DATEV vs Lexware Office Comparison
Compare DATEV vs Lexware Office features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
DATEV
6.3/10
German cooperative's accounting, payroll and tax software, built around shared bookkeeping between businesses and their DATEV-member tax advisors.
Lexware Office
6.7/10
A German cloud tool for bookkeeping, invoicing, receipt capture, VAT filing and optional payroll, made for freelancers and small businesses.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.3/10 | 6.7/10 |
| Analytics | 6/10 | 4/10 |
| Compliance | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Cost | 6/10 | 8/10 |
| Customization | 5/10 | 4/10 |
| Ease of Use | 3/10 | 8/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Scalability | 7/10 | 4/10 |
| Security | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Support | 4/10 | 6/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | €12/mo DATEV Unternehmen online | €8/mo S |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | €12/mo DATEV Unternehmen online | €8/mo S |
| Features | ||
| Accountant Access | ||
| Bank Reconciliation | ||
| Financial Reporting | ||
| General Ledger | ||
| Invoicing | ||
| Payroll | ||
| Tax Compliance | ||
| Accounts Payable | Not listed | |
| Audit Trail | Not listed | |
| Expense Management | Not listed | |
| Inventory Accounting | Not listed | |
| Multi-currency | Not listed | |
| Multi-entity Consolidation | Not listed | |
| Online Payments | Not listed | |
DATEV vs Lexware Office cost by team size
Lexware Office costs less at every team size we checked.
| Team size | DATEV | Lexware Office |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | €12/moDATEV Unternehmen online | €8/moS |
| 5 users | €12/moDATEV Unternehmen online | €8/moS |
| 10 users | €12/moDATEV Unternehmen online | €8/moS |
| 25 users | €12/moDATEV Unternehmen online | €8/moS |
| 50 users | €12/moDATEV Unternehmen online | €8/moS |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose DATEV
- Higher Scalability score (7/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Analytics score (6/10 vs 4/10)
- Better fit for accountants and bookkeepers (10/10 vs 6/10)
Why choose Lexware Office
- Lower estimated cost for 10 users: €8/mo vs €12/mo
- Higher Ease of Use score (8/10 vs 3/10)
- Higher Cost score (8/10 vs 6/10)
- Better fit for small business (8/10 vs 6/10)
Pros & Cons
DATEV
Pros
- Records cannot be altered after posting, which reviewers say helps with GoBD rules and tax audits
- Direct link to the tax advisor's DATEV system removes manual handover of receipts and reports
- Supports e-invoice processing under EN 16931 and bank access via EBICS or PIN/TAN
- Data centre certified to ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 27701
- Low base licence price compared with full ERP suites
Cons
- Reviewers describe the interface as dated and hard to learn
- Many services are charged separately, such as storage, receipts and the liquidity module
- Users report slow support and unannounced maintenance windows
- Cannot be bought without a DATEV-member advisor, and the product is focused on Germany
- Some reviewers miss recurring invoices and real-time reporting
Lexware Office
Pros
- Users on OMR Reviews and testers on Experte.de describe receipt scanning and bank matching as fast and easy to set up.
- Creates ZUGFeRD and XRechnung e-invoices and files VAT returns directly to ELSTER.
- Every plan can be cancelled monthly, and users are unlimited according to Für-Gründer.
- Tax advisor access and DATEV export make it easy to hand the books to an accountant.
- An optional payroll add-on handles social security and tax filings for up to 50 employees.
Cons
- Invoices can only be issued in euros.
- Cannot manage several companies, and has no approval workflow and no cost-centre reporting.
- Bookkeeping and VAT returns need the L plan, and recurring features need higher tiers.
- Users report bank connections that drop and support that is hard to reach by phone.
- There is no postal invoice sending and no built-in time tracking.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Lexware Office scores higher on our Finance Software criteria: 6.7/10 against 6.3/10 for DATEV. The largest gap is in Ease of Use: 3/10 for DATEV and 8/10 for Lexware Office.
Lexware Office costs less for 10 users: about €8/mo on its S plan, against about €12/mo on its DATEV Unternehmen online plan for DATEV, billed monthly.
No, neither DATEV nor Lexware Office lists a free plan.
DATEV is the better fit for accountants and bookkeepers: we rate it 10/10 for them, against 6/10 for Lexware Office.
