DATEV vs Payhawk (2026): Pricing, Features & Verdict
Payhawk is our pick, scoring 7.1/10 against 6.3/10 for DATEV on our Finance Software criteria. Its biggest advantage: higher Ease of Use score (8/10 vs 3/10). Neither DATEV nor Payhawk lists a free plan.
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.
Payhawk
7.1/10
Payhawk is a modular spend management platform combining Visa corporate cards, expense claims, accounts payable, procurement and travel booking for mid-sized and multi-entity companies.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.3/10 | 7.1/10 |
| Scalability | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Analytics | 6/10 | 5/10 |
| Compliance | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 9/10 |
| Security | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Support | 4/10 | 5/10 |
| Cost | 6/10 | 4/10 |
| Customization | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Ease of Use | 3/10 | 8/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | €11.56/mo DATEV Unternehmen online | £149/mo Growth programme (UK/EEA) |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | €12/mo DATEV Unternehmen online | £149/mo Growth programme (UK/EEA) |
| Features | ||
| Payroll | ||
| Accountant Access | ||
| Accounts Payable | ||
| Tax Compliance | ||
| Audit Trail | Not listed | |
| Bank Reconciliation | Not listed | |
| Corporate Cards | Not listed | |
| Expense Management | Not listed | |
| Financial Reporting | Not listed | |
| General Ledger | Not listed | |
| Invoicing | Not listed | |
| Multi-currency | Not listed | |
| Multi-entity Consolidation | Not listed | |
DATEV vs Payhawk cost by team size
| Team size | DATEV | Payhawk |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | €12/moDATEV Unternehmen online | £149/moGrowth programme (UK/EEA) |
| 5 users | €12/moDATEV Unternehmen online | £149/moGrowth programme (UK/EEA) |
| 10 users | €12/moDATEV Unternehmen online | £149/moGrowth programme (UK/EEA) |
| 25 users | €12/moDATEV Unternehmen online | $299/moTravel |
| 50 users | €12/moDATEV Unternehmen online | $299/moTravel |
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.
Who DATEV and Payhawk suit
DATEV fits small business better; Payhawk fits startups better.
| Audience | DATEV | Payhawk |
|---|---|---|
| Small Business | 6/10It works well for German SMBs that have a DATEV advisor, but reviewers say it is complex for very small firms. | 4/10There is a discounted Growth programme for UK and EEA firms under 10 staff, but it is capped and reviewers say the cost is high for small companies. |
| Startups | 3/10Reviewers advise startups and small self-employed businesses to look elsewhere because of its complexity and cost. | 5/10The Growth plan and unlimited employee seats help, but annual contracts and the price floor are less startup-friendly than freemium rivals. |
| Mid-Market | 8/10Reviewers rate it as well suited to established German mid-sized companies. | 9/10Module pricing from several hundred dollars a month, plus multi-entity add-ons, targets companies that have outgrown simple expense apps. |
| Accountants and Bookkeepers | 10/10DATEV is owned by its tax advisor members and built around advisor-client collaboration. | Not rated |
| Enterprise | Not rated | 7/10It offers SAP, Oracle and Workday connectors, SSO, and PO matching, but very large enterprises may still need deeper procurement suites. |
| Finance Teams | Not rated | 9/10It is built for controllers and CFO teams that need card controls, AP approvals and ERP sync in one place. |
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose DATEV
- Higher Cost score (6/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Analytics score (6/10 vs 5/10)
- Better fit for small business (6/10 vs 4/10)
- Includes Payroll, which Payhawk lacks
Why choose Payhawk
- Higher Ease of Use score (8/10 vs 3/10)
- Higher Integration score (9/10 vs 7/10)
- Better fit for startups (5/10 vs 3/10)
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
Payhawk
Pros
- Unlimited employee seats, card transactions and document processing in every module, so costs do not scale per employee.
- Very broad native integration list, covering NetSuite, Sage Intacct, SAP, Dynamics, Xero, QuickBooks, DATEV and 30+ HR systems, plus a partner API and MCP connector.
- Strong for multi-entity European groups, with regulated card issuing entities in the EEA, UK and US and balances in six currencies.
- AP module includes 2- and 3-way PO matching, segregation-of-duties controls, and e-invoicing support for Peppol, KSeF, SDI and Finvoice.
- Reviewers often say employees find receipt capture and expense submission in the mobile app quick and easy.
Cons
- Trustpilot (2.8/5) and some G2 reviews describe mid-contract price increases, automatic renewals and difficult cancellations.
- Several reviewers report slow or AI-first support, with replies taking days or weeks.
- Annual pricing, unit fees for admin seats and cards, and add-on prices are not published, so you have to get a quote.
- Initial setup of workflows, custom fields and integrations is described as complex, and some reviewers note sync errors with Xero and with foreign currency refunds.
- It is not a general ledger or payroll system, so it needs a separate ERP or accounting package.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Payhawk scores higher on our Finance Software criteria: 7.1/10 against 6.3/10 for DATEV. The largest gap is in Ease of Use: 3/10 for DATEV and 8/10 for Payhawk.
No, neither DATEV nor Payhawk lists a free plan.
DATEV is the better fit for small business: we rate it 6/10 for them, against 4/10 for Payhawk.
DATEV has Payroll, which Payhawk lacks.
