Comparison
Settlano and invoices.mt, compared honestly
Two Maltese tools that overlap more than they look like they do, and then diverge completely. Everything below about invoices.mt comes from their own published material, and where they're the better answer this page says so.
The overlap is real, so start there
It would be convenient to say they only send invoices. They don't. On their own site, invoices.mt covers quotes, recurring billing, multi-currency, expense and receipt tracking, payment reminders, and profit and loss, VAT and aged receivable reports. Settlano does all of that too.
Anyone who opens both will see that in a minute, so a comparison that pretends otherwise isn't worth reading. The difference is not the invoicing. It's what happens to the number afterwards.
Where they diverge
| invoices.mt | Settlano | |
|---|---|---|
| Income tax, Class 2, provisional tax | Not offered | The reason it exists |
| VAT | The right rate on an invoice, plus VAT reports | That, plus the €35,000 line by supply date and the figures per return box |
| Card payments | Stripe pay-links, 2% free plan / 0.5% paid | None. SEPA QR and your IBAN, no percentage |
| Free tier | Yes, 5 invoices a month | No. 7-day trial, then a subscription |
| Price | €18/mo Pro, €39/mo Business | €9.99/mo or €69.99/yr at launch |
| Seats | 1, 3, or more on Agency | One person |
| Available now | Yes | In beta on TestFlight |
invoices.mt figures from their published pricing and feature pages, read 29 August 2026. If they've changed, theirs is the version that counts.
When invoices.mt is the better answer
You need to take card payments. Their pay-links run through Stripe into your own Stripe account. Settlano doesn't process payments at all, so if a client expects to pay by card, that's a real gap on our side and not one we plan to close.
You need seats. Their Business and Agency plans are built for more than one person. Settlano is a single-user app on your phone.
You want something free right now. Five invoices a month at no cost is a genuine offer. Settlano has no free tier, by decision.
You need something available today. Theirs is a shipping product you can pay for now. Settlano is on TestFlight while the beta runs.
When Settlano is
You don't know what to set aside. This is the whole difference. Income tax, Class 2 and VAT come off every payment as you log it, on the year's own rates, so the money in your account is money you can spend. Searching their published material for income tax, Class 2, social security, provisional tax or tax deadlines returns nothing, because that isn't what they're for.
You're near the VAT threshold. Crossing €35,000 of turnover starts a 15 day clock. Settlano counts it by supply date and warns you before, not after. See the threshold guide.
You want the deadlines to find you. Provisional tax, VAT returns, Class 2 and the TA24 date, each with a countdown and an estimate of what will be due.
You'd rather not pay a percentage. A SEPA QR code and your IBAN on the invoice means the money goes bank to bank. It's slower than a card and nobody takes a cut.
The short version
They're an invoicing and bookkeeping platform that handles Maltese VAT rates properly and takes card payments. We're a tax tool that also invoices, for the freelancer whose actual problem is not knowing how much of the balance is theirs.
If your problem is getting paid, look at theirs. If your problem is the bill at the end of the year, that's this one.
Common questions
What is the difference between Settlano and invoices.mt?
Scope, not quality. invoices.mt is an invoicing and bookkeeping platform: invoices, quotes, recurring billing, expenses, Stripe pay-links and VAT reports. Settlano does invoicing too, but it exists to answer a different question, which is how much of the money you have been paid is actually yours after income tax, Class 2 and VAT. On their published material, income tax, Class 2 and provisional tax are not features they offer.
Can I use both?
You could, and for some people that is the right answer, but you would be paying twice for the invoicing half. If sending invoices and taking card payments is the job, they do that and we do not take cards at all. If knowing your set-aside and your deadlines is the job, that is what Settlano is.
Which one is cheaper?
Their published prices are 18 euro a month for Pro and 39 for Business, with a free plan capped at five invoices a month. Settlano is 9.99 a month or 69.99 a year at launch, after a 7-day trial, and has no free tier. Right now Settlano is in beta and the beta is free. Cheaper depends entirely on which of the two jobs you actually need.
Does invoices.mt calculate my Maltese income tax?
Not according to their own site. Searching their published material for income tax, Class 2, social security, provisional tax, tax deadlines or the 35,000 euro VAT registration threshold returns nothing. Their VAT handling is about charging the correct rate on an invoice, which is a different job from telling you what to set aside and when to file.
Why does Settlano not collect card payments?
Because taking a percentage of your money is a business we decided not to be in. Their pay-links run through Stripe with an application fee of 2% on the free plan and 0.5% on paid plans, which is a reasonable way to fund a product. Settlano puts a SEPA QR code and your IBAN on the invoice instead, so the payment goes bank to bank and nobody takes a cut. That is a genuine trade: they can collect a card payment and we cannot.
Settlano tells you what's yours before you spend it.
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