find Xolo to be a perfect fit. For the vast majority of new one-person service businesses, though, Xolo’s flexibility covers all the bases.
In summary, Xolo Go offers a borderless experience, and it’s as flexible as the internet, ready to support your business wherever it takes you.
Customer experience and support
When you’re venturing out on your own, it’s normal to crave a bit of extra support. Things can get lonely or uncertain in sololand, so let’s see how Frilans Finans and Xolo Go have your back in terms of customer experience and service.
Frilans Finans
As a company rooted in Sweden for over two decades, Frilans Finans has a very hands-on, personalized support approach.
They often say with them you are “egen, men inte ensam” or independent, but not alone. What does that mean in practice? For one, you have access to the largest advisory team in the industry at Frilans Finans. You can reach out via phone, email, or chat on weekdays during business hours (and even Sundays in the evening) to get help with any question.
They also have a thorough help center and FAQ, but the real differentiator is that human touch: you can talk to real people in Swedish who understand the local business culture. If you happen to be in Stockholm, they even have a visitor’s center where you’re welcome to drop in, have a coffee, use a meeting room, or just work for a few hours. In other words, Frilans Finans creates a sense of community and safety net for freelancers.
Many users feel reassured that they can “call an expert” when something unfamiliar comes up.
Lastly, the trust factor: being Sweden’s leading umbrella firm, they’ve earned credibility. Knowing that 150,000+ others have used this service successfully can give you peace of mind that you’re in good hands.
Xolo Go
Xolo has grown a global user base of over 130,000 solopreneurs (affectionately called “Xolopreneurs”) in 10 years of being a freelance-first business.
The customer experience Xolo offers is very much in tune with modern digital expectations. The platform is slick and self-service oriented, with many things automated or available for you to manage directly in a user-friendly dashboard.
However, that doesn’t mean you’re on your own. Xolo provides live chat support built right into the platform, so whenever you have a question, you can get help fairly quickly. Users often praise Xolo’s support for being responsive and helpful. Because Xolo operates in English (and also other languages for some localised versions), you’ll be communicating in English with the support team—something most Swedish freelancers are comfortable with, but it’s worth noting if you prefer a Swedish-only service.
The tone of Xolo’s support and communications is friendly and empowering. They know dealing with admin stuff can make people anxious, so they strive to make you feel calm and confident. The platform itself guides you with tooltips and an extensive FAQ for common issues.
The community and resources Xolo offers are an incredible boon to the service package. Xolo’s blog and guides (like the one we linked earlier about freelancing in Sweden) are incredibly useful for learning best practices when freelancing.
While Xolo doesn’t have a physical office in Sweden for you to visit, they make up for it with a strong virtual support system and a philosophy of simplifying the bureaucratic parts of freelancing so you feel continously confident. It’s a more digital-community vibe versus Frilans Finans’s local-community tribe. Both have their charm, depending on what makes you feel more supported. The bottom line is that Xolo Go users often feel empowered and taken care of, even if the support is online.
Knowing that Xolo has processed over €3.7 billion in invoices for freelancers around the world proves the platform’s prominence in freelance finances.
Finding the right fit for your needs
Choosing between Frilans Finans and Xolo Go ultimately comes down to your personal needs and the kind of freelance business you want to build – especially as you embark on this journey after possibly going through a tough layoff. Both services are like friendly helpers, each with their own style:
- Frilans Finans is like the reliable Swedish friend who says, “Don’t worry, I’ve got it handled for you.” It offers you maximum simplicity by taking care of all the heavy bureaucracy
If you value a completely hands-off approach to paperwork and love the idea of an established local partner that feels almost like an employer, Frilans Finans might feel like a safe harbor.
- Xolo Go is like the adventurous international friend who says, “You’ve got this! And I’ll support you wherever you go.” Xolo empowers you to run your solo business on your own terms, with a platform that simplifies invoicing globally, but still lets you learn the ropes of being independent.
It’s a fantastic choice if you plan to have clients beyond Sweden’s borders or simply want the flexibility to grow—maybe today you’re a freelancer, and tomorrow a business owner (Xolo can scale with you on that path, too). With Xolo, you maintain control over your earnings and taxes, which can be empowering if you’re ready to handle a bit of that responsibility with their guidance. The interface and support are modern and efficient. Many new solopreneurs find that Xolo Go gives them just the right balance of ease and autonomy.
In the end, you can’t really go wrong with either, as both Frilans Finans and Xolo Go are designed to help, not hinder, your freelance journey.
Ready to take the leap?
🎉 No matter which path you choose, remember that you’re not alone and you have tools to lighten the load. If you’re leaning towards a solution that combines ease, flexibility and a supportive push in the right direction, Xolo Go might be the perfect choice to kickstart your solopreneur journey. Set up your free account in minutes.
Sign up for Xolo Go here and take that empowering first step to embrace your new freelance life. You’ve got this, and Xolo’s got you 🚀