Accounting · head to head
BlackLine vs Conta
BlackLine
Accounting
Close automation that sits on top of your ERP, covering reconciliations, journals and close task control
- From
- $29/month
- Rated
- -
Conta
Accounting
Norwegian accounting software for small and growing businesses
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Conta has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: BlackLine it sits on top of the ERP rather than replacing anything, so it is an additional annual platform cost against a general ledger you are already paying for, and the return has to come from reduced close effort and audit findings rather than from retiring another system.; Conta norwegian pricing only: displayed in NOK without multi-currency support for international comparisons
- Prices and features above were last checked on 2 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which BlackLine and Conta actually diverge.
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Accounting).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in BlackLine
- Account reconciliation
- Risk based certification
- Journal entry management
- Close task management
- Transaction matching
- Intercompany
- Variance analysis
- Evidence attachment
Only in Conta
Nothing recorded that BlackLine does not also cover.
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
BlackLine
- A listed company whose external auditors have raised findings about reconciliation evidence and reviewer sign offnot Conta
- A group with dozens of entities where the close depends on someone chasing spreadsheets by email every monthnot Conta
- A finance team matching very high volumes of bank or payment processor transactions that no longer fit in a workbooknot Conta
- An organisation trying to shorten a close that runs past working day ten and cannot see where the time goesnot Conta
Conta
- Norwegian small business accounting and invoicingnot BlackLine
- Project and department cost trackingnot BlackLine
- EHF/eInvoice generation for Norwegian regulatory compliancenot BlackLine
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
BlackLine
- It sits on top of the ERP rather than replacing anything, so it is an additional annual platform cost against a general ledger you are already paying for, and the return has to come from reduced close effort and audit findings rather than from retiring another system.
- The capability is split across separately licensed modules, so a reconciliation deployment that later needs journal entry, transaction matching and intercompany turns into three more commercial conversations rather than a configuration change.
- Implementation runs for months and is normally partner led, because the value depends on how the account inventory, risk ratings, matching rules and ERP data feeds are configured, and a rushed configuration produces a system that certifies bad reconciliations on schedule.
- The ERP data feeds have to be built and then maintained, so a chart of accounts change, an entity addition or an ERP upgrade turns into remediation work in BlackLine as well, and a broken feed stops the close rather than degrading it.
- Licensing has a per user element and the close involves preparers, reviewers, controllers and auditors, so a finance function with many occasional reviewers pays for seats belonging to people who touch the system for a few days each month.
Conta
- Norwegian pricing only: displayed in NOK without multi-currency support for international comparisons
- Annual billing required: no monthly-pay option for either tier, forcing yearly commitment
- Pro tier vaporware: listed as 'coming soon' with no pricing or feature roadmap provided
- Limited feature differentiation: Smart tier is 'most selected' by customers but does not clearly explain what additional business value justifies 62% price premium over Standard
Pricing, plan by plan
BlackLine
$29/month- EnterpriseFree
- Custom pricing
- Account reconciliation
- Task management
Conta
Free- Conta Regnskap Standard$209/month (billed annually)
- Conta Regnskap Smart$339/month (billed annually)
- Conta Regnskap Pro$undefined/mo
Which should you pick?
Choose BlackLine if
- You need account reconciliation.
- You also want risk based certification.
Questions people ask
- Is BlackLine or Conta better?
- Neither clearly leads. BlackLine starts at $29/month and Conta at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, BlackLine or Conta?
- Conta has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for BlackLine and Free for Conta.
- Does BlackLine or Conta run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Conta for free?
- Yes. Conta has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. BlackLine starts at $29/month.
- What is BlackLine best used for?
- BlackLine is most often used for a listed company whose external auditors have raised findings about reconciliation evidence and reviewer sign off, a group with dozens of entities where the close depends on someone chasing spreadsheets by email every month, a finance team matching very high volumes of bank or payment processor transactions that no longer fit in a workbook, an organisation trying to shorten a close that runs past working day ten and cannot see where the time goes. Of those, a listed company whose external auditors have raised findings about reconciliation evidence and reviewer sign off and a group with dozens of entities where the close depends on someone chasing spreadsheets by email every month are not what Conta is typically brought in for.
- What can BlackLine do that Conta cannot?
- BlackLine covers Account reconciliation, Risk based certification, Journal entry management, Close task management.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
BlackLine: Does BlackLine replace our ERP or general ledger?
No. It reads from the ledger and writes approved journals back. You keep the ERP and pay for BlackLine on top of it.
Conta: How much does Conta cost per month?
Conta Regnskap Standard costs 209 NOK/month and Smart costs 339 NOK/month, billed annually. Both exclude VAT and include a 30-day free trial option.
SourceBlackLine: At what size does it make sense?
The case is usually driven by control requirements and entity count rather than revenue. Companies under a control regime like Sarbanes Oxley, or groups with many entities and a long close, get the return. A single entity business with a short close will not.
Conta: Can I pay monthly instead of annually?
No. Both Standard and Smart tiers require annual billing at a fixed monthly rate. Monthly-payment options are not available.
SourceBlackLine: How long does implementation take?
Months rather than weeks for the first module, longer for multi entity rollouts across several modules. The elapsed time is dominated by agreeing the account inventory and building the data feeds, not by installing software.
Conta: What is included in the Standard vs. Smart plan?
Standard includes accounting, invoicing, unlimited receipts, mobile app, and EHF/eInvoice. Smart adds KID numbers, unlimited EHF, project/department management, free chat/phone support, and exclusive equipment discounts.
SourceBlackLine: Will it shorten our close on its own?
No. It makes the close visible and controlled, which is what exposes where the time goes. Shortening it still requires changing the underlying processes, and companies that skip that step get better documentation of the same slow close.
Conta: When will the Pro plan be available and what will it cost?
The Pro tier is listed as 'coming soon' on the pricing page with no published pricing or launch date provided.
SourceBlackLine: Can our auditors use it directly?
Yes, giving auditors read access to sample reconciliations and approvals is a common deployment pattern and one of the clearer sources of saved effort during the audit.
BlackLine: What happens if our chart of accounts changes?
The account inventory, risk ratings and feed mappings need updating to match. Treat any significant ERP or chart of accounts change as a BlackLine work package in the same project plan.
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