Swiss invoicing
no compromises.

Yes. At startup, Vidima makes a single request to our update server to check for updates (you can disable it). All your data — customers, invoices, configuration — lives only on your computer. No cloud, no servers, no tracking.

Yes. Vidima generates invoices compliant with SPC 0200 (QR-Bill v2.2) from SIX, supports both AFC VAT methods (effective and balance) with current rates (8.1% / 2.6% / 3.8% / exempt), and produces credit notes and payment reminders per Swiss standards. All PDFs can be archived for the legally required 10 years.

Vidima has encrypted JSON export/import for your data, and separate export/import for the signing key. Transferring everything to a new PC takes 2 minutes. The Personal licence (CHF 149) is valid on a single device. Pro (CHF 299) covers 3 devices and Studio (CHF 990) covers 10 — useful when alternating PC + Mac + laptop or for fiduciaries managing multiple clients.

No. Every Vidima tier is one-time — Personal CHF 149, Pro CHF 299, Studio CHF 990. You pay once. All v1.x updates are included free forever. If we ever release Vidima v2.0 (major re-architecture), it will be an optional upgrade with loyalty discount for existing customers.

Yes. Free trial lasts 14 days — full features, unlimited invoices, no credit card required. After the trial, Vidima becomes read-only: you can always open and print invoices already created, but not new ones until you activate a license.

Vidima v1.x runs natively on Windows 10/11 (x64) and macOS 10.15+ (Apple Silicon + Intel, universal binary). Binaries are signed and notarised for both platforms. A Linux version (AppImage / .deb) is on the future roadmap. All licences (Personal/Pro/Studio) cover both platforms — install on Windows and macOS with no second purchase.

Helvecraft, an independent software studio based in Bellinzona, Canton Ticino. Vidima is our flagship product. Every feature and bug-fix is born from listening directly to our customers.

Yes, and Vidima helps. The session can be locked with a PIN (AES-GCM at-rest encryption). Vidima saves encrypted snapshots of your data automatically at regular intervals, restorable in one click. You can also export to encrypted JSON manually and keep a copy on an external drive or your personal cloud.

The QR-Bill (Swiss QR-Code Bill) is the official Swiss invoicing standard, introduced on 30 June 2020 by SIX. The old red and orange payment slips (BVR/ESR/LSV) were officially withdrawn on 30 September 2022 — since then the QR-Bill is effectively the only way to receive domestic bank payments in Switzerland. Every invoice includes a scannable QR code with the IBAN, amount, reference, debtor and creditor — all the data needed for payment. Swiss banks (PostFinance, UBS, Raiffeisen, ZKB, cantonal banks, etc.) read the QR directly to fill in the transfer. Vidima generates QR-Bills v2.2 compliant with the official SPC 0200 standard from SIX, validated before every PDF export. Learn more in our complete QR-Bill guide.

Vidima supports all current VAT rates of the Swiss Federal Tax Administration (AFC): standard rate 8.1%, reduced rate 2.6% (food, books, medicines), special rate 3.8% (accommodation), VAT-exempt (0% — education, healthcare, foreign activities). You can configure both methods: effective (input-tax deduction) or net tax rate (for businesses billing less than CHF 5.024 million, with a flat coefficient). Vidima produces a quarterly or half-yearly VAT summary with every figure needed to file the declaration on the AFC portal. See also our practical Swiss VAT guide.

Every PDF invoice generated by Vidima is digitally signed with an ECDSA P-256 cryptographic seal (Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm). The seal is unique to your licence and embedded in a second QR code in the invoice footer. Your client can scan that QR and reach verify.vidima.ch, where they see in real time: who issued the invoice, exactly when, the amount, and whether the PDF is authentic (unaltered). It is an anti-forgery system that no other Swiss software offers: your clients get mathematical proof the invoice really comes from you, with no need to call you. See our technical page on the digital seal.

Yes. Vidima is designed for micro-businesses and freelancers across Italian-speaking Switzerland — Canton Ticino, Mesolcina, Calanca, Bregaglia, Poschiavo (Italian Graubünden). Invoices are generated in Italian, German, French, Spanish or English, with automatic number conversion to the Swiss format (1'000.50 with an apostrophe). The QR-Bill works with any Swiss bank, regardless of canton. The digital seal is a software anti-forgery system: anyone, from any country, can verify an invoice at verify.vidima.ch — it does not replace stamps or legal signatures, but provides mathematical proof of integrity between you and your client.

Yes. Vidima natively reads the camt.053 format (ISO-20022 Bank-to-Customer Statement), the standard used by all Swiss banks — PostFinance, UBS, Raiffeisen, Credit Suisse, ZKB, cantonal banks — to export account statements. You import the XML file, Vidima automatically looks for QR-Bill references in incoming transactions and marks the matching invoices as paid. Manual reconciliation is available for ambiguous cases (payments without a QRR reference, partial amounts, etc.).

No limit. Vidima is a native desktop application that saves everything on your computer in encrypted JSON format. You can manage 10 clients or 10,000, 50 invoices a year or 50,000 — the only difference is the size of the local file. No volume-based subscriptions, no paywall on advanced features. Instalment payments, credit notes (NC-), automatic reminders, a complete client database with Swiss validation (ZIP, IDE, VAT): all included in the one-time tiers (Personal CHF 149, Pro CHF 299, Studio CHF 990).

If you are below the threshold of CHF 100,000 in annual turnover, you do not need to be VAT-registered. In that case, set all rates to 0% (exempt) in Vidima. If you exceed 100,000 or want to register voluntarily (to deduct input tax on your purchases), you must request a VAT number from the AFC and then choose between the effective or net tax rate method in Vidima settings. The net tax rate method is simpler (a single flat coefficient for all turnover) but may be less advantageous. We recommend consulting a fiduciary for the choice — Vidima supports both methods and can be reconfigured at any time.

Yes. Vidima supports CHF (default) and EUR — the two currencies provided for by the SPC 0200 standard of the official SIX QR-Bill. For EU clients you can issue invoices in EUR with a compatible QR-Bill. For non-Swiss clients you can also issue invoices in CHF with VAT exemption for exports (Art. 23 of the Swiss VAT Act). Extended multi-currency support (USD, GBP) is on the future roadmap.