Volk Accountant vs Sumly
Both are built for Cyprus. The difference is not the bookkeeping — it is the role, and the question of who is allowed to use the software at all.
Details from the providers’ public pages, checked on 19 September 2026
Volk Accountant and Sumly compared
Volk Accountant and Sumly are both accounting tools for Cyprus, and both prepare the VAT return and the VIES statement from your own books. Both are built for the Cyprus limited company — Volk Accountant runs on one itself. Two differences decide most cases. First, price: our Starter is 29 euro a month and includes VAT-4 and VIES, while Sumly’s only software plan is 39 euro for the same work. Second, language: Volk Accountant sends each invoice in the language the client reads and translates the line items automatically, while Sumly publishes nothing about the languages of its software. There is also a difference in reach: Sumly states its platform is only for registered Cyprus limited companies and explicitly not for freelancers or the self-employed, whereas at Volk Accountant limited companies, sole traders and partnerships all work in the same software.
Which one fits you
The difference is not the bookkeeping but the role — and the question of who is allowed to use the software at all.
You run a Cyprus limited company and keep the books yourself
- You have a Cyprus limited company — we run on one ourselves
- You have an accountant and intend to keep them
- You want invoices in your clients’ language without writing them twice
- You want to scan receipts straight from your phone, not just have the option of uploading files
You have a Cyprus limited company and want everything from one provider
- You have a registered Cyprus limited company — sole traders are excluded
- You want company formation, a bookkeeper and software from the same supplier
- You file Cyprus VAT yourself and want to save €10 a month doing it
- You invoice in English only and need no second language
Who is allowed to use the software at all?
This is the difference that no change of plan can solve.
Sumly states the same sentence on its pricing page, its home page and its self-employed registration page: “The accounting platform is for registered Cyprus limited companies only — not for freelancers, the self-employed, or companies outside Cyprus.” Anyone without a limited company is pointed at Sumly’s own formation service.
Volk Accountant is built for the Cyprus limited company just as much — we run one ourselves and work in it. The Cyprus obligations are the core of the product, not a country pack bolted on. The difference is not which of us is the Cyprus specialist, but reach: alongside limited companies, sole traders and partnerships work in the same software. If you are self-employed today and incorporate later, you change plan rather than program.
| Volk Accountant | Sumly | |
|---|---|---|
| Who is allowed to use itThis is about legal form — limited company, sole trader or partnership. | Limited companies, sole traders and partnerships | registered Cyprus limited companies only, no sole traders |
| Target audience | Cyprus limited companies and sole traders | Cyprus limited companies only |
| An accountant keeps the books and files for youA service, not a software feature. | No | Yes |
Everything that matters for Cyprus bookkeeping
The full side-by-side. Greyed-out rows are the ones where both do the same — they are here because leaving them out would flatter us.
| Volk Accountant | Sumly | |
|---|---|---|
| Cyprus obligations | ||
| VAT return generated from your books | Yes | Yes |
| VIES return | Yes | Yes |
| Reverse charge | Yes | Yes |
| 3% rate supportedCyprus has five rates: 19, 9, 5, 3 and 0%. The 3% rate applies to certain books and services, among others. | Yes | not published |
| Any rate freely enterable | Yes | not published |
| VAT rates documented | 19%, 0%, freely selectable | no rates listed, “16 Cyprus VAT codes” |
| Receipts and invoices | ||
| Receipts read automaticallyAmount, tax and supplier are recognised from the receipt instead of being typed in. | Yes | Yes |
| Scan a receipt straight from your phoneNo detour through photo gallery and computer — the receipt lands in the system at once. | Yes | not published |
| Send receipts in by email | Yes | Yes |
| Recurring invoices | Yes | not published |
| Online payment links | Yes | not published |
| Automatic payment matching | Yes | Yes |
| Languages | ||
| Interface languages | English and German | not published |
| Invoice languages | English and German | not published |
| Automatic translation of invoice line items | Yes | not published |
| Further languages announcedAnnounced means: not available yet. | Greek and Russian announced | not published |
| For your accountant | ||
| Access for your accountant | Dedicated portal, free in every plan | free, set up by the practice |
| Layout of the accountant portal | Laid out like Tax For All | not published |
| Export formats for your accountant | PDF, Excel, JSON | not published |
| Buying and using it | ||
| Entry price | €29 | €39 |
| Which plan includes VAT-4 and VIESThe entry price says little if it is unclear from which plan the VAT features apply. | Starter, €29/month | Base, €39/month |
| Free trial | 14 days, no card required | 30 days, no card required |
Both handle reverse charge, and both produce the VIES return from the same books. Accountant access is free at both — ours as a portal laid out like Tax For All, Sumly’s as a practice dashboard spanning all clients.
