sevDesk vs. Lexware vs. Papierkram โ Accounting Software for SMEs 2026
Accounting software is one of the first investments freelancers and SME founders make. But which one fits you? We compared the three most popular solutions for the DACH market.
The Three Candidatesโ
sevDeskโ
For: Freelancers, self-employed and small GmbHs up to ~20 employees.
sevDesk is cloud-based, very intuitive and covers invoicing, receipt capture and basic accounting. The DATEV integration makes handovers to tax advisors easy.
- Price: from โฌ9.90/month
- Strengths: UX, mobile app, DATEV export
- Weakness: Fewer reports in the basic package
๐ Try sevDesk free
Lexware Officeโ
For: SMEs with more complex requirements, up to ~50 employees.
Lexware Office (formerly lexoffice) combines accounting, payroll and project time tracking in one platform. Especially strong for companies that also need to manage employees.
- Price: from โฌ7.90/month
- Strengths: Full GoBD compliance, payroll, project times
- Weakness: Higher learning curve than sevDesk
Papierkramโ
For: Freelancers and solopreneurs who just need to write invoices.
Papierkram is the leanest solution โ ideal if you don't need complex accounting but just want to create quotes and invoices easily.
- Price: from โฌ0/month (free basic version)
- Strengths: Simplicity, free entry
- Weakness: No real accounting, no payroll
Our Verdictโ
| sevDesk | Lexware | Papierkram | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freelancers | โ | โ ๏ธ | โ |
| SME 1โ10 staff | โ | โ | โ |
| SME 10โ50 staff | โ ๏ธ | โ | โ |
| Payroll | โ | โ | โ |
| Value for money | โญโญโญโญ | โญโญโญโญ | โญโญโญโญโญ |
Recommendation: For most SMEs and self-employed in the DACH region, sevDesk is the best starting point โ intuitive, affordable and DATEV-compatible.
๐ Try sevDesk free for 14 days โ
Pragma is a B2B CRM for sales teams. We use sevDesk ourselves for our own accounting and recommend it to our users.