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Convert an invoice online: upload, review, pay only for the download
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Convert an invoice online: upload, review, pay only for the download

9 min readReviewed: November 7, 2026
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Official references

Use these sources to verify dates, formats, and official rule changes.

Related Technical Wiki

Explore deep-dive developer documentation and regulatory guidelines matching this article.

Source data readiness for e-invoices

What to check before turning ERP, PDF, or spreadsheet invoice facts into structured XML.

Why invoices need review

Why human review is part of reliable invoice conversion.

XRechnung: Format, Validation, and Routing

How XRechnung applies EN 16931 in Germany, including XML syntax, validation, buyer references, and delivery channels.

Key takeaways

  • Upload and review work without an account, for up to 6 PDF pages per conversion, attachments included.
  • You pay only for the final download, at €5 per conversion, excl. taxes, or you use a subscription.
  • The preview is not a valid e-invoice. It shows every amount as 0.00.
  • A passed validation proves the format and the rules of the standard, not that the data matches the source.

Who this is for

  • Finance staff who convert single invoices without an integration.
  • Teams that want to test the conversion with their own invoice before they pay.

Not covered

  • How to send the e-invoice to your customer or to a portal.
  • The setup of the External API, Email Import and bulk runs.

You can use your web browser to turn a PDF invoice into an e-invoice. You do not install any software. To start, you do not need an account. You choose the format, upload the invoice, check the extracted data and fix what the checks find. You pay only for the final download. It costs €5 per conversion, excl. taxes, or you use a subscription.

Convert an invoice in five steps

Plan time for the review. Poor scans and unusual layouts need more corrections. The service does not replace your own check of the data.

Interactive steps

Select a step or use the arrow buttons to follow one invoice. The side paths show the e-mail links and a repeat download.

Step 1 of 5

Step 1 of 5. Choose the target format. No cost.

The download costs €5 per conversion, excl. taxes. You pay at the download step and do not need to create an account first. With a subscription, the download is included.

No cost

Choose the target format

On the conversion overview, select the invoicing country and the invoice audience. You can also open the page of your format directly: XRechnung, ZUGFeRD, Factur-X, UBL or CII.

Side paths

  • Continue later

    In the review and before the download

    • Keep this result for 7 days – send me the link by e-mail

    Enter your e-mail address. You receive a link that restores the source PDF and your review for 7 days, also on another device. The download still needs sign-in or the checkout.

  • Sign-in link by e-mail

    After a payment without an account

    • Send the link againRequests a new link on the payment confirmation page.

    The service creates your account with the e-mail address from the checkout, or uses your existing account. Then it e-mails you a one-time sign-in link. Open it in the browser in which you paid. It takes you back to the download step. Only the newest link works.

  • Download the same file again

    After a download

    • Download againThe button reads this after a download.
    • Already paid · no additional credit neededShows when you open an already paid ZUGFeRD or Factur-X invoice again.

    For the same reviewed invoice in the same format and profile, you do not pay again. A changed review or another format creates a new e-invoice. Without a subscription, it costs one more conversion.