If you would rather not weigh up just these two: the overview of all nine providers for Cyprus groups them by use case — with the same sources and check dates.
What sets Volk Accountant and Sumly apart?
Both prepare the VAT return and VIES, and both are built for Cyprus limited companies. Three differences carry the decision.
€29 against €39 for the same work
Volk Accountant’s Starter is €29 a month and includes VAT-4 and VIES. Sumly’s only software plan, Base, is €39 for the same work. Paid yearly, Volk Accountant comes to €24.17.
Scan rather than upload
With Volk Accountant a receipt can be scanned straight from your phone. Sumly documents uploading a file; nothing is stated about camera capture.
Sole traders too, and software only
Alongside limited companies, Volk Accountant covers sole traders and partnerships, which Sumly explicitly excludes. And Volk Accountant sells software only, with no bookkeeper of its own.
Plans: where we are cheaper and where we are not
Both cards show the same list. The price advantage is not ours everywhere — and that is stated here too.
- YesVAT-4 and VIES from your books
- YesUnlimited invoices and quotes
- YesScan a receipt straight from your phone
- YesUsable by sole traders too
- YesAccountant portal laid out like Tax For All
- YesVAT-4 and VIES from your books
- not publishedUnlimited invoices and quotes
- not publishedScan a receipt straight from your phone
- NoUsable by sole traders too
- not publishedAccountant portal laid out like Tax For All
Both plans prepare the Cyprus VAT return and the VIES statement, and ours is €10 a month cheaper — €24.17 rather than €29 if you pay yearly. The two plans are not otherwise identical: automatic translation of invoice line items sits in our Business plan at €49, not in Starter. Everything else in the list above is in Starter.
One restriction is worth checking before you compare prices at all: Sumly states that its software is for limited companies registered in Cyprus. If you are a sole trader, the €39 is not an option for you.
If you already have an accountant
Sumly’s second plan at €390 a month is a service: a “Sumly certified bookkeeper” keeps the books and files them. Anyone who already has an accountant or bookkeeper does not need that service — they need a tool both of them can work in. The question then is not “who does my bookkeeping” but “which tool suits me and my adviser”.
Behind that sits a difference in business model, and it is not a detail. Sumly sells company formation at €950, self-employed registration, the Yellow Slip, tax residency and a bookkeeper of its own — the software is one part of that. Volk Accountant sells the software and nothing else. If you intend to keep your accountant, that is the difference that counts: our entire interest is in the tool, not in a service sitting next to it.
How do receipts get in?
A difference you notice every month.
With Volk Accountant you photograph the receipt with your phone. Amount, VAT and supplier are read out, you confirm, done.
Sumly documents two routes: dragging files onto the page, and forwarding receipts to a company address on documents.sumly.cy. The wording is: “Drag photos and other files on your machine straight onto the upload card.” A mobile app or direct camera capture is not documented anywhere on Sumly’s pages (checked 19 September 2026).
In practice that means: email forwarding is convenient for invoices that arrive digitally anyway. For the till receipt from the hardware shop, the route runs through photo, gallery and computer — and that is exactly where receipts get stuck.
Where does your data sit with Volk Accountant and Sumly?
