WinBooks has been part of the Belgian accounting landscape for years, primarily through fiduciaries. For a company looking to reduce its software costs, the question of free access to this tool comes up regularly. The reality of WinBooks’ business model (now Exact WinBooks) deserves careful examination before diving in.
WinBooks Pricing: An Opaque Model Based on Resellers
Exact WinBooks does not publish a pricing grid on its website. This choice is not trivial: distribution is almost exclusively through authorized resellers and accounting firms. A comparison of Peppol tools consulted in 2026 confirms that for Exact WinBooks, the price is simply not published.
This operation has a direct consequence for those wishing to use WinBooks for free: access to the software often depends on negotiations with your fiduciary. Some firms include the WinBooks license in their accounting package, while others charge it separately. There is no downloadable freemium version as found with cloud competitors.
Field feedback varies on this point. Several users report free access through their accountant, while others pay a separate monthly fee. Transparency is lacking, and conditions vary from one reseller to another.
WinBooks Connect and Electronic Invoicing Peppol in Belgium
Since January 1, 2026, structured electronic invoicing via Peppol is mandatory in Belgium for B2B transactions between VAT-registered entities. This obligation covers both issuance and receipt. Companies using WinBooks must ensure that their setup is compatible.
WinBooks Connect allows for the automation of document exchange between the company and the accounting firm. Purchase and sales invoices are sent directly to accounting. The module manages sending and receiving via Peppol, provided that the configuration is correctly set up.
What Peppol Changes in Daily Use
The Peppol obligation is not limited to a file format. It requires a structured flow (UBL) that goes through a certified access point. WinBooks Connect serves as an access point for its users, but this assumes:
- An active Peppol registration with a valid Belgian business number, configured in WinBooks
- Verification that your clients and suppliers also have a functional Peppol access point
- Correct configuration of the legal entity in WinBooks, with VAT data and associated accounts
Without this setup, sending invoices fails silently or generates rejections on the recipient’s side.
Free Alternatives and Limitations of WinBooks Without a Paid License
Talking about free use of WinBooks encompasses several distinct situations that need to be unraveled. No standalone free version of WinBooks is offered to the general public. Scenarios for free access boil down to two specific cases.
The first: your fiduciary absorbs the cost of the license in their fees. You then use WinBooks Connect or WinBooks View (viewing accounting data) without separate payment. The second: a trial period negotiated with a reseller, the duration and conditions of which vary.
WinBooks View: Viewing Without Encoding
WinBooks Connect View allows clients of an accounting firm to constantly view their figures. This module provides an overview of results, balances, and journals. However, View does not allow for encoding entries or managing invoicing. For a company that wants to actively manage its accounting, this mode remains limited.
Complementary Tools to Consider
Several Belgian or European solutions offer free or low-cost versions for Peppol-compatible electronic invoicing. The available data does not allow us to conclude that WinBooks is the only viable option for small Belgian structures. Software like Odoo (some modules of which are open source) or tools dedicated to Peppol invoicing offer alternatives to evaluate based on your invoice volume.
- Odoo Invoicing offers a Peppol-compatible invoicing module, with a free community version
- Accountable allows you to connect your accounting to external software like WinBooks, with an independent section for invoices
- Some Peppol invoicing platforms offer free access below a threshold of monthly invoices
Optimizing WinBooks Without Extra Cost: Concrete Levers
If your access to WinBooks goes through your accountant, several actions can maximize its use without additional costs.
Exporting invoices in UBL (XML) format from WinBooks is a native feature. It allows you to retrieve your documents in a structured format usable by other software. PDF export remains available, but the UBL format meets Peppol requirements and facilitates automation.
The configuration of the legal entity in WinBooks deserves particular attention. The most common errors concern poorly formatted VAT numbers, default accounting accounts not configured, and absent payment methods. A rigorous initial setup avoids the majority of electronic invoice rejections.
The WBLink feature allows importing TXT files into WinBooks to automate certain recurring entries. This gateway, poorly documented in public tutorials, reduces encoding time for repetitive operations like bank statements or standardized expense reports.
Free access to WinBooks remains conditioned by the relationship with your fiduciary and the scope of modules included in your contract. Before seeking a free solution at all costs, clarifying what your current accounting package covers often constitutes the most direct lever.