A browser conversion has five steps. The first four steps cost nothing. The download costs €5 per conversion, excl. taxes. With a subscription, the download is included. 1. Choose the target format. No cost. On the conversion overview, select the invoicing country and the invoice audience. You can also open the page of your format directly: XRechnung, ZUGFeRD, Factur-X, UBL or CII. 2. Upload the invoice. No cost. Upload the invoice. If it has attachments, for example a timesheet or a delivery note, upload them together with it. The page accepts PDF, DOCX and TXT files of up to 20 MB. ZUGFeRD and Factur-X need a PDF, because the PDF becomes the visible part of the hybrid invoice. Without an account, one conversion can have up to 6 PDF pages, attachments included. One invoice can have up to 9 attachments. For more than 6 PDF pages, sign in or create an account. 3. Check the extracted data. No cost. Compare the parties, dates, tax rates, totals, payment details and line items with the original PDF. Correct what is wrong. Poor scans and unusual layouts need more corrections. 4. Fix the findings. No cost. The service checks the invoice against the rules of the format. Errors hold back the final file until you fix them. A passed validation proves the format and the rules of the standard. It does not prove that the data matches your source document. 5. Download the e-invoice. Paid. The download step shows what you receive. Without an account, you pay in the checkout. With a subscription, the download is included. The service uses a credit only when it releases the validated final file. If you paid and the service does not release the final file, the paid credit stays in your account. Side paths: Continue later. Enter your e-mail address. You receive a link that restores the source PDF and your review for 7 days, also on another device. The download still needs sign-in or the checkout. Sign-in link by e-mail. The service creates your account with the e-mail address from the checkout, or uses your existing account. Then it e-mails you a one-time sign-in link. Open it in the browser in which you paid. It takes you back to the download step. Only the newest link works. Download the same file again. For the same reviewed invoice in the same format and profile, you do not pay again. A changed review or another format creates a new e-invoice. Without a subscription, it costs one more conversion. Steps, limits and button labels as described in this guide. Last checked in November 2026.
  1. Choose the target format. On the conversion overview, select the invoicing country and the invoice audience. You can also open the page of your format directly: XRechnung, ZUGFeRD, Factur-X, UBL or CII.
  2. Upload the invoice. The page accepts PDF, DOCX and TXT files of up to 20 MB. ZUGFeRD and Factur-X need a PDF, because the PDF becomes the visible part of the hybrid invoice. Without an account, one conversion can have up to 6 PDF pages, attachments included.
  3. Check the extracted data. Compare the parties, dates, tax rates, totals, payment details and line items with the original PDF. Correct what is wrong.
  4. Fix the findings. Select "Validate and continue". The service then checks the invoice against the rules of the format. Errors hold back the final file until you fix them. A point under "Check these points from the original PDF" needs a comparison with the PDF. If the value is correct, select "Confirm as correct". A note marked "Recommended check · does not block" does not stop you.
  5. Download the e-invoice. The download step shows what you receive. Without an account, select "Pay €5 and download". With a subscription, the download is included.

Invoices with attachments

Some invoices come with attachments, for example a timesheet or a delivery note. Upload the invoice and its attachments together. Under "Document handling", choose "Invoice + attachments". The first file is the main invoice. To change it, select "Use as main invoice" on another file.

The service uses the attachments as evidence when it reads the invoice data. One invoice can have up to 9 attachments. Without an account, the limit of 6 pages counts the pages of all files together.

What works without an account and what you pay for

Upload, extraction, review and validation need no account and cost nothing. If the invoice and its attachments have more than 6 PDF pages together, sign in or create an account.

You pay for the final e-invoice. It costs €5 per conversion, excl. taxes. You pay at the download step and do not need to create an account first. You can also use a subscription. Subscriptions start at €10 per month with annual billing (€120 per year), excl. taxes. A subscription covers the downloads in the web app.

The service uses a credit only when it releases the validated final file. A conversion that fails or is interrupted uses no credit. If you paid at the download step and the service does not release the final file, the paid credit stays in your account.

Why the preview shows 0.00

If errors remain, some formats offer a preview. ZUGFeRD and Factur-X also offer it when the service cannot use the source PDF for the hybrid file. The button reads "Download preview (not a valid e-invoice)". XRechnung XML has no preview.

The preview is not a valid e-invoice. It keeps the parties, dates, line items, quantities and tax rates. The service sets every amount to 0.00 and adds a note that marks the file as a preview. The file name ends in _preview. Use the preview to check the structure. Do not send it.

The final file contains the amounts that you reviewed.

Pay without an account and sign in by link

At the download step, select "Pay €5 and download". You pay in the checkout and enter your e-mail address there. After the payment, the service creates your account with this address, or uses your existing account. Then it e-mails you a one-time sign-in link.

  • Open the link in the browser in which you paid. The link takes you back to the download step, where your e-invoice waits.
  • Only the newest link works. On the payment confirmation page, "Send the link again" requests a new one.
  • If the payment provider has not confirmed the payment yet, the service sends the link as soon as it does.
  • The invoice for your purchase is in your profile under "Billing and invoices".

Continue a review later

The same browser keeps a started review for 24 hours without activity. When you open the page again, it asks "Resume last conversion?". An update of the service can end this period sooner.

