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Why we are building one back office

Hours, invoices and receipts usually live in three places. Why we bring them into one back office, what we leave out and who Backbone is for.

Why we are building one back office
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Updated
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  1. Why should hours, invoices and receipts live in one place?
  2. How Backbone does it
  3. What do we leave out?
  4. How does AI work in Backbone?
  5. Who is Backbone for?
  6. What are we working on?
  7. Frequently asked questions

Why this one matters to us

Invoices in one app, bookkeeping in folders on my computer, no time tracking, no overview, and company knowledge scattered everywhere. That was my everyday life before I started building Backbone.

I wanted a back office, but I didn't want to use one of the outdated tools. My goal was a back office that's simple to use, looks modern and can do everything through an AI chat that I can otherwise do in the app itself. That's how Backbone came about!

LucaLucaFounder, Backbone

We build Backbone because hours, invoices and receipts belong together, and for most freelancers and agencies they still live in three places. Backbone is one back office for all of it: a light interface, AI almost everywhere, and you stay in control.

Why should hours, invoices and receipts live in one place?

A typical month: you track hours in a timer. For the invoice you retype the total into an invoicing tool. Receipts end up in a folder or an inbox. At month end you hunt everything down so your bookkeeper knows where things stand.

The real time sink is the handover between tools. Every handover means retyping, and every time you retype, an hour, an amount or a receipt can get lost.

So Backbone brings time tracking, invoices with quotes and reminders, and receipts with bank statements into one workspace. Client, project and amount exist once and show up everywhere. How Backbone grew out of Billy and Sort Invoices is in the announcement.

How Backbone does it

Your back office in the chat. In the app, or in a chat with ChatGPT, Claude and many more.

  1. Track your time

    One sentence in the chat. The hours are in your week.

    In the chat

    Log 3:15 hours for Kinetik Studio, website relaunch: homepage wireframes, round two.

    Backbone connectorlog_time

    Logged.

    • Sun 27/09/2026 · Kinetik Studio · Website relaunch · 3:15 h
    • Homepage wireframes, round two
    In the app

  2. Bill your hours

    What you tracked goes on the invoice.

    In the chat

    Which hours are still open for Kinetik Studio?

    Backbone connectorlist_unbilled_time
    • 21–27/09/2026 · Design system · 8.00 h
    • 21–27/09/2026 · Website relaunch · 4.50 h

    Create a draft invoice and add those hours.

    Backbone connectorcreate_document
    Backbone connectoradd_time_to_document

    Here's the draft.

    • Draft · Kinetik Studio · €1,425.00
    • 12.5 h at €95.00 · plus 20% VAT
    In the app

  3. Receipts matched automatically

    Upload the statement. Clear matches assign themselves.

    In the chat
    Erste_Bank_10-2026.csv

    Here's the Erste Bank statement for October.

    Backbone connectorupload_file

    Imported. Where receipt and payment clearly match, they're already matched:

    • Bürobedarf Lindner KG · 14/10/2026 · −€86.90
    • Café Morgenrot · 13/10/2026 · −€23.40
    • Fotostudio Weiss · 09/10/2026 · −€350.00
    • Druckerei Nordwerk GmbH · 02/10/2026 · −€149.00
    In the app

  4. Off to your bookkeeper

    Month complete. One link, done.

    In the chat

    Send October to my tax adviser.

    Backbone connectorsend_to_bookkeeper
    Send to bookkeeper
    To
    Kanzlei Rehm & Partner[email protected]
    Period
    October 2026
    Contents
    48 receipts · 2 statements
    Expires in 28 min28 min
    In the app

  5. Review, then approve

    The AI drafts. You check it and issue it.

    In the chat

    Write a draft invoice for Alpenblick: UX review, 12 hours at €110. List every assumption.

    Backbone connectorcreate_document

    Here's the draft.

    • Assumed: 20% VAT
    • Assumed: payment due in 14 days
    Open
    Invoice
    Alpenblick GmbH
    €1,584.00
    RE-2026-0142 · Issued 18/10/2026

    Looks good, issue it.

    Backbone connectorissue_document

    Issued as RE-2026-0142.

    In the app

  6. Who's overdue?

    One question, every open invoice.

    In the chat

    Which invoices are overdue?

    Backbone connectorlist_dunning
    Overdue
    3
    Nordlicht GmbH
    RE-2026-0118 · 21 days
    €4,280.00
    Kinetik Studio
    RE-2026-0124 · 9 days
    €1,190.00
    Fernweh Reisen
    RE-2026-0131 · 4 days
    €942.50
    Total€6,412.50

    Nordlicht has been open the longest.

    In the app

What do we leave out?

Our rule: the best part is no part. Before we build a new page, we try a filter, a menu item or one line of text on an existing screen.

What that means in practice:

  • Fewer screens. Open, overdue and paid invoices are one list with a filter.
  • A calm app for your team. Someone who only logs hours sees no revenue and no bank transactions. By default, members only see what they need.
  • A home screen that gets to the point. It tells you in one sentence what needs your attention, like overdue invoices or missing receipts.

How does AI work in Backbone?

You can use almost every function in the app, in the chat or through MCP, so from ChatGPT, Claude or your coding environment. Just ask: "Who hasn't paid yet?" or "Invoice September's hours."

Billy, our AI assistant, always shows you what he wants to do and asks before he changes anything. Your AI agents prepare, you review and approve. As owner, you can switch off AI connections for your workspace in the settings. Security-critical things like passwords, payments or deleting your account always stay in the app.

More: AI connector.

Who is Backbone for?

Backbone is for all modern founders and companies that want to streamline, modernise and future-proof their back-office work. Right now we focus on the German-speaking market, especially Germany and Austria.

Backbone is the wrong tool if you are looking for:

  • Payroll. Backbone does not run salaries.
  • Full double-entry bookkeeping or a tax return. Backbone prepares everything: it matches receipts and hands your bookkeeper a clean export. The booking and filing happen elsewhere.
  • E-commerce. E-commerce isn't supported yet, but we're working on it. The vision is to replace old dinosaurs like Odoo.

What are we working on?

Coming sooner or later:

  • Connected bank accounts. Today you add accounts by hand. Automatic retrieval is coming soon.
  • E-commerce. Shop, stock and orders right in Backbone.

Frequently asked questions

Does Backbone replace my bookkeeper?

No. Backbone gives no tax advice and doesn't keep the books. It collects and sorts everything so your bookkeeper has less to chase.

Do I need AI to use Backbone?

No. Everything also works by hand in the app.

What does it cost?

Solo € 19, Growth € 29 and Agency € 49 per month, with a 7-day trial. Details on the pricing page.

Try it

7-day trial.

Start 7-day trial

Product article, not legal or tax advice and no review of your case.

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