Xolo vs Sorted: Best Freelancer Tools in Germany—Compared

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. 

Freelancing in Germany: Which admin tool is best?

Freelancing in Germany brings its fair share of bureaucracy—registering with the Finanzamt, issuing VAT-compliant invoices, and filing taxes can be overwhelming, especially for expats. That’s why tools like Sorted and Xolo exist: to help you spend more time on your craft and less on admin.

In this post, we compare Sorted, Xolo Go, and Xolo Leap—three tools that simplify freelancing in Germany. We'll look at features like invoicing, tax compliance, pricing, ease of use, and support for non-German speakers. Whether you're just starting out or scaling your freelance business, you'll find out which platform suits your needs.

Overview: Xolo vs Sorted

Sorted is an online platform designed to help freelancers in Germany manage their accounting and taxes. It's DIY-friendly with helpful prompts and guides (in English!), plus optional consultations with German tax advisors.

Xolo, on the other hand, offers two paths:

• Xolo Go: Send compliant invoices globally without registering a business.
• Xolo Leap: Launch and run your own fully managed Estonian company under Estonia’s leading e-Residency platform.

Both Xolo tools come with built-in invoicing, payment collection and compliance support—all in English. The main difference? Sorted was built within the German system for German freelancers. Xolo was built for freelancers, and utilises a more inter-EU approach.

Pricing: Budget-friendly or full service?

There’s a plethora of plans to peruse and pay across plenty of promising providers, but both Sorted and Xolo have offerings that compete well in such a saturated market—both in terms of price and value in service.

Sorted

• Free to register and create invoices.
• €98/year for Kleinunternehmer (small business, no VAT).
• €20/month for full tax support including VAT reports and income tax returns.

Xolo Go

• No monthly fee. Pay only when you get paid: 5.9% commission on client payouts.

Xolo Leap

• Starts at €59/month, with higher plans for growing businesses.
• Includes accounting, tax filings, and company setup in Estonia under Estonia’s leading e-Residency program.

💡 Quick tip: Just getting started? Xolo Go or Sorted’s free tier are cost-efficient for those sending invoices, and perhaps doing some lite expenses. Scaling up? Xolo Leap offers a full-service experience from company foundation, to VAT, to dedicated accountants.

Invoicing & payments

The nitty-gritty of being a freelancer, “How can I send an invoice, not get in trouble and get paid when I deserve to?” Sorted and Xolo both have been built for freelancers, and seek to answer these age old questions within the solopreneurial world.

Sorted

• Create German-compliant invoices with your branding.
• VAT automatically applied or exempted based on your tax status.
• Match payments via bank sync, but no built-in payment processing.

Xolo Go

• Send invoices globally in 7+ currencies.
• Xolo collects payments for you (credit card or bank transfer).
• Automatically VAT-compliant—no manual setup required.

Xolo Leap

• Invoicing tools under your own Estonian company.
• Supports Stripe, PayPal, Wise, and more.
• Built for international, scalable businesses.
• Everything you love with Go, amped up!

💡 Want to get paid fast with minimal hassle? Xolo Go takes care of invoicing and collection with lightning-fast speed, letting your clients pay with a broad range of currencies and pay-in methods.

Tax compliance: DIY vs done-for-you

If you’ve just moved to a new country and have started working on your own, asking yourself “Am I doing this right?” is probably the right, and most natural, mindset. There are many services built to help ensure you’re on track, and most governments in Europe aren’t out to trick you.

Xolo and Sorted have engineered services specifically to ensure things like tax season, VAT-compliance and calculations, and even the brighter side of tax breaks and allowances are well known to you.

Sorted

• Prepares and submits all German tax filings (VAT, income tax, EÜR).
• Works with ELSTER (no extra accounts needed).
• Consult with English-speaking tax advisors when needed (extra fee).

Xolo Go

• No VAT filings on your part—Xolo handles them.
• No business registration required.
• You only declare your income at year-end in Germany, no need to list individual clients.

Xolo Leap

• Full tax compliance for your Estonian company.
• Monthly bookkeeping, VAT, annual reports handled by Xolo.
• You pay yourself a salary/dividends and report it on your German personal tax return.

💡 Don’t want to touch German VAT forms? Xolo Go and Leap keep you compliant without the hassle.

Language and support: Help me in English, please?

Sorted

• Full interface and support in English.
• English-speaking tax consultants available.
• Great for navigating German bureaucracy with extra guidance.

Xolo

• Built for expats and international freelancers.
• All services, support and guidance are in English.
• Xolo Leap specifically offers dedicated account managers for your company.

💡 Both platforms are excellent for non-German speakers. Sorted guides you; Xolo does it for you.

Which service should you choose at the end of the day?

Let’s recap two of the key criteria for each service, to get the most out of them. As every freelancer is unique, in both their needs and services, it’s important to step back and get the broader view first:

We’d choose Sorted if...

• We’d want to work within the German system.
• We’re comfortable with a bit of DIY and desire low costs.

We’d choose Xolo Go if...

• We want to freelance without registering a business.
• We need fast, global invoicing and minimal paperwork.

And we’d definitely choose Xolo Leap if...

• We’re building a serious, international freelance business.
• We want full support, accounting and limited liability through our own EU company.

Sorted is great for tech-savvy freelancers who want to stay in Germany’s system and keep costs low. Xolo is ideal for freelancers who value their time over all, want English-speaking support, and prefer letting someone else handle the boring administrative work.

Just starting out? Give Xolo Go or Sorted’s free tier a go!

Thinking bigger? Consider Xolo Leap to take your freelance business global.

Whichever path you choose, tools like Xolo and Sorted help freelancers work smarter, stay compliant, and focus on what matters most: doing some amazing work.

Ready to simplify your freelance admin in Germany? Explore Xolo pricing and see which plan fits you best.