Server location is one of the few things you can check before you sign up rather than after.
Our servers are in Frankfurt and your data is stored in the EU — invoices, receipts and the whole ledger. What that means in detail is set out on our page on data security.
Sumly publishes neither a server location nor a list of sub-processors. Its privacy policy says only that data may be processed outside the European Economic Area and that a lawful transfer mechanism is used where that happens. If location matters to you, ask before you sign up.
Sumly and Volk Accountant: common questions
Which accounting software is better for Cyprus: Sumly or Volk Accountant?
Both are built for the Cyprus limited company and both cover the Cyprus obligations — the VAT return, VIES and reverse charge. Volk Accountant runs on a Cyprus limited company itself. Three things separate us day to day: receipts can be scanned straight from your phone rather than only uploaded as a file, invoices go out in your customer’s language with line items translated automatically, and your accountant gets a portal of their own laid out like Tax For All. On top of that we cover sole traders and partnerships, which Sumly explicitly excludes. Sumly is the better choice if you want to hand bookkeeping over entirely — from €390 a month a Sumly bookkeeper keeps the books — or if you want company formation, the Yellow Slip and tax residency from one supplier.
Can I use Sumly as a sole trader?
No. Sumly states on its pricing page: “The accounting platform is for registered Cyprus limited companies only — not for freelancers, the self-employed, or companies outside Cyprus.” The same sentence appears on the home page and on the self-employed registration page (checked 19 September 2026). Volk Accountant is built for Cyprus just as much — we run on a Cyprus limited company ourselves — and covers sole traders and partnerships as well.
Is Sumly or Volk Accountant cheaper?
Volk Accountant is cheaper. Our Starter plan is €29 a month and includes preparation of the VAT return and the VIES statement; Sumly's only software plan, Base, is €39 and covers the same work. Paid yearly ours comes to €24.17 a month. Sumly does things we do not, and sells services around the software — company formation, self-employed registration, the Yellow Slip, tax residency — plus a bookkeeper of its own from €390 a month. One thing to check before comparing prices at all: Sumly states that its software is for limited companies registered in Cyprus, so at €39 it is not an option for a sole trader.
How do receipts get into Sumly and Volk Accountant?
With Volk Accountant you photograph the receipt with your phone, and the amount, VAT and supplier are read automatically. Sumly documents two routes: dragging files onto the page (“Drag photos and other files on your machine straight onto the upload card”) or forwarding receipts to a company address on documents.sumly.cy. A mobile app or direct camera capture is not documented anywhere on Sumly's pages (checked 19 September 2026).
What languages do the two write invoices in?
Volk Accountant runs in German and English, and in the Business plan invoice line items are translated automatically between the two. Greek and Russian are announced. Sumly publishes nothing about the languages of its software — neither the interface nor the invoices. Its own website is in English.
What are the VAT rates in Cyprus?
Cyprus has five rates: 19% as the standard rate, 9% and 5% as reduced rates, 3% as the super-reduced rate, and 0%. Volk Accountant lets you enter any percentage freely. Sumly refers to “16 Cyprus VAT codes” but never lists them individually, and whether an arbitrary rate can be entered is not published. Sumly explains the 3% rate in a guide, not as a product capability.
Does Sumly work with my own accountant?
Sumly staffs its own bookkeepers: the Premium plan at €390 a month includes a “Sumly certified bookkeeper”, and Sumly additionally sells company formation at €950, self-employed registration, the Yellow Slip and tax residency. There is a practice dashboard and it is free, but it is set up from the practice’s side, not yours. Sumly describes this as deliberate: “Most accounting software lets a client invite their accountant in, one company at a time; Sumly is built the other way round.” It documents no way to bring your own accountant in from within your existing plan. Volk Accountant sells no bookkeeping service and therefore does not sit alongside your accountant — he gets a dedicated portal in every plan, laid out like Tax For All.
See it on your own books
Connect your invoices and receipts and look at a prepared VAT-4 before you decide anything. No card required.
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