sevDesk vs Lexware Office
sevDesk (sevDesk GmbH, Offenburg) and Lexware Office (Haufe-Lexware, Freiburg) are German cloud bookkeeping tools for freelancers and small firms. sevDesk has a permanent free plan and puts its API and cost centres in the top tier. Lexware Office starts cheaper on paid plans, is cancellable monthly and offers a payroll add-on that sevDesk's pricing page does not list.
Choose sevDesk if
you want a permanent free plan for a few e-invoices a month, a REST API and cost centres in one top tier, or a bookkeeping tool sold by a company that only makes this product.
Read the sevDesk reviewChoose Lexware Office if
you want the lowest paid entry price, a 30-day trial that includes payroll, a payroll add-on for up to 50 employees, or software from the Haufe group that also runs desktop products.
Read the Lexware Office reviewsevDesk and Lexware Office side by side
| sevDesk | Lexware Office | |
|---|---|---|
| Company | sevDesk GmbH | Haufe-Lexware GmbH & Co. KG |
| Headquarters | Offenburg, Germany | Freiburg, Germany |
| Founded | 2013 | 1989 |
| Jurisdiction | EU (Germany) | EU (Germany) |
| Where the data sits | Germany | Germany (data centres in the Frankfurt area, ISO 27001) |
| Pricing | Free plan (3 invoices a month); Rechnung €11.90 / Buchhaltung €25.90 / Buchhaltung Pro €34.90 per month excl. VAT on monthly billing, less on 12- or 24-month terms | S €7.90 / M €12.90 / L €21.90 / XL €32.90 per month excl. VAT, monthly cancellable; payroll add-on €12.90 |
| Entry-level list price (vendor site, checked 19 October 2026) | Free (3 invoices a month); Rechnung €11.90 / Buchhaltung €25.90 / Buchhaltung Pro €34.90 per month excl. VAT on monthly billing, lower on 12-month (-25%) and 24-month (-50%) terms; extra users €4.90 a month. A promotional banner was running on the page when checked. | S €7.90 / M €12.90 / L €21.90 / XL €32.90 per month excl. VAT, cancellable monthly; payroll add-on from €12.90; a 50% discount for the first 3 months was shown on the page when checked. |
| Free tier or trial | 14-day free trial | 30-day free trial |
| Certifications and checks | GoBD | GoBD |
| Source code | Closed source | Closed source |
| Usually replaces | QuickBooks, Lexware Office, DATEV Unternehmen online | QuickBooks, Sage, DATEV Unternehmen online |
| Position in our Accounting Software guide | #4 of 8 | #2 of 8 |
Both are listed in our European Accounting Software guide. The table is built from the same directory data as those entries, except the list price, which is quoted from each vendor's own pricing page (see Sources below); how we check it is described in the editorial process.
Where sevDesk and Lexware Office differ
Across the five points below, Lexware Office on 3 points and 2 are a tie. A count like that is a summary, not a verdict: the point that matters to you may be the one the other product wins.
Entry price
sevDesk's pricing page offers a plan at €0 that allows 3 invoices or e-invoices a month, and the first paid tier, Rechnung, lists €11.90 a month excl. VAT on monthly billing. Lexware Office has no free plan; its Version S, receipt capture and archive, costs €7.90 a month excl. VAT. Which one is cheaper depends on whether three invoices a month are enough.
No clear winner on this point.
Price of full bookkeeping
For bookkeeping with tax reports, sevDesk's Buchhaltung plan lists €25.90 a month excl. VAT on monthly billing, and the plan with cost centres, BWA and API, Buchhaltung Pro, lists €34.90. Lexware Office Version L, described as bookkeeping, EÜR and VAT, lists €21.90, and XL with EU invoices and API lists €32.90. Lexware is €4 and €2 lower at the two comparable steps.
Edge: Lexware Office
Trial
Lexware's pricing page offers a free 30-day test and says all functions of Version XL plus its payroll product are available during it. sevDesk's imprint page and pricing page give a 14-day free trial of all functions. A longer trial with the top version and payroll switched on makes it easier to run one full month-end close before paying.
Edge: Lexware Office
Payroll
Lexware Office sells Lohn & Gehalt as an add-on at €12.90 a month excl. VAT, graduated by headcount from 2 up to 50 employees, with automatic social-security and tax notifications. The sevDesk pricing page names no payroll module among its plans. A firm that wants invoicing and payroll under one login has a stated option at Lexware and none stated at sevDesk.
Edge: Lexware Office
API and extra users
sevDesk lists its REST API and cost centres under Buchhaltung Pro; one administrator user is included, and each further user costs €4.90 a month. Lexware lists a public API in its comparison table and names API as the headline of XL at €32.90. Both gate the interface behind their top tier; sevDesk states the extra-user price, which could not be verified on Lexware's page.
No clear winner on this point.
When neither sevDesk nor Lexware Office fits
If neither German tool fits, look at bexio (Switzerland) for a small-business suite with its own plan ladder, or Holded (Spain) if you want accounting together with CRM and inventory. Both are on this site.
sevDesk vs Lexware Office: questions
sevDesk has a permanent free plan with 3 invoices or e-invoices a month, ZUGFeRD and XRechnung formats and unlimited contacts. Lexware Office has no free plan, only a 30-day trial with all Version XL functions.
On the vendors' list prices excl. VAT, Lexware is lower at each comparable step: Version L at €21.90 against sevDesk Buchhaltung at €25.90, and XL at €32.90 against Buchhaltung Pro at €34.90. Both advertise introductory discounts that change over time.
Yes. Lohn & Gehalt is an add-on at €12.90 a month excl. VAT, priced by the number of employees up to 50 on the pricing page. The sevDesk pricing page does not list a payroll module.
Both state it. sevDesk offers a link to your tax advisor's account and a DATEV and ADDISON interface, and Lexware gives the advisor free online access on request.
Sources
Facts, prices and plan details on this page were checked on the vendors' own websites on . Prices and plans change; the vendor's current page is authoritative.
- sevDesk pricing page: free plan, three paid tiers, contract-length discounts, API and cost centres in Pro, extra user price, banking and DATEV interface (checked 19 October 2026)
- sevDesk imprint: sevDesk GmbH, Offenburg, Amtsgericht Freiburg HRB710506, 14-day trial (checked 19 October 2026)
- sevDesk privacy page: server location Germany (checked 19 October 2026)
- Lexware Office pricing page: S/M/L/XL prices, monthly cancellation, 30-day trial with XL and payroll, payroll add-on, tax advisor access, 160+ integrations (checked 19 October 2026)
- Lexware Office imprint: Haufe-Lexware GmbH & Co. KG, Freiburg, a company of Haufe Group SE (checked 19 October 2026)