To continue later or on another device, select "Keep this result for 7 days – send me the link by e-mail". The option appears in the review and before the download. Enter your e-mail address. You receive a link that restores the source PDF and your review for 7 days. The service uses the address only to send the link and does not store it. "Delete now" behind the link removes the saved copy at once.

The service saves one invoice this way, not a batch. It does not save the final e-invoice. The download still needs sign-in or the checkout. If the service changed after you saved, the link restores only the PDF. You then convert it again.

Download the same file again

After a download, the button reads "Download again". For the same reviewed invoice in the same format and profile, you do not pay again. If you open an already paid ZUGFeRD or Factur-X invoice again, the download step shows "Already paid · no additional credit needed".

If you change data in the review or choose another format, the service creates a new e-invoice. Without a subscription, it costs one more conversion.

What a passed validation proves

Before the service releases the final file, it validates the file against the rules of the chosen standard. The service checks each XRechnung with the validator of KoSIT, the German Coordination Office for IT Standards, and the current rule set. After a passed check, the review shows "Validation passed" and the name of the standard.

A passed validation proves the format and the rules of the standard. It does not prove that the data matches your source document. An invoice number or a date that the extraction read incorrectly can still pass. Compare the important values with the original PDF before you send the invoice.

If errors remain, the service releases no final e-invoice. A blocked conversion is better than a file that breaks the rules of the standard.

Invoice Converter creates and validates the file. You send it to your customer through your usual channel.

When another route fits better

The web upload fits single invoices that a person reviews. For more volume or for automation, use one of the routes below. Email Import, bulk runs and the External API are part of Enterprise. Enterprise costs €50 per month or €420 per year, excl. taxes. It includes 100 conversions per calendar month with monthly billing, or 1,200 per contract year with annual billing. The three routes share this allowance. The pricing page lists the details.

  • For several invoices at once, Professional and Enterprise accept up to 10 files in one upload. Choose "Separate invoices" under "Document handling". Each invoice then gets its own review. Professional costs €20 per month, or €15 per month with annual billing, excl. taxes. The batch guide shows the steps.
  • For invoices from your mailbox, Email Import converts one invoice PDF per e-mail. The e-invoice and the validation report arrive in the same e-mail thread. See Email invoices.
  • For many invoices at fixed times, a bulk run converts up to 1,000 PDFs in one run from your profile. You download all results as one ZIP file. See Bulk runs.
  • For a connection to your own software, use the External API V1. See the developer API.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an account to convert an invoice?

No. You can upload and review an invoice without an account. You pay only for the download, at €5 per conversion, excl. taxes. After the payment, the service creates or uses your account with the e-mail address from the checkout. Then it e-mails you a one-time sign-in link.

Why does the preview show 0.00 for every amount?

The preview is not a valid e-invoice. It keeps the parties, dates, line items, quantities and tax rates. It sets every amount to 0.00. The final file contains the amounts that you reviewed.

Do I pay again when I download the same e-invoice again?

No. You do not pay a second time for the same reviewed invoice in the same format and profile. A changed review or another format creates a new e-invoice. Without a subscription, that costs one more conversion.

Can I finish my review later?

Yes. The same browser keeps a started review for 24 hours without activity. For a longer pause or another device, select "Keep this result for 7 days – send me the link by e-mail" and enter your e-mail address. The link restores the source PDF and your review for 7 days.

Does a failed conversion cost anything?

No. The service uses a credit only when it releases the validated final file. A conversion that fails or is interrupted uses no credit. If you paid at the download step and the service does not release the final file, the paid credit stays in your account.

Can I skip the review?

You should not. The extraction can misread poor scans and unusual layouts. Compare the important values with the original PDF, even when the validation passes.

Do I need to install software?

No. You use the converter in your web browser. The service processes the uploaded invoice online.

Ready to convert your invoices?

Convert PDF invoices to XRechnung, ZUGFeRD, and other formats. Subscriptions from €10/month with annual billing (excl. taxes), with a 3-day trial on your first subscription. Or without a subscription: €5 per conversion (excl. taxes).

Convert Invoice